Colombia

For me, Cartagena is like one of those two-faced friends you can never really get your head around. On one side, it is a truly romantic city, at night a beautiful ambiance is in the air. On the other, however, you can't walk two steps outside your hostel without being offered cocaine at least seven times. Most of these 'people' are creepy, deranaged looking criminals. I never once felt 100% safe at night time, and actually have no photos of this city as I was too scared to even take my camera out with me.

I did however manage to have quite a good time out and about on the town bumping booties on the dancefloor with the locals. You have to see it to understand how hilarious their 'dancing' is. Pretty sure most of the guys should be wearing a condom it gets that hot and heavy, the local ladies will stop at no lengths to show their immense affection, and then straight after the 'dance' sit on couches at opposite ends of the club as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Just sitting down and watching the free sex shows was entertaining enough, and probably (sadly) my main highlight from Cartagena.

Next stop, was Taganga. We arrived on what must have been smack bang in the middle of some local celebration. It was a Sunday evening and there were hundreds of people lining the streets, on the beach and even swimming. Best way to be welcomed to a new place! Taganga had great local vibes, and wasn't too touristy, which was nice for a change. We stayed at a hotel right on the beach, but didn't actually go swimming once... what great travellers we are.

Taganga Beach

On my third day there, the day before Ben Troy and I started the Lost City Trek, I got a bad case of food poisoning. The next day I woke up feeling better so thought I'd be fine to do the trek... I could not have been more wrong. Ciudad Perdida, Spanish for 'Lost City,' was only discovered in 1972, and is a five day trek through jungle to discover the mysterious lost city, a great pre- Columbian city of the Tayronas. The trek was certainly no walk in the park, and was on most occasions rather exhausting, but well worth the challenge.

The jungle reminded me of a beautiful version of Jurassic Park. It was hot, humid, and often raining, but for most of us that made it all the more enjoyable. We had to cross numerous fresh rivers, and got to hike past Indigenous villages, as many local tribes live in huts the jungle still. We only walked 4 hours on average a day, and slept in hammocks under huts of a night time. It was such a great feeling camping out in the jungle like that, and certainly something I won't ever forget. These kind of experiences are the ones that shape your trip, and make it a whole lot more interesting.

The food was a major highlight, but unfortunately due to my stomach bug that just would not pass, I couldn't keep anything down. Troy was also sick, but out the other end - so Ben found himself feeling like Healthy Harold next to his amigos 'Spewy' and 'Pooey.' After three days I was too weak and in so much pain we were forced to turn back. Ben and Troy, who looked after me like brothers, were kind enough to accompany me back to Taganga, unfortunately earlier than expected.

The rivers turned a beautiful orange because of all the rain!

Very Jurassic Park like

Local Indian tribes

The huts they lived in

When you travel with people for long enough, your friendship becomes so strong you honestly become a family. Day in day out: eating, sleeping, partying, and doing daily activities together; there isn't much you don't know about each other. It also helps you find out a lot more about yourself. When I first started this trip, I think I was trying very hard to "work out who I am," what I like, etc etc. I think I am at a point now where I understand myself a lot better. Although I'm definitely at a point where, I think the best way to put it is, I am still very much growing into myself.

I've still got so much to learn, but I'm enjoying it every step of the way. The more you challenge yourself and embark on various adventures, the more you begin to learn and understand. This is one of my favourite parts of travelling. I have grown up and into myself so much in the past few months it's not even funny. My perspective on what is most important in life has been completely altered. But the best part is that there is still so much more to come, and I am finally learning how to appreciate the world and everything it has to offer me all the more.

Sailing the High Seas

Travel. It makes life more meaningful.

It seems the story of my life has only just begun. With a new destination every week and overwhelming adventures always around the corner, my chapters may be small - but by god are they poignant. So much so I find it hard to believe that the next chapter could ever live up to the previous one... Somehow, so far, I am yet to be let down. Travelling without any plans whatsoever is definitely the way to do it. It means you are open to everything and anything that life throws your way. Your life becomes limitless, the way it should be.

For me, this was sailing to Colombia from Panama. With the choice of a flight for $200, or five days of sailing the Caribbean and visiting the Sand Blas islands for just double the price, it was not a hard decision to make. I am not sure if my words can some up how breathtaking this journey was, but i'll give it a go. Lucky pictures help speak many thousand words.

The only bad thing about the boat trip, Never Smile was on board. An American late 20-something social retard who didn't drink alcohol and had the sense of humour of a five year old... hence the nickname. We'd met him previously in Utilia, he happened to be in my diving group. So as everyone has experienced at least once in their lives, I had exhausted all avenues of pointless conversation with him. He was lucky enough to become the first person on my trip that I took a well deserved disliking to.

We had to get an hour long cab to where the boat was docked, and somehow Mitch Troy and Ben were together in one, and I ended up with Never Smile and Trent - who had flown down from Canada after a bad breakup. Next to Never Smile, he became the second, and so far, final person I have felt hostility towards on this trip. Again, definitely well deserved - if you keep following this blog you'll find out why... a rather interesting story.

Michel and Cecil, a lovely french couple, were our captain and crew for the five day sailing adventure. Sailing the Caribbean for a rather generous living, they've definitely got their lives sorted out. In total, we spent three days exploring the San Blas islands, and then it was 40 hours straight sailing the open seas to arrive in Cartagena, Colombia.

Cecil and Michel, completely and utterly in love.

The San Blas islands is an archipelago of nearly 400 islands, of which only about 50 are inhabited, mostly by the Kuna Indians. There are honestly no words to describe how beautiful the San Blas islands are. They are an unspoiled paradise, which became our playground for three days. Having the boat was the best part, we could just jump into the glorious ocean anytime we felt like it, go snorkeling, fishing, or swim over and just explore the surrounding islands. What a life!

A guy from the Kuna tribes trying to sell us this shell. Legend.

The Kuna people would often approach the boat to try and sell us things, or sometimes come over just for a chat. We did buy some fresh lobsters at one point, something ridiculous like 5 for $30. At one point, a little albino boy approached the boat, just to say hello. It was a strange sight at first, seeing a white boy rowing towards us, and we all turned to Michel and Cecil for an explanation. We were all saddened to learn that often the Kuna tribes don't exactly live in harmony, and some are inbred. This poor little boy, and one of his sisters, are both albinos.

