In search of a paradigm shift

The year that just past

2007-08-10T00:30:00.001-07:00

I sit here in my Villa in Al-Satwa, Dubai, UAE and I have this wonderful sense of achievement, of battles fought and won. The year is over and on opposite sides of the world Farah and I are both breathing a collective sigh of relief. Farah gets on a plane on Sunday and we will be together on Monday evening... Future flights will be spent side by side :-)

This year has been tough, really tough, to the point of soul destroying in a way. But here we are... At the end, souls in tact, minds relatively stable and we now both know a lot more about each other and ourselves. Trust me when you live in the phone and msn with your partner you learn much more about their mind as all you can do is communicate through words, spoken and written, nothing more (well next to nothing more :-p). Add to this many weekends at home alone and you start to become very introspective, a little too introspective :-s

The past week has been mainly one of reflection for me, thinking about what has happened in this phase of my life. It's a phase that started over two and a half years ago and was finished off with the past year in Dubai.

I can't even begin to summarise what I have seen, the places I have been, people I have met in the past few years. I spent a little time last night looking at some of my photos on the web and I was struck with the blessed life I have led to date. I mean how lucky am I to have decided to leave Australia and have it work out the way it has.

I wonder if I have changed since leaving? I feel much the same in many respects and others I am a completely different person..... "Yo, yo no soy yo" I believe would be the way to say it. After watching Motorcycle Diaries twice in the past month I can't help but feel a little inspired about what lays ahead.

Beyond learning how little I know about things in my recent years I have managed to add some wisdom to my minuscule knowledge during my travels....

I think one of the main things I have learnt is how I won the lottery being born in Australia in the family I did. After you see how most of the world lives you really get a sense of what really is a "normal" life and this is not what we have in the west. This will never leave me, I know I am blessed. I just need to learn what to do with this blessing.

The state of the world's natural environment has also pressed itself into the forefront of my mind whilst being here in Dubai. I mean people on average don't know anything about the environment and if they do the majority don't care. And after seeing what people do to the Earth out here I am very aware that we are in deciding times and the fate of the world rests with our generation.

People are all pretty much the same, well deep down anyway. On the surface and a little below that however :-o It really is amazing how culture shapes the surface of people, our opinions and habits.... We are funny creatures. Shame that we use these exterior variances in behaviour as excuses for hate, fear and war. Guess it all comes down to the ego. If we get over ourselves, are comfortable with who we are then we wont be so racist and judgemental...

Other things learnt:

Being alone sux
There is no way Christianity is the only way to God (not a chance!)
Money is funny and people love it cause they're irrational (it cannot provide happiness, ever)
The west is stupid in a whole other bunch of ways, when compared to the east
The developing world is buying into the west's irrational ideas of meaning and achievement
Small things are often where happiness hides itself. Lying on a green field watching the clouds pass, costs nothing and it's priceless.
Freedom is in our minds
Never to old to learn something new.... Starting the Oud has inspired me to learn more new things. Thankfully I have lovely Farah who will be able to teach me the instrument I have always wanted to learn => The violin!
Nothing better than feeling at home in a place (and you can manage to feel at home in the most unfarmiliar places.... Although home will always be where you were brought up, I still get teary when I listen to Australian music, watch an Australian movie or some SBS or ABC...)

....................

Anyway, enough waffle.... I just look forward to holding Farah's hand and planning our life together, step by step.... There are many more things to see and no longer will my road be walked alone.....

The final straight

2007-07-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here I am, 19 days until Farah arrives here in Dubai. I can hardly believe it! I often wonder the world she has painted in her head for Dubai.... I remember the pictures I had in my head before I arrived, shaped mainly by the movie Syriana and various other Gulf State stereotypes... Add to these things the hype about Dubai as this mecca of shopping and all things that are excessive about the consumer culture, then add some Islam and Indians into the mix.... Wow the pictures she must have painted indeed.

So on Monday, 13th August, 8:30pm she will land in this strange land and I will have about 60 hours to show her about. What will I show? To be true to my life here I will have to take her for a run in the afternoon to the beach in the 40C heat, then to my lovely little Gym and to my Shwarma man, and to my little Indian food place... And the walk home from work... I can wait for her to taste the life I have been leading here. I know that it has been a frustrating year for us. For her with not knowing what's happening over here and me trying to make up for it but failing.... It will be nice for things to be on an even setting. For us to be together, for experiences to be shared rather than explained over the phone or the internet.

Reality has not been here for the past year. Life has flown by and I have seen things and done things, but much of it was all leading to this point, 19 days into the future from this moment. If I had my time again I would have dragged Farah here... She would not have been able to argue. But a year ago I was a very different man and Farah a very different woman. I was even discouraging Farah from coming!!?!.... This year has made us who we are now, so I guess it was worth it, in a strange, such is life kinda way....

Well I am off to walk home, through the back streets of Satwa, past all the Indian workers waiting for their bus to the labour camps, the locals chatting in the street, traffic almost killing me, dust almost chocking me... And the promise of a run and some shwarma only a few thousand paces away....

I will miss this place in a way. But am ecstatic about leaving and marrying my love... The adventure I have always dreamed about it starting very soon!

The ticking of the clock

2007-06-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Life is just now a ticking of the clock down until the 13th of August. The day my contract with Visa ends and the day Farah arrives in Dubai. I can hardly believe that this time is so near. I remember arriving here in August last year as if it were just yesterday, gosh my mind was so different back then. I have changed so much in this past year. Dubai and time alone have played a big parts in this.

I do not think any fundamental things have changed within me but one thing is for sure is that some things have become very much clearer to me.

One is that marriage is not for suckers, rather it is for people who value team work and sharing everything with the one they love. I always imagined that I was a loner who had no desire to pool hearts and minds with another person. But this really changed from around late September last year…. Travelling alone to Morocco and Russia served as a good reminder that experiencing great things alone is only half the fun… And it was at this time that I felt myself becoming more certain that Farah was the one for me… Anyways the rest there is history and we shall be married in under two months, which for me is extremely exciting and not in the slightest bit nerve wracking, which surprises me, but I know I have found my number one, so all is smiles.

My view about the world has also changed a lot since being out here. I have seen both ends of the wealth spectrum (to a degree at least anyways). I have seen the opulent, wasteful lives of the western expats here, and been thoroughly disgusted and then seen how I have, to a small degree, begun to behave like these rich, bloated expats and have become suitably ashamed of myself. I have seen the poor desperate lives the majority of people live, as people come to Dubai from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe in search of a better life. I have come to realise why people behave the way they do, why Indians are pushy, why Russians have no scruples. When you are desperate priorities a plainly different, something I really never have had a chance to appreciate in my life. Inshallah I will never have to be (too) desperate!

The final thing is the environment. It was rather like fate that I saw the Inconvenient Truth in July 06 whilst in Canada, just weeks before arriving in Dubai. This really set the scene for what has become a paradigm shift in the way I view the world. I mean much of it was brewing, but I always thought of things through the equality mind set. That the world was unfair, not the world was unsustainable. I have read much on this topic of climate change, of sustainable economics and lifestyles and add to this what I have seen in Dubai, and well I just have to say the world looks different now. This planet is in a precarious position and we are all playing our part. I with all my international air travel am playing a huge part in damaging our environment…

So what really has come out of my time here is an appreciation of how lucky I have it. I have a beautiful woman who loves me and have a privileged and comfortable lifestyle. Although this can make me feel guilty I must also be thankful for it and not waste the opportunities I have been given.

And with all this comes my sense of responsibility to need to do something to help make this world at least some what of a better play (gosh I am naive and ignorant…. I love it!). Which places me exactly where I am: About to marry an amazing woman I love but having no idea what to do with my career/life… All I want to do is sustain Farah and I (and maybe a little brown/white child) and contribute to improving the state of the world. Add to this, meaningful relationships with other people, learning new things along the way and communing with God and I will have a full and satisfied life. I have no desire to own an expensive car (unless green cars are expensive), nor an expensive house (unless green houses are expensive). Positional wealth is an insane concept and reeks of insecurity. If you need money and expensive material possessions to feel achievement than you have something missing in your life, something that no matter how hard you try, money will not replace….

So I know the outcome I want. I just don’t know the means… Do I go back to uni and do an environmental science degree? A law degree? Do I work my arse off and get into the finance industry and try and reform investment practices to include environmental concerns? Gosh…. I wish I knew… Well thankfully my decisions will no longer be alone… All future decisions will have the input and support of Farah… So for now I will leave decisions until we’re together J

Oudacious

2007-05-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

It has been almost eight years since I first fell in love with the Arabic style of music. It was August 1999 and Matt and I went to see the Tea Party at Shellys in Shellharbour. Jeff Martin, lead singer of the Tea Party was on stage and he came to the front of the stage and he said "this is the Oud"..... and started to play the song "the halcyon days" off the album Triptych.... I was sold....

So now I am taking lessons in this magical and mysterious instrument of the East... Mr. Nasser is my instructor and I am on my road to taking my first musical lessons in over ten years! It's amazing that I have never invested more time in music. For something I love so much I really have let this one slide. It has always been on my list of things to do but it has never become reality.

The idea of reading music... My eyes lit up when I started to realise that there is this whole language that music has, written down, there for the taking and I have been up until now totally illiterate... I remember hanging with Farah's friends in London, all of them musical geniuses, Farah included of course. I just put it all in the "wow, wish I could do that" box and left it there. It's funny how I do that so often, but no longer. I am learning the language of music and I am learning it through the oud....

I can't even begin to explain how happy I am to know that being with Farah means that music will be central to my future. It is something we put on the list of things to consume and not produce.... Too often we forget that music is about expression and understanding, not just a sexy film clip and a few exciting sound bites....

And next week I am off to Estonia to see Farah sing in an Opera competition, and thus my life of music continues. Very, very exciting times :-D

Regaining control

2007-05-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I felt I had a good amount of will power. I recall myself as a child with a strong resolve, someone who made decisions and stuck by them by hell or high water... even if I was wrong. Some called me stubborn, others arrogant, but one thing was fore sure; I was in control of myself.

Those days have long gone... I feel myself so unsure of what I am doing and where I want to head with my life. This is one of the costs of leaving home and deciding to experience life on the road. You can go anywhere, but you start to lose direction, and part of that I felt was that I was losing control of myself.

I know Farah must be sick and tired about my promises to reform whether it be to stop smoking, start eating healthy, study, consider her feelings more and not judge her etc.... I mean all these things are part and parcel of the failings of humankind, but I am getting sick of it. I am tired of being a slave to my passions, doing things my head knows is wrong. I mean I have had an upset stomach for like a long time and I know one of the key problems is coffee i.e. I should stop drinking coffee... but I haven't and I suffer the consequences. This is just one example of how weak my will power has become.

So I have recently finished reading the life story of Gandhi; Firstly i have to recommend it to anyone, anywhere as a must read, this man surely was the greatest man of the 20th Century if not that Millennium. But beyond learning about the struggle of India's independence I have been inspired to gain control. The more I think about Gandhi the more I am convinced he is one of the modern day examples of how Jesus wanted us to live. Now i do think Gandhi did go a little too far, like he abstained from sex for the majority of his life, although he was married....:-S But in all seriousness his philosophy is flawless.

He embraced all faiths, although he was a practicing Hindu, he believed so firmly in non-violence that he would die rather than fight against the violence that nearly destroyed India. He brought people together rather than the way most of us divide and most importantly he had complete control over himself and could fast for weeks.

So today i have fasted. Not a big deal I know, but a small step towards me getting a hold of my emotions and improving my understanding of myself, and hopefully becoming a better husband for Farah. Next is coffee :-o

Time for a change

2007-04-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

The time has come for a change in approach to many things, work, exercise, diet, life goals and blogging. I have started a combined blog with my lovely wife to be Farah and this is www.farahandlucas.blogspot.com This will be our combined blog where we will whinge about being apart (for the next four months) and will then be a log of our travels and experiences together as a married couple. In the 21st Century this, I guess, is a first step in becoming one, a union of our digital lives... Interesting thing to think about anyways.

