Friday, October 31, 2008

Ahoy sea dogs!

Hello there, since we last spoke it has been quite an eventful time. I have escaped the sort-of cold of mexico city and am now writing to you from marvellously hot Mulegé on the east coast of the baja peninsula. So what has occurred between times you ask?

I tell you: I arrived into Los Cabos on the point of the peninsula and immediately caught a bus to La Paz a few hours north to escape the price escalating and Brandon infuriating american vortex that exists around Cabo San Lucas. So, on arrival in La Paz, annoying english girl in tow, we found ourselves a nice little place to stay and booked ourselves in for a trip the next day to the outer islands of a smaller peninsula coming off near La Paz. THE TRIP WAS AWESOME! I swam with either seals or sea lions (I´m still not convinced I or anyone else can tell me the difference) and spent the ay cavorting on isolated beaches with crystal clear water. The seals were amazing and so friendly and curious. One of them spent a little while play gnawing on my flipper just like a puppy would. So cool. On the way back we were escorted by a frienly group of dolphins and also saw a whole bunch of flying fish, rays and some more seals/whatever were thrown in just for good measure. In the end our boat ran out of fuel and we had to be dropped off at a different beach. Shame. The beach itself was gorgeous and so were the beers. Good times. This was then unfortunately followed by a self important canadian ¨traveler, not a tourist¨(his words) who irritated everyone for the rest of the night at the hostel. Oh, and I managed to get two, one litre cups full of beer back to the hostel a good 600m walk away without spilling a drop. If this medicine thing doesn't work out I can probably still get a job as a beer wench in munich. May have to shave off the beard though. Or not I guess, if it's one of a ¨different¨sort of clubs. Anyway, not important.

So, busted a move from La Paz to Loreto yesterday, and then to Mulegé today, because Loreto was overpriced and fairly soulless I thought. Did have probably the most amazing road scenery I have ever seen on its' way in though. Just spectacular.

Good, so Mulegé is a town of about 4000, with an old jesuit mission and is reported to be the prettiest town in Baja. Dunno- it is pretty amazing, but again, that's a pretty big call. Off tomorrow to do more snorkeling (the diving part was full) which should be great too. I am running out of time though. Boo. I need to be in LA on the 5th, and this will either mean one big long haul bus trip from somewhere near here or a few shorter ones with less time in each place. Neither are super appealing but I guess if that's my biggest problem then things are going ok.

I'll try and get some photos up but if I can't, then you'll just have to wait until after the 7th when I get home and you buy me a beer.

Later Dudes

Brandon

Monday, October 27, 2008

Oh yeah...

As it turns out, this blog may actually have something to do with Mr Obama: I am crossing the border on the day of the election. Craziness.

To Baja!

So it has finally been decided and I have now boked it. I have a flight tomorrow from here in mexico city to Los Cabos at the bottom of ´the finger´of baja mexico. I will then proceed to make my way up the peninsula before crossing the border at tijuana/san diego on the 5th. Sweet.

So, what have been doing of late you may ask? Well, here goes,

Arrived into mexico city on friday after a rather uninteresting bus trip from palenque. Mexico city has been amazing and a really interesting city which I would love to have more time in. I don't. The gastro I have had has also been rather amazing, but I am glad that my time with IT is drawing to a close.
So on friday I went to a mexican LUCHA LIBRE wrestling exhibition, and it was AWESOME. Think three big sweaty mexican men in budgie smugglers and masks fighting another three guys who are apparently the bad guys and throw in a midget in a monkey suit who gets kicked in the groin and you are getting somewhat close to understanding the night. It was so ridiculous it was excellent. There are apparently three rules in wrestling:
1 No kicking in the groin.
2 no touching the masks of other wrestlers
3 Something about being out of the ring.

None of these applied at any point during the night. Of course, it is all fake.But, like I said, so ridiculous it was awesome. Awesome!!!!

Saturday and sunday have been spent trotting around town going to various museums and checking out the town itslef which is quite fascinating. There is a real sort of undercurrent of absurdity and bizarreness that makes this place really interesting. The artworks and museums on show too are world class and I wish I had more time here.

2nd of November: Promises to be great. It is the Dia de los Muertos or the day of the dead, and is the day when everyone goes to the cemetary and decorates it with fñlowers and skeletons and mariachis play in the cemetary as well and should be great. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, and I went to some more ruins today. Again quite amazing, but not of that much interest in the scope of this blog I don't think.

I don't know if there is much more to add really...