This is easily the saddest picture I have ever taken. This boy was covered head to toe in scabs and blisters, a result for the Caribbeans harsh sun. Obviously living off the land means the Kuna tribes have no access to doctors or any kind of medication. It also means they have a hard time hiding from the sun. What a painful life this boy must live, and many others as well. It's not all paradise in the Caribbean. My heart really went out to this boy.

Another perfect Caribbean Sunset

The rest of what we explored of the Caribbean, however, was simply awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, their wasn't enough wind to sail for most of the time, but that didn't stop us from lying on the bow of the boat, enjoying the breeze, soaking up the sun, and simply living the life.

Lieutenant Dan you ain't got no legs

On our last day in the San Blas, we swam over to an uninhabited island, where we were to make a fire and have dinner - fresh fish - that evening. We spent the afternoon drinking rum, straight from the bottle of course, and trying our hardest to absorb the beauty of this magical land. Looking back on the photos, I can't help but smile to remember how happy we were. It's one of those things you are lucky to do once in your life, and I can't explain how much this part of the trip impacted on me. There are so many parts of this world that will bring you such immense satisfaction, delirium, and pure exhilaration. It makes your heart beat faster, and it makes you love life a hell of a lot more. It also comes along with one of those smiles that is so big and lasts for so long that your face hurts from the pleasure. An easy price to pay if you ask me.

Drinking rum in the Caribbean, pirate style.

RIOT squad.

Mitch taking a stroll. Oh so perfect.

After our three days spent in my version of Heaven, it was 40hrs straight sailing to Colombia, and for me that meant almost 40hrs in bed. The seas were rough, and there was a pretty big storm. In the end, we made it, to the oh-so different world of Colombia. A different kind of excitement was rushing through my veins. A new chapter had begun and I couldn't wait to delve straight into it.

Panama City

Having heard good things about Panama City, we were excited to back to the mainland, back to reality. Promoted as Central America's 'Party Captial,' it felt more like Panama City was the cosmopolitan capital of Central. Sporting a stifling skyline of highrise buildings, anyone could be fooled to believe we were back in Sydney or somewhere alike.

Luke James and I were drawn to Casco Viejo, a bedraggled yet gorgeous neighborhood, made up of historic buildings and cobbled streets - just a touch more interesting than the steel towers that lay across the ocean Luna's Castle, old mansion turned hostel, was our home, or I really should say playground, for the week we were stationed here. Looking off the balcony over the Pacific Ocean, this hostel had everything, and I mean everything, to offer.

Mitch stoked upon finding the movie room

Theatre aside, this four level backpackers paradise accommodated over a hundred people, had free breakfast, four chill out rooms (all featuring guitars which got regular workouts), and most importantly, a downstairs gorgeous bar and deck area that was open until 3am. Obviously, we didn't have much reason to leave this hostel... except of course to visit our good old friend McDonalds. A ritual almost all backpackers have when visiting a city.

On one occasion when Mitch and I were having a lengthy lunch in the air conditioned heaven of Maccas, we started talking to a middle aged Jamaican guy, Rick. He spoke perfect English (and French as well!) and had a cast on his right leg up to his thigh. He told he was on holidays in Panama, and just a week ago had been hit by a car and broke his leg badly. Lying on the ground, waiting for help, he received exactly the opposite. Locals robbed him of almost everything -shoes, wallet, hat, shirt, and most importantly, his passport. When police came by and he tried to call out for help, they just assumed he was another bothersome homeless drunk, and left him lying on the ground, thinking about what a wayward world this really is. Rick became a good friend of ours, and visited us at our hostel on many occasions while he waited around pointlessly in Panama for an emergency passport.

Stories like this really do get you thinking... would something like that happen in Australia? Of course not. We are so blessed to live in such an amazing land, where everybody - be it neighbour, colleague, friend, family - will always have your back. It's crazy to think that such antics like this happen all over the world, and how many heartless people we live amongst. Travelling really does open your eyes, and allow you to take off those rose coloured glasses, and sometimes see the world basked in all it's true grotesqueness.

Mind you, it's not all bad. Actually, most of what you discover over here opens your eyes to a kaleidoscopic world that's completely hard to comprehend, and gets your thoughts all tangled up in some kind of fuzzy web.. It makes you wake up, and see the world in a different light, and take problems, dilemmas, opportunities as you would have never done so before. Seeing the world helps you see yourself, right through that mirror and deep into your soul. It definitely helps you to understand or work out the kind of person you want to be. Definitely not the kind who'd steal from someone in trouble. Or steal from anyone for that matter.

Done and dusted with Panama City after a few wild nights out, and many days in the movie room, it was time to prepare for our trip to Colombia... To fly or to sail, that was the question. $400 or thereabouts got you four days frolicking around the San Blas islands on a yacht, and eventually delivers you to the unknown land of South America, Cartagena in Colombia to be precise. With activities and meals all inclusive, it wasn't a hard choice to jump on that boat (ha ha, pun intended) for a magical trip across the Caribbean. Wouldn't have it any other way. Wait til you hear all about it, promise you'll either die from jealously, or book a flight to Panama City as soon as your working day's over... sucker. xxx

Bocas

Bocas Del Toro is the kind of place any person will straight out love or hate. Or hate to love for that matter. It projects a rather appealing slow way of life, great nightlife, and the right kind of company that found me stuck there for two weeks.... a good week and a half longer than I'd planned. The only bad thing about this slice of Caribbean paradise is that access to the beach is never as easy as just walking out your front door. A $10 taxi to one beach and $8 boats to the others meant one thing for me: I saw Bocas' glistening coastline only four times in the two weeks I was there. Partly due to the face it rained almost ever day! What else we managed to do to pass the time beats me.

Ness Eddie and I arrived on Bocas and straight away chose Mondo Taitu for our temporary home. It's acclaimed 'wacky tree house vibe' didn't quite live up to the standards we expected, but we moved into what we appropriately named ''The Apartment,'' as that's exactly what it was.. A cute little mini house as an extension to Mondo meant that we had three rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen all to ourselves. Felt like home all over again... Us three girls had a room to ourselves, quite a nice change from the standard budget 13 people dorm rooms. There were about 15 of us all up in the apartment, so initiation of the new family in here could only lead to the obvious: name-tags with nicknames for those of us with alcohol induced bad memories, and a good old game of Kings to break the ice. Work's like a charm every time.

