Incredibly enough...still more D-Style

Daire O’Leary was once on Wheel Of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.

Bill Gates lives in constant fear that Daire O’Leary’s PC will crash.

Daire O’Leary has to maintain a concealed weapons permit in order to legally wear pants.

Most husbands are OK with their wives fantasising about Daire O’Leary while they are having sex, because they are probably doing the same thing.

Daire O’Leary can make a woman climax by simply pointing at her and saying “booya”.

The Movie Anaconda was filmed in Daire O’Leary’s pants.

When Daire O’Leary does his taxes, he send in blank forms and a photo of himself, crouched and ready to attack, Daire O’Leary has never had to pay taxes.

Daire O’Leary can divide by zero.

If paper beats rock, and rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper, what beats all three at the same time? Answer: Daire O’Leary.

If Superman and The Flash were to have a race to the edge of space, who would win? Answer: Daire O’Leary.

Daire O’Leary is the only man to defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.

Oxygen requires Daire O’Leary to live.

Jungle Brothers

Me cleverly pointing at a cute little tamarind

The mega cool "walking palm"

John and I mucking around with a huge "rocket tree"

My first Tapir...he was bigger than expected...maybe 200kgs!

Tarantula coming out of his little hidey-hole

The Amazon Jungle is awesome.




After spending so much time at high altitude, it was great to breathe again!




After yet another luxurious flight with my friends at Air Condor, I arrived in Peurto Maldonado, famous for the "El Jaguar Zoo and Disco" (yup, probably the world's only combined zoo and nightclub)...a couple of hours journey via boat led me to the Eco Amazonia Lodge on the Madre de Dios River (one of the tributaries to the Amazon River), in an area known as Tambopata.



The jungle itself was amazing, there were "rocket trees" (with the big fin like roots) that were bigger than anything similar I have seen...because the soil quality is so poor, most of the nutrients are on top of the ground...as a result of decaying vegetation etc. Thus even these monstrously big trees have roots that only go 1 meter into the soil.



There was also a "walking palm" which grows roots above ground and by killing off old roots and growing new ones manages to "walk" through the jungle to take advantage of available light.



Peru must be home to more epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants...kinda like parasites...but not exactly) than any other country on Earth...There were trees so covered in orchids and bromeliads that one couldn't see the supporting tree. One of the trees, which the locals sometimes call the "tourist tree" peels it's bark like a sun-burnt gringo...thus ridding itself of any epiphytic tresspassers...in some areas they seemed the only variety that wasn't hosting a micro-community of guests.



There were more monkeys than I had thought possible...particularly at the very appropriately named "Monkey Island", ridiculously cute little tamarinds...as well as bigger brown and black capuchin monkeys (which the locals always referred to as cappuccino monkeys...without intending to be funny!)



The Cayman I saw were all pretty small by Aussie crocodile standards, but they were certainly big enough to give one a fright if you came across one at night. (They lie along the river bank and are easliy found by their eyes which reflect bright red when a flashligh is shone on them.)



Tambopata is also home to 700 types of butterfly and 1200 species of bird.



There were parrots, macaws, hawks, vultures...pretty much every bird that one can imagine...and one of my favorites...the carpenter bird, builds hanging nests shaped like tear drops...a single tree can contain many dozen nests...from a distance they look dangling fruit.



There were monkeys and tapirs wandering around the huts, making any trips around the compound have the potential for excitement.



I got to see some snakes and a tarantula...but missed out on seeing an anaconda :(



The incredible noise generated by the local bird population meant that waking up at 05:00AM was guaranteed...but as the generators were switched off at 22:00PM...most nights finished early after a few drinks in the hammocks along the river side...sipping rum and watching the fireflies.



It was a perfect contrast to the mountains and cities of Peru...a trip I highly recommend.

Macchu Picchu

Doorway...the safest place during an earthquake

Llama chiilin' at machu Picchu

Me in front of Machu Picchu...Waynapicchu is shrouded with clouds in background

Frisbee at machu Picchu...outstanding!

Wow!



Machu Picchu was even more spectacular than I could imagine. I arrived at about 07:00 AM, and was unable to see much of anything...except clouds.



(Macchu Pichu is located at a level of elevation known in the Andes as the "cloud forest"...it is above the jungle and the rain forest...but still able to support a forest well higher than the tree line of most other places, due to the moisture in the air...it is about 2500 meters above sea level)



The clouds slowly lifted and unveiled Machu picchu in all of it's glory. It is waaaay bigger than I had expected, there were llamas roaming around adding to the vibe, and fewer tourists than I had expected.



Machu Picchu was built by the Incans around 1450, and due to it's hard to reach location was never discovered by the Spanish during their period of South American conquest. This is particularly handy as the Spanish conquistadors had a habit of destroying any signs of the Incan civilization they came across.



Thus, somehow, Machu Picchu remained unknown to the "Western World" until 1911, when American archaeologist Hiram Bingham "discovered" it.



It was quite a find...the whole area, with its deep valleys and what seems like an endless series of mountain peaks, one behind the other is one of the most beautiful places I have been. It would be well worth the trip, even if there were no Incan ruins.



The ruins were cool, although as the Incans didn't use writing, alot of information has been lost. Their construction techniques were outstanding, using a mixture of naturally occuring boulders for foundations and many sided stone blocks for the upper walls. (One of the stone blocks has 32 corners!)



There is a small mountain just opposite macchu Pichu called Waynapicchu...it only takes an hour to climb and offers an impressive view of the entire complex...definately worth the effort!



My frisbee got a brief workout, with only one (near) injury...sorry Richard!This year it has seen action at Angkor Wat, The Great Pyramid, The Sphinx, and now Machu Pichu. I will be packing it again next year...keep an eye out for the photos.

Peruvian Times

I am finally here!

Peru has been insanely good, and I have not been to Macchu Pichu or the Amazon yet!

Lima is as nice a city of its size as I have seen (9 miilion people). The buildings are mainly old school colonial, lots of balconies and shutters, many made of clay bricks, which are cheap, but no doubt contribute to the exterme damage whenever an earthquake occurs.

The city itself still has some of the remains of a wall built around it by the Spanish to protect the Europeans in case other Europeans attacked (they didn´t!)

Prices are good, $25US secured me a fine hotel and $10US secured me a bottle od Special Reserve Havan Club.

Not a lot to see in Lima, lots of churches...if that´s your thing...it´s not mine.