I will continue to write on this blog as my time in Dubai winds down and I will write into the future also, about thoughts I am having and life in general as I think I still need an individual chance to rant.... So this is what this blog will be.. more of an ideas blog after Aug 13th. All travel and the like will be on our joint blog as finally travel and these experiences will be together. I think the individual travel thing should be summed up here:

It has been a very insightful experience, my time alone here, organising trips (eleven business trips in the past eight months) to places like Moscow, Casablanca, Riyadh, Muscat etc. And all travelled alone. I am really glad that I have done this as I would have always wondered how I would have handled things alone were Farah and I to start our lives together straight after London. I always remember Nick talking about being a team player, and I always found myself thinking that's not me, I prefer to do things on my own. Well I am glad to learn that I too am a team player. Playing by yourself is no fun and playing with a different person on every trip isnt fun either. Rather I have learnt that the best thing will be to experience different things with the same person and grow with them. I am sick of sitting in taxis, airports, planes, hotel rooms, resturaunts all alone. I can handle it, I mean I can handle just about anything, I am a pretty tough guy. But I just don't enjoy it.

So I will be going into life with Farah knowing full well that it is what I want and it is also what is best for me as a person. I know we will grow together and challenge each other but most important we will help make each other happy.

So the road is in the final stretch now, 115 days and we have made it. So the plan for these final days is really to focus and keep my head down. Study, set myself up for a good job in Toronto, save money, prepare for the wedding and pre-wedding honeymoon and of course stay sane :-) I have things to look forward to, Farah and I are going to Parnu in Estonia at the start of June to see Farah sing in a Opera contest there, and then depending on funds Farah might come out to Dubai in the end of June. So there are things doing, but I just guess this is a chance to enjoy my last months of life truly alone. I have a feeling it will be spent reading many a book as I really have hit a patch of reading and when I hit these patches I am best to run with it...

Well that's the story as it is. I am feeling good, a little bored here and very ready to leave, but also very focused on the task at hand and the great life Farah and I have ahead of us.

God I hate Dubai!

2007-04-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

God I hate Dubai! It is funny when I think about how I will look back at my time here… a time spent learning so much about things I only read about in books. Learning about how unfair the world is, how unequal the distribution of resources is. But here I am after being here for 8 months and I have had enough of it all!

The sad thing is that all I want to do is run away from it all and bury my head in the sand of a comfortable western lifestyle, once again immune and ignorant to the plight of the majority. But to tell you the truth it really weighs you down seeing how unfair the world is to people and how lucky I have it. I mean I lie on my bed having a nice Saturday afternoon siesta and I feel guilty as the gardener is outside, slaving away in the sun. I know the low wages he earns, I know he is going back to a room he shares with several other people, I know he doesn’t have a kitchen, I know he rarely sees his family, the list goes on. And my gardener has it better than the laborer, who lives in the “labor camps” outside the city limits, where they even resort to eating cats for food (yes this was front page news a few months back - http://secretdubai.blogspot.com/2007/01/kitty-kebabs.html). And then I have to think about India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where these people have come from, where conditions are infinitely worse.

It’s enough to make you scream to the heavens “My God, my God, why have you forsaken them all????”

So my question is; Where to from here? I mean all good and well for me to go off and move back into the world I consider normal and enjoy myself, but is there not more I owe this world. I now know that I am clearly in the top one percent of the world’s people when it comes to wealth and resources. What should I do about all this? One need look no further than the Bible: Jesus Said: But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already (Luke 6:24). I mean what does this say for our next life, we privileged top percent of the global pecking order? Are we enjoying now at the expense of tomorrow… Anyways it’s all a bit much for me at the moment.

It just shocks me, that is all. I mean is it okay to be wealthy whilst others starve? I mean I am not even wealthy. By western standards I am merely middle class, nothing more. Should the mode of comparison be local, national or global? I have to think with globalization and all the benefits it brings it also brings responsibilities. No longer can we be immune to the plight of those thousands of miles away. And me, I am much closer to the slums of Mumbai, than I am to the comfortable suburbs of Wollongong where I grew up.

I guess what aggravates this frustration more is the way some live out here. Those in my office worry themselves with which series BMW or Mercedes someone drives…. I know an expat manager here who owns a 7 series BMW and a Ferrari!?!!? I mean when is enough enough? I would think an Indian would have more sympathy to the plight of the impoverished, given they were faced with it every day as they grew up. But I think they are more used to it than the average western person and accept it as a fact of life, part of the cosmic balance of the universe (a key tenant to the functioning of the caste system).

Well it is not for me to judge. All I can say is that I have learnt that this world is a harsh place, but not a place devoid of hope and opportunity; I mean people out here are making a better life for themselves and their families back home. I just wish I knew where to head from here. Well I am confident in the fact that I have chosen the ideal life partner, one who shares all these concerns with me and that together we can at least try to make some kind of difference, rather than just make ourselves feel good about ourselves and less guilty about the kind fortunes that God has bestowed upon us.

Ha! But then one sees the IPCC report released this week and well…. Once again the poor lose out. Sometimes I cannot help but think God has it in for the less fortunate. Or maybe there is no God and it is up to us, the more fortunate ones to make things right. Maybe God was invented as someone to blame for the plight of the less fortunate, a convenient excuse for us to sit back, relax having a siesta, and do nothing to make these horribly unjust things right.

True Cost Economics

2007-04-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Economic theory states that social and environmental concerns should be left to the function of regulators and the Government and that businesses should stick to what they do best, which is making profits for their shareholders. Any move on the behalf on a corporation to invest time, money and resources in general in the pursuit of improving the conditions of anything other than that of the bank balance of their shareholders would be in contradiction of their charter and hence irresponsible and possibly even unethical.

This has always been something that bothered me. I mean when you consider that the corporation itself is considered in a legal sense as a individual and hence bestowed with the rights of the individual, would it not be fair that all the responsibilities of being an individual and hence citizen be levied on a corporation? The question is what are the responsibilities of a citizen? Is it ethical for a person to focus on the profits of their shareholders (themselves and immediate family) at the expense of all other parties of the society in which the individual lives?

I guess I have been thinking of this a great deal ever since I took economics at university. What do corporations owe society? Is the payment of tax all that is required? Should the social function of a corporation not extend beyond this point? The same should be asked of the citizen. Does the citizen owe anything else to society?

A good example is war. In times gone past, when a country goes to war it was a “duty” of the citizen to support the war effort of their nation, whether by physically fighting on the front line or simply by accepting the rationing of their personal resources in the support of the campaign. Now although conscription is a thing of the past it is important to my point here. The citizen is intrinsically, as part of their involvement with society, expected to be willing and able to give more of themselves than simply their annual tax payment. So given this, it should be expected that more than corporate tax revenues should be expected from corporations.

So what? What does this mean? We are not at war anyways so who cares, right? Well besides the fact that we are technically at war (most western nations are involved in the ongoing war on terror and occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan etc) the logic of owing something to society should hold true at all times, whether at war or not.

Given we are arguably in the middle of the fight for the survival of the planet I would say that the call for something more than just taxes is called from all global citizens, including corporations. By saying “survival” I refer to the numerous negative impacts the human race is having upon our biosphere (Climate Charge, habit destruction, toxic waste etc), impacts that will in the next fifty years start to seriously impact not only the successful functioning of the biosphere but of the existence of the human race and heaven forbid the fat bottom line of the world’s major corporations.

So when the call the arms comes (it has already come, we are just waiting for the official declaration of war to be announced) we should expect corporations to join the fight with all the resources at their disposal. Profits for shareholders are not enough, corporations, as part of their contribution, beyond taxes (which they attempt to minimise at all times anyway), is the start help solve the problem. Corporations need to consider all their impacts on the society they function in. They need to factor in costs of advertising (which increases unsustainable consumption of goods [insert info on record personal debt levels in developed nations here] which are often unhealthy for their consumers and the world as a whole), pollution (CO2, hazardous waste etc), workers rights (increasing employee insecurity and over work is causing an epidemic of stress/depression in the west resulting in a great strain on our health care systems worldwide), contributions to cultural diversity (rapid globalization has tended to greatly reduce cultural diversity – Just look at Central America or the Gulf countries in the Middle East or even Indian and Chinese “Pop Culture”) and creativity (What movies and music are the most profitable? How many remakes and sequels are on at the movies these days?), Journalistic independence (anyone watched Fox News or CNN of late?) etc and etc.

The corporation after all is the same as a Government, it is just owned by fewer people and is mandated only to care about the needs of these few. But in the end the fate of the corporation, the Government and the citizen are all tied to the fate of the planet. It has been the attempted compartmentalization of society by economists and other theorists that have caused so many of the problems we face today. The sooner we all realize that we are in this fight together the sooner we will be able to rally all resources for the good fight, the fight that will help ensure the sustainable future of the planet and of the human race. Were corporations and individuals to focus on their immediate needs at the expense of their true and complete involvement with the world as a whole then we, corporations, Governments and citizens included are all doomed.

The goal: True cost economics. We need to include all costs and impacts in all decisions. We need to have the confidence that when we invest money in BHP Billiton that they are making decisions that promote sustainable interactions with the biosphere, increases to fourth quarter earnings are no longer sufficient custodianship of our resources. As all resources come from the earth and all will go back. The sooner the business world realizes that the sooner we can start to rebuild the economic order in a manner that suits the children born in one thousand years time as today will be gone tomorrow but forever will be with us for eternity.

http://www.truecosteconomics.org

Also have put up photos of Paris... what a place... and what better person to be there with than Farah aka Brown Squirrel! http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/farahnlucas

Christmas and My Birthday in March

2007-03-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

I get to see Farah tomorrow!

And although it is only six days that I have her by my side I am thankful for this gift....

She will be taken back into the arms of Canada so quickly... But that will be our last goodbye... As when she comes back to me again in August there will be no more goodbyes.

So the gift of Farah I will gladly enjoy this coming week, in London and in Paris. And every moment will be cherished...

There are few who know this joy, but Farah and I know it. Seeing your love after so long apart is like Christmas and your Birthday all mixed into one moment of pure joy.

I am positively ecstatic!

There and back without a map...

2007-03-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

Well I managed a 450km drive from one country to another without a map.... but not without getting lost :-P

Can you believe that I naively thought that I could rely on the fact that a petrol station would sell a map of the country of which they were located in and also a map of the capital city of that country a capital city that was down the road from the said petrol station... ha! Well I am the fool aren’t I!? I stopped at six, yes six petrol stations and none of them had maps... And now with a little internet map 100m sq of where my hotel was I knew I would be in need of a map... Oh well... off to Muscat without a map... not to mention driving on the other side of the road and driving for the first time in the Middle East... Well nothing like a challenge to make you feel alive..

Well did I mention that the little map I did have had the hotel located in the wrong area? Oh and that Muscat does not allow u-turns? Well I ended up making a 5hr drive into a 8hr drive and I was almost in tears several times... But I did, in the end, make it! Result!

Muscat is a lovely little place and a very pleasant change from Dubai. Cars stop to let you walk across the road (yes, hard to believe for a Middle East resident I know) and locals are everywhere, as opposed to Dubai where I have yet to spot any... People are talkative and are prone to wave at you for no reason other than they want to seem welcoming.

The place is clean and well ordered and although a little quiet it seemed like a nice place to live. However, one thing that became clear to me in Muscat was that I no longer want to travel alone. I don't like this adventure by myself thing... I don't know how people bother.... All I can say is that from August my little Farah will be dragged everywhere with me... As nothing compares to experiencing wonderful things with a wonderful thing!