Class of the Apartment

Mondo was quite an interesting place for a party. Famous for it's weekly dress up's and never ending list of parties and activities, we soon caught the Bocas' Plague of insomnia, and found ourselves turning nocturnal. A sleep-in until 4pm in the afternoon became a regular part of our lives... I actually found myself on more than one occasion going to bed at sunrise and not seeing the sun again that day.

The staff at Mondo was probably one of its best parts. We made good friends with a Sarah and her boyfriend Joe who lived in the room next to us. Besides from the fact that we could often hear them in the room next to us late at night throwing the hot-dog down a wide hallway, they were a big part of the Apartment's family. So naturally, when we found out she was moving to the other side of the hostel and a new amigo Nacho was moving in, we decided his initiation would be taken to a new level..

A welcome note I left on Nacho's floor

It's amazing what you can achieve with a little bit of Peanut Butter and Honey. We found out the hard way that Nacho was actually the brother of the Mondo's owner. That didn't stop him from cleaning up the mess we made however.

Yum

We'd found out in the earlier days of Joe and Sarah's sex life that our styrophone roof could be removed and we could see into their bedroom next door, and sometimes throw condoms and the like at them while in the act. After one particularly large night out at Aqua Louge - a ridiculously loose bar accross the river that goes off for Wednesday's ladies night- Ness and I returned home, and brought some pots and pans into our room as preparation for a morning of vomiting that potentially laid ahead of us.

Smoking a big spliff seemed to put us back in the right mindframe and the pots and pans were put to a good home on our heads as a disguise, along with some black shirts to cover our faces, we went into the roof full ninja style, ready to mess with Nacho one more time. A quite 'ello through the roof successfully scared the shit out of him, and we managed to successfully creep him out. ''What are you watching?'' we asked in a creepy old ladies voice, referring to whatever he was looking at on his laptop, most likely some sort of gang rape porn. He looked around the room trying to work out where the hell our voices are coming from... ''Wanna know what we are watching?'' - a three minute pause trying to contain the laughter from our oh so stoned selves - ''You''. He got us back the best way possible: made all the staff cut us off from the bar the following night. Pretty sure that poo story is now famous around Bocas however, easily worth a night of thirst.

Epic disguise

After a week at Mondo we decided it was time to move onwards and upwards to Heike, a lovely hostel with a perfect deck area on top. My introduction to this lovely hostel was ah, quite different than most others I would have to say. After another big night out at Aqua Lounge (we had nothing else to amuse ourselves with, it rained every fecking day) I climbed up to my top bunk, striped off to my undies, and prepared myself for another 3pm sleepin. Half way through the night I was rather strangely awoken by someone's hands massaging my back.. As nice of a gesture as it may sound, quite a weird way to be awoken. As soon as I realised what was going on... well you can imagine how I reacted.. The Belgium guy from the bottom bunk seemed to think it was a good idea to give me a drunken massage at 5 in the morning.'GET OUT OF MY BED, GET OUT OF MY BED, GET OUT OF MY BED,' I screamed several times. Refusing to get out, he tried to convince me, 'but this is my bed.' So I drunkenly crawled down to the bottom bunk, and for some reason later that morning he thought it would be a good idea to join me down there. He was trying to explain that he was only being nice, trying to give me a massage. I wonder how many girls he's pulled with that technique before!!

After the masseuse left us, two English lads, Luke and James were our new room mates, and happened to be people Ness had previously met in Nicaragua. Luke and James are easily some of my favourite and the most funniest people I've met this trip. The Aussie boys from Utilia had also caught up with us by this stage, so a rather large night out amongst the many, many, large nights out we had was once again in order. With the Aussie boys typically having their eyes on the pussy prize, James included, Luke and I were the last men standing. Being tight ass travelers, a good game of minesweeper was in order. I'd distract a person while Luke would swiftly and professionally steal their drink. An 40-year old German man called Julian, who we'd met a few times before and absolutely hated, copped it the worst. Swapping his delicious Rum punch for an even better cup of sea water was one of the funniest things I've experienced for a long time.

On arrival back to the hostel at about 5am, Luke and I were in dire need of a spliff to put us to sleep, and were on a mission to find James who had the papers. After literally knocking on every single dorm room with the hope of finding him in bed with his new lady friend, we managed to turn the whole hostel against us. I'd do the knocking, and Luke the talking - queue posh English accent - ''Hello, sorry to wake you up, but we are looking for our friend James, he's a diabetic and he hasn't taken his medicine today, we desperately need to find him.'' After successfully turning the whole hostel into life long enemies, James suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs and threw us a the room key, and disappeared again. The key was far from what we wanted, so we secretly followed him downstairs in search of the papers, and of course to have a little perve.

Very gentleman like, James had actually taken his missus on a raunchy date to no where but the showers. Luke and I snuck into the cubical next door, and with a little boost up I had a full view of them role playing crouching tiger hidden penis. After catching my breath from trying to hide my laughter, I managed to call out ''Give it a lil lick'' - a personal joke, something James once said to his ex girlfriend.. what a charmer!

We did manage to get the oh-so important papers, watched the sunrise and prepared to leave for Panama City for some more crazy adventures.... xx

Costa Rica is renown for being a magnet for Americans, obviously meaning it's the last place that I would want to be hanging around for too long. It's also a complete rip off compared to the rest of Central America's countries, which I think proves Americans are the ones who set the Gringo standard, and just love to be ripped off. Despite this, San Jose, the capital, really struck me as quite an interesting place. Streets lined with all types of tranny prostitutes, a whole lot of really cool street art, and a subtle hint of violence looming in the air were just some of the eerie and peculiar things that can turn another boring city into exactly the opposite.

We arrived in San Jose only minutes before midnight, and stumbled into Tranquillo hostel, instantly drawn in by the relaxed and welcoming vibes. A few people from Byron were having a jam in the foyer, with the sound of the familiar but almost forgotten didgeridoo vibrating down the hallway and out into the silent streets. We straightaway felt at home.

Tranquillo Hostel

Another reason why Ness and I fell in love with this wayward city? More Ropa Americana's. In my opinion the only good thing that's ever come out of America, besides Johnny Depp. We spent a whole day frolicking around the somewhat contemporary streets of San Jose, in and out of every thrift store we could find. Every time we walked into a store our hearts would be thumping from desire - there was just too much good stuff to take in. Obviously, this was our version of the finest of heavens, and of course we did go a little overboard with our spendings, resulting in us both leaving a ridiculous pile of old but eternally loved clothes behind at the hostel for others to have a chance to enjoy.

