Drinking Keyword
Viva Las Vegas
Well I’m a little pissed right now, but I thought it would be the appropriate time to enlighten you all on my adventures in Vegas. Fairly fitting I figure seeing as pretty much everyone I saw in my time in Vegas was either drunk, or gambling and on their way to being drunk.
Vegas is a pretty amazing town. Sin City was founded in 1905, and officially became a city in 1911. It has pretty relaxed laws surrounding the various types of adult entertainment. I’ve had a bit of a crush on Vegas. Every film that it appears in as a major character has me entralled. One such film is Ocean’s Eleven. Yes, the 2001 film, not the original, because I think both Brad Pitt and George Clooney are awesome.
I think I probably would have had more fun, and more adventures in Vegas with a few mates, but I did get to see alot of the strip. I managed to see the major Casinos I wanted to, marvelling in the wonder of architecture that went into each and every one. I saw the Venetian’s Canals, the Luxors Pyramid, the MGM’s Lion and New York New York’s Coyote Ugly bar. I had drinks in pretty much every major Casino. I ate at restaurants and bars, and couldn’t get enough. One of the funniest things I encountered was the hawkers handing out prostitute trading cards. While I didn’t actually indulge in any of the girls I had first hand experience with one old dude in the elevator bringing a girl home (enough to put me off the Vegas girls forever), I did collect a heap of cards. Pictured here is but a small selection of the wad of cards lining my pockets after a short stroll down the strip. If the girls look half as good as they do in the their photos they would definitely be worth it.
I stayed in Hooters, which raised the eyebrows of a few of my mates, but if there is one thing that suprised the people around me that hadn’t been to a hooter’s before, its that the girls working in those slinky tops and orange shorts are beautiful ORIDINARY girls. One of the reasons I love hooters so much. None of this stuck up bullshit you get in nightclubs, just normal girls, each gorgeous in their own way, doing a job and loving it.
I’ve had a great time in Vegas, and right now my boarding call is being broadcast over the intercom. It makes me a little sad as I would have loved to spend more time here, especially with a few friends but I guess it will just have to wait until another time.
Oh and for those who have been listening to me whinge about internets, check out the rude internet connection available for free at the airport. I love Vegas.
San Francisco
It is strange to think that San Francisco had a population of only 1,000 people when the gold rush hit. The search for riches caused the number of residents of the bay to swell quickly to 25,000 in just one year. It must have been a crazy time, how ever San Fran’s history stretches as far back as 3000BC when local Cali Indians once called the area home before being displaced in the 1700’s by the Spanish. Now home to around 800,000 in the metro and 8,000,000 in the surrounding ‘burbs San Fran is a buzzing city.
The entire metropolis is quite beautiful and new, mainly due to the great fire of 1906. Over four hundred thousand San Franciscan’s were left homeless after an earthquake levelled buildings and ruptured gas lines causing massive devastation. Today the town is full of life and history. Its famous trams rumble through the city and the streets are teaming with tourists. Along the port restaurants and museums line the piers. Out to the west in the suburbs is Haight Ashbury, a very alternative neighbourhood with a cool scene. Grungy, dirty bars and music stores run up and down the main street and bums and hippies sit on side walks calling for donations towards cannabis research.
On Sunday Chinatown hosted a party, filling the streets with parades, food and music. The Chinatown in San Francisco is one of the oldest in the entire USA and it is huge, but difficult to find nice cheaps eat’s in. A few bars are scattered through the streets of Chinatown, and around the city in general but the best I found was The Utah. It sits on the corner of 4th and Bryant and is a great venue with music almost every night and an awesome vibe. The locals are friendly and the bar staff fun and tough.
In the evenings the fog that during the day contains itself to the bay creeps into the city turning it into a frigid yet beautiful place. It wafts into the streets and blows a cooling breath over the entire metropolis. It is so thick you can feel it dusting your face with a light mist.
I got to catch up with a couple of mates in San Francisco. Jenn, who kindly put me up for a few nights and Emmett who took me around the city on Monday and to Fishermans wharf in the evening. I had a great time here and I’ll be back for one last drink before flying to Hawaii in about a week. But right now I am due to catch a flight to Vegas.