The main square Plaza Del Mayo is kinda cool, armoured cars on guard in case the people revolt, and statues of people with Llamas on their heads. (apparently the spanish word for flame is the same as the local word for llama and the statues that were to have sexy flaming crowns instead ended up with llama purched precariously on their foreheads.

I have since left the ity and have been hiking the Andes, I have just finished the Lares Track, yesterday was the hardest day, two big passes to negotiate, the tallest 4950 metres which represented a gain of 1000 vertical meters from our departure point, after the first pass we decended about 1300 metres then did another 900 verticle metres...I was dry retching up the second pass...I had planned on avoiding the second pass and thus had neglected to take my pills for altitude sickness.

Camin in the Andes has been made sooooo much easier with the help of our porters, they have been feeding me like a king, supplying me with cup after cup of coca tea and even filling my sigg bottle at night with hot water. (at -5 Celcius and with a stiff wind it is certainly appreciated). These guys are so damned hardcore...they all wear flipflops over snow, scree, water...they are just unstoppable!)

The locals have all been really friendly, and their colourful garb makes my whole experience seem a little surreal...although that may be the altitude!

I spend much of my time time chasing the local wildlife..the llamas and alpacas have been hard to get a hold of, but a did find a cute little lamb that was my closest friend for a couple of hours...I wanted to keep him as a sleeping bag warmer...but alas our relationship had to end shortly after he made a mess on my T-shirt (he is still pretty cute though!)

Tomorrow I head off to Macchu Pichu!

Yup, more D-Style

Daire O’Leary can believe it’s not butter.

Trains stop at a Daire O’Leary crossing.

Daire O’Leary’s laundry sorts itself.

When Daire O’Leary donates blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a handgun and a bucket.

Daire O’Leary likes his women how he likes his coffee, in a burlap sack trussed over the back of a donkey.

On his birthday, Daire O’Leary blows out his candles by blinking.

The last digit of pi is Daire O’Leary; he is the end of all things.

Superman owns a pair of Daire O’Leary pyjamas.

Daire O’Leary won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves.

Daire O’Leary does not hunt, because the word hunting implies the possibility of failure. Daire O’Leary goes killing.

Daire O’Leary can delete the Windows Recycle Bin.

Daire O’Leary sometimes sleeps with a nightlight, not because he is afraid of the dark, because the dark is afraid of Daire O’Leary.

Daire takes to the Rockies

Wow! I am finally here. As a Canadian I have always been aware that the Rockies are one of the most picturesque places on the planet...above is a shot of Mount Rundell from my brother Sean's balcony in Banff. (The bottle is a blueberry and raspberry lemonade breezer that I thought would add the the photo composition, the colours have been left untouched.)

My time here has been ridiculously good. It all started with my cousin Jessica and me and a small bottle of Screech...it continued from that moment in exactly the way that I had hoped...sharing time with my family and friends...some of them old...some of them new...but all just outstanding.

Banff was as pretty a town as I have seen, surrounded by mountains and bears and elk and tourists wearing irridescent clothing in pastel colours with more pockets than anyone could ever need, getting excited about squirrels and such. (I am much the same, with more pockets than necessary and getting fired up about the local squirrel population...but have been able to withstand the need to wear lilac coloured polar fleece...so far)

Blogger doesn't seem to want me to upload anymore photos so I will be adding some to my FlickrR site tonight. (clickm on the link in the top right hand corner)

My brother Sean and Megan were married in Nakusp this weekend. The wedding was wonderful, Megan looked beautiful and Sean, well he looked like Sean...except even happier and more handsome then usual.

Our time in Nakusp was awesome, the mountains are smaller than around Banff, but no less attractive, there is a fine lake with a sandy beach that saw a lot of action in the early hours of the evening, and the locals were friendly.

At times it seemed like half of the population of Antigonish was there (ie the good half). As a team, we accomplished many fine achievements, including drinking the bars entirely empty of Alexander Keith's (that is a variety of beer...popular in Nova Scotia...for those not from Canada), and contributing to the highest cash register takings in a single night at the Leland bar in Nakusp.

Megan's folks...Barb' and Wes' are as nice as she is, and welcomed us into their family with fine hospitality anId open arms. They must be made of strong stuff, as they took the invasion of Nakusp by a bunch of O'Learys, Newfies, Nova Scotians, and wild haired mountain-men all in stride and helped everybody feel at home.

My brother Sean is better known as Heddo, aka Head, aka Head 'o Lettuce. It has taken some getting used to as being thought of as Heddo's brother, rather than just being Daire. Some of the locals have started calling me Leaf, as in Leaf 'o Lettuce. I think I like it, I might encourage it.

Daire aka Leaf O'Leary

More D Style

When Daire O'Leary went skinny dipping in Scotland, he started the myth of the Loch Ness monster

Daire O’Leary uses ribbed condoms inside out, so he gets the pleasure.

Daire O’Leary doesn’t read books, he stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

Daire O’Leary lost his virginity before his dad did.

Daire O’Leary does not sleep, he waits.

On the 7th day, God rested…Daire O’Leary took over.

There is no “Theory of Evolution”…just a list of animals that Daire O’Leary lets live.

When Daire O’Leary does a push up, he isn’t lifting himself up; he’s pushing the Earth down.

Daire O’Leary can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.

Daire O’Leary doesn’t wear a watch; HE decides what time it is.

Daire O’Leary doesn’t believe in Germany.

Daire O’Leary has never blinked in his entire life. Never.

Daire O’Leary once shot down a plane by pointing his finger and saying “Bang”.

Daire O’Leary is Luke Skywalker’s real father.

Daire O’Leary doesn’t use spell-check, if he were to misspell a word; Oxford would amend the previous spelling of it.

If you wish to send Daire O’Leary a letter, just write “Daire O’Leary” and drop it in any mailbox. Don’t worry; he’ll get it.

Jordanian Sleeping Sickness

Jordan is absolutely outstanding!

My last memories of Egypt will be of the hours spent baking in the Port Authority Terminal, surrounded by airconditioning units that were not switched on, and experiencing the joys of what was certainly not the world's filthiest toilet, but the worst I have seen for many years.

Arriving in Aqaba was like returning to civilized life, the Jordanians are very friendly, and unlike the Egyptians, they don't seem intent of removing the meager contents of this Canadian boy's wallet with insessant requests for baksheesh.

All of Jordan has been just incredible, Wadi Rum (Wadi means dessert valley), was beautiful, I can see why Laurence of Arabia spent so much time there, The Crusader's fortresses, such as at Shobak, were super cool (and allowed me to practice my favorite past time of pretending to be Tomb Raider).