Two days in San Jose proved to be enough, so we packed up our things and were bound again for the bright and beautiful Caribbean coast. Puerto Veijo was the desired destination, another gorgeous coastal town with the right kind of laid-back attitude. Our home for the next three days was Rocking J's, one of those hostels that really stands out from the rest. Covered head to toe in mosaic tiles, enlightening quotations, and more abstract art that you could poke a stick at, this place was hands down my favourite hostel to date.

One of the best things about Puerto Viejo are the miles and miles of beach stretching along the coast in both directions from the middle. Another plus, our hostel had a prime beachfront location. A 10 minute walk through down an ambient shady path lead us to the always picture perfect white sand beaches of the Caribbean. Five minutes at this pristine beach and we all knew how hard it was going to be to leave.


We spent the afternoon doing what all travellers learn to do so well... nothing. We laid on the green grass all afternoon smoking doobies, drinking rum, and having the best conversations about life and its mysterious ways. That's another thing that you often find yourself frequently doing whilst travelling, getting in depth with the best kind of thoughts about life, and reflecting on all it's glory. Unhappy days generally don't exist whilst you happen to be living the dream in paradise.


After a delicious taco dinner at the hostel restaurant, Ness and I set off into town to satisfy one of our many stoner traditions: eating snickers. At about 9pm and half way into town we were stopped by the owner of a Greek restaurant who seemed ready to do just about anything to get us to come into his restaurant for dinner. First he gave us samples of his delicious tapas food, and said we could eat as much as we wanted for half the price, only $6 each. We refused his kind offer, over and over again having to inform him we'd already eaten. ''Ok ok ok, what if I give you free alcohol, and you can both eat for $3 each.'' He obviously couldn't take a hint and we tried apologising again and walking away.

''OKAY,'' he shouted after us ''what if you both eat and drink here for free, and just leave my staff a tip.'' This was evidently an offer that full bellies aside, we obviously could not refuse. So we ate a scrumptious second dinner for the evening, whilst being entertained by a middle aged crazy American hippie who seemed to be on the run from something, who had countless card tricks and lame jokes for our amusement. We left what we thought was a rather generous tip of $2 for the waiter, and set off home. We were so ridiculously full on the walk back that we both ended up leaving a trail of spew behind us... Only to make room for more beer of course.

More updates to come!
xxxxx

Nicaragua

Granada

I left Utila alone, as Ness was already in Leon in Nicaragua so I was keen to catch up with her. I arrived in Granada a day before Ness and Eddie, and was totally exhausted from over 25hrs of travel, and a sleepover in a hostel that looked more like a psych ward in the dirty capital of Nicaragua.

Nicaragua was the first place that I stumbled across a Ropa Americana store - they are Latin America's version of op shops, and all the clothes are sent down from America as donations. Because there is not one trendy local getting around Nicaragua, all the amazing op shop finds must have been sitting there for years, and are just waiting to be snapped up. Such a gold mine for the best vintage finds, and it's all so ridiculously cheap!

Granada is a really gorgeous little city with a whole lot of charm. When Ness and Eddie finally arrived we did a bit of exploring, but decided we were definitely overdue for big catch ups, and an equally large night out on the town. One bottle of Rum down and Eddie was destined for bed, so Ness and I went out to take on Granada alone. We'd read in the lonely planet that there were some nice bars by a lake, so we tried to make a cab driver take us to there. The little Spanish we scraped together between us didn't do us too well at all. We would have been saying something along the lines of 'fiesta' and chucking in a few swimming motions. Even though Lago is Spanish for lake, Ness was throwing out some word starting with K, so the cab driver ended up taking us to this strange place called Kayak, which was completely dead bar.

Next to it however we heard some pumping music so decided to very drunkenly stumble into this hilarious bar full of locals. We pretty much didn't get off the dance floor the whole night, and made dancing partners with some 40-odd-year-olds, who teared up the dance floor with us til the early hours of the morning. The music at this place was probably the best part - it was the ultimate mix of 90's cringe songs mixed together by a terrible DJ who obviously didn't even pass grade two.

A local chick must have been off put by my enthralling dance moves, after thumping into me with her over sized booty a few times I was sure she was ready to smack my face in, so we decided it was time to leave. The cabbie taking us home took us down the most dingy unlit dirt road, and Ness and I both thought we were done for. We drunkenly and half jokingly screamed at him several times that 'We're gonna fuck you up motherfucker!!' In fits of laughter I told Ness to zip up her bag cause it was on, and we were totally ready to cause some damage to this creep. Luckily it was a false alarm and we made it home safely at sunrise, ready to nurse the following day some of the worst hangovers of the trip.

Next stop in Nicaragua was San Juan, which didn't really float our boat all too much. Nonetheless, we met up with the Aussie guys I'd met in Utila and together we explored what San Juan had to offer, and found the most amazing pool that overlooked the whole town, and had the best views of the ocean. We spent the afternoon there drinking beers in preparation for another one of those a little to large but always the best nights out on the town.


With the beaches being overly average and the locals almost creepy, we decided to head to the American filled land of Costa Rica. More on that later..
xxx

Utila

After hearing about Utila, the drinking island with a diving problem, I couldn't think of anything better than escaping solo for a few days to get my diving ticket in paradise. A 4am wake up and 2km walk with my oh-so heavy backpack, I was bound for Honduras. This was going to be my first taste of travelling alone, and I was excited to see what was to come.

My bus over the boarder was something I won't forget. The second class buses are always packed to the rafters, and on this trip I found myself with a 6-year-old Honduran beauty perched on my lap, next to her mum and little brother. Language barrier aside, I found myself in fits of laughter for the whole trip, simply overjoyed with the company of her adorable self. We eventually made what I consider a mighty trade: she gave me some of her marshmellows in exchange for one of my ipod earphones.

I don't think she'd ever seen an ipod before, and she instantly fell in love. Trying to think of what music she would enjoy the most, I obviously firstly chose Spice Girls, which was a big hit. I found myself travelling for the next 3 hours listening to an array of horrible yet hilarious 90's pop songs, the kind I myself even wondered why in god's name where they even on my ipod in the first place! I was sad to see the little beauty go, but on departure she gave me the most compelling hug and kiss, saying more than any language could ever interpret, and sending goosebumps down my spine.