No, can't think of anything more. Hope you're all well,

Brandon

Oh yeah, I need a hat. Not much for you to worry yourselves with though really is it?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I Don't know how to spin photos

Sexy times and Possibly the best food journal moment ever.

Photos!!!




To Baja or not to Baja?

Alright?

Nothing reall of note in the last few days, went to tikal which was a mayan ruin which was awesome, and then again to another in palenque, now that I'm in mexico. Yesterday was another travelling day, and tomorrow I'm headed off to Agua Azul, a waterfally type of thing near here with different levels of waters and blue water and stuff. I would describe it more interestingly if it wasn't so hot in this internet cafe. But it is. Hot.

Anyway, then after that I'll be making my way on a overnight bus. I am told the buses in mexico are the taj mahals of buses so I am quite excited about the comfort in which I am soon to travel. Also a little confused why anyone would use buses and the taj mahal in an analogy. Stupid Brandon.

Anyway, where to after that remains at this stage a mystery. I would love to spend a bit of time on the capital, then maybe head to some of the western highland cities like guanajuato and zacatecas and guadelajara but time is running out somewhat. I think now, as the title suggests that I may get a flight to cabo san lucas at the point of baja california (the big finger looking thing)and then make my way up from there. Which is in itself quite a long way. Early days yet though so we'll just have to hold our collective breaths and see whee I go. I know, again another cliffhanger to leave you with...

Righto then, hope you're all well,


Brandon

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Rainfest 2008

Hello there everyone (or those who are still interested).

As you may have guessed from the title it is raining quite a lot. Blame omar. Tropical storm cum nemesis. He has put the carbosh on many of my plans of late and I am starting to grow quite tired of his tomfoolery.

Kate and I left Antigua on friday in order to visit the caves and waterfalls of Semuc Champey and Lanquin, in Guatemala's middle/north. So we caught a bus at 5 to get there at 1 in the afternoon. When we found out that the caves and the falls were closed BECAUSE OF OMAR, we thought it mildly annoying but nothing to get too upset about. After all, we could just get a bus to Flores to go and see tikal the next day. So we did. Only the trip took a bit longer than expected because the road was flooded and cars couldn't pass. Meaning we had to wait for the bus coming the other direction to come to the same conclusion as us (ie that trying was impossible and that maybe we should all just swap buses on the opposite sides of the river thingy), then cross the river refugee styles with our bags on and our shoes off and our pants looking decidedly like those seen on an afl field. Quite fun really. That and the cold lasagne given us by some lovely guatemalan ladies and the encounter with the french people who had driven their caravan from france to cape town then caught a barge type thing with it to south america and then driven as far as guatemala and we had quite an interesting few hours. Just to add a bit of spice there was also the addition of the always painful gang of israelis in our bus. Fun times.

Oh, the other bit about Lanquin: when we arrived into town there was a large crowd of folks milling around the court house and the police station. Weird. Only when we got down to the place we were staying we found out the real reason: a group of five men had held up a car (we think) and somehow managed to get away with about 10 grand equivalent in aussie dollars, and then three of the guys of the five had been caught. So, the lovely folk were standing around waiting to get their hands on them to beat, lynch and burn them. Which they did to at least one. Grisly. So, needless to say the last fw days have been quite an insight into the place and what can go on. I can´t imagine the frustration some of these people must have with thieves and others who are making their country such a dangerous place to live, because for the most part the people are quite lovely, yet if you read the newspapers the first five pages or so are filled EVERY DAY with stories of murder, rape and robberies. And this isn't just in the capital. It kind of is shocking to sometimes be snapped out of our friendly happy tourist bubble by the things that occur around us and realise just what is actually going on.

But enough about that. The rain, it seems, has made a decision for me. Tomorrow night I was going to have to decide whether to go into mexico north west to San Cristobal or North east via belize and up to the beaches immediately. But, the rain has blocked all roads into belize. So, north west here I come! Kate heads off home on tuesday, so we will need to have a super excellent day tomorrow at the ruins. Hopefully the rain won't put too much of a dampener on things at the site and will encourage the animals to be a bit more forthcoming. Not the jaguars though, if they could perhaps remain in the jungle and not eating me then that qould be perfect.

Alright then! I think I'm done for now, if anyone has any travelling suggestions for southern mexico then please let me know (it won't surprise you to hear dear reader that I haven't really done any research into it the area yet- I'm sure there'll be heaps for me to find up there). Otherwise, next time I will be speaking to you my hat will be considerably larger and I will be strongly considering trimming my beard to a mexican style moustache.

Brandon