But, beyond a doubt, everything I have seen on the trip, the Sphinx, the Pyramids, Climbing Mount Sinai, were eclipsed by Petra. I had seen so many photos, but after walking for about a kilometer through the Sik (the narrow cleft in the rock that joins Petra to the outside world) and seeing the facade of the Treasury cove into view was one of those moments that makes one's heart stop.

The Nebuteans that built most of Petra used to raid caravans, the then realised they could earn more by offering protection. The main trade was in spices and arromatics, like frankensense from Yemen, which was worth about $150 per kilogram. One camel can carry 200 kilograms of weight. A camel caravan would take 14 weeks to get from Yemen to Jordan and would often have 500 or 1000 camels. If my calculations are right that's 30 million dollars in a large caravan...no wonder the whole raiding/protection business was so popular (and rewarding).

I met a guy, Mohamed at a restaurant in Petra...he cracked me up, when the tourists would walk past we would say "wide camel" or "skinny camel" depending on their figure. Many hours later after the long walk to "The Monastery" or "The High Place" as the locals know it, I met up with Mohamed and his half brother and some of there friends, inside the most impressive of all Petra's buildings. We spent a long time drinking beduin tea, while some of them played on home made aluminium flutes or the arabic lute, others sang or clapped hands. (not being real good at beduin folk-songs...I mainly clapped...which is probably best for all concerned)

The Dead Sea is cool!

Yup, you can read a newspaper while floating in it, you can even do barrel rolls from your back to your belly without getting you face or newspaper wet. There is about 350 mgs of salt in every litre of Dead Sea water...which doesn't seem to impressive until it gets into your eyes. After rubbing myself in Dead Sea mud, and baking it into a hard shell before removing, I can vouch that my skin has never felt smoother.

I have been suffering from a horrible illness for the past few days that has resulted in my spending 12+ hours each day lying in a pool of my own sweat. Last night my fevers were so bad I became somewhat delusional. I spent much of the evening sitting under a cold shower. (which was just horrible, as my chills had been so bad that I had been wearing my polar fleece and many layers of clothes under a stack of blankets just to stop shaking, and it is pretty hot in Jordan in May).

That seemed to have the desired effect, and I am now wandering the streets of Amman, which is a lovely city, not especially historic or pretty, but easly to navigate, filled with friendly (semi) English speaking locals, and some of the funniest misspellings on signs etc that I have seen anywhere.

If it is the will of Allah, I will see you all soon.

My photos from Egypt, and Petra, and lots of other cool places are on my other memory card :(

But for your viewing pleasure I have attached a few piccies of me, under a castle at Showbak...looking for the secret escape route (I think I found it but it was filled with sand), hanging in some little jordanian clifftop village, and catching up ona bit of reading at the Dead Sea.

Walk Like An Egyptian

That is to say with one eye on "creative" traffic & one eye on where you step!

I am staying in in Cairo, just off the nile river in Dokkir. My hotel is straight from the 1930's...the elevator is small (but cute...kinda like me). Luck much of Egypt it seems they have no fear of exposed electrical wiring.

I had no idea Cairo was this big! There are 17 million people here and sometimes it seems like they all want me to "contribute to the local economy".

It started on arrival at the duty free store...wher I was attempted to be short-changed 50 pounds, (this trick was also attempted by the friendly staff at the great pyramid ticket booth). Amazingly enough, no one in Egypt seems to have any change. The guys at the ticketing office for the pyramids/sphinx were seriously trying to convince me that they didn't have the equivalent of about 8 dollars US between them, luckily I am a man of great patience, and "praise Allah" the correct change appeared like a miracle once they realised I would never leave without my cash.

I was suprised to see so many horses and carts in the middle of the city, I actually saw a herd of sheep in the middle of Cairo...they were being fed what looked like cut grass placed on the sidewalk!

The Egyptians did a lot of work a few thousand years ago, but comparatively very little since. The cars here are proof that maintainance is optional, that being said, there does appear to be acar broken down about every 100 metres or so. Many have been abandoned, and just stay on the side of the road, gathering trash about them, and being used as a handy place to store garbage. (I find they make excellent landmarks eg: "first left at the wheelless Fiat500, then stop just before the mercedes with the roof and doors removed")

The touts by the pyramids were truly inspiring. There were guys wearing taxi cab & parking uniforms with badges removed trying to pass them-selves off as staff, guys with whistles trying to claim authority of some sort, guys on camels offering free photos and then asking for money. This seems to be an Egyptian specialty...eg:

"It is free sir, it is part of the entry fee to the pyramids, it is free"

"No thank you."

"It is 10 Egyptian pounds"

I have met many touts all over the world, these guys are up there for tenacity, but miles ahead of any others I have met in their ability to lie continuously; these guys should consider a career in politics.

In spite of that the pyramids were just fantastic, I spent most of the day roaming around, in, and when I was able...on the pyramids. the history of ther place was over whelming, but it didn't feel as spiritual as many otherplaces I have been, and I was kinda expecting a different vibe.

That being said, my body underwent a physiological transformation apon entering the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid. (as predicted).

The Sphinx was outstanding, many people I know have found it underwhelming...but it was ace! I felt more energy from the Sphinx than I did the pyramids. (Brendan...look into some of your flaky pyramid power books...I may be on to a new discovery!)

I am off to spend the day in the museum, they have over 200 000 artifacts on dis[play, so it may take a while.

My mate, Daz B. aka D-Funk has told me that during his travels in the Middle East the most authentic "Middle Eastern / Arabic" country he has been to is Jordan.

I am so looking forward to it.

Sunny in Dubai

Hi guys,

Sorry for delay in blog posting but family issues and alcohol had combined forces to keep me off-line.

The skinny:

Dubai is the main city of the United Arab Emirates, which have been around for less time than I have, joining in 1971, with Abu Dhabi and 5 other emirates in the area.

It is always warm and sunny, but people spend almost all of there time getting out of air conditioned luxury cars to enter air conditioned luxury buildings so it doesn't have a huge impact...except for me...I've been working on my suntan.

The local economy is worth about 47 Billion US per year, of which less than 3% comes from petroleum revenues. The make most of their cash from the Jebel Ali Free Zone, which allows no restrictions on labour import or capital export...kind of like a huge duty free store.