I arrived on the coast of Honduras, and had to wait overnight before catching a ferry over to Utilia. I somehow found myself wound up with a half-tard 30-something IT German weirdo, who made claims to me that 'Alternative music has killed the live music scene,' even though the stupid dinosaur he couldn't name for me one alternative band, besides Nirvana, that he has listened to. I was so close to poisoning his soup with ratsak that night.

So after a somewhat large amount of travelling, I finally made it to Utila! I chose Alton's dive school for my week long diving adventure, simply for it's jetty. Rolling out of bed pretty much onto the boat was also a plus, but the jetty really topped it. Words can't quite describe this, pictures can speak these 1000 words for me:

Utila was nothing short of amazing. On arrival I instantly sunk into one of the hammocks, only to hear a familiar accent coming from behind me, belonging to four Aussie guys. Jarrod, Mitch, Ben and Troy, all from Sydney, were my company for the next week. There's something about Australian's that as a fellow Aussie you just can't not love. I'm pretty sure it comes down to having a laid back dry sense of humour, plus being able to give and take a joke without qualms. I laughed how stoked they were to hear things come out of my mouth that reminded them so much of home. Just little things, like 'No biggie,' 'Old mate' and 'Ohh have you got sand in your vagina.'

Diving is one of those things that you can't help but fall madly in love with. It's your ticket to explore the unknown world that lies beneath the ocean bed, full of creatures that live a life we could never fully understand or even try to imagine. The colours, the corals, the fish, everything about this contrary world never ceases to amaze me, and every dive I did I fell deeper and deeper in love with the oceans mysterious ways.

I enjoyed my week with these guys nearly as much as I enjoyed diving itself. From getting stoned and daring each other to 'eat a dog and shit a kitchen,' to doing flips of the end of the jetty, we partied pretty hard, and had a lot of laughs. One particular favourite day was out on the Keys A chef from Altons had organised this day for months. $25 dollars bought you unlimited food, alcohol, weed, and a shitload of fun on a beautiful little Caribbean island off Utilia. The staff had the day planned perfectly, with reggae music pumping and the sun blaring, we bathed in the pristine waters, eating the most delicious fish and pork whilst drinking ourselves to a new level of stupidity. We all agreed it was easily the best Sunday we've ever had.

The best Sunday ever.

After a fabulous week away in a little slice of Caribbean paradise, I was off to meet Ness and Eddie again in Nicaragua, for some more wonderful adventures. More on that later.

Adios x

Okay, so in truth I have been dreading updating this blog, mostly due to my knowledge of how much ground I have covered and have failed to write about.. But some things just have to be done, so I've melted into in the comfiest couch, peppermint tea in hand, all the way down in Panama in Luna's loony Castle, ready to slog out a few of these oh-so belated words.

Caye Caulker

Leaving Adam and Hortle behind in Tulum wasn't quite the easiest thing to do, but alas, an even smaller division of the Cabo crew progressed (finally) out of Mexico, and into the surprisingly different world of Belize. Driving through the litter-filled streets of Belize City, and in truth the whole of Central America, makes me realise how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country like Australia. Don't get me wrong, because this side of the world is nothing short of beautiful, except for the piles of rubbish that're as common as aids in Africa.

Luckily, Caye Caulker, not Belize City, was our destination. After a lengthy hungover bus ride and boat trip we finally arrived on the island of Caye Caulker. No doubt, this amazing reggae Caribbean island was well worth the trip.

Every single person we encountered seemed to be easygoing, and one thing is for sure, Caye Caulker definitely pulses to a reggae beat. The local Rastas were warmly welcomed us to their little slice of Caribbean heaven, and we all instantly fell in love with the place. With both of the hostels on this tiny island being fully booked, we were taken to the dark and dingy end of town where we found our home for the next two nights.... 'Home' maybe not quite a fitting word for this place - the run down little cabanas we slept in resembled a prison cell with some flashy linen to boot. The sulfur water smelled a treat - there's nothing quite like showering in what smells like two days of meals that someone just flushed down in the toilet next to you.

Jetty hangs

The three days we spent on Caye Caulker went a little too quickly for my liking. Nonetheless, activities were plentiful, with some epic 'mini beach' hangs, jetty parties, and a lot of intoxication. On the second night team 'Wound Lovers' (Mooney Ness and myself) played a drunken game of trivia at a sports bar, funnily enough we later found out (about three weeks later in fact) that two hilarious Londoners 'Just the Two of us' (Luke and James) that we would later befriend in Nicaragua were playing on the table beside us! Due to bad weather we had to leave earlier than expected, cause their ain't much to do in paradise when it's raining.

Flores

Just like good company, a good hostel can definitely make or break your trip. Walking into Los Amigo's Hostel in Flores meant only good things. The tranquil vibes surrounding the place act as some kind of intense muscle relaxant, and you find your self wanting nothing more than curling up in a hammock with a good book in hand. The hostel's ridiculous vegetarian restaurant was honestly good enough to put you off meat for life.

Tikal ruins are one of the things that every second traveller tells you that you need to see, and after witnessing them I can now confess that I have become one of those highly recommending travellers. The jungle surrounding the ruins was just as fascinating at the ruins themselves, and we had an excellent tour guide Louie showing us the ins and and outs of this beautiful world.

Easily the most interesting part of our tour was learning that the ruins are located in what now happens to be a national park. Around about half of the pyramids and ruins had been uncovered so far, with the remaining few still being covered by vegetation. We also learned this was a pretty big problem for the archaeologists... to uncover one of the hidden pyramids takes about 10 years. They need to research what animals live in the vegetation and trees covering the pyramid, and are not allowed to cut down any of the trees - they have to wait for them to fall down naturally! There was so much more insanely interesting things about this Mayan community, but it really is one of those things you have to experience for yourself to truly appreciate.

Cabo Baby on top of the highest pyramid.

Ness Mooney and Eddie went on to explore the rest of Guatemala, and I decided on a solo adventure that included getting my diving ticket in Honduras. More on that later.

x x x

More Mexican Adventures..

San Cristobal

Our last sleepless big night out in Puerto Escondido meant one - or I should say several - bad things for me. I arrived in San Cristobal sick as a dog. Riddled with a runny nose, chest infection, sore throat and a fever, I knew I had no choice but to rest up for a few days. This worst thing about this combination is that resting and travelling often don't go hand in hand.