Please check new picks of my trip:

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/muscat?page=1

Different Perspectives

2007-02-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

I went to my first Hindi movie last night... It has been sometime coming but I am glad to have gotten there in the end. My friend from work Shibu took me with his mates and I sat there in the cinema, the only white person and enjoyed the romantic comedy "Honeymoon". And well minus the fact it was all in Hindi I didn't really see too much difference from western romantic comedies, well minus the sex and add a tendency to be a little more "wholesome" in it's themes, although it dealt with the perplexities of relationships, homosexuality and feminism. But I guess what became apparent to me again last night as we watched the movie, went out to dinner and then went to the beach to chill and play the guitar is how we learn so little from staying in our box...

I apply it to myself. Now I have spent much of my time in Dubai to myself, surfing the net, reading books, travelling for work, and on MSN with Farah. And it became apparent to me last night that to some extent I had forgotten why I had come here... for different perspectives. A night out, chilling and doing nothing completely special... was a nice change for me... and I had to contrast it to what a night would entail with a westerner.... inevitably drinking... It is funny. What is it with western culture and drinking? Well I can't judge as I love a drink too, especially if Farah and I have a few wines together, it's always nice. But it is the occasionality of the drinking that I prefer. Why do westerners drink so much? Are we so keen to forget all the troubles of our material abundances at the bottom of a bottle? I don't know what I am trying to say.

I guess it is the non-western vision I came in search of here. I mean I realised a while ago that something was going wrong with mainstream culture in the west. The move towards consumerism and individualism was not sitting right with me. I couldn't sit and just flow into that life thinking it was normal, nor did I want to spend my days banging my head against the brick wall that is pop culture. So I left... In search of new ways to live something that I worked with and that felt right, healthy and sustainable. Alas I confess to not having found it yet. Western life still has the lure of familiarity for me, although when I see it, especially in it's characaturic forms here in Dubai, I am sickened and want to run even faster in the opposite direction. But where do you run to? I mean Indian pop culture is running toward the west as is much of the world. And the sad thing is that they're running away from some pretty damn good things. Close families and communities, social capital that the west could only dream of, but they destroy it in the name of progress and economic and social liberation. Mmmmm... Why do we always think the west knows best?

I mean granted the west has offered so many great things, education, research and development on a scale only dreamed of the world over 100 years ago... But what has it taken from us? The meaning of belonging to something bigger and more important than ourselves, the freedom to sit down and relax to not be coaxed to buy at every turn, to value our fellowman more than the bottom line... And it has destroyed nature.. or at least subdued it to a shadow of it's former self....

Why one way? Why can't we mix with rather than replace other cultures? We are living in a time of social and biodiversity destruction... I see it before my very eyes here in Dubai...And I have seen it since leaving home... When will people realise what they lose when they exchange culture for a mobile phone, ipod and a Japanese sports car?

We have made it past half way...

2007-02-16T00:54:00.000-08:00

We have made it past half way! I say we as truly this something both Farah and I are going through. Time apart has been the hardest thing I think either of us has ever done, but I seem to think it is a testament to our dedication toward each other, especially for Farah as she was not the maniac that thought this a good idea, myself being the maniac.

Well thanks to the wonders of technology we have managed a somewhat functional relationship over the wondrous communication channels of the World Wide Web.

So thanks for putting up with this babe… and also for supporting me with your love and affection as it does get lonely out here in the land of sand dunes and camels.

So where is my head at now? I have lived here for six months now; I have been to all the Gulf States and more or less done what I had come here to do in a personal sense. Well all I want to do now is move on and start my life with Farah. Every day down is a day closer to Farah and I getting back together and not having to say goodbye anymore. Wow, the amount of goodbyes we have both had to go through….

I can’t help but reflect on the lives of so many of the expats out here (non-white ones) who experience what I am going through as a matter of course in their lives. I mean this is normality for them. For Farah and I it is just one year and then it is over. For many out here it is their whole life…. Spent having one month a year with their wife and family and eleven months working twelve hour shifts for seven days a week. How and why do they do it will be one of the questions I will be leaving this place pondering for some time to come. I mean is life that bad at home? Are wives that happy to see their husbands go 90% of the time…? Just to have more money to raise a family the father never sees? Well given there are millions doing it there must be some rationality to it… but I fail to see it. I guess I come from a different generation, one that values the moment and pleasure and happiness for the self. These guys focus on the life of their family and especially that of their children.

I often think of my parents and especially my father when I think of these guys out here, driving their taxis, working on construction sites and the like.

My father is about to retire after working 40 years… yes FORTY YEARS at the steelworks in Wollongong!!!! And all this time on shift work… constant battles to organize a life and sleeping patterns around the production of steel and the provision for a family he dearly loves. Now although he is focusing on taking the time to prepare his finances for the rest of his and mums life I would like for him to know that I am truly thankful for the gift he has given me; a great life, education and opportunities that he never had. A selfless man in every sense of the word… Self-Less… a life without self, dedicated to others, something we don’t see enough of in the western world.

Thank you Mum and Dad for raising me…. Without you I would not exist and without your love and support I would not be where I am…. And thank you Farah… without you I would not be the man I have become in the past year and a half of knowing you and without you I will not become the man that I will be in the future.

Yes a soppy post, but a needed one, as I am a lucky person for the people God has blessed me with in my life.

Saudi Pics

2007-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded a couple of pics of Saudi...

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Saudi

Now taking photos was made legal a few months back... but I don't think people knew this... well I guessed this from the look on their faces... so photo ops were few for fear of being stoned... and no I don't mean stoned in the refer madness sense....

Enjoy :-)

Six days in Saudi...

2007-01-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well I think I have finally had my fill of Saudi and now I am satisfied... It's funny to think of how all these mysterious places are really kinda normal in a way once you have been there. Or maybe my perception of normal is so outta wack now that I wouldn't know normal if it bit me on the ass. I mean I was walking around aimlessly in the old city after having finished a meeting early, and the call to prayer was wailing out of the towers, locals were running off to pray and it all felt rather normal... Everything, as they say, was in its place.

Beyond getting a bit of cabin fever from staying in a hotel for five nights my time here has been productive. Work wise I have moved forward on a number of issues so this is a good thing. Personally wise I ticked a pretty big box on my list of life time achievements. I spent a whole day in the "ladies section" of a bank in Riyadh. Yes they have ladies sections, where men are not allowed to enter. Even the tea boy, who is usually a dark Indian guy, was a lady... and yes they even shipped in an Indian lady to ensure the teas had too much milk and way way too much sugar ;-) So what lay behind the locked doors in the ladies section? Well uncovered ladies of course... And before you start to picture mad romps of naked women at computers, by uncovered I mean you can see their face and hair etc.. Well this was an achievement anyways. And I got to meet, work with and even shake the hand... yes shake the hand of my first Saudi lady... Quite an achievement I have to say. And all in all my theory of people, being people, wherever you go was once again confirmed. I mean she was married with a son studying in Canada. She thinks music shouldn’t be banded, except all those MTV film clips (I can appreciate this point... after all I am sure Pussy Cat Dolls film clips are making do as soft core porn for those 12 year old boys who have not mastered the art of internet porn surfing... unless they live in UAE where all internet sites of ill repute are blocked and hence MTV is as good as it gets....), music to her encourages the worship of God, I couldn’t agree more. She drives when out of the country... but if she wants to travel she needs a signed letter of permission from her husband...

Also learnt that the old "chop chop square", where people get their heads and hands chopped off hasn't been operation for years... According to my Saudi colleague, they only do "this" in Iraq now. And "this" was acted out on the floor of the bank I was visiting with my Saudi friend, in traditional Thub, getting down on his knees and lowering his head in a demonstration of how one has their head chopped off, "Arabic styles"... from the side, cutting across the body....

But it's funny... I am now looking forward to returning to Dubai... I mean it seems normal compared to this place... Here there are no side walks... which I found out the hard way when I decided to walk back to the office from one of the banks.... you jump from shop front to shop front and then... nothing.... you are stuck on the road... dodging cars, not something you would want to do after having seen Saudis drive. Ha! And to see them park.... these guys have no idea really... they literally park across the spaces... three spaces to one car is sufficient. Add to this no live music, no cinema, no drinking, no walking in short pants of shirts.... Mate Dubai is a relative paradise of freedoms... Relativity at its best... I guess that was another thing about London that struck me too... We in the west are so free.... the only sad thing is to see what we do with some of this freedom.... walk from Piccadilly Circus to Soho on a Friday or Saturday night and you will know what I mean... The Saudis want none of that behaviour... and as a result they have taken all freedoms from its people... Which is right? Well I don't know... either way the results can be pretty ugly on both sides of the fence.....

Everyday Life - Turning the corner

2007-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Violence, even terror, always exists on the periphery of empire. They are the means by which empire is consolidated, defended, extended. Similarly, empire must respond to attack, or its basis is forfeit. All that is new about September 11 is that it didn't occur on a distant horizon. It was as if Rome had been attacked 2,000 years ago, at the height of its power.

The heartland of empire has a vast and ever-present meaning separable, and inseparable, from those twin towers in Manhattan. Everyday existence, under the sign of the capital and technology that the World Trade Center represented, also cries out.

We live in a culture of increasing emptiness; there is a vacuum at the heart of our empire. Epidemics of illegal drugs succeed one another, while tens of millions, including children as young as two, need antidepressants to get through the day. A great hunger exists for anesthesia in the face of emotional devastation and loss. Everyone knows that something is missing, that meaning and value are steadily being leached out of daily life, along with its very texture.

"The less people really live - or perhaps more correctly, the more they become aware that they haven't really lived - the more abrupt and frightening death becomes for them, and the more it appears as a terrible accident." Theodor Adorno's observation of decades ago seems even more pertinent today. Exploding jetliners and anthrax can terrify; meanwhile a much deeper crisis triggers a far more pervasive and fundamental fear.

The empire is global. There is nowhere to go to escape its corrosive barrenness. Frederic Jameson reminded us that we live in the most standardized society that has ever existed. In Global Soul, the peripatetic Pico Iyer ups the ante, meditating on how the whole world now tends towards a universal sameness. A global unity of alienness, of disorientation and disconnection, destined to resemble a mall or an airport. People now dress alike in every major city in the world. They drink Coca-Cola, and watch many of the same TV shows.

The empire's landscape of unreality and routinization grows steadily more pathological. Damage to nature and violence to the psyche compete in a postmodern culture of denial, punctuated by eruptions of the homicidal at work, at home, at school. We can expect to hear more and more alarm bells that will wake us altogether. Peaceful slumber is unthinkable.

Who doesn't know, on some level, where this empire - this civilization - is taking us? Our liberation movement needs to be qualitatively different from all the failed, limited approaches of the past. Everyday life is waiting - waiting to be truly lived.

The Imperialism of Everyday Life by John Zerzan

So as I approach the two year anniversary of leaving Australia I feel as if a corner has been turned. Farah and I are heading toward a future of our choosing and I feel inspired to embrace my idealism once more. I think it also might have something to do with the fact that the impact of the "guy on the bus" in London is now fading and I feel free to once again speak my mind. I also can't help be feel 100% sure that our world, on it's current course is doomed.

But this is by no means a time for me to be overwhelmed and give up. I think it is all of our duty to turn everything we can in the right direction. And the process of turning it all around should be deliberate, peaceful, considerate and humble. We are all in this game together. The days of rampant winner takes all capitalism are drawing to a close. Okay this may not seem clear to most but mark my words in twenty years the world will be functioning in a completely new and hopeful way and if it is not... Well I will be moving to the Tasmanian wilderness....Buying a gun and setting myself up for Armageddon... I pray this wont happen but I am a realistic idealist so there will be no holding of my breathe. So wouldn't it be wise to start preparing for the new world order.. And no don't head to the bush just yet... We need to embrace this issue and make a difference. If we don't what are our kids going to say about us??? Kids are sacred and so is the future of this planet....