The population has skyrocketed in recent years...refer to the below timeline:

1955 - 20 000 population
1965 - 60 000
1975 - 183 000
1985 - 370 000
1995 - 674 000
2005 - 1.2 million

Currently there are 1 073 000 men and 349 000 women...mainly due to the influx of male labourers from India, Pakistan & Bangladesh to cope with the massive construction occuring in Dubai. Less than 17% of the population are "locals" (ie UAE Nationals), but they are easily recognisable by their local dress, the "dish-dash", a long white night-shirt with headdress.

You can pretty much do anything you want in Dubai as long as you don't hassle the locals, there is a mandantory 3 day jail term for drunkeness. I tried hard, but remained arrest free :)

Dee & Stu's wedding was great, held at the luxurious Mina Al Salaam hotel complex that is so sprawlingly (nice word D...changing an adverb to an adjective at the drop of a hat) big that the staff drive you around in boats (they have sea turtles and huge fish ion the man-made lagoon...it's pretty spectacular. Dad couldn't make it, but via the worders of modern technology, was able to give a speech on the big TV screen at the reception.

Dubai is a nice place to live, especially if you are alocal, as all of the hard work and low paying jobs are filled by Indians, Pakistanis, or Bangladeshis. (Kind of like how the Australians rely on the hard working expats from Canada to get the job done)!

The whole place is under construction, something like 17% of the worlds large building cranes are in Dubai. To cope with the deminishing land availabilty (and because they think it's cool), they are making alot of artificial islands to build on. (The most famous ofwhich is probably the 7 star Burj al-Arab hotel...you know the one, Andre Agassi played tennis on there helipad). There is also some insanely over the top residential projects, the biggest being The Palms and The World...mansions are only accessable via boat or helicopter...all of the residence own both.

This is my first time in the Middle East, and the transition was pretty easy...other the the preponderance of guys wearing dish-dashes and smoking Sheesha pipes...it is kinda like Melbourne. (or any other western city...I am hoping to get much more of a feel for tradional Middle eastern culture when I am in Jordan)

Bro and I were lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of Dee & Stu's friend Ali. His pad was great, kinda like "Melrose Place", swimming pool, nice courtyard garden, 3 satelite dishes and about 3000 channels, house keeper etc. What made it best was the unmatchable hospitality Ali showed me, including my first (but not last, Sheesha pipe). Like every other westerner, I like the apple flavoured tobacco best.

Next post will be from Cairo...hopefully with photos attached.

D-Style

When Daire O'Leary goes swimming he doesn't get wet, the water gets Daire O'Leary'd.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Daire O'Leary.

Daire O'Leary counted to infinity - twice.

Daire O'Leary hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.

Daire O'Leary gave Mona Lisa that smile.

Daire O'Leary can slam a revolving door.

Daire O'Leary once visited the Virgin Islands. They are now The Islands.

Daire O'Leary's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Daire O'Leary.

Daire O'Leary can speak Braille.

Daire O'Leary owns the greatest Poker Face of all-time. It helped him win the1998 World Series of Poker despite him holding just a Joker, a Get outof Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game Uno.

Daire O'Leary sleeps with a night light. Not because Daire O'Leary is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Daire O'Leary.

Once a cobra bit Daire O'Leary's leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

When Daire O'Leary exercises, the machine gets stronger.

Daire O'Leary doesn't use pickup lines, he simply says, "Now."

Daire O'Leary can kill two stones with one bird.

The only time Daire O'Leary was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistake.

The Green Fairy

Only a few days to go before I leave for Dubai.

Adrian, Brendan, Dean, Simon & I had a little early send off...gourmet pizza, darts & absinthe...

I can now safely say the only mixed drink I will consume this year is the Monkey Gland. (2 measures gin, 1 measure orange juice, 1/2 measure grenadine & 1/2 measure absinthe.

Wedding Bells and Exotic Smells

Photos of Petra...

Ooops! That's supermodel Petra Nemcova

That's the Petra I have been wanting to see

My Sweet Sister Is Getting Married!

It seems like my feet have just hit Australian soil and I will soon be overseas again.

My beautiful sister, Dee has beaten the O'Leary boys to the alter and will be marrying Stuart in Dubai in May. Stuart is such a nice guy that it is easy to forget he is an Englishman ;)

We all think that Stu is ace, and can't wait to have him in the family.

This is going to be a rare international gathering of the O'leary clan, with the nicest people in the world coming together from all corners of the globe to be part of this wonderful event.

Shenanigans...oh yeah...there will definitely be some shenanigans.

I haven't been to the Middle East before, and it just wouldn't seem right to be so close and not see the Pyramids.

Like just about everyone else the pyramids have been on my "must see list" since I was about 5 years old, and I am finally going to Egypt to see them first hand, in particular the big one at Giza...I don't know what to expect or how I am going to feel. I know that it is big...139 meters or 455 feet high. I know that it took a lot of work...2.3 million stone blocks...the biggest of which are about 80 tonnes! I know that my brother Brendan remains convinced it was built by a mysterious race that predates the Egyptians, (possibly with the help of aliens). I know that it is the oldest and only remaining of the original seven wonders of the world. I know that it is going to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Petra has also been one of those places that I have wanted to see, not for as long as I have wanted to see the pyramids...in all honesty probably "only" since 1989 when I saw Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. So I will be hitting the deserts of Jordan before coming home. I just love climbing around temples and pretending I am Tomb Raider.

I am so excited... I'm going to see my sister married...I'm going to see family I haven't seen in years...and I am going to places that have been calling me for as long as I can remember.

I can almost smell the camels.

The Dawn Of A New, Better Era, for humanity...

The Bat Cave is no longer, but the Fortress of Solitude promises to be something more; to be all things to all people, a place where ideas and low carbohydrate beer flow freely, a place where emotions become tangible and are shared without ever being diminished, a place that manages to be in Camberwell while somehow existing outside of the space-time continuum, a place from which the happiness we share and the good deeds we do will spread outwards via osmosis and make the world a better place.

PS: If you look closely at the above photo, you can see me...I'm the guy in the cape.

PPS: We are having a "Fort Warming" party this Saturday, 14th April.

PPS: I have uploaded a few new photos to my FlickR site.

The Last Hoorah!

I just couldn't help but publish this pic, I have always been an anti "day-pack-on-front-guy"...but after loading about 3000 kgs into my carry-on luggage (to conceal my snake whiskey from customs, and to bring my main pack down to a low 18kg) I had no other choice.

This was the last photo taken in Thailand, in Ko Samui, after an all day, multi-vehicle airport run, that just managed to get me from Ko Phangan to Ko Samui and back to Bangkok on the same day...in time to get my flight back to Oz.