Still, whilst I was getting down the the sickness, I got to explore to some extent the beautiful cobbled streets of San Cristobal. There's something in the air in this gorgeous town that allows you to soak up its serenity in the most ambient way.

Travelling alongside the better half of the Cabo Crew, we set off to explore the local markets. Mesmerised by the selection of unbelievable trinkets, we managed to spend hours on end strolling down each isle, returning to every stall at least three times to make sure we hadn't missed anything.

San Cristobal Markets

Ness and I both decided we would each love a hammock to accompany us for the rest of our journey, so after much deliberation we decided on the most gorgeous natural cotton hammocks - for the small price of $20! These hammocks are to die for. The minute you lie inside it it seems to wrap you up in all it's glory... 10 seconds in and you've already completely melted into it - allowing it to satisfy all your senses the way a good hammock should. Takes me a good hour to get out of the damn thing!

Palenque

On the way to Palanque, we stopped in at Misol-ha to check out the jungle waterfall, and also at Agua Azul to see the stunning cascades and for a dip in the pristine water. We had the most amazing day lounging around in the cool water, and the clear blue skies next to the luscious green trees and stunning aqua water meant it was rather hard to leave this glorious land!

Agua Azul

We eventually arrived in Palenque that afternoon, and settled in quite well to our new forest hideout - the gorgeous Jungle Palace. The six of us booked a cabana right by the lake, and had three days to explore the everything Palenque had to offer.

Unfortunately at this point I was smack bang in the middle of my sickness, but in between countless lie-downs I got to see exactly what this amazing place had to offer... and I think I can vouch for everyone when I say we all loved every single bit of it!

Nestled in the depths of the jungle were Palenque's ruins, with stunning temples set upon the greenest of grass these were some of the best ruins we had come across. We got a local guide, John, to give us a tour through the jungle where we ate termites, climbed vines, swam in hidden waterfalls, and smoked a plant that the Mayans believed was the same as marijuana. Definitely a major highlight of the trip so far!

Tulum

After being told Tulum was home to the one of the top 10 beaches of the world, we knew this was a place we couldn't miss. Sure enough, we were greeted by sugar white sand, jade-green water, palm trees galore and bright sunlight.

Without a doubt, the ocean is the best food for the soul. After a particularly amazing day at the beach, my health was back to top-notch, which calls for nothing short of a celebration! The mini Cabo Baby crew had somewhat reunited, and somehow, after a few too many beers, one of the guys came up with the marvelous idea that we all play spin the bottle.

Six guys and three girls, the odds were on our side, meaning we got to see countless guy-on-guy pashes. Yep, tounge and all! I don't think I have ever seen so many guys get so into a game of spin the bottle, most of them having no qualms about kissing another guy with a lil bit of passion. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life! Simple pleasures in life are by far the best kind...

On our last day in Tulum we spent the day snorkeling at the Grand Cenotes, such a magical place. We had several tea parties on the bottom underwater, and then ventured into the cave area. We found out you could dive under and look for little air pockets (sometimes it would be a trick though, and there was no air, and you'd just come up and whack your head. Then you'd be completely out of breath and have to go back under to find a different air pocket!) Eventually we found a big enough one to host four of us for a mini cave party, plus some bats as well.

Cenotes in Tulum

That's about all I can manage for an update for now! But that's Mexico done and dusted. I'll update on Belize and Honduras another time! Right now I'm in Nicaragua waiting for Ness and Eddie to join me in the pouring rain!

Big love x x x

Puerto Escondido

One of the best parts about Puerto Escondido for me was the arrival. After getting a taxi down to our hostel, I was immediately greeted by a heavily intoxicated old Mexican guy. He introduced himself as 'Indigo' and tried to carry my 15kg backpack down the steps to the hostel for me. Quite a funny thing to watch the little old fella struggle so much with my bag, swaying from a wall to a tree, to almost falling over several times. He didn't speak much english but managed to sign language a bong with his hands, apologising for being so high. HA, such a legend. He then tried his hardest to get me down to his shop to buy some boardshorts, ha ha. ¨I gotsa red ones day same as dis¨ he informed me, pointing to my dress. I wish I had taken a photo of him, such an interesting character.

Walking up the stairs of Mayflower, the hostel, I felt that rush of excitement flow through my blood. Even at a first glance Ness and I could tell this place was going to be amazing. Hammocks, painted walls, and plants galore.. a total Mexican paradise! With double beds and a whole dorm room to ourselves, we both knew Puerto was going to hold us captive for quite a few days.

To top it off, above the hostel there was a fantastic deck area overlooking the ocean, along with a great big table - the perfect kind to drink around... Something we did a little too often really. But one day in and we managed to form the greatest crew - the Cabo Baby crew - right up there on that deck. The amount of absolute nonsense spoken around that table for the days we were there would honestly blow any one's mind.

Another oh-so great thing about Puerto... an ounce of weed was a mere $200 pesos, not even $20 for us. It seemed every time you finished smoking a monster joint someone had already lit another. This sort of behaviour tends to lead to two things: eating, and siesta´s. I must admit, siesta's really did get the best of me, sometimes 'napping' at 5pm would turn into a deep sleep, and I'd often find myself not waking up til 10am the next day. Pretty sure ¨I feel a siesta coming on¨ came out of everyone's mouth at least twice a day.

Travelling during the 'low' season rocks! Everything is cheaper, and we pretty much had the town and the beaches to ourselves. We got to know a few of the locals, and formed a tight bond with our new travelling buddies - Craig, Nick, Alex, Mooney, Eddie and Adam. Two Aussies, three Tassies, and a Kiwi. You can only imagine the amount of sheep rooting/inbred jokes getting around.

Going out in Puerto was always a blast - as long the yearning desire for a siesta wasn't playing on the back of your mind. One of the rather large nights we had out Alex Nick and I ventured off to see what the town had to offer. It's quite easy to get free shots just by getting chummy with every bar tender we came across. Mind you, I am talking about horrible, horrible cheap tequila, so you can imagine what kind of night this evolved into.........

