Landed in London

So arriving in my final destination and buying a cheap laptop warrants making an "I'm here!" post. I've also put some images in the older posts, where relevant.

Coming to London to work and live seems like it was good impulse, it fits my skin so far, there's a sense of potentiality in the air. As the song says, "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere..." Ok, that's New York, but Sinatra probably didn't spend enough time in London, or he would have been just as emphatic about it.
I like it, thus far. And I think it likes me, but time will tell.

We spent the last days before arriving in London in Cinque Terre, beautiful place (the shot above is of the Mediterranean Sea, no horizon that day, and lines of currents stretching off to an indiscernible point), too many damn tourists tho. A lot of walking, but i was sorely in need of some fat burning. Karen, our acupuncturist friend from London who joined us for the 3 days gave us acupuncture treatments at night, which was just what the doctor called for. Seemed to bring me back into myself somewhat, after the unsettling nature of travelling.
This part of Italy made me want to stay and grow old there, tending my terrace garden and cooking my harvests. The food was of an excellent standard, but I expected more variety. I couldn't find Ribolita soup anywhere damn it, so had to buy the ingredients and cook it myself in our apartment.

Sorry Sky, didn't get any soft porn shots of the food we were eating, but here is a small list of the dishes I tried:

- Anchovies in Lemon (big whole anchovies, relatively fresh, not the salt explosions from the jar).

- Farinata. Mmmm. Farinata, so good. This is a chickpea flour based pizza, sort of. Lots of olive oil and they do it with either Stracchino cheese on top (very soft and creamy) or the local pesto al liguria. I ate a few of these, good for brekky.

- Fagioli bean and mushroom soup. Not bad, they blended the beans for some reason, which made the soup grey in colour, so not great to look at.

- Olive oil on everything. Damn fine olive oil.

- The best damn Prosciutto I ever had. Melt in your mouth.

- Gnocchi with Pesto. Ok this one was Gus' meal but I tried and and they didn't screw up the Gnocchi. You'd hope not, being Italy and all, but in Australia even Italian chefs screw up the Gnocchi.

- Gus also had a Lobster Pappardelle on the last night, which I made him order because he was going to order Spaghetti with Tomato sauce, I nearly punched him. He was glad I did, because it was really well made.





The shot above is of somewhere on the coast, on one of the walks in Cinque Terre. Nice i'n it?

We weren't at all sure of were to go after Cinque Terre, the plan previously being to go to Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and then London. But the increasing sense of wanting more focus and purpose, and the desire to simply stay in one place for more than 3 nights both helped convince us that maybe it was time to be in London. That and Karen and Angus were incessantly discussing acupuncture and acupuncture colleges in London, meant that Gus was getting hyped seeing if that could possibly work for him there.
So we booked a bus, from Florence to London, via Milan and Paris. Not entirely the nicest way to do this leg of the trip but it took care of a nights accommodation and was comparatively cheap.

So now I'm firmly engaged in searching for a place to live, a place to work and a studio space in this fair city.

And it feels good.

Tuscany now

So Bratislava was not so exciting. We got the bus to Vienna the next day and walked around. It was Saturday, not much open, but we went via the NachtMarkt for some lunch. Beautiful food on display, tonnes of people, it seems to be the place to go on Saturday. Quite multicultural.

Vienna is a beautiful city, lovely parks and bike friendly to the point of offering free bikes at 90 different bike stations around the city. Very impressed with that one. We remained loyal to Shank's pony though, much to the dismay of my Converse covered feet. They are starting to develop holes and cracks, which only proves that I've worked them hard. As well I have no hair left on my inner thighs, all worn away, and at time there is something resembling nappy rash. I'm sure it's a common tourist hazard, and it says to me, "Less sightseeing, more sitting in cafes eating."

So thank god for Salzburg then. It's a beautiful town too, bigger than I expected. We did the obligatory walk around. It might seem cynical but I'm over cathedrals and churches now. Well, over just looking anyway. Was thinking of attending a mass, just to relive my schooldays a bit, and even though the spirit may not be there, the ceremony was something I always kind of enjoyed, so it's got to be more impressive than an Australian Catholic mass.

We found a great beer hall in Salzburg, in a monastery no less, where the monks have brewed for centuries. It was daunting at first because it had the biggest beer garden I'd ever seen, full of Germanic types. It wasn't so clear how to order a beer, for one, and two how to order food. The first rule of travelling is feel the fear and do it anyway, especially when you don't speak the language, so we jumped in holding our €uros. You buy a half litre, or litre porcelain krug, and then wander over to the burly German guys rapidly filling krugs from a barrel. It's gorgeous beer and it went well with the grill hendl (chicken) and grillwurst, bread and cheese.