Seattle
People look at me strange sometimes when I say I love the states, but damn it: it’s true. I have had nothing but good experiences here. The people are lovely, and everyone that I have met from the states, save a few obnoxious hangover exacerbating types, have been great, honest, confident and friendly. So it was nice to step off the boat from Victoria to be greeted by Seattle on a warm October afternoon.
Seattle, home of Grunge music, dot com darlings Amazon, Boeing and other cool businesses, is a beautiful city. Teeming with life and coffee shops the city stretches out from the west coast, up and over it’s many hills. I am staying in Capital Hill, a pretty cool district with some interesting characters and great nightlife.
I haven’t done all that much exploring as yet, haven’t even checked out the Space Needle, but I plan to remedy this after Penny Arcade Expo is all done. I did get a moment to wander around downtown though, where I met some locals in a bar who graciously offered to take me bar hopping around the town. As it was midday this was great as I got to see and take note of some cool bars to check out later. I also had a bit of a gander at the famous Pike Place Markets, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with crowds so I just stuck my head in for a bit of a sticky beak.
I got to go to “The Central” on my impromptu little tour. This bar is pretty famous for having rock 365 nights of the year and has played host to some of the greatest bands ever when they were just starting out. They also have some pretty awesome graffiti in the toilets. “The New Orleans” on the other hand had the creepiest graffiti in theirs, with thousands of little faces staring you down while trying to do a slash. Damn weird.
I am liking Seattle. I can’t wait to see more of the town.
Victoria
Back in January back in Sydney I met three very wonderful Canadians who were adventuring around the east coast. I chatted to Magena, Carlee and Kari often trying to learn what I could about Canada, knowing that in 8 months I would be seeing their homeland for myself. They convinced me that Victoria on Vancouver Island would be a great place to visit and I am glad I took their advice.
Vancouver Island lays off the west coast of mainland Canada. Getting there is pretty cheap and reasonably easy. I jumped on a bus from downtown Vancouver, then took a cheap yet HUGE ferry to the island. The cruise was fantastic, I am not sure how long it took in the end, I spent most of my time just watching the islands go by and enjoying the view. It could have been an hour, probably more, but I am not really sure.
After the enjoyable ferry ride I jumped on a bus to Victoria, where my hostel was located. Victoria is a beautiful little town, very cosmopolitan yet small enough that much of the city shuts down at night. As has become a bit of a feature of my trip I managed to time my visit at EXACTLY the wrong time, with the Victoria Fringe Theatre festival starting on the day I left the town.
The hostel was pretty good but not brilliant, luckily I didn’t spend too long within its walls. I met up with Emmet, a Californian I got to know in Vancouver and we hit up a local bar called Big Bad Johns. It was a cool little place with a great atmosphere. We downed a few beers there before heading back to the hostel. Back there we met Sarah from Quebec and chatted for a while.
The next day I headed out with Emmet, Sarah and her friend whom I forget the name of for a swim in the freezing waters off the coast. I couldn’t spend more than a few moments in the water before I was numb, but the sun was warm and it was nice to get out of the city for an afternoon. We grabbed some lunch and said farewell to Sarah who was headed back to Quebec that afternoon.
Now, remember those three Canadians? Luckily for me they were all back on Vancouver Island and invited me out for a drink to catch up. It was great to see someone you got to know 8 months ago again in their hometown on the opposite side of the world. It felt pretty surreal and it was nice to hear their stories of adventures from their travels. We had a drink in Sidney and the girls showed me around the small town. Magena gave me a lift back to my hostel, something I am very grateful for because the busses had stopped and my clipper to Seattle left early in the morning and I needed to pack.
Vancouver
I hit Vancouver a little over a week ago. To be honest my time there was pretty much a blur. While I had only one very important thing to do in Vancouver I had no real plans of what to see or do in the City.
My first night there saw me join a club crawl which took in only two clubs, far from our hostel but proved to be fun none the less. It did give me a chance to meet some cool people, most of whom were Australian, much to my disappointment, but that’s Vancouver for you. It is Aussie central.