East meets west

2007-01-20T12:38:00.001-08:00

The last four days have been spent in that enigma of a city, London. The places always brings a slightly cynical smile to my face as the insane reality of life here becomes apparent to me and I begin to remenice of times gone by. As I walked the winding roads, in the grey, windy, damp afternoon I began to feel a sense of longing for my time here. Of post work gym sessions and salmon dinners with Nick, of green curries and trifles with Farah, peaceful, thought/music filled walks to work in the cool English winter mornings (no music on walks in Dubai as I could get hit by a car/truck/bicycle/Indian Dude), self destructive binge drinking sessions, evenings of two or three cigarettes in cold, dark lonely places, coffees on Portobello road on Saturday Mornings including full English breakfasts.... Well you get the picture that memories were running through my mind over the past few days....

But far be it from me to write a post without trying to make a broad brush stroke generalisation about the world as a whole and the odd, relatively hairless, bi-peds who call it home.... London really is a pretty good city in the big scheme of things. If it was a person I would describe it as a 57 year old man who is about to retire, spent his whole life serving others, most likely single as a result of being widowed and hence a little lonely, a heart of gold, passionate about many good causes but sensing they are powerless to change anything.... and as a result of this a full blown alcoholic.... But this is London on a Saturday night. That is the beauty of this majestic city, layer upon complex layer of human involvement. Such a dense population combined with an extensive history leads to a London that one cannot help but love, even if you have been hurt by them in the past, you know that they are more than worthy of your love and affection... Hey and London will always be the city where my life turned an important corner... I met my future wife here and because of this I am forever in the debt of London :-)

The more I think about London and how, despite its many faults, I love it I cannot help but reflect upon Dubai.... Dubai is a 5 year old in comparison to the maturity of London and being so young it would be unfair to apply the same measuring stick to the depth of character that Dubai has displayed to date. With this in mind you can't help but think of Dubai as a child prodigy, albehim slightly autistic and narcistic. Dubai has out performed to date but, as a 5 year old, lacks a meaningful personality to which we can relate. But with the right parenting he could grow into a great man and be a shining light of Arab civilisation into the 21st Century. The only problem here is that the parents are happy to benefit from this prodigy's natural talents and sell his value like a circus freak attraction on the world stage without providing the love, education and nourishment he so desperately needs. Time will only tell what will become of this young city, but with all its "friends" and relatives just trying to get their piece of the performance and jumping over each other to do so the future is far from a certainty of happiness...

On a separate note: Farah is getting time off in March so she can come to Dubai... YES! So we will finally get to explore a left field location together.... I must get into my Arabic so I can impress here with my skills in the souqs of the East... It will truly be a sweet adventure.

Also: Wedding plans are starting to take shape... Looking like August in the subcontinent somewhere, with vows re-given in Bundanoon on 1st Sept and Toronto 8th September 2007 respectively.

General Mood: Positive. I feel like life is starting to take shape and with all the talk about the environment and the like I believe that a paradigm is about to shift in the west that could come just in time to avert disaster (e.g. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/article2166820.ece). I am fast realising that it is in this movement to holistic business/finance operations that my future lies. Also spoke in Spanish to strangers twice in London today.. Love this great big world of ours..

Back home?

2007-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

As the secondary voiceovers in airports change from French to Arabic, the skin colours change from white to brown and lines grow longer and the buildings taller I start to feel like I am back home... What a great month away from the aberation of life that my time in Dubai is. I almost felt "normal" again, whatever that is anyway. But I am now back here and am faced with seven months of hard work and head down saving and learning ahead of me.

As I said goodbye to Farah at Toronto airport I almost fell over sick with sadness, I mean leaving the love of my life, again!? Hmmmm I often question why and how we manage to put ourselves through this, but then as I sit in the back of my taxi here in Dubai, with my driver who sees his wife and family once every two years the seven months ceases to be such a burden and I am renewed with hope that I can do this and the reward at the end of it, Farah and the life I want with her, makes it all worthwhile. Added to this the crazy arabic party going on at 1am near my house as I arrive home fills me with a sense of purpose for the first half of 2007.

Much was achieved in my time away and I can hardly recount it all here... Man I am still due for a post on the contrasts of emotions I felt after returning home from the road (2 years out of my home land). It's amazing as in a week I will be in London and another week I will be in Saudi Arabia again... Wow this time is going to fly, I just pray for the courage to do it well, make myself and my loved ones proud... Well here goes... Back into it!

Happy New Years...So much has happened....

2007-01-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

Wow! So much has happened in the past three weeks.... Well at least I know where to start...

I am now officially engaged to be married to the most lovely girl in all the word.... The right person, time and place.... I am so happy that I have made this decision without any pressure... out of love rather than expectation and yes.... Farah has agreed so all is well and as for plans for a wedding date and place... well I will keep you all posted... negotiations are underway :-)

As for the return home and how that all felt I don't really know where to start on that topic. I think it would be best to save all my thoughts and put them into a detailed post. The main thing that stood out to me on my return to Oz was the great friends and family I have. You really notice this after being on the road for so long. The road offers you experiences and interesting people but rarely to meaningful deep friendships form (although some very important ones have). I know now how lucky I am to have grown up in a great place with a great family and great group of friends. Also each stage of my life I have been blessed with amazing friends who are still close to me this very day... Thank you all for having the time to catch up with me on my time in Australia.... The trip would not have been special without you all!!!!

Now I am in Toronto after spending a few days in Corner Brook (Newfoundland) for Farah's brothers' wedding. The place was beautiful... so much snow.. and a great new extended family which I am gradually becoming apart of. Life is amazing... there is nothing more I can say than that. I could never have imaged two years ago that I would be where I am with life now.

Happy New Years to all of you... I wish you luck with your resolutions and I hope to grow with all you this year...

I have also added a few photos (I confess to having been lazy with the camera of late...)
http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/xmasnys2006

I am going home tomorrow!

2006-12-07T04:11:00.001-08:00

I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I am going home tomorrow!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!
I AM GOING HOME TOMORROW!

I am going home tomorrow!

2006-12-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

I am going home tomorrow!

Dubai - Phase One - Almost done :-)

2006-11-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

Three and a half months into the middle east and I have almost earnt my right of return home for a quick respite from the on going learning process that is life in one of the world’s most odd cities, Dubai. I guess it is the perfect time to do a little reflection on my life here and provide some insight to what I have learnt and experienced here.

I think one of the best things that I have learnt here is more personal that any kind of perspective on culture or civilisation. But this is not that surprising as after all the only thing we can really learn about is ourselves, everything else is just speculation on how we think other people feel and the reasons behind their actions (I will get to these speculations later…).

I am now over the need to behave as a function of the expectations of others. For the first time in my life I have started to gain a level of comfort with who I am and am now happy to do my own thing without fear of judgement (most of the time anyway :-p). I guess this realisation came about when I noticed that people are funny creatures when it comes to their interactions with others, I am no exception to this. But I am over catering myself to others. But no means am I not caring about how I treat others, but no longer do I care about doing things to impress or conform to others expectations. A perfect example is how I am now happy to avoid in general the social life here in Dubai. I mean at first it bothered me, I felt like I should go out and socialise as if there was something I was missing. But upon further investigation much of social life here in Dubai for a white westerner is about networking to further your career, finding women (or paying for them), impressing others with your material position in the world and all this lubricated with the expensive alcohol of the middle east, imported from over the world. All of this I have hated ever since I can remember. Being social to further your career is disingenuine. I am only friends with people I love and enjoy being around, I just can’t stomach pretending to be interested in someone because I think it may benefit me… Just not the kind of person I am, probably never means I can be a politician, but I would rather be a real person whatever I end up doing than being fake… So I don’t care about all the crap that goes with making it in the western world. I will work hard and rely on being an interesting person to talk to… No pushing myself to be social anymore… I am just going to be…. Wherever that takes me in my career I want to be… Not where the fake “Mr. Nice to get something out of you” would have gotten me.

What else have I learnt out here?

Well I really am ashamed of the way the white race has interacted with the world as a whole. Given that we are so well educated you think we should know better than to continue to go around the world buying up as much as we can and thinking little of the long term consequences, but we still do it. The lack of vision coming from the average well educated expat is laughable, but it is no laughing matter. I look at myself. I will never (touch wood) have to worry about starving and I am clearly in the phase of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs known as “self actualisation” so I have great opportunities in this world. What better to do with these opportunities and economic/social freedoms than try and make the world a better place? But all expats (on average) tend to think so much more about themselves and not about the world. This is a true tragedy given that having been around the world, they should have a “world view” rather than a “self view” when approaching the question of what to do with ones life. Granted there are many people out there doing great things, but generally most are out for the money and nothing more…. (Am I any different/better? is a question I have on my mind constantly)

Also the Middle East is a sell out. I have seen little out here to indicate to me that the “greatest natural resource known to man” is not being squandered. The amount of cash that has been flowing out here and all that is to show for it is a few fancy skyscrapers, some awesome hotels and a crazy dictatorship of kings and fiefdoms (Saudi). All of that money could have been invested into education, sustainable development and social programs for locals and peoples of other countries. I wont even go into the lack of culture here also… I would love to be able to see Iraq (the only Gulf country I wont see) I have a feeling it may have been the only decent place out here… Figures doesn’t it. Oil tends to ruin everything the world over L

One thing that Dubai has taught me is that we can build anything if we have enough cheap labour and cash. But you can’t buy a community and that is one thing Dubai lacks in spades. Ha! I used to think Canberra was a soulless city… Mate, it is heaven compared to here…

But positive things are: There is so much potential out here. Things could be turned at the drop of a hat to something better. Dubai could have a royal decree (they love those things out here) to become the worlds “sustainable city” invest cash into sustainable technology, social building projects etc. Maybe even start democracy and offer citizenship to people. Saudi still has massive cash flows coming its way, these could be used for the betterment of their whole society rather than their few thousand princesses etc.. But provided you have self white people out here leaching off everything improvements are unlikely…. Saudi is the best example of this. Anyone ask why Saudi was never invaded? I mean it’s as much a dictatorship as Iraq was… Ha! Cause they were giving the oil to the Yankees at a good price… Amazing that people allow the media to say Yankees went into Iraq to free the people… But I wont go there except to say that I haven’t come across Yankees out here and I fear the day I have to learn about them… They truly are to the 20 – 21st what England, Spain and France was to the 17-19th Centuries [whoops got negative again L.. it’s easy out here, trust me]

Being exposed to so many other cultures has been great. I have had close dealings with people from all over the world in the space just over three months. Russians, Ukrainians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Bahrainis, Saudis, Indians (a billion!), Lebanesse, Palestinians, Pakistanis, Kuwaitis, Iraqis… And in general most people are the same. In general people are great and are a pleasure to be around. The only reason people do bad things is through ignorance… Whether it be not realising cars are bad for the environment or that material possensions don’t determine how “cool” you are, because being cool is a load of shite anyways. And also that increased integration of the world will eventually remove the need for war, only if we take the time to actually integrate. Living in the some city or even suburb does not mean you’re integrated. Dubai has taught me that, this is the most segregated place I have ever seen. I fear Australia is walking down a similar path too….

But what is the most important thing I have learnt? => That I am ready to start building a future and that the only future I want is one shared with those I love, particularly the one I love the most. Living alone sux and living with people that aren’t people you love sux also (no matter the tax free benefits this brings). I have learnt that I am no longer afraid to commit to things I truly believe in. Whether it be my lifestyle choices or my choice in beautiful, intelligent, caring brown girls who have a “warmth” you can’t help but want to be close to :-p Love you babe!

So here I am a week from my flight home. My only real fear is that I wont be able to come back to Dubai. But I know I have to, this is a quest I must complete, but all I can really think about is being with people I love again. I am over fleeting relationships, shallow friendships…..