Sometimes I wish I hadn't made it in time...I might still be there :)

NB: Special thanks to the österreichische Eiche (Austrian Oak) ...Christian Mossler for being such a great guy to travel with in the South of Thailand and departing Ko Phangan with no notice when I had to get my a$$ back to Bangkok.

The End Of An Era...

The unimaginable has happened...

After an unbroken lineage spanning 16 years the Bat Cave will soon be no more.

I will be vacating The Cave later this month for new digs in Camberwell.

For all of those that have experienced "cave life" on a permanent or part-time basis, I hope that you will join me in a moment of silence, and reflect on all of the great times we have shared.

Reclining Buddha

Possibly the best photo ever taken of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok...from the outside on the window ledge.

More photos are available at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daireoleary/

Home again

Wow!

I have returned safely to Australia & am now firmly ensconced in "Cave Life" at the Bat Cave in Camberwell.

I just had a few days in Ko Phangan...it was spectacular.

Ko Samui is still beautiful, & riding around the island was great...finding beaches with no one on them...coco nut plantations...funny little temples etc. was great, but maybe a few too many "farang" (foreigners) & a few too many tourist bars.

Ko Phangan was a lot more my speed (ie. SLOW). My Austrian friend Christian and I took a boat to the North East of the island to a beach called "Thong Nai Pan Yai"...it was perfect! Small cove with warm water...soft sand...and breakfast was spent alone with the waves...harder to find these days in Ko Samui. The frizbee was fantastic, the views were inspiring, and the food & drink was...well...it's Thailand...so the food & drink are always ace!

The boat trip to Thong Nai Pan Yai was as good as the time we spent at the beach itself. Our trustworthy captain "Toom" was happy to drop us off at any little beach or cove we saw on the way so we could have a beer or a swim or take a few photos. Arriving at the beach and jumping off the boat into knee deep water & carrying our packs high & dry made it seem like a real adventure. (but I get excited easily!)

Australian Customs retained my bottle of Cobra Whiskey that I had been carrying since my first day in Laos :(

But I was able to get my Scorpion Whickey safely through :)

(If anyone is suffering from Lumbago, Rhuematism, or "Sweaty Of Limb"...let me know...this can cure all illnesses and will also "make man strong")

So for the next few days, I will be re-acclimatising myself to life in the "First World"...doing laundry...and uploading a few more photos.

Is it me or is time going really, really fast?

I have only 4 days left!

I have been delayed in my island hopping...but plan on taking the boat to KoPhangan tomorrow. The expats that I have been hanging out with in Ko Samui reckon that KoPhangan is still alot like Ko Samui was 15 years ago. I think that Hat Rin is the exception...the success of the FullMoon Parties once a month has led to half moon parties, blackmoon parties, noonmoon parties etc. There appears to be some type of moon party or recovery party every day of
the year.

So I think that for me...maybe one night at Hat Rin...then a couple of days on one of the beaches in the north accessable by boat only.

OMG I had a look at my recent Blog update...holy shit I have become quite the philosopher in my old age...or maybe it is all of the free time on my hands!

I have uploaded a few photos. Check them out!

More things I have learned, forgotten, or been told...

Turn your bar fridge to maximum immediately after arriving - beer needs to be COLD

Wearing flip-flops in the shower can be a good safety measure...but not if you use the provided ones that have been used by every hippy since 1969

Vietnam has some of the worst dental work on the planet, but every guest house gives away free toothbrushes...why is it so?

I travelled through 3 countries in search of a one dollar haircut...only to pay 3 dollars in Bangkok

Your worst day on vacation can be better than your best day at work

The locals have scary powers of moving large loads on small motorcycles, one Canadian, plus a 25kg backpack, plus a day bag is dangerous (and funny looking)

Lie , Cheat, & Steal

If you must lie, lie to help a friend

If you must cheat, cheat death

If you must steal, steal a heart


The death toll in Ko Samui is evenly devided between motorcycle accidents and falling coconuts

Buying a local a beer is a far better way to learn about culture than reading a book

70 cent whiskey is proof that communism works

All sunglasses should come in one size only...extra extra large

Eat western breakfasts, no one should start the day with rice or porridge with fish in it...that's crazy talk

Everybody loves playing "connect four"

Use antibacterial handwash, flush the toilet with your foot

Take lots of ziplock bags, refuse the disposable plastic bags that every shop tries to give you

No internet cafe's have photo imaging software...this is a pain when all of your photos are over 3.5 MBytes

Chang beer is better than Singa, Beer Lao is even better

You meet the nicest people in the world when travelling by train

A 3 dollar digital watch tells the time everybit as well as a 500 dollar analog...but isn't as waterproof

Dancing is excercise

Jet skis and loud boats should be illegal

Men with fat, hairy bodies like to take their shirts off when it is hot...so do I

Everyone loves Uno

Stay at a quiet beach, play at a noisy beach

A 1 hour foot massage with a friend and a cold beer beside you is very hedonistic...but highly recommended

Buy stuff from locals, not the Quicki mart...some of these guys are doing it pretty rough

Leave nothing behind but footprints

Carry emergency toilet paper

South East Asia has great food, but usually lousy coffee...look for a French flag in the window...the French make great coffee

Get to Angkor quick...it will be an amusement park in 5 years

Frisbee is the world's greatest sport...nobody loses...everybody smiles

If you have a sensitive stomach...stick to banana pancakes...they could save your life

People from Oregon kick ass!

Bring speakers for your Ipod...music should be shared...save your headphones for buses and planes

Take at least one risk when you are on vacation (Try saying "yes" instead of "no"...in 50 years time you will glad that you did)

Take more than one risk

Condensation from a bottle of beer dripping on your belly is very refreshing

Booking early morning flights is dangerous...never sleep the night before you leave

I have a pure heart...this gives me the strength of 10 men

Luxurious accomodation is an incentive to stay indoors...rent the cheaper hut and only use it for sleeping

Take off your sunglasses when crossing busy streets in Vietnam...eye contact can save your life

Grinning luck an idiot and bobbing your head up and down gets one out of sticky situations better than sticking your chest out

The terms "local colour" & "rustic" have many mneanings and can be used in mixed company without offending the locals

Buy "English Primer" books and give them the the local kids...it will help them alot more than your spare change

Spend time with people who have good hearts...if you can...surround yourself with them

Orange is a good colour

Bangkok is not Thailand...it is Bangkok

Did I mention to take a risk

Cut your hair short...who needs hair product on vacation

Trust your judgement...you can often tell a person's spirit withinh 10 seconds

Always ask for a discount...my favorite is to ask for "poor Canadian traveller's discount"...sometimes it works

Change of plans

Due to visa delays I have had to call off my trip to Myanmar.