Vancouver is a pretty large city, with around 3 million people living in it and its surrounds. It is quite a nicely laid out city, with a modern feel. At the moment though the city is heaving under the weight of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. It seems that every inch of the city is undergoing some form of renovation. New train lines have opened expanding the city and linking suburbs. Roads are torn up, footpaths littered with traffic cones and building supplies. All the work made it hard to enjoy the city on its merits.
Most of my days were spent wandering the city centre, meaning I unfortunately didn’t get to see some of the famous parks that surround the city. I did manage to guide a pub crawl though on my last night in town when the hostels usual guide called in late. I had a great time leading the group, as I had been in Montreal and was soon relieved of the duty anyways when the guide finally showed her face.
Vancouver didn’t really grab me all that much, but I must admit I was in a very weird mood coming off the great experience of Montreal. I am not one to write it off so early, and I think I will have to visit again, maybe after the Olympics.
Travel Friends
I love hostels. I love the instant connections they instil in their inhabitants. Everyone is in the same boat. We’re all sharing the same rooms with the same snorers, loafers and messy bastards. We’re all struggling travellers, excited and amazed by the smallest of things we experience on our adventures. Many are alone, seeking friendship at every corner, someone to talk to and share with.
Sometimes you find in hostels acquaintances, people to chat to and entertain for a moment, just a moment before they fade off into the night. Other times you meet those that you wish to surround yourself with for longer, filling your day with their company. I’ve met a few people like this on my trip. People that share a common outlook on the world and attitude to life.
Finding people like this is fairly rare but great. Of the hundreds upon hundreds of people I have met, shaken hands with, shared a beer and stories and laughs just a few make it into my hit list. They stand like mile markers in my adventure, my memories of them shining like beacons in rolling seas.
While I have become hardened against goodbyes, they are still are difficult, but the effect is reduced I have found when done over the hangover of a great night out. One such a great night was in the wonderful Quebec. And so, once again farewell my friends. May we find one another again in this wide world and raise a glass to our past, present and future.
Toronto
Toronto, not high on my list of “must sees” to begin with had quite a hard act to follow in New York. The city is the biggest in Canada with a population of around 8 million (depending on who you talk to), but it seemed empty and unsure of itself.
The tower that looms over the skyline is an example of this insecurity. It was built to show the world the power of Canadian industry and woah, was it mighty. Well… it was. It has since been surpassed in height and in the next few years there are several more buildings on their way to knock it further down the ladder. The Toronto feels a little like they are not accepting the fact that things are just moving forward, a constant progression that they are being swept along with rather than driving.
Don’t get me wrong, the people of Toronto aren’t backwards and the city is fairly modern but something just feels off. I feel I needed maybe more time and more local help to come to understand the importance and purpose of this city. Maybe it is that my impressions of Toronto were coloured slightly by the 35 day garbage strike that covered the city in a pall of rancid stink and litter. Or maybe even the unusual vibe of the hostel where a large portion of the residents were long-termers who’s attitudes formed a kind of “us and them” segregation that was hard to break the barriers of.
I did manage to get out and see a bit of the city, but it held no real wow moments, other than acting as a platform for me to launch into Niagara Falls. I went for a few beers at The Horseshoe, out clubbing with some other backpackers but was well and truly over it an hour in. I had a quiet night in watching movies and then quite the opposite drinking vodka with danes and germans till the wee hours of another night. Oh, and in what seems to be a staple of his holiday, I got completely and utterly drenched by a massive storm that swept over the city while I was out wandering. The skies opened up so much that within minutes of the torrential rain starting not a single inch of me was dry. I did provide a little entertainment to a collection of gym goers who had taken shelter in their lobby when I came in asking for a plastic bag to put all my electronic equipment in, dripping bucket loads of water on their floor and leaving bare foot prints leading out from their little refuge and into the dark beyond their doors. Some people look at me strangely when they see me walking barefoot through the city, but I believe feeling the ground beneath the hardened soles of my feet helps me to really connect with a place, to make it feel real. I don’t think there is a single city I have visited where I didn’t spend at least a day barefoot.
I said goodbye to Toronto with no real sense of dolefulness after a night of chatting with some frenchies until 5am. In fact I am sitting on my bus to Montreal right this moment wrapped in excitement in seeing somewhere new. I’ll also be meeting up with some of the nicer people I met at the hostel who will be making their way up to Montreal in the coming days. I hope to have a quiver of local knowledge to deliver when they come a-knocking.