A few friends from back home, Cuss, Jacko and Mal were surprise visitors to the Mayflower the following day. It's crazy how you can be right over the other side of the world and still run into people you know. Nonetheless, a celebration was in order. Ha, actually something that's brilliant about travelling - how you lose track of days, and how you find a different reason why we have to fiesta every night. "It's Nick's last night, we have to have some drinks," or "Craig passed his Scuba licence, we better celebrate," or the old favourite, "It's a Friday night, we've all worked soo hard this week."

Not quite ready to leave this magical place, we postponed our departure for the Mexican holiday 'Cinco de Mayo' as another celebration was in order... ha ha. This was by far the most outrageous night to date. We headed down the road to the most fabulous Mexican Salsa bar, and it seemed everyone from Puerto was there. Dancing in the street, we were approached by what we like to call 'The Rabies Dogs.' Yep, the kind of dogs that come near you, and everyone tries not to look it in the eyes in fear that if you do so it will only venture closer. You're actually even afraid to kick it away. Rabies isn't cool. But we did make a song about it that was pretty cool.. Titled "I got rabies from mah doggie," (actually these were the only repetitive lyrics in the song) and sung to the tune of "la la bumba," it wasn't long before we had bongos as backups, and a rather large amount of people joining in on the adorable sing-along.

Alas, our time in Puerto had finally come to an end, but our new found family was yet to be separated. San Cristobal, Palanque, and Tulum were the next destination myself, Ness, Mooney, Alex, Adam and Eddie were bound for. I'll save all that for another entry however.

More news from over this side of the world... I've had a major change of plans. After some careful deliberation, I have decided my heart just isn't in Europe. The typical sightseeing and the whole European summer thing doesn't quite float my boat they way it does for others. On the other hand, the idea of a proper South America trip really gets my blood pumping. Plus with my budget, I'd be living like a queen compared to Europe! Ness, however, has her eyes on the Europe prize. So after Central we'll be parting ways, which was a really hard decision to make. There's just something about this land that is so completely overwhelming, and I'm not ready to leave. Everything about it - from the unbelievable picture perfect beaches to the luscious mountains and jungles, even the ruins, and the people - there is so much character in everything. Day after day it keeps getting better, just when you think you've reached the paramount. And I haven't even left Mexico yet!

From here, we're heading to an Island off of Belize, where I'm thinking about doing a diving course, then over to Guatemala to eat many 1 cent avocados, and potentially do a two week Spanish course and a home stay. What an experience that will be. Well that's my mammoth update for now!

Adios Amigos xxx

Mexico City

This place is a whole new world. Streets are busier, buildings form different shapes with more vibrant colours, and most importantly - and at long last - we soak up the golden suns' rays, almost overdosing on it in fear that it might fizzle up in any second and leave us in complete darkness.. Quite a step up from America's cold windy miserable weather I must say.

On arrival we head straight out to the colourful Sunday markets that line the busy streets of Mexico. And finally, we are surrounded by so much good food! It's quite an overwhelming feeling, wanting to eat everything this great city has to offer at lunchtime alone.

We made friends with a local Mexican guy, Marco, who was overly helpful and insightful. He pretty much acted as our tour guide for the days we spent in Mexico City. On our second day he took us to Xochimilco, which is a series of extended canals, and is all that remains of the ancient Lake Xochimilco.

Above are some of the boats, or trajineras, that we set sail down the canal aboard .. beer in hand of course. It was such a tranquil, mesmerising experience. A boat full of Mariachi's (Mexicana Singers) was joined to ours, and for a small price of $60 pesos a song, we were serenaded down the river, by beautiful traditional Mexican melodies, unable to wipe the smiles from our faces.

One of the most interesting things about Mexico is that an ancient prophecy predicted that the buildings of Mexico would all sink into the ground, and the temples and other ruins would all rise, and be resurrected. The amount of earthquakes Mexico encounter have led this propecy to come true! Mexico is sinking, and already many temples have been resurrected in their place. Even thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.

The rest of our time was spent adventuring around this glorious city. We explored the Teotihuacan Pyramids, and even managed to climb to the top of the Sun pyramid - extremely out of breath by the time we reached the top, however. Firey lungs aside, it was such a beautiful thing to be able to sit on top of the pyramid in the cool breeze, regaining our breath while we admired the ancient ruins that surrounded us.

Much to our disappointment, our hostel, 'Hotel Moneda' lacked a certain spark that a hostel should have, and our cold ridden bodies were yearning for the ocean. So after what seemed a short four days in Mexico City, we were destined for Puerto Escondido - after a hellish 17hr bus ride of course.

Our view on the bus for 17 hours... sick.

The adventures held in Puerto Escondido so far have easily been my favourite to date. I can't wait to tell you all about it... But right now the beach is calling my name.

x x

Viva Las Vegas

It's never a good idea to start off a six hour bus ride with a flat ipod. It's also a good idea not to rely on LA cab drivers to get you somewhere on time, let alone get you there at all. Hence, we missed our 8am bus from LA to Vegas. Great way to start off journey.. But after harassing the tour lady we finally were able to get another bus from across town, and finally arrived in Vegas at 7pm that night.

¨Backing up¨ seems to be a term used quite often between Ness and I, especially after the last week of shenanigans. It definitely gets progressively harder to do the more often the term is used. Vegas Vegas Vegas....that place could literally be the death of me. We located the best bargain possible - $12.50 a night each at Circus Circus - and laughed when we asked the taxi driver what it was like, only for him to genuinely reply ¨I'm surprised that place hasn't been knocked down yet.¨

Carpet dated circa 1950's, evil clowns lining the walls, and lights flashing an array of vibrant colours welcomed us to our new playground. We soon found out that the smell that loomed around the hotel, and in the hilariously titled neighbouring building ¨Slots a Fun,¨ was actually the scent that Vegas was seemingly branded for. We came up with the perfect way to describe it - it smelt like a rotten fart that would come out of someone with a purely ciggie and beer focused diet. Without doubt there were plenty of those types around.

The variety of food in Vegas is very very limited, or way out of our budget. And after one day it becomes disgusting... Pizza, Mexican, burgers, hotdogs. Ooohh hotdogs, Ness and I had a very bad experience with those bad boys. Craving them in a drunken state at 4.30am in the morning on the first night, we set out on a 30min voyage to locate one. Big mistake. The lady literally squirted - yes squirted - cheese onto it like it was from a sunscreen bottle. I can't even describe in words what it tasted like. I don't even think I want to arouse that memory....