I could write loads more but I wont ramble. These three and a half months have been great. I have hated and loved them. I would never have made it without my babe even at a million miles away she has always been at my side, even if Etisalat and a nokia phone were needed to keep her there. See you all in a week or so!

Saudi Arabia - Homosexuality

2006-11-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

So what happens when you hide all the women from the men? Well the men turn to their fellow men for love of course… Jail is the perfect testing ground for such a theory. See at the end of the day a man is very different from a woman… He does not look for love he looks for satisfaction. The base urges are what need to be satisfied. Only when these are fulfilled can a man even consider the higher things such as love and romance. So in jail, with no women around the man has nothing satisfied, not love, not connection, not intimacy, and definitely not the most crucial of all things… getting off. So to whom does the in mate turn to in these desperate times? Well he turns to his cell mate, his showering partner…. He does what he has to do to survive… As Jesus said, “Man cannot live on bread alone”, now it was not only the culinary appetite he was referring to here, and self inflicted pleasure can only take you so far. The same tests hold true to other institutions that leave men to their own devices, the Navy, the Army, the Air Force (except Top Gun of course….;-p), all boys boarding schools, the Catholic Church and more than any other place… Saudi Arabia.

It really is amazing to think of the complete irony of this social experiment and its blindingly obvious results. I mean what were the Mullahs expecting to happen when they covered all the women and hid them away from the men. Add to this giving men the freedom to do what the want (including money in most cases), but only with other men. All meaningful experiences for Saudi men happen with other Saudi men, and there is nothing like a meaningful experience to bring two people very close together. So there you have it… forget Kings Cross, forget San Fransisco, forget Brighton, Saudi is the place to be for a gay man in the 21st Century and Riyadh being its capital would have to be gay central and a hotspot on any mans gaydar!

As any reader of this blog would be raising their eyebrow in disbelief let me expand:

Now I have never been propositioned by anyone in my life, not man, nor woman… well a woman gave me her number once… and well lets just say that that same woman will be with me till the day I die. So besides that I have never really been approached. Well my first day here in the Kingdom I am asked by a stranger 1. Where I am staying, 2. If I am staying there alone, 3. Do I want to stay alone, and 4. If I want someone to talk to he would be there…. So yes I had direct contact with it….

Also I had been speaking to my Bahraini colleague in the office here who was driving me about the city. He was adamant as to the situation of man homosexuality in the Kingdom. He told me of a time recently when in a nightclub in Bahrain a member of the Saudi Royal family approached him, commenting on his looks, asked about how to make love to a woman and asked if he was attractive… My Bahraini said thanks and left….

Now I have more evidence but do not want to go into it, nor do I really care to. I mean it just bothers me that this social experiment here is having some pretty crazy consequences. I have no problem with homosexuality, it is normal for say about 5% of the population to be so inclined. It has been this way since the dawn of time. What is not normal is for a society to be constructed to cause homosexuality to be the norm rather than the except. But if you take all the cows out of the field, what do you think the bulls will end up doing?

And all this without a mention of the situation of women in this country…. My verdict is that this place is a mess… And the social engineering group of royal and religious people here should be ashamed of themselves. I am sure Mohammed (PBUH), would be struck dumfounded as to what has been done here in his name (not to mention the funding of terrorism Saudi petro dollars has provided…)

Saudi Arabia...

2006-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

Okay well the rumors were right....

You would not notice it immediately if you werent looking for it.. but it would gradually become clear... As you sit and look around... you notice something very important not there... something that really makes life worth living... it's not there... no it's not alcohol, it's not drugs, it's not pro secular literature..... No much more important than all this...... There are no women... they are all hidden away.....

I have much to write, but thought i would throw a quick I am still alive and have yet to be jailed...

One Month

2006-11-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

It is hard to imagine the feelings that will overcome me when I return home. I remember lying on hard uncomfortable beds in many strange rooms whilst travelling, day dreaming of what coming home would be like. I confess to never imagining that I would be coming home for only a short time to then go to Canada and then back to where I live, in Dubai. Amazing how life takes such unexpected paths. I would never have thought that I would fall in love with someone from a different country but I guess that's why I left Oz.... find myself and that someone special :-) Worth searching for….

Well the last few weeks have been a quiet affair. I have been grounded as my passport was with various authorities, getting my residence permit, including the required TB and AIDS test and then once returned it once again left me to process my Saudi Visa. So tonight is the first night I have slept with my passport back with me and as a legal resident here in the UAE.

I have also managed to overcome my dislike for Dubai in recent weeks. I am not sure what has done it.... I guess when I walk around and see the diversity of this place it really excites me. I mean this place really has some potential and it will be really interesting to see what becomes of Dubai over the next few decades, but I can't say I will be here.... As when it comes down to it, it is just too God Damn hot here... I mean it is in the cooler months and it is still topping 35C round midday... not my style... and add global warming and it is just going to get worse. But still cool to be here now. I mean tonight I went and got a Yasir Arafat tea towel for a mate then went to my local vegi indian place and sat down (you always share tables) with a distinctly asian looking guy who could speak Hindi. And I found out he's from Nepal, Pokarah in fact... and we get chatting and I even remembered some Nepali and we had a chat and he said we should dine together another time.. and all for 1 pound, all you can eat curry, rice, bread and desert.... (of course no white people around…) And this is just around the corner.... And going to the gym is great too.... busting out some hardcore sets listening to gangster rap surrounded by arabic, indian and Pilipinos’... too good.. I love the mix... So I love where I live in Dubai......

I also caught a bus (20 pence) a few times and was the only white guy in sight... and it was great... I mean there is hope for this town, they just need to work out recycling, introduce a few taxes here and there, get a decent public transport system, allow people to become citizens and start to think about environmental issues when planning new developments.... And this is one of the worst places on Earth and I can see hope and promise.... So I have grown through my doubt and fear and hopelessness about the human condition to have a vision of a possible sustainable future here, in Dubai of all places, the centre of greed and capitalism… But it will always be hot here… and I love… I mean love with a passion walking .. walking to the shops, to work, to the beach, to the gym…. I love walking and I love public transport…. And walking in 45C, although I have done it, just aint that much fun…. And the sweat is just no turn on… esp. in the office…

Anyways I am off to Bahrain next week, then Saudi… and can you believe the thing I needed to sign to get into Saudi…. I am surely doing nothing wrong there… I mean I could be executed for doing anything against Islam… nuts!?!?! I don’t really have too much to say except I can’t wait to get home, see my family, my friends and of course my number one person in the world….. Oh how I miss her :-)

Dubai Dispatches

2006-10-24T01:03:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that for a whole month it was illegal to eat between about 4am and 6pm. Yes, Illegal. When I got up in the morning and had my wheat-a-bix with some skimmed milk I was in contravention of UAE law. When I had a glass of water after a gym session on a Saturday afternoon I was at risk of being jailed! Well fortunately the law is something you can break in the privacy of your own home or in a secluded space in the office.... But all that has passed now and not without a few close calls. Like one hot Saturday afternoon after finally getting my HSBC Middle East (not to be confused with the REAL HSBC which is not solely staffed by Indians) ATM Card. I got a soda from a machine on the street and went to open it when my housemate Jeremy said something very simple "What are you doing? RAMADAN!?" and I was stopped in my tracks immediately, and not a moment too soon as there was a group of very thirsty Muslims across the street, who would have no doubt mobbed me if I had proceeded to quench my thirst...

So this brings me to something that has been bothering me for a while. It's mainly related to hypocrisy, something that I indulge in from time to time but at least I can admit it. Others do it every day and are completely ignorant... Like many of the Muslims here in the middle east, particularly the oil rich gulf, where residents are happy to talk of Allah and Mohammed and grace and charity yet think of ex-pat Indian workers as not worthy of charity, rather it is look after your own and let those of foreign lands suffer... was this what Mohammed wanted? Well anyways it's all good and well to do what you want in your home land, but where do some people get off calling for the same powers in foreign lands? I am thinking particularly of a few cases in France and the UK, where the issue of the Hijab has come up. Now personally I don't care either way (not discounting the fact that the Hijab to me seems more like men not being able to show self control, combined with the ongoing age old desire of men wanting to subjugate women... but whatever floats your boat, if they want to wear it let 'em wear it!), but I know that if the powers that be set in place a law you deal with it. If the powers that be are not from your country then deal with it or go home! I am sick of these double standards. I mean in all Gulf countries it was illegal to eat, drink or smoke during Ramadan day time hours, it is always illegal to be gay, to live with a partner out of wedlock, drink alcohol (? - this is a grey area), to wear revealing clothing, to drive if you're a woman (Saudi)... And the list goes on... I mean in France and the UK there is so much freedom and so much acceptance.... And then some people can't deal with it when they are expected to fit in a little... I mean, GET OVER YOURSELF!!! Try being a westerner here in the middle east, I never ever get a chance to be a citizen of any gulf country even if I was born here!!! I have friends that fall into this category. If I marry a local I still don't get a citizenship... I can't vote, I get no government support and have very little personal freedom.... Mate the West is awesome compared to these places when it comes to rights and freedoms. Don't get me wrong, I never think we should become complacent and I still believe in complete freedom to do anything if it doesn't hurt others... but I am also aware of realities and know when we should give thanks for what we have as trust me any non-western country is much much worse than France, the UK, Australia or even the US....

Oh and it is still hot... Can you believe this!?!? Max is about 35C now. I mean it is down from the 46C maxs I was getting in August, when I first arrived, but still it is crazy hot.

I have also decided to start to learn how to cook... Can you believe that I didn't even know coriander when I saw it in the supermarket!?!? I had to ask this Indian guy for some help. Well now I know what coriander looks like and I also learnt that cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder are the key ingredients of curry powder.... Small simple things but things I never knew.... I know, cooking isn't saving the world as I always claim to want to do, but somehow I feel it is appreciating and loving the simple things in life that will teach you some of the keys to solving some of the bigger problems of the world...

A call to revolution (for me)

2006-10-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

I guess I am sick of the way Dubai (and the Middle East in general) has been making me feel. It really makes me hate the world. I cannot imagine a better place to see how bad the world can be (and hypocritical). Don't get me wrong, I am having a good time here (besides the fact that I miss my true love like crazy....). I have met great people and my house mates are lovely. But looking at Dubai as a city, as a 'community', as a representation of successful development, I cannot help but get angry and depressed about the chances of human civilisation. I guess I can only try and remember places like Holland and Norway, where I learnt that there are some places on the planet that have it right and are progressing, rather than heading towards doom and destruction. I guess the sad thing is, that only when all countries get it right will the world have any hope.... Also I feel guilty as I have gotten worse since being here, I no longer recycle, I complain about problems yet do nothing, and I have also starting worrying about money from my job etc.... I want to do something and I guess I have realised I need to change myself, and fast!

Anyways, here is my 'Rant':

Every time I get in front of my computer I lose hope.

Can you sense the impending doom? Like the captain of the titanic, aboard the unsinkable vessel of grandeur and fame, we find ourselves navigating a course of inevitable disaster and we continue full steam ahead.

My Ukrainian friend Oleksiy said it well when we were having McDonalds in Moscow: “There is something natural about a human’s desire to destroy them self”. It is like inbuilt within all of us is a longing to grab everything we have and shake it until it is limp and lifeless. The same thing drives the headlines of international news broadcasts. Death and destruction lights a fire in our imagination, we truly lust after death. I mean what else could be the explanation for the world we have created for ourselves. A world created by force and by fear. The cornerstone of globalisation was laid by imperial forces such as England, France and Spain, travelling the world and dominating by superior fire power, taking resources and leaving poverty and inequity, and killing any who argued against the status quo.