I am still funning & sunning in Ko Samui, but will take boat to Ko Phangan in 2 days.

Then maybe Ko Tao.

Then maybe back to Samui.

Then Bangkok.

Then home!

Do I look happy?

This is me in a boat some Vietnamese farmer made from a disposable fuel tank that was jettisoned from a B52 bomber in the early 70's.

I have got a few more here. A big Thanks to my good mate Tim, for e-mailing me some photos of a managable size.

No parental or management supervision is required to view this lot.

Just go to:http://www.flickr.com/photos/daireoleary

Sore Cheeks

Hi guys,

No exciting news to share. I am incredibly relaxed. My days are spent relaxing on the beach, followed by touring the island on my little motorbike...which I also find very relaxing...then a massage on the beach...which is definately relaxing...then a few Long Island Iced Teas...which, again is pretty relaxing. (You guys get the picture...I'm very relaxed)

Yesterday I was sunbathing, and my upper body came under the shadow of a palm tree...rather than move 1 metre to be back in direct sun...I waited for the sun to move around the coconut palm...that is how lazy I have become. I am now almost as lazy as a Thai dog...which is well known to be the laziest animal on the planet.

My friend Bruce who lives in Bangkok and his girlfriend Natalia arrived in Ko Samui yesterday for some vacation...so I will be off to the East Coast where the nightlife is more active to join them for dinner and a drink or two...then probably back to BoPhut to catch up on my relaxing.

One of the locals yesterday told me that I was like a Thai...because I am always smiling. I have nothing to occupy my mind or stress me while I am here, so I spend most of the day reflecting on what a wonderful life I have had and what beautiful friends I have had to share it with me.

That is why my cheeks are sore...from smiling all the time.

Anyone for island hopping?

A change of scheduling has left me "stranded" in the tropical paradise of Ko Samui.

After over a month of traildust, it is soooo good to be back to coconut palms & sandy beaches.

I am staying in Bo Phut (aka Fisherman's Village), it is one of the quiet spots on the island, with not a lot of distractions. Things have moved a little up-market since last time I was here, ATMs & internet are available, but the town has a special charm (just one street, lots of little fishing boats, plenty of elbow room on the beach etc.

Marc, you will be horrified to know that my hut is luxurious, with all the mod-cons including a fridge, TV & A/C. It's not quite the hut-life that I remember...but I could get used to it :)

I don't know how long I will be in BoPhut for...I am thining about heading to the East coast, then maybe take a boat to Ko Phangan and seeing if the sunshine is any different there.

The Chinese have a saying that the hours one spends fishing (recreationally) are added to the duration of one's lifespan. I feel the same about here...it's like a vacation in the middle of my vacation, and it's just fabulous.

If anyone needs to find me in case of an emergency, go to Na Thon, walk East along the beach until you see a small, brown, Canadian boy with a frisbee, a towel, and a big smile...I'll be next to the 3rd palm tree on your right.

Aaahhh, back in Bangkok

Cambodia was just fabulous. The night life was pretty low key, but enjoyable, and Angkor has 1023 temples at last count (they still find them out in the jungle...I think 7 were discovered last year)

I am back in Bangkok...at it feels kinda like home after being in places that I had never been to before. Everything is just so much easier here...every ATM takes foreign cards...there is a 7/11 on every street corner...just about everyone speaks some English...you can get the same brand of anti-perspirant that you use at home and so on.

All that aside it is still pretty exotic in a lot of ways, everything is cheap & I love travelling by Tuk Tuk. (Transport in Cambodia was pretty funny, the locals like to attach a cart to the back of a two wheeled tractor and use it for transporting goods and people...but mainly motor cycles...little 110 cc Honda Dreams with huge trailers...it was unbelievable how much they could fit on those things. There was also quite a bit of roof surfing going on...but out of necessity, rarther than as an "extreme sport".) We took a bus through the Poi Pet pass from Siem Reap to Bangkok...the road was nuts...apparently the local airlines pay the Cambodians not to maintain the road...the pot holes were enormous...I saw a small family living in one and running a small Bed & Breakfast from the pot hole next door)

I have hit Khao San today & am about booking travel & visa to Myanmar...it should take about 3 days...I probably will be unable to access the net while I am in-country, but will do my best.

PS: Marc, can you e-mail my Hotmail account with the best e-mail address to contact you?

Stay cool...D

Tomb Raider

I have finally seen Angkor.

I first saw photos of Angkor in National Geographic when I was about 5 years old, and like everyone else I knew it was pretty special. So I backed up my camera memory to CD & had 2Gbytes of photos available...unfortunately I was also drinking vodka and redbulls last night...conveniently served in a large plastic bucket...thus when I got home last night I was thinking only about my pillow and not about charging my camera's battery. I did get 6 pictures before terminal battery failure occured.

Ta Prom was even better than I had imagined. (This is the temple slowly being consumed by trees in the jungle that was used famously as a location for the Tomb Raider movie)

Being able to walk & climb & touch just about everything was such a buzz. There were heaps of statues, carvings etc just lying around in piles or having fallen down just left lying where it dropped. Many of the statues have been removed or have had there heads chiseled off so as to be sold to private collectors. Thankfully I have been told that at night there is a lot of security and theft isn 't a real problem any more. This is not a country with a lot of public liability concerns, so at the moment it's pretty much "access all areas".There is some pretty major developments underway including recreating many of the buildings entirely...I can't imagine the same sense of wonder wandering around a building that has been jointly built by a French/Cambodian consortium in 2009 as there is wandering around a temple built in the 12th Century.

More temples tomorrow, getting up at 4AM to make sure that I am there for sunrise...no buckets for the D-Man tonight :) Hoping to do a balloon ride over Angkor Wat.

Only a couple of days left in Cambodia...then back to Bangkok...

Holiday In Cambodia

OMG!

I love Cambodia!

The border criossing from Vietnam was definately an eye-opener. From the moment we got on the ferry across the Mekon River, there were beggers, beggers, beggers, some with the most horrible wounds that one can imagine. I thought for a moment that it might be too much for the D-Man to take. Luckily things quietened down one we got a little further inland...but one cannot go past the scars of war that the beautiful people of Cambodia have suffered...both by the American during the Vietnam War...when Cambodia was continuously bombed in an attempt to break the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" that provide supplies to the Viet Cong & more recently during the reign of Pol Pot.