The first night we met up with Ellie and four of her buddies, and tried to cover as much ground as possible in one night. Went to a fair few different hotels and clubs, and drank a lot of middle-aged desperate men's pockets dry. The second night was much the same, and by the third day our heavy hangovers were so incredibly bad if someone had thrown me a noose I'd have gladly wore it as a necklace.

The hotels in Vegas are really amazing though. Left right and centre there is so much going on, as though each hotel is trying to outdo the next. Not quite as glamorous as in the movies, it's still an insane place to visit, but any more than two nights in that place and we would've turned into shadows of our former selves.

So we are thanking our lucky stars that the America leg of our trip has finally come to an end. The food, the people, it just isn't exactly our cup of soup. And now.... excited is an understatement - we've been waiting so long to submerge ourselves in Central America's rich culture. Mexico, here we come!

xxx

Coachelling!

Coachella lived up to every single one of my expectations. Easily my favourite festival to date.. So much amazing music crammed into three days that I don't even know where to start. We were lucky to be staying with our buddy Shawn, who took care of all the organsiation duties. We arrived at Motel 6 on Friday already blinded with excitement and intoxication. Ness Ellie Emily and I shared a room, and we shortly found this unlikely foursome was going to be one of the greatest things to come out of the weekend. I honestly did not think it was possible for four human beings to be able to talk so much nonsense. But brilliant nonsense at that.

As for the highlights? LCD, Whitest Boy Alive, TCV, Local Natives, Dead Weather, Beach House, Edward Sharp, Gorillaz, Yo La Tengo, and Emily using Anne Hathaway's undies as a hair tie were the moments that seem to have consumed me the most. Jonsi (from Sigur Ros) was one of the most uplifting musical experiences I have ever encountered. To put it simply, his music is that of a magical kind. Sweeping you off your feet to a place where everything feels light, simple, perfect. His voice reaches such a highly immaculate level that it some how manages to enter your body, pulsing through your veins, permitting you to remember what a beautiful world this really is. Ness and I embraced each other, both feeling incredibly enlightened, allowing just a few tears to escape our eyes.

And as for the best moment of my weekend? And probably the best moment of my entire life to date.... Allowing Thom Yorke (Atoms for Peace) to welcome me to his bizarre, mesmerising world, and suck me into the most beautiful melodic trace you could ever imagine. Thom Yorke is God. In my opinion he's the greatest wonder of the musical world. It felt as though the zig-zagging lights on stage were once again pulsing through me, making us all understand how powerful his creative side really is. It was impossible to look away from this enthralling performance. The term "sucked in" is entirely appropriate, because that is exactly what Yorke does. He sings notes rather than just lyrics, and celebrates every single aspect of his music. Yorke creates powerful moments simply by stringing out the best parts of the song in the greatest way possible. And what a match the blue haired beast Flea on Bass is for him. It's one of those things you really do need experience to understand. Trust me on this one, put it on your 10 Things to do Before I Die list - you won't regret it.

So it is with minimal sleep and a mind that is only half present that I remember that Vegas beckons me tomorrow. Seven months of this lifestyle is going to be incredible. How am I ever going to manage??

x

First stop: San Fran, Baby.

We made it! 40 hours in total travel we finally made it to San Francisco. To think this is only the first leg of our destination.. We have already seen so much and met so many people. I don't think I could sum it all up in one update, i'll give it my best shot.

One of the best things about this city is most definitely the people. From the homeless to the fortunate, it seems just about everyone we have come across so far has impacted us in a big way. Left right and centre there are insanely interesting things going on - people fighting, dancing, singing, swapping tales, overdosing, tripping out. Smiles and laughter galore.

I've never been to a place before where so many people are so eager to interact with each other. It's a special place, in all the wrong ways. Certainly a backwards city, I already know this is going to be one of my favourite places I will travel to on this adventure.

The other best thing about this city is the history, and coupled with an intriguing history comes a shit load of ripping vintage clothes. So alas, Ness and I have found our little slice of Thrift Store Heaven. And god it tastes good.

Seeming we've spent more money than we really should have, we've tried to keep partying to a minimum. (Ha, yeah right). Backpacking is wildly beautiful lifestyle. Every day we have hung with new people, made new friends, and learnt so many things about this wonderful world. Drinking games tend to occupy a lot of our time, 40oz's being the main fuel source.

One of the funniest stories so far is what happened last night. We'd overheard some lesbians on the bus talking about 50c drinks at 80's themed night at a gay bar. Passing up such an opportunity would be a dreadful crime, so we tricked the whole hostel into coming along, accidentally on purpose forgetting to let them all know it was a gay bar. Tee hee hee.

Unfortunately 50c drinks also translates in Gaynese to a horrible hangover. We ended up going to Golden Gate Park for a picnic + frisbee with our new Danish friends, Simon and Leonard. Simon would have to be the most quirky, eccentric, fun-filled guy I have ever met. Never short of a random game or a laugh, or something hilarious to say, he lives on a different level to anyone I have ever before met. Everyone should have a little bit of Simon in them, the world would be a much simpler place.

Off to LA tomorrow, Coachella is oh-so close... More updates to come!

xx

Here we go.....

OK, so I guess this is a way for all you to stay updated with my life for the next eight or so months. It's really exciting so far. We had a lamb curry on the plane. Was pretty tasty. Got to Melbourne Airport. Sat on some fabulous leather couches next to a chinese man who kindly invited us back to his abode for some sexy time. He was giving Ness 'rape me' eyes and she got a little turned on. Now we are googling gig guides and free things in San Fran. There are so many free things, like food and shit.

So far, 4 hours down, 36 to go. Yeaaaahhh mate! First via New Zealand and then LA before we actually arrive, not so cool. We are trying to not fall asleep but it's pretty hard. We are going to bribe the Gloria Jeans girl for coffees with some movie vouchers. I think it will work. The guy next to us is reading a book full of music notes and I'm not joking - he is humming along. Okay I take that back now. He's fucking singing a classical tune shit. Ha ha it's getting louder. Ha now he's recording it on his iPhone. Gosh the airport is fulll of weirdos...

I have a Qantas Club pass, but it's fricking shut. What a load of crap. Ohh man, we put on our backpacks before and we were both negging so hard. A light gust of wind would definitely blow me over. And Ness has been pretty gassy lately, so I'm a little bit worried. Okay, back to the free stuff. How good is google. More updates to come. Stay tuned I promise to be more interesting next time.

Big love x x x