Paris
My final stop in my European Adventure was Paris, but to get there was always going to be a mission.
After travelling through the very cool Liechtenstein, up in Germany to stay a night a Munich I jumped my final ever Busabout Bus. I was fairly lucky because, while it is a long bus, requiring a driver change I managed to get both Zoltan and Owen for my drivers: two of my favourites of the service. The drive from Munich to Paris took us from 8 am through till 9pm, nearly 12 hours of constant bus, punctuated by short rest stops with nothing really look at apart from boring flat french farmland.
It wasn’t until I got my gear into my hostel, had a rest and ventured out the next day that I really started enjoying Paris. While the disgusting smell of urine punctuates every corner of the city, the beauty of the place over powers it. The architecture, the city planning and the history combine to make for a wonderful city.
One of my favourite moments in Paris came in my second night and involved catching up with Sophia, Ben and little Max at a tapas restaurant in the heart of Paris. It was a great evening and Max has grown up heaps. Last time I saw him he was still pretty much just a poop machine!
During most of my time in Paris I wandered the city by day, did a walking tour with New Paris, made new friends and then more friends. We adventured to the Eiffel Tower at night, drank wine and enjoyed the lightshow. The next day I went wandering with some people from my room, checked out the Notre Dame and caught more of the city.
My final night in Paris I took part in a Fat Tire Night Bike, by far the highlight of my time in the city. Guided by the very cool, very chilled and very Californian Billy we wove through the streets of Paris in the gathering dusk. We saw the sun set through the pyramid at the Louvre, caught a boat cruise and drank wine as the Eiffel Tower lit up and still made it home before 12. Billy even taught me the ways of the Segway, something he said to keep on the down low.
The next day I caught the Eurostar First Class across the channel, waving a fond goodbye to Europe and the adventures I had there. I hope the US is just as exciting.
I was unfortunately feeling poorly for most of my time in Paris, so I didn’t get to do everything that I wanted to do, but I’ll be back again some day for sure. For those wanting to experience what was going through my head the whole time I walked Paris, just hit play on the video clip after the jump. I dare you to try and get that tune out of your head without a spoon!
Florence
Florence is very cool. A lot of cool kids study there. It seems to be the thing to do. Most of them are studying “Mass Communication” or “Fashion”. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but it seems that pretty much all the chicks in Florence are studying “Mass Communication” or “Fashion” but none of them really seem that good at “Mass Communication” or “Communication” in general and most dress exactly the same as everyone else, so I don’t know how well that “Fashion” university degree is working out for them. That being said though, they are pretty hot.
My first day in Florence was pretty good. We scored some awesome weather, went to dinner and drinks at the Red Garter where our tour guide hooked up and left Chris, Scott and myself to wander the streets pissed, looking for a club I forget the name of that was mentioned in passing by a bouncer. We got lost on the way home from this club and when we finally made it home we awoke to find the weather had turned nasty and the rest of our time in Florence was spent trudging through the rain and slipping down stairs.
A little sadly Florence was also my last time travelling with Allen and Jen: two very cool people who I made friends with on the bus. Party on my friends. May you find some boats to ride on over that big blue watery road. Oh and I drunk a bottle of vodka on my last night at the hostel. I haven’t done that since I was 18. Good times, good times.
Toga! Toga!
An evening at the Venice camping ground acts as the theatre to a battle between the shining light of busabout and the bitter, weeping dark of Topdeck. Bedsheets and ivy. Expensive beers and Poker Face on repeat. Toga was the call, and toga we resounded. TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!
I am still amazed that toga parties seem to have this magical quality to them where just wrapping a sheet around yourself seems to make even the most hardened teetotalers down shot after shot until all personal dignity and self control is lost. Maybe it has something to do with Animal House. I am starting to think that maybe the directors of the hit 1978 film embedded subliminal messaging into every 163rd frame of the film, driving those who watch it to throw all caution to the wind whenever the word “toga” is uttered by a drunk overweight dude with a beer in his hand. I am very intrigued by an idea put forward by a few canadians of a “Pants Off Party” though. After all from what I’ve been told everything is more fun with your pants off. I’ll see what I can organise when I get home.