The same passionate desire drives me to smoke, to drink and to want to fight to make it right or at least break something I hate. Is anger really a gift? (quote of RATM’s Zac De la Roca) Will the passionate hatred for the way things are really give us the power to make the world the way it should be? In all honesty, I think not. I never agreed with ‘Che’ when he said that violent revolution was the only way. I mean it feels good to kill those you hate. That’s why war is so common. But hate is the problem, not the ‘other’ we claim to hate. There is no ‘other’. This is the first thing we need to learn.

I return to my ship analogy. We are on a ship and it is sinking. Both environmentally and spiritually the world is falling apart at the seams. All I find myself thinking when I draw back on my cigarette with determination is “what can I do?”.

I will take an aside:

Maybe I am completely delusional. Maybe the world is fine. Maybe everything is going according to plan and God is smiling. Maybe two million people in absolute poverty is great. Maybe China building another 400 coal fire powered power plants is grand. Maybe Greenland’s ice shelf melting into the Atlantic is rosy http://www.climatecrisis.net. Maybe the US going into Iraq and destroying a country for oil is awesome. Maybe rampant individualism and consumerism is a great way to escape the void that appears when we leave God with all of the relics of the past. Maybe having billionaires is right and just. Maybe knowingly buying products that were produced in sweatshops is fair and helping development…….

I will turn here to religion. What Would Jesus Do? WWJD. I remember it on the wrist bands of so many at school as a kid. I tell you what I have learnt since leaving organised religion behind… Jesus is an amazing and inspirational person. I mean if only we had people like him here today. As you know what he was don’t you!? I mean if you really sat down and meditated upon the scriptures you would realise that we really have messed it up (It was never about ‘worshiping Jesus’, but rather trying to be him….. and after all, he did it, why cant’ we?

What did Jesus do? He:

1) Threw away everything he owned (and required this of anyone who joined his revolutionary band of apostles) – A modern day anti-materialist, embodying the fact that material possessions have no ability to provide happiness and generally help to cloud our resolve and lead us down the ‘easy path’ to death and destruction;
2) Hung out with outcasts (lepers, hookers, tax collectors – quite a diverse group I must say!) – He loved everyone and did not judge. Truly an example to any of us trying to overcome prejudice and discrimination;
3) Stuck it to the dominating powers of his people (he really messed with the Pharisees’ controlling interests over the Jewish population of the time) - proving that controlling political forces are corrupt and out of touch with the needs of people;
4) Healed the sick and feed and clothed the needy – In doing so implementing social polices that were sorely needed by the people of his time (why aren’t governments making this their primary aim – e.g. US Govt, Iranian Govt, UK, Aust… etc, why spend any money on War when people in their own and other countries suffer….. etc etc);
5) Spread the message of love and understanding…. Etc, etc, ETC!

Anyway. I guess what I am thinking is that I already have the answers to my questions…. I just wish I had the courage to apply this to my daily life, now and forever…. So as the favourite line to my favourite poem of all time goes: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time”. I really think it is time for a revolution within myself…..

Please note: This is coming from discussions about religion and prophets and meaning….oh and yes it is a rant to myself and no one else…..

Ramadan Kareem!

2006-10-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Wow... I can hardly believe that there are one billion people on this planet who for a whole month do not eat or drink anything from moon set (before sun rise) to sun set.... Well I gave it a try on Thursday... wow... It was hard.. not so much the not eating but rather the not drinking... really thirsty.... But I made it and I really can appreciate it all now.... means a lot more to me!

Anyways I have added some photos and re-organised a few things too:

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/dubai

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/middleeast

Also managed to go to Oman today... without a passport!!! Hehehehe... tricky boarder crossings... Wonder if I would have the same luck if I wasnt a westerner? hmmmm...

Starving, speeding... but no more sweating...

2006-10-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

I remember back to 2001, when America started bombing Afghanistan, when the news stated that the "Allied forces" had to cease their attacks for a month... due to something call Ramadan. "Hmmm... How nice!" I thought... let them have their religious thing, then bomb them... Well besides the absolute stupidity of respecting religious ceremonies but not human life, it was really one of the first times I had ever heard of this thing called Ramadan. All I knew was it was something to do with Islam, something to do with not eating and consequently something to do with not being bombed by a foreign power aching to destroy your country, not some twelve years after another foreign power gave up trying to do the same and retreated north (is it just me or is everything playing out in circles here?).

Well anyways on Sunday 24th September 2006, or 1 Ramadan, 1427 AH, I started my first Ramadan in the Middle East..... And days at work have ceased to be the same... Sneaking off to the kitchen to snatch a sip of water (yes you are not allowed even water in Ramadan!), missing lunch every weekday.... and sometimes even giving up and fasting along side your Muslim friends... Last night I broke my fast with the traditional dates and water.... It was an experience...

I can appreciate the philosophy of the fast. It's goal is the appreciate the plight of the poor, learn self control and self mastery and also to save food money to give to the poor.... Not a bad effort for 1 billion people of the world... I wonder how much the Christians of the United States could raise for the poor if they stopped eating in the day for a month (or stopping making bombs to kill muslims)??? Hmmm.... Anyways, minus the not drinking water, I think it's not a bad idea, only down side is it has a pretty negative impact on the work attitude of people here and slows everything down, with work days shortened to 6 hours (apparently there are fines for employers allowing workers to work longer than this), but hey, I think we all need a good excuse to slow down...

Also just got back from Abu Dhabi... which was an experience getting there let me tell you! Now I am not sure what others experiences are with crazy driving... but I think I am getting a pretty good feel for some of the world's craziest. You have:

Nepal - There is no "right side of the road", just road... and this you use to get from a to b, however you choose...
Boliva - Two trucks pass each other with a 5m wide road to work with and 800m sheer cliff to the left....
London - Ten buses pass each other with 1cm to spare...
Australia - Everyone obeys the law and everything is fine, except out of the city where everyone speeds and dies
Canada - All cars slow down whenever they see a person and everyone drinks and drives...
Casablanca - A lane!?! What's that?? Oh the line that goes under the middle of the car!?!? Now I get you!
DUBAI - The speed camera only takes your photo if youre going over 160km/h!!!! Ha! I could hardly believe my eyes when my driver sat on 180km/h for 1 hour straight on the highway from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.... And this is in traffic, up the car in front of yous ass.... Nuts I tell you, nuts!!!!

Oh and it's cooling down now... like max of 37... so cool :-)

People on the road..

2006-09-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Nearing the end of a quite a long road trip business wise…. Left home early last Tuesday and will be home this Thursday evening. Covered some serious ground in the past week and managed to see a fairly different part of the Muslim world. Morocco, a million miles away from Dubai and the Middle East in general, a land that is home to both Jews and Muslims, who funnily enough live in peace… fancy that!?! Very interesting especially given that Casablanca is home to the world’s biggest Mosque outside of Mecca.

I am starting to learn the art of meeting people for brief moments of time, whether it be in a cab, a train, a plane or just waiting in a line behind a family of twenty Muslims about to fly to Saudi Arabia for the first time to fulfil some of their religious obligations… And although these meetings fall a long way short of providing me that close personal interaction that friends and loved ones give, for the moment they are partly filling that gap and also providing an amazing insight into how this mad old world works.

For example I met Ahmad (A J), a interesting man from Mauritania, we managed to chat for a good few hours on my flight from Casa to Dubai. Interestingly enough he was on his way to Perth as he works for Woodside Petroleum (an Aussie Oil company). We talked about religion, politics, how the west owes Africa big time and how Africans laugh when they hear Bush talk of democracy. How the world focuses on Sudan because it’s Islamic and ignores other areas with similar problems. Granted my friend was leaning slightly toward to militant Islam that the west fears so much (as opposed to the militant capitalism, which feeds the $1trillion a year global military budget – 50% from the neo-liberal United States), he made some very interesting points and he was a good person to boot so I had to listen. I also got him to watch the "Inconvenient Truth" on the in flight movie, so I guess I managed to influence him too….
And it is meetings like this that start to shape my view of the world. The picture becomes bigger and bigger and I guess I realise that to try and put it in a frame will only result in missing key parts of the painting….

So I am making mental notes of the people I meet. Sri Lankans, reluctantly travelling to work in the Middle East and leaving their families behind at home, Old Indians having lived tens of years away from their family just to provide for their kids they only see a few times a year, Large English Oil men making a mint out here as they continue to be perplexed at the inequality they have help create in this region, Lebanese men planning on reluctantly moving to the United States as their country’s future is too uncertain for their families, Jordanians seeking love and meaning and a family, Egyptians freaking out when they don’t have servants to care for their every need, Tunisians who go to pray their five times a day and feel a little left out when work colleagues drink, Indian managers who given spiritual inspirational texts to their staff… And the list goes on.

I miss my loved ones oh so much but I know one day they will be close to me so I must also focus on making the best of the here and now. I learn and I try to teach when I get the chance too….. I think I have really worked out what drives me in life…. Learning more and analysing things… Putting the pieces of the painting which is human civilisation together…. It is an impossible task but something I can’t help doing… I love people and I really want things to work out…. And when I see solutions involving killing people, no matter what the reason (e.g. Taliban in Afghanistan – has anyone mentioned the possibility of engaging them in dialogue?), I get sad, so sad I almost want to give up on people, settle down, ignore the world, move to the country or something. But then I meet people one on one and come to realise we are all very much the same.. The only things that divide are ignorance, which is driven by poor media and poor educational institutions. So when I hear of Iran sacking University lecturers for not being religious I get scared. Religion is a form of SELF expression and should never be used to influence others and never should be used as an excuse to hide the truth… Anyways I wont get into a rant…. Just a quick word from Maynard:

"Think for yourself….. Question authority…."

No one has the answers, not even God. As why did he create the world, other than to seek out the meaning of life!?!? Please refer to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams….

Some Pics: http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Casablanca

Another keyboard to navigate...

2006-09-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

One of the most noticable things of travel is the different keyboards one finds on the road. Well I am now on a French one and have yet to find the "at" key... Hmmmmm.

So I managed a five day stay here in Morocco, four business, one pleasure... And it is funny but I learnt the most during the business part of my stay. I mean I went down to Marrakesh yesterday and enjoyed it but have to admit I found myself remembering some of the most frustrating things of travel... "hello.... what you looking for???" Oh the world where everything is for sale... I managed to get lost, walk a billion miles, get ripped off and generally relish the pleasure of the more simple things... i.e. a tea and a seat away from the crowds... busy noises of the market place, music, public speaking in foriegn tongues and mess and fuss... That is what I miss the most...

But in business I got to see the inner workings of a different style of economy and a way of doing business in general. Morocco is a combination of French and Arabic and this mix has created what I feel a very odd place indeed.... I think that what I experienced needs to be dealt with in a more formal analysis, but suffice to say that some of the biggest barriers to development became very clear to me during my time here... There really are "better" ways to do things and these things need to be taught.. They don't just magically start to happen. I feel one of the big problem is the lack of process knowledge sharing in the world. Businesses need to share knowledge instead of just coming into a country and making money it needs to share its knowledge and train local staff... Also local Governments need to get serious about education... This really is key. Combine foreign investment (and the provision of their knowledge) with a educated/motivated workforce and developement is much better placed to happen. What I see here is a poorly paid/educated/motivated local workforce, a non-responsible beuarucratic Government and a foreign investment community that is only interested in short term shareholder returns... Surely everyone wins if developing countries learn how to manage themselves, develop sustainably and equitibly, and investors make a few bucks too...

Anyways. Morocco is a lovely place and I have discovered a tea I love. The culture is a great mix of east and west and the people are nice and freindly although quiet tedious at times.. (French influence me thinks....). I have also gained a better vision of where I want to head in my career... Something to do with business education in developing markets...