During the time of Pol Pot (1975 - 1979) the population of Cambodia started at 7 million people...1.7 million were killed directly as a result of his army...at leat 1.3 million died as a result of starvation & disease as a secondary cause...effectively killing half of the population.

No one that comes here can not come into contact with those that have had their lives turned around by Pol Pot and his efforts to return the country to "year zero". Everyone has lost family...at least 2 people each day are still killed or injured by landmines. About a week ago 9 people were killed while removing an anti tank mine...there was a second mine below it...designed to stop any mine removal process.

I went to S21 - a former high school with beatiful gardens...full of palm trees & frangipanis that was transformedinto a torture and killing centre...at least 17 000 people were killed her for crimes such as wearing glasses, speaking a foreign language, having an education, or just for sport. The photos taken by the Vietnamese when they liberated Cambodia in 1979 show canabalism, and unspeakable violence.

I spent the afetnoon in "The Killing Fields" where people were taken to be raped & killed. The photos of the pyrimids of skulls etc. are readily known...but I was not ready for walking on dirt paths where the bones and clothing of the killed are still poking up through the ground.

I have always thought of the scenes of mass battles of being somehow in the past...history...archeology. But seeing a women's canvas belt...very much like my own...lying on the path that I trod on was not a sight I will soon forget.

The people of Cambodia have moved on, as best that they can.

Phenom Pehn was great...a smiling happy city...with an average age of about 20 years old. They rely heavily on the tourist dollar, although they receive well less than a tenth of the visitors of Thailand or neighbouring countries. The bargening at the markets...the run ins with the tuk tuk drivers etc. are all done friendly & quietly. The people of Cambodia are rising from the ashes and looking towards the future...not dwelling on the past.

Went clubbing in Phenom Penh...The Heart Of Darkness is the place to be, I danced until my feet bled...my poor choice in fofoftwaer was the culpret.

This is my first night in Sien Reap...I have glimpsed Angkor & will finally see it for myself tomorrow morning. I cannot wait, I have been wanting to come here for so long it is rewally a dream come true.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts on this magical place, and sharing my happiness of tomorrow, rather than the sadness of the past.

Peace

Saiogon...still only in Saigon

Every day I stay in this hotel room I get weaker...every day Charlie squats out in the jungle he gets stronger. Charlie don't get much USO...his idea of great R & R is cold rice & a little bit of rat meat.

(Quote from "Apocolypse Now")

Just kidding...I love Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City)

Hello!

The trend is continuing...life does get better the further South one goes (maybe that is why I love Australia so much)

Saigon is ace! It is alot like Bangkok...a great blend of East & West. The ammount of traffic is unbelievable...8 million people...4 million registered motor cycles & people...people...people.

I had a chance to visit the Cu Chi tunnels & crawl around like a tunnel rat...this was expected to be a highlight of my time in Vietnam...it was a little more touristy than I would prefer...but getting down there was an amazing experience and a very sobering thought about the perils that both sides went through during the "American War"...all believing they were doing the right thing & all probably scared wittless. The tunnels had periodic lighting & had been enlarged ti suit western bodies...but the vibe was there & there were a few spots of original dimensions to crawl into...the determination of these brave local guys is just unfathomable.

I had been expecting more of Hanoi...only worse, instead the people of Saigon endeared me to their hearts and there way of life...living in a city of transition...that still shows the scars of war...but also shows the scars of Nintendo.

Hoi An with no plan

I am soooo god damn happy to have left Hanoi...it was a shithole. I had a fine time, but it was definitely incidental to the location.

Not a lot to offer, dirtier, nosier, & with more pollution that Bangkok. No where near as cheap as Laos, or in many instances Thailand & populated predominantly by rude pricks that are keen to give you short change or try to steal your shit.

Thankfully, I have headed south. Hue was great, would have liked to stay longer...people friendlier...less traffic...more smiles. We booked a motor cycle tour & I spend the whole day being carted around on the back of a bike owned by my new friend Loc...it was great...beautiful country side...met lots of locals...I could do that every day for a month.

I am now in Hoi An for 4 days...no agenda...just free time, this is definitely the place to shop in Vietnam...but I am committed to try to keep travelling light & to come back with photos, memories & experiences...rather than souvenirs.

The connection to Blogger always seems painfully slow since arriving in South East Asia. Further north everying was slow...now I can access everything except the one site that I want (ie my own)

I promise to update site with photos as soon as I can.

Happy In Hoi An

Whew!

I have finally left Hanoi. Don't believe TheLonely Planet...don't believe what yoursecond grade teacher told you...don't believe the hippy at the bus station. Belive The D-Man when he tells you...Hanoi starts out bad & then gets worse. Any time a city's main claims to fame are pollution & traffic my recommendation is to stay far away...

The motorcycle taxi guys are shiftier & more persistant that anyone else on the planet...Bangkok's Tuk Tuk drivers seem like MotherTheresa next to these guys...now I know why they won the war...shiftiness and persistence.

I will gladly share the tale of the nipple-cripple/ kung-fu fight I became involved in outside of the Army Museum with 6 moto taxi guys to anyone that it interested...but the tale is to disturbing for print and is worth at least one beer.

Since leaving Hanoi all has been looking up. Hue was beautiful, about a quarter of a million people, all of whom seemed friendly except the cyclo drivers that worked the night shift (a pattern is forming)

We arranged to havea group of locals take us on the back of their motor cycles for a full day trip around the country side...it took a little getting used to being on the back...but it did allow me to take some good photos and excellent video footage.

I have since arrived in wonderful Hoi An for 4 days. This might be the best of Vietnam has to offer. I rented a motor cycle and spent the whole day riding along the beaches and through the rice paddies. There was only one near miss as I cut off a policewoman on her motor cycle...but other wise pretty tame...nothing like Hanoi where all traffic lights are viewed as a recommendation only and the weak are killed and eaten.

The further south I go the friendlier the people are...though I suspect this may change in Saigon ...aka Ho Chi Min City...aka Ho' Ville...aka Ho Town.

I still haven't been able to use my frisbee...but the beaches of Cambodia & Thailand await. So I remain optimistic.

Good Morning Vietnam

Hello,

Posts have been lacking...I have been on the move.

