stories & tips from my travels around the world…
If you follow any Australian’s on social media, you’ll probably see mentions of ‘footy’, ‘Aussie Rules’, ‘speccies’ and a host of other foreign words. They’re talking about football, Australian Rules football and… well a speccie’s a speccie but we’ll talk more about that shortly!
Continue reading “The Great Australian Game”
The little, tin boat I’m in is starting to feel even smaller as I spot another giant tuna jumping through the water, chasing a school of bait fish. Hundreds of birds hover above taking turns to dive head first into the turquoise waters hoping to surface with a meal in their beak just as a dozen sea eagles swoop in and fly off with a tasty silver fish in their claws. The top of the waters bubble as the bait fish scramble to get away, but my eyes cannot see the larger fish below herding them towards the shallower waters.
Continue reading “Going Bush in Nhulunbuy, Arnhem Land”
Machu Picchu without the tourist crowds? It’s possible!
In a mountain jungle high above the clouds, I can look down upon a sprawling puzzle of stone, combined like an ancient God’s lego stash. Most pieces resemble the walls of houses or terraces with loose stones lying in the emerald green grass waiting to find their place in the rocky mosaic.
The sound of fossicking llamas floats on the breeze, as they keep the lawns trim. On the ancient stairs there is the scurry of furry chinchillas enjoying an evening dust bath and then my mate yelling from a ledge above, “This is fucking awesome! I can’t believe we have the whole place to ourselves!”
Continue reading “Machu Picchu Without The Tourists”
Nearly five kilometres above sea level, travelling 60 kmh+ down a highway in the Bolivian Andes, on a mountain bike competing with trucks, buses and cars, a solid rock cliff-face to my left and a 600m drop to certain death on my right, racing around hairpin turns and surrounded by the most beautiful scenery when I take the risk to look… I have never felt more exhilarated or had so much fun in all my life!
This is mind-blowing excitement at its best and I haven’t even hit the really dangerous section yet! Continue reading “Bolivia’s Death Road”
Russia is dodgy. Stunning architecture, fascinating history, but let’s get it out of the way first, it is dodgy. When a tour company has a budget for bribing officials at the borders, you know something is not quite right. Not even 20 minutes into the country and our Top Deck bus was pulled over by the Police, a pay-off amounting to AU$20 settled any potential prison visits and we were back on our way to St Petersburg.
Welcome to Russia!
That aside, Russia is absolutely beautiful. It is not like any other country in the world (besides the ex-Soviet States that have since claimed independence.) The bright colours of Cathedrals and Palaces provide a stark contrast against the grey concrete of the many communist apartments. When the sun peeks out, the gold highlights on buildings reflect the opulence of the country’s varied past. Continue reading “Palace-hopping in St.Petersburg”
Some video from my trip to Bolivia where I watched Bolivian women dressed in their traditional frilly skirts beat the crap out of each other and men….great fun!
Continue reading “Bolivian Cholita Women Wrestling”
Video from my trip to Peru, complete with monkeys, talking guinea pigs and chinchilla’s I trained to roll over in time with the music!
Also, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Pisac, Nazca, Amazon, Puerto Maldonado and Arequipa.
This video links with my written article from when I mountain biked down Bolivia’s Death Road with the company Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking.
Continue reading “Video from Mountain Biking Bolivia’s Death Road”
Video from my trip to Japan back in 2009…starting to see how my video making skills have become better over time haha…you don’t even want to imagine my first ones from 2003…enough to give you an epileptic fit!
Footage from Tokyo including, Asakusa, Ueno Park, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Yoyogi Park during the Children’s Day Festival etc
Continue reading “Video: Tokyo 2009”
So I had this pre-misconception about South America. Before leaving I told my mother not to worry when she gets the phone call or email saying that I had been mugged… it was inevitable, it would happen, she had to expect it… I was!
Well, it never happened and from my own personal experience after travelling for 2 months through Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Chile I realised it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Of course people are mugged and pickpocketed all the time in South America, tourists are targeted, and there is the odd occasion of taxi drivers colluding with others to kidnap you, take you to an ATM and demand all your money.
Now the fact I had no problem doesn’t mean you won’t, but perhaps the simple precautions I took made a big difference to being targeted by thieves. Most criminals will do a quick risk calculation to see if they’re likely to get away with their crime before committing, so make it hard for them! Continue reading “How to Reduce your Crime Target Rating”