Now because we had 10 hours until our train to Venice, we decided the beer hall was a good place to relax, thinking we'd go somewhere for dinner later. So we arrived at 2pm on our last day in Salzburg, and left when they closed at 11pm. It was something like 5 and 1/2 litres of beer each, and god knows how much grill hendl and bread. I was thoroughly impressed with how well I composed myself and then managed to get on the train at 12am. I was unimpressed with the fact that we'd been sold a ticket for the previous days train, so our supposed seats were occupied with snooty Viennese teenagers. After a gruff but polite conference with their teacher and the train guard we were told to find spare seats in another carriage. There were some but I slept badly and woke up worse for wear at 6am in the Alps, on the border to Italy.

Border control in Italy reflects something of the Italian mindset because it involved handing our passports to the customs official. He looked at the cover, asked if we were Canadian. Told him "No, Australian", to which he gave back our passports unopened, with the reply, "No problemo". This compared to 11 hours of waiting at the Mongolian/Russian border makes for a good travellers story, gotta say.

We've been hanging in San Vincenzo for 2 days now.About to leave for our 3 day walk through Cinque Terre. It's such a relief to stay with friends after staying in backpackers, trains and buses. And the Virgona sisters are the great hosts. We spent yesterday on the beach, soaking up the sun. Suneeti, Lou Lou's sister swore blind that the sun here was nothing like the Aussie sun and there is no way we'd burn, only brown. And I gotta say it doesn't feel at all as hot as the Aussie sun. But people, if you lie for 3 hours in the sun, in the middle of the day, in 33 degree heat anywhere you are going to burn. Sunscreen was applied to our faces thank christ or we'd look like real tourists. But our bellies and backs are red as, Gus taking the worst of the beating thanks to his lily white complexion. You live and learn.

We went to the Virgona's friends house for dinner. Inland a bit, surrounded by Olive trees, with a view up the hill to the gorgeous old Tuscan town of Castagnetta. The occasion was the Milan/Liverpool match, the final of the Champions League or some such. We ate real pizza, thank god, mine had the best Prosciutto Crudo I'd ever had on it. A pig product that melts in the mouth, who woulda thought? Milan won, and it was great to see our host, Jayo, get up and scream every time a goal was scored.

Gelati here is a staple, of sorts, or possibly medicinal? The only way to confirm this is to partake at least twice a day, I'll let you know the results of the experiment once I leave Italy.

On to Pisa tonight to meet Karen, our acupuncturist friend from London. She's coming with us on our Cinque Terre walk. Looking forward to seeing her, good conversations about Chinese medicine and chi, coupled with gorgeous coastline and food. This is where the food tour of Ital y starts for me, fingers crossed. Cinque Terre is purported to be a hub of good eating in little moma and papa cafe's on cobble stoned streets. I'm hoping the stereotype in my mind can be lived up to at least once.

Unexpectedly Bratislava

We came to Bratislava, Slovakia. Coz we could. It was pretty much on the way to Vienna from Prague, in fact it's so close it's almost an outer suburb of Vienna, but I doubt either city likes to be talked about in this way. We took a bus this morning from Prague.

It's a small city, but it has huge Soviet style apartment blocks in parts, some of the biggest in the world of this style of architecture. It has an old part, like Prague, but I can't say I'm overall enamoured with the city yet.

So the plan up til now was to go to Vienna and jump on a train to Salzburg for the night. It was hard enough to get a bloody bed in Bratislava of all places - who woulda thought - and now it seems Salzburg is not going to happen. And so we learn a lesson booking ahead. Which we are trying to do right now. A night Vienna is not such a bad compromise I don't think. It also seems Venice is way booked out, or out of our price range, so it may have to be a quick stroll around once we arrive there from Vienna and then a train to Bologna, maybe, or possibly straight to Livorno to stay with Lou Lou Virgona, our nomadic actor friend from Sydney.

Had a nice extra night in Jablonec with Lydie. Then we came into Prague for the day, her, me and Gus. Lydie and I had a Thai massage in Prague, of all places. Said goodbye to her for the second time. If all goes to plan we can see each other again in the UK - Dublin or London. She's a good 'un...

I've not had much luck re. cameras, or phones for that matter. Mum and Will gave me their old digital before I left, and I promptly had it stolen one night in Beijing before I could take more than a few photos. Good lesson to keep an eye on your belongings. I bought a cheap point and shoot digital in Mongolia, and this has served, god bless it. But its little viewfinder screen cracked in my bag, so I can shoot off photos, but can't aim.
So there are photos to be had. It's a matter of getting them off the camera and onto the blog, or flickr or whatever. And that takes time in front of a computer, which is not always to be had so easily.