Take care call... Off to Qatar tomorrow... Another different world to see and it's Ramadan ;-p

Living alone

2006-09-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

It is funny when I think about all the times I wanted to live alone so badly. I craved the freedom this brought, an ability to go off, do my own thing and no one there to slow me down or divert my path. Well after years of trying I finally have my wish and five weeks in what do I have to say about it? Hmmm… Maybe "five weeks is more than enough"…
This weekend was the first time I slowed down to reflect on my position and actually the result was a blubbering mess on the phone with Farah. It makes you realise that you can endure anything if you really want, you can suffer loss, loneliness, depression everything….. But when you keep enforcing these things on yourself in some attempt to grow up, become tough or whatever you have to question the sanity of such actions.
I travelled away from home because I didn’t want to. I always thought travel was stupid and a waste of time and money. So when the time was right, prior relationship in tatters, job not giving me what I wanted, I left… and started a campaign of comfort zone destruction that has brought me to where I am. I guess I figured that if I could "survive" outside my comfort zone I would be able to handle anything… I mean I have a strong belief that soon everyone’s comfort zones will disappear in a cloud of CO2 and Sulfuric acid rain so I thought it best to prepare for this.
And you know what…. I can survive pretty much anything out here…. But is that what I want from life, to survive? I am not an animal so much as to fight everyday to survive… I have the blessing to be able to seek out true happiness and love…. Which, thanks to my travel (I wont dwell on this irony here), brought Farah into my life….
So my dilemma is to where from here? I want to stick the year out here (which I know I can) but I don’t want to limit my days with my love. I mean days are a finite resource and soon I will have none, and anyone out there getting older will agree, the next thing you know your forty and the youth of your life is gone… I don’t want to miss these moments with the one I love… just to serve some self exploratory experiment…. Hmmmmm… I don’t know…. I guess I always wanted to be alone because I never found the one I wanted to be with… Now I have her, why the hell am I out here all alone, without her????

From Russia with Love...

2006-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Moscow?page=1

Being White

2006-08-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Try and think of a poor country that is a majority white country.... Please can you do it for a few minutes, can you come up with one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita

Have a look at this list and do you notice a trend? "Well Derrrr...." I hear you say, "tell me something I don't know!!!" Well being here in Dubai is making that list mean a lot more to me in a real sense. On Thursday I walked home after work, something that I think I am the only white person in town is doing, and it was like walking into a different world. About 500m from my work, which is on Sheik Zayed Road, the major road with Emirates Towers ect, I come to where the taxi drivers and shop keepers live, and it was like being in India or Nepal.... It was dusty roads, small little shops filled with all sorts of weird products, people sitting on the ground under a tree in the heat and dirt, clothes lines in the streets, on roofs etc and this isnt even close to what the labour camps must be like... rest assured when i get a licence i am driving out there... And then I get into my "Villa", air conditioned, with private pool and large rooms....ha.. a whole room to myself with a queen size bed....

I walked up and down that list.... and I did it again today. I was directed to the "Ex-Pat" supermarket... and gyms.... hahaha... I knew better.. today I found a gym for a quarter of the price of the expat places and the supermarket was half the price... But that is not all....

People earn like 500-1000Dhs a month here, I earn over 20 times that and I am on a low wage for expats... And they live in atleast 4 people per room. My taxi driver last night, from Pakistan, sleeps TEN people per room... and me, I am being driven home by this guy after spending his months disposable income on beer..... I felt ill thinking about it afterwards... And expats do this as a matter of course...everyday..no sweat...that's life.... I earn heaps, they don't too bad....

Hmmm... Well it's all good and well, provided your white..... well what if you werent... and you were born in a country further down that list??? Can life really be that much chance? Surely these Expats are super smart people.... that's why they earn the big bucks??? Hmmmm No... I think it is chance...

I guess the key... I mean besides the injustice of it all... is that money and material things really dont matter.. as if they did then well... how could there be a God? More likely most money over subsistence levels is a status thing... and well people love status... Ha.... Status! Bloody bank here is trying to push a "status account" on me... Like I give a shite about status and my bank... All I want it a place to put my money... and a way to get it when I need it.... They want me to pay for status... but people pay for image all the time... And well I guess they are only fooling themselves... Maybe the status and image thing is why they are so shallow and uncomfortable with who they are that the only way for them to have fun and socialise is to get drunk... which is such a typical thing with Expats here....

But I am being negative.... hmmm... but I guess it is something to be negative about... white people in the expat form are like their imperialist forefathers.... travelling around the world, making money in poor countries... basically ignoring (or trying very hard to) the plight of the natives, or other "slave" classes (which they are...slaves....) around them... buying land when they get a chance and then moving on to the next non-white country to take advantage of.... Well it just pisses me off. I would like to see expats wanting to help the places they live in... not "Only here for the money", which is what many people I spoke to last night had to say for their reasons in being here.... Why are people so selfish? Dont they realise that the money that they get is only covering up the fact that they are not satisfied with who they are, hence they fall into the status game to make up for the hollow person they are... Wouldnt helping out lead to them being happy with who they are and hence they wouldnt need the money in the first place... Afterall if a Philipino girl can be happy on 1,000dhs a month, why do we white people need so much more..... Answer, we hate ourselves, we are soft, we are selfish and we are used to being the ruling class... having it any other way would just not be British.....

Photos

2006-08-24T02:31:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics... only with my mobile phone as my computer died with all my real photos... Do'h. Well I will be here a year so I can get some photos in that period of time me thinks...

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/album20?page=1

Bags are packed... again

2006-08-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

And here I am once again; Bags packed and ready to move to a new place to live. It’s odd when I think that I lived in the same house for 20 years, the same town in which I was born, went to the same school for ten years. After a life that was built on such constancy, where change was something foreign to me I now find that moving and changing is as familiar to me as waking up each morning. In the past five years I have lived in twenty different houses (lived here is a vague term, I mean is being in the same place for a few weeks living? Hmmmm; I guess I define ‘living’ in a place as being there long enough to un pack you bags, putting things in drawers, as opposed to spreading things across the ground near my bed [you know you loved it Nick!]). I have been to over twenty countries and now…. Off to Villa 88, Street 6B, Al Bada’a, Dubai, UAE, somewhere where I plan to live for the next three months at least.

I often think back to why I have made change such an important part of my life. I mean I remember when I lived at 58 Fairloch Ave, Farmborough Hts, NSW, 2526, Australia, ph: 42 71 5242… I never really wanted to leave that sanctuary. It really was a perfect place for me. A largish house, with a bus route on the street, access to nature and places for adventure and excitement, railway tracks, parks, shops, waterfalls, football fields, and my mates, all within walking distance. And now? Wow, my closest friend is somewhere in Poland, my love in Canada, a few mates in the UK, Europe and my closest friends and family thousands of miles away in Australia. It is amazing how things can change once you decide to move on….

And it is funny you know. As it was my sister, Jess who urged me to move out of home in 2002. Well urged is probably the wrong term, more like insisted that I move out, she claimed that ‘independence’ was a very important thing… And all I wanted to think about at the time is if I would be financially worse off for the move out of home… Well after a few reviews of the social security legislation in Australia at the time and some consultation with my parents I managed to organise the situation so that I would be no financially worse off for moving and I would be closer to the beach and uni and yes… Independence would be that much closer to being a reality in my life.

So it was a year out of home in Wollongong to start defining my independence and the beginning of finding out how I wanted to live my life. … and the movement kept increasing from there….

So as I look over to the bags all packed once again I smile and feel that I have achieved at least some of what I set out to do. I mean everything material in my world in a few bags; and to tell you the truth even what I have there is a bit excessive. I no longer define my security by what I own, what I can see, touch and cover myself with. Now it is more about a perception, an understanding in my mind. An understanding that is beginning to see how the world works, a perception that is beginning to help me not need things to make my life progress rather just myself and how I approach situations as they face me. I guess I have learnt that it is about your mind, your soul and even more importantly those you love that help your life progress. Knowing that I have a true love I can contact and whom I will soon be with, a family I can call at anytime, even four in their am, and talk about anything, and friends about the globe I can talk with anytime, thanks to the net, that gift of modern technology that has allowed me to travel without feeling so far from those I love. This network of relationships is what keeps me safe a secure, no longer four walls and a roof in suburbia….

Bags packed, off I go. But it is no longer a road I walk unknowing nor alone. I maybe far from my loved ones but they are close to my heart and their wisdom rides with me on this next journey, I can only hope that soon they will be near me in the flesh also.....

Getting to Dubai

2006-08-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Finally gotten around to making the time to write a quick little story about Dubai, how I got here and what I think...

Well firstly it took much longer to get here than I orginally expected.... As some of you may have been aware, the British Airports Authority must have heard I was planning a mega on plane hand luggage hual from London to Dubai, so they decided to ban all hand luggage and in the process cause such a delay in flight departures I was stuck in Oslo for two days.... Do'h, well there goes one day of my life with only CNN or the music channel to choose from, as all other channels were pay to view at a cost of $20 per channel... something I don't think work would pay for.... Oh and forgot to mention night one in Oslo airport...which was slept on the ground, thankfully work offered to pay for night two, which was nice, but as mentioned above lacked multimedia appeal, fortunately there was a gym and buffet brekky...

So Wed arvo - Friday arvo was transit from Bo, Norway to London, England. Then I got into London.. ate some nice Thai food with wine and spent most of night on msn with Farah.... Then it was pack bag time.... oh yeah..... packing bags..... something I think I could right a Phd on now ..

So I get to the airport and what awaits me? Sitting in the carpark for a few hours waiting to hear if my flight has been cancelled.... Well thankfully it wasnt, it was called and for some reason.... I get away with 57kg of checked luggage... Ha! No hand luggage stuffing me up? Never! So then my flight still gets delayed... but now it's goodbye carpark and hello BA Business Lounge... And man.... wow!!! I could hardly believe it.... self service to everything.... including spirits!!! Internet, fine wines, expresso machines, soup and cheeses etc etc ETC!!!! Now I know how the other half lives!!! I mean, granted they are soft as ten day old camal cheese left in the Dubai sun at 1pm in August.... but hey I wasn't going to leave the place in protest at the extravigant life there tools live.... nup.... it was three glasses of chilean white, mixed with olives, cheese and crackers... then after I realised I could put my bar skills to my own devices it was white russians, bloody marys and gin and tonics.... Oh YEAH! And then I get on the plane and get a three course meal, with choices!!!! And like 25 channels to choose from and a seat that goes to 100% flat!!!! ARGH!!!! Maybe I will be damaged forever as riding a chicken bus in Guatemala will never be quite the same again.////

Anyways after 4 days of transit I arrive in Dubai and it's 45C, nice!!! And really it isn't as bad as you would think.... Actually I am doing very well... Esp. given I am the sweat king!

The place I am staying in is nice as and there is breakfast included, which is great as this is obviously my favourite meal of the day. And on top of this they clean my room for me everyday, including the washing up, which I found out on day two after I got lazy the night before.....

The city itself is nuts.... people extremely rich and people extremely poor... all living pretty damn close to each other...Work is great, office is awesome... even a pool table! Everything here is cheap, except rent, which hard to believe is more expensive than London! But I have found a place to live, with an Irish Guy, NZ Guy and an Ozzie girl, move in there on thurs....

Besides that um.... just getting used to being out here alone... esp. without Farah/// which is pretty tough but given we talk every night on the phone, it is barable at this stage...

Well will write more soon and put photos up soon too... but gotta run as tomorrow is a public holiday, something to do with Mohommad going to Jerusalem to talk to God and Jesus about how many prayers a day you have to do... strated at 5,000, but God buckled under the pressure and gave into 5... sweet!!!

Packing the bags and off.... once again

2006-08-09T03:32:00.000-07:00

Once again I am in one of those mornings where I will be going to bed and waking somewhere strange the following day. You would think that by now I would be used to this feeling.... something close to the feeling before an exam combined with the feeling before a ride at an amusement park starts... nervous energy full of fear, excitement and expectation...