Did a border crossing from Lazy Laos to Northern Vietnam...before we reached the border I knew I was in a very different place. Cold war Russian styled border guards with not a smile to be seen.

Ha Long Bay was better than I could have guessed...every county thinks they have the nicest bay...Sydney Harbour...Bay of Islands etc. But this was outstanding. Limestone rock formations...caves...cliffs & beaches. I will upload photos when I get a better connection.

The boat we rented was superb, a beautiful junk, the best showers in SE Asia, outstanding food, French wine, a welcome change from my earler exploits in the region.

I have been in Ha Noi for a couple of days...mainly visiting revolutionary museums a dodging traffic. I was warned but unprepaired for the insanity of local traffic...a sea of motor cycles that stop for no man, dog, or red light.

I am on a sleeper train down south & will send an update when I find internet location with writing on the keyboard...this post has been done at a snails pace :(

I am fit and well & having a great time...drinking $5 per bottle whiskey & becoming infused with revolutionary fervor...or maybe fever.

Recent History of Laos

1960's - Hmong tribesmen are trained by the CIA to fight against the Vietnamese.

The North Vietnamese use a supply trail known to the west as the Ho Chi Min Trail that runs into Laos to supply their troops. As a result Laos with a population at the time of 3 million people received as free gift from the government of the United States over 3 million tonnes of bombs, delivered by over 600,000 sorties...which averaged one bombing run every 8 minutes for 9 years.

1975 - Communist take power

1979 - Food shortages cause hundreds of thousands to flee to Thailand - the government allows very limited private enterprise within agriculture

1986 - Inspired by Gorbechev and his changes in the USSR - changes begin in Laos and they allow foreigners to enter

1995 - The USA stops the embargo on aid they have enforced for 20 years

2007 - Daire arrives

Alive and well in Laos

Hi Guys,

Sorry for not dropping anyone a line for a while, I've been travelling by boat along the Mekong from Northern Thailand to Luang Prabang...where I now have internet access. Unfortunately it appears that access to Hotmail and a lot of the other popular web-based email servers are restricted by the gov't.

Laos is exactly what I had hoped for...the trip along the Mekong was just rediculously nice, we travlled by slow boat with a family from Luang Prabang , the view were amazing for the entire two days...the entire shoreline of the river was just one beatiful beach after another with limestone cliffs and thick, thick, thick, jungle. I took lots of photos, but there is no way they will be able to replicate the way the tapestry just continued to unfold as we chugged slowly along, beating the heat of the afternoon with ice cold Beer Lao.

We stopped a few times on the way and herds of tiny Laotian villagers would run onto the boat to sell us beer, dried fruit, or handicrafts. The kids prices were actually cheaper than what the guys that own the boat charged us...it was kinda funny to see them happily lose or business the the local guys, but that seems to be the way of Lao...they take the Aussie idea of being laid back to all new heights.

The Laotians are fabulous, they are probably the friendliest people I have ever met and possibly the laziest:)

The operate on "Lao time" which meens that you can go to a restaurant and wait for ever to get your food, and then find that they haven't given you what you ordered, because the chef thought you might like something different!

Being a communist country, there is no variety of goods available, every shop has the same two brands of chips, the same 5 brands of cigarettes, and the same two brands of water. The Laotian Kip is not the world's strongest currency...you get about 10000 of them for a dollar. I went out for dinner last night and had an "all you can eat deal" from a stall at the night market...total cost was 50 cents.

I haven't seen alot of Luang Prabang yet...but it might be my new favorite city (population 60 000). The whole city has been heritage listed by the United Nations as being the best preserved example of colonial architecture in South East Asia. All the building seem to have been built by the French...the decaying French buildings with hammer and sickle flags flying from the windows are really evocative...it really feels like a special place. They are not allowed to rent motorcycles to foreigners here so everyone rides around on bicycles...it gives the whole place a chilled out feeling that is very much Lao.

I could go on and on about the lovely people of Laos, they are like no other people I have met...even their language is lazy...they say "hello" as "Sawbadee"...they say "How are you" as "Sawbadee Bo"...then they reply "good" as "Sawbadee"...it is kind of funny whenever you greet a local to say the least.

I haven't heard back about my Myanmar visa yet...but I met a fellow traveller on the train to Chang Mai who is heading South to the Thai islands...so I plan on heading South for a while

I am off to explore the town and soak up a little of the local culture...hope that this dispatch finds everyone healthy and happy at home.

What I forgot about thailand

In no particular order...

The police are all skinny, but the homeless guys are fat.

The dogs are the laziest in the world...I would like to be reincarnated as a thai dog.

Thais like to run the a/c flat out so they can have 4 blankets and a spead on the bed in the middle of summer.

Shower heads only comeup to my nipple...sorry Jamie///bathsonly for you :0

Singha beer tastes better in thailand.

Your man in Bangkok

Hi Guys,

I am in Bangkok & I am fine & well. I am staying in Chinatown on the border of India Town aka Little India on Maha Chai Rd...there is definately a lot more local colour than Khao San Rd.

I went for a two hour walk at lunch time & saw 6 white people. Bangkok is every bit as cool as I remember it, the traffic is worse than I remember, I saw a guy on a motorbike go under the rear wheel of a pickup truck that turned in front of him and get dragged about 20 feet, I picked up his bike while some locals pulled him into the shade for "roadside assistance" - good news, the motor bike guy was OK except for a broken foot (which he kinda deserved, as he wasn't wearing any shoes!).

As a solo male traveller, I have been receiving more offers for more crazy shit than one can imagine. Did a 5 km run on the grounds of the old Mangkok Special Metropolitan Prison today...I think I lost 5 pounds!

I have to run guys, I didn't have my piece of paper with everyones's e-mail addresses on it. so I am sorry if I missed anyone.

Stay Beautiful

D-Man
xoxo

ps: I will be trying to limit e-mail use & just update my blog instead. Feel free to add comments to my page (but try and keep it clean!)

OMG - going away drinks

I am a lucky guy...
I had a wonderful send off at the Bat Cave, lots of really cool , nice people & my sister & twin brother there for some family moments.
It's about 8 hours until departure...I still haven't packed yet, but I know I can get anything I forget "in country". So everthing is just ace!
I am so excited about the places I am going to go, at this moment Angkor is drawing me like a magnet, but it is still over 5000kms away and I have 3 countries to traverse and several weeks before I get to Cambodia.

See you guys in Bankok!

One Day To Liftoff

Less than 24 hours remain until I fly out of Melbourne. Packing and champagne need to begin with great haste...