My phone from Australia was lifted from my jacket pocket in a restaurant in St Petersburg. So please send me your phone numbers as my whole address book was in there. Sigh.
I bought a new phone in Prague. But the number will keep changing as I get different sim cards. I'll broadcast a permanent type number when I end up in London, if that's where I end up. Who knows...

Baggage...

Ok, I left the boots in a hostel in Prague, plus my very warm thermal underwear which I wore once when I was in Mongolia. Did I mention I had the flu in Mongolia? In a Ger (Yurt) no less.

It started on the train from Beijing to Mongolia, beautiful train, beautiful carriage attendants. This was when I realised Mongolian women were beautiful and had style. Of course when you come from a nation of horse-riding nomads boots are a big deal. So Mongolian women wear boots. But in the city the women (and the beautiful carriage attendants on the train) wear stiletto boots. With short skirts. To show of the knee high boots. I knew I liked women in boots, but this was off the scale. Lets just say Angus and I developed a sort of boot fetish. Angus more than me I feel. To the point of taking secret photos of Mongolian women's boots. 'Nuff said.

So I got sick. First time in two years I believe. On a train to Mongolia, the window in the carriage is open for fresh air, but jeez it was cold. And then the dust starts coming in. And then the diesel smoke. And then door to the end of the carriage where all the smokers go stays open for 3o mins. So I breathe it all, get a sore throat, then blammo. Flu.
The best bit was spending a feverish night in the middle of nowhere in Mongolia, with a family of nomads. I dreamt feverish dreams of being involved in an incredibly complex and ritualised Mongolian wedding. The Ger was beautiful. The grandmother/matriarch had created amazing needlework and this was all over the walls. And I was put to bed in the bed normally reserved for the father, or the most important male. After a dinner of salty, buttery green tea, hand-made noodles with mutton, and sun-dried yoghurt - this was the most fortifying meal I'd had in a while, despite the lack of vegetables. I drank copious amounts of the tea. This diet makes so much sense in that environment.

I felt slightly better the next day. We helped the family herd goats and sheep, and pick up dung for the fire. We helped make dumplings for lunch.
Up to that point, this part of the trip was the most real, the most enjoyable. We weren't just watching, observing, from a distance, in the normal tourist way we had up to then. This time we got involved. I think the family was genuinely suprised and grateful. I 'd love to go back there and stay a month or longer. Life seems simple in that context, not exactly easy, but simple.

Life is simple travelling as well, decisions seem small. To be fair at times the decisions we have to make seem trite and pathetic, there's no weight behind them. It's often "What sights shall we look at today? Where shall we eat? What day will we leave?" etc.
Sometimes I find myself wondering if I'm doing it right, for me. What's the best way to travel, for me? Most places we go, it's all laid out for you, and it's easy to have the tourist type experience, but up to now they always leave me a bit empty. Like I missed something.

I did feel genuinely happy and content last night and this morning. I'm in Cesky Krumlov, a gorgeous town in South Czech Republic. We were walking around at night, and we crossed one the bridges over the river, and the river curved away under the cliffs, atop of which a massive castle is perched, and it was all lit up. Really special.

We had the best night sleep we'd had in ages, no snore filled dorm rooms. Then woke to the sound of church bells, did a long meditation. It all feels peaceful around here. Like something in the land is settled and calm, and the people seem content. But this is just the impression of one day so who knows. I have my traveller filters on probably.

Next is a visit back to north of Czech Republic, to see the lovely Lydie, before we go to Italy via Salzburg, Austria. Looking fowrard to Italy, particularly eating. I hope it matches my expectations.

More soon.

A Czech girl - the 2nd Act.

We've just spent the last 3 days in the north of this tiny but beautiful country in Jablonec Nad Nissou, a picturesque (cliche'd word, but for lack of better synonyms it will have to do) town, surrounded by beautiful Bohemian forests. I can only imagine what that countryside had seen over the centuries. Better still I got to meet up again with the lovely Lydie, whom I'd met in Sydney when she was visiting Angus' brother's fiancee, Jana. Lydie is an old friend of Jana's and when she was in Sydney I had the pleasure of spending 3 nights on the boat at Balmain with her. Let's just say we got along well...so I was understandably keen to see her again. So besides attending the wedding we spent 2 days together, just me and her around Jablonec region, it was hard to leave to come back to Prague but she is studying for her Law exams so I couldn't have it on my conscience to be a distraction. Sigh...

Lydie tearing it up on the dancefloor, to the music of a kooky Czech wedding singer who just didn't know when to quit. When the music is that bad it's either dance or die...

Every day is different...

So the blog was stuck in Russian, while I was in the country. I couldn't work out how to log into the thing.

So here's an update on my travels etc.

I hope you are all well. I've been having strange dreams about many of you, and strange dreams about others who I'd long forgotten about - ie past friendships, lovers, primary school friends etc.
It's curious because these are the kind of dreams I have when I'm on intensives, and stuff is being churned and things from the bottom of my psyche are floating to the top.
I can only put this down to being in so many weird and wonderful environments, having to interface with new languages, writing, people etc, in very short spaces of time.

So unbelievably I'm now in Prague, Czech Republic. It's the weirdest thing, one moment you are in St Petersburg and the next you are in this new world. That's how I can describe Prague. It's so damn beautiful. Well, I'm in Stare Mesto, Old Town, so it's all cobbled street mazes, and ye olde buildings, so I imagine this is the best part of Prague. So many great little cafe/bars. Last night was the first night and we found a nice hostel 1 minute from the main square, it's name escapes me right now. We found a cool basement bar for dinner called "little goat" - i forget the Czech name.

The service here in Prague so far runs rings around Russia. Hear that Russia, your service sucks!! No really, Russian cafe or shop service is the pits, no smile, no hello, ok maybe a gruff hello. It was slow and difficult as our Russian was poor, and I'd hoped more young people spoke English but no.
So it is a relief to be in Prague where the staff WANT to serve you, and they speak English. I had been studying Czech in the last months, but I'm not sure it will be needed now.

On the language front I was proud of myself for learning Cyrillic on the train through Siberia. And that did come in handy. I was the able bodies navigator of Moscow and St Peterburg, both streets and Metro.

Not to say we never got lost, because we sure did, and so a word of advice - as cool as Converse All Star sneakers are, (and as cheap as mine were - $12 bucks in the black market in Ulan Bataar) walking shoes they ain't. My feet were damn sore, every day. I also bought some huge damn boots in Ulan Bataar, thinking I'd be walking through snow and ice and mud in Siberia. The naivety of the first time traveler maybe. I didn't wear them once and these things are big and heavy and taking up valuable pack real estate. But I've got a minor Ebay addiction I think so I've been saving them to sell online. Don't try talk me out of it, I know as a good backpacker I should jettison all unnecessary paraphernalia from the house on my back, but maybe its the Jew in me, I think I can get a good price for those suckers.

Jeez, a whole damn paragraph about my boots. Hardly the highlight of the trip so far.
There have been many excellent moments. And I had this idea of presenting this beautiful chronological blog, bit due to the forces of chaos, this things is going to have to be wonderfully haphazard and verging on stream of consciousness. So bear with me, or not.

Stumbled onto a jazz bar last night in Prague. Thank you Gods! I nearly cried when the band started playing. I don't know why, something inside me feels so happy when I hear good, loose improv jazz. And these guys were the real deal. Young Czech guys, to match anything I'd seen in my limited forays into the Sydney Jazz scene. I feel, and have always felt, that my own creativity should resemble this jazz feeling. That I want my artwork to ultimately present this playfulness and ability to let go. But clearly this comes from an underlying rigour and training that only hours of practice and repetition can bring about. So there is a little message in there for me I feel.

So much to say, but always so little time. So more sooner rather than later, now that I can log into this thing again.

Hope you are well. Please take the time to write me and let me know how you are going.
Stay tuned.

Where do I begin?

Ok, this a post repeat, as it seems Google bought out blogspot and then I was somehow locked out of my new blog. Anyway it's a long boring story, so I've created a new blog, and so... take 2!!

Oh my god it's only 5 or 6 days into this trip and soooooo much has happened. I'm already in Mongolia, so far from home. To look on the map and realise how far north I am., I don't quite have adjectives to describe it all yet.

There is snow on the ground in parts and the daytime temp is 4 C. The people are beautiful, and so sharp and switched on. Well the ones I've spoken to, even the teenagers are very self assured and express themselves beautifully in English.

I'm in the capital, Ulan Bator and it is very different to what I had expected. The language is unlike any I've ever heard, the pronunciations are extreme, very difficult for an English speaker to get their tongue around.

We are about to go on a two day trip into the steppes to stay with nomadic family and see Buddhist monastery and National park.

I'll write more soon when I get back, and let you all know my adventures to date.