Well Norway has been a 10 out of 10 experience for me; enough activites and excitement to keep me interested and occupied plus enough down time to allow me to prepare energy reserves for the next few transition weeks as I make my way into some of the world's hotter and more dangerous places.

Norway is an expensive place, so expensive that I really think if London bothers you for cost your brain would explode when arriving into Oslo and buying some takeout food. If it were not for family I would have spent well over a 1000 pounds a week here. But something about the costs here appeals to me. "What!!??" I here you say, how could a place that a beer costs $au15 and a hamburger costs $au20, $au25 if you want chips, appeal to me? Well I feel that this place is a true cost economy. A place where you actually pay for what you get including the impact purchases have on the environment and your own body. The high costs of drinking and eating out reduce your expenditure in these areas, you tend to eat at home, drink less (still have question mark here, but we drank more here as it was celebration times...), drive less - petrol here is about $au2.50 a litre. This all is good to the environment and your health, hence the appeal. We live in a world that is too cheap and we earn too much.... and instead of using this money for worthy causes we figure it is "ours" hence we spend it on bigger tvs and bigger houses, and in the process selling our future generations short.... well I wont get futher into a rant, rest assured there are policies here that would be useful. The place is not perfect but so much closer than Australia.... People here are just more thoughtful, deliberate in their actions, nothing is done here without considering all possible results. Infact they even put tunnels under mountains so trees ontop of these mountains are not damaged in the road building process, the result is the most expensive roads in the world... but as i said these are true cost roads and you use them with this in mind....

Family defined much of this trip. I have spent the whole time with my aunty Felicity and we have gone from relative to relative, being treated like important guests, fed, made to feel at home and introduced to more and more of life up here in the North. I don't think I ever really got any clear exposure to my extended family as i grew up in my earlier years. To me it was mum, dad, jess and Felicity and that was pretty much it. I wont go into the reasons, or atleast my suspected reasons for this, but I have to say I am very happy to have come here. Things feel clearer to me, questions have been answered and yet so many more have formed in my mind.

I think for the first time I really feel like a man coming here and no longer the child being dragged from place to place, doing things now out of choice, rather than expectation. I came here because I wanted to, not because it was expected of me. I have sat with my family and over come language barriers to learn about them, their ways and hopes and dreams, all out of choice. No longer am I the grizzly child complaining about when I get to leave and do "my own thing". This is my thing.... And I have loved it all and I love them all. My family is very much like me.... It is great to know I am not the only one that is a little crazy.... But hey the more I travel the more I realise when people are being themselves and feel comfortable with their situation they are all generally the same loving, caring, thoughtful and crazy people... the world over... well from what I have seen thus far... I guess that is way I now head east... to continue to fill in the blanks.

So farewell Norway... you have treated me like a brother and I thank you... I have learnt much and I know I will be back again... What a waste would it be not to return with such great family here I say I may be back more than once... as what is a $2000 air fare, when people spend twice as much on flat screen tvs that rot their minds and further degrad the communal fabric of our traditional society... [mmmm rant, love to rant :-)]

See you in Dubai!

Quick Update from the North...

2006-08-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well I am too tired to go into detail as days have been long here and much has been done.... Today was the most relaxed day and much food, cake and alcohol was consumed....

All I really want to say is that I am a million times glad to have come up here to see my family and my heritage... things are much clearer I think when you know where you come from... I feel a connection to the landscape and to the Viking history... something appeals to me... and no not the myth of Rape, Pillage and Plunder as this is not even true, well according to Norsk historians... Something more.... like the making things work when the world is against you.... much like the dutch and their sea walls the Nordic people have made a life in a very harsh yet beautiful land... Something about the lack of easiness and comfort really brings out the best in people I think.... The laziness epidemic infecting the west has yet to make it this far north... I hope it never makes its way up here...

Well I have climbed a mountain, swam in the Artic Circle, seen and partied through the midnight sun, and really connected with my family especially Asbjørn (my dad's counsin) and my Aunty Felicity, oh and yeah I have eaten whale (sorry!) and horse...... It has been a blast, check photos:

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Norway

And I left Canada and more importantly, I left my babe..... well I wont go into detail as the story will make you weep... or possibly reach for a bucket... but rest assured I am missing my sexy brown North American girl..... see photos:

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/torontoandhacks?page=1

I will have to write soon, but I confess to be lacking words to explain what has been going through my mind of late.... I can hardly believe that this time next week I will be starting work in the middle east... yet here I am on top of the world with a family I never really knew I had....amazing....

I have made great progess in many areas of my mind.... lets hope I don't drink too much here that I forget what I have learnt.....

Blame Canada....

2006-07-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well made it into the North American continent without too many dramas....

Photos thus far are up http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Canada

Farah and I landed and were whisked straight back to her parents place for Sunday Roast... talk about meet the parents!!!! Like long flight and straight into their living room with extended family... eating... chatting.... well they were... I was just smiling trying to not say anything out of line.... whilst stressing that I had 30minutes to get back to the airport and meet the boys..... Thankfully Arif (Farah's 19yo bro) drives slightly/alot faster than Daddy Hack... we made it back there on time... And the journey into the "Deep South" of Canada began... And what a country town this place is.... everyone drives a car, like even if it is a 300m drive to the corner store... everyone smiles and knows people by their names... and no black people or foreign cars anywhere... very different to Toronto....

Anyways first night we killed ourselves with my duty free alcohol (well actually Nick's Jonnie Walker.. and the Rum from Amanda and Trent... thanks guys!!!).... and then spent the next day recovering.... Then Adrian comes out the following night and we kill ourselves again.... See photo of Adrian:
http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Canada/DSC03012_Small

By now we are really getting ourselves a name in this little town... well it is all in good fun.... Right!?!?!

Then we head off to Niagara and we have the "Bucks Night" [insert your version of events here] rest assured no laws were broken and we were all pretty well behaved..... Well we all woke up in one piece anyways.... A special thanks to Leo for recommending venues and Ryan for continually putting the heating in our room to hot at full power....

The falls were amazing.... really impressive... but in true capitalistic style (i.e. getting as much money out of everything and to hell with respect for nature....) the whole place was basically a theme park.... I mean what kind of breed of human surrounds one of the wonders of the natural world with gambling, strip clubs and hoer houses??? Hmmm.... Well North Americans will be north Americans and business is business.... Well I wont rant...

Then I was off to Toronto to continue mission: MEET THE PARENTS. And results were a success.... add in helping Mrs. Hack's 50th B'day preps... chatting to whole family.... getting seal of approval from Dr. Hack (which from all reports "takes time".... well I think passing a body examination and full blood test screening by the good Dr. helped my cause [this is a story for another day ;-0 ]. Well all went well and Farah and I are now planning out options for the future..... Funny how life can work out....

All in all everything is good. Canada is lovely, I will resist my urge to go into commenting on their unsustainable lifestyle and how taking away their nice personalities and slightly more liberal politics you are left with the 51st State of the USA, and say that I am happy to be in love with a lovely lady from this grand Country.....

Now we are in the home stretch for Crouchies wedding... all plans are set in place and prayers will be made for good weather....

After the wedding Lambert and I are off to the birthplace of America's motor industry and car culture (and inevitably the destruction of the world's environment) and of course home of the SuperCop ... "RoboCop"!!!! Constable Crouch eat your heart out!!!! Detroit here we come!!!!

A goodbye but not the last….

2006-06-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

What more can I say but London is done and the next chapter begins…. Well it’s almost done, there is still final packing, getting to the Airport and yes… THE WALKABOUT to contend with….
But eleven months of London life is winding up to a close and both Nick and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief…. And then we both breathe in and jump back on the road of endless world travel… Me West him East….. then me East and him West….

When will we see each other again after tonight? I really don’t know… plans are for December…. But this all depends on Nick living through the badlands of southern Afghanistan etc.

What can I say that I have learnt in the past seventeen months with Nick?

Health

I now can do squats and push myself to failure in any gym exercise. I pay attention to the nutritional content of foods I. I value body as well as mind. I have quit smoking and moved to Diet coke. I am not as health conscious as Nick but I am a dam sight better than I was two years ago. Oh I also use moisturiser too ;-o

Rationality

I have discovered the “ultimate rationality”. Something that few would be able appreciate nor would I be willing to share it with them, but something I am sure Nick will understand.

More with Less

I have learnt to live simply and value basic things like a glass of water and a bench on the back of a truck. The road to true sustainable living has become much clearer in the past year and a half….

Love the pain

I have learnt to push all aspects of myself well beyond what I thought I was capable of. From ice walls to moving house on the Tube to zero degrees swims in London winter…. I have found the invigoration that comes from doing something that you normally wouldn’t do…. Embrace the absurdity and do it anyway.

Patience and understanding

Having lived with someone so different to me for so long I have learnt to understand that I may not hold all the possible answers to things and also maybe the way I feel about things is not for everyone…..

Well anyways… It has been a mad seventeen months. And I could list many more things. As for the future I have no idea nor would I want to predict as that takes the mystery out of things… Rest assured things will get far more interesting for both of us from this point….

Thanks for everything Nick! You have been integral in the complete reshaping of my future… Thanks for getting those tickets and getting us the hell out of Canberra! Love you and hopefully our paths will cross again sooner rather than later….

Hasta Siempre Mi Amigo Bueno!!!

Keep your comments to yourself

2006-06-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

What a great few days in London town....

As the departure day draws nearer and nearer I find myself trying to fit more and more into the bag of experience that is/was London. Many boxes were not ticked so what better time to do some last minute ticking than now. Wednesday went to see Stomp, a great stage show full of energy and humour. It was like being at a cultural visit at school, audience had many kids and the performers made sure there was audience participation. It was funny at the start when it was only those young members of the audience who would laugh. I found myself even annoyed at first that they were making the noise of laughing, thinking that this took away from the performance. Ha! What a hard nosed old fogey I am becoming... well rest assured my hard nosed exterior melted in due course and I was laughing with the rest of them. Laughing - something I do not do enough of these days.... great medicine for the soul I think.

Then it was Chicago and amazing dancing, singing and quality humour. What a performance.... a mix of sex and violence, pride and ego.... I wish I did dance and acting when I was younger.... Well it's not too late ;-0

Then Massive Attack in Hyde Park..... so so so cool.... Awesome stage show and big spread out crowd.... I was in the middle of London and a million miles away. It's funny how easily you can escape from things if you want to... I guess I have been learning that there was a better life I could have lived in London while here, instead of grumpling about all the bad points I could have been out there experiencing things. I don't just mean going to expensive stage shows (which arent actually that expensive when you book last minute) but just getting active into what is happening here. I mean besides the drunks and crazies on the streets there a millions of interesting and creative people here.... People we could learn from..... Anyways I am leaving in a week so I will just have enjoy what is left and move on....

So anyways to the title of this post....

Farah and I were on the way home on #94 from Piccidilly Circus. We had had a few drinks and hence had decided to discuss all the worlds problems in a logical order and then providing all the neccessary solutions as we saw them.... Something all people do from time to time.. Well by the time we had travalled the whole globe in our convo... This guy (drunk - of course) in front of us turns around and starts to preach about how egotistical and arrogant I am about thinking I know what people need and how I think I am the centre of the universe and have all the answers. So sick have I made him with my talk that he and his friend have to move away from me on the bus.... Well Farah and I were shocked... Had we just broken some unspoken law on what one can say in public (even if it is just between two people)? Well in this guys eyes... yes.... Well the poeple in the back of the bus seemed happy to encourage my freedom of speech rights as I left the bus... so atleast i didnt feel like i had offended everyone... Chance had it, as it often does, that I got off at the same stop as this guy... So I confronted him.... turns out he agrees with what i said in most cases but feels one is not allowed to talk of such things (PC issues) and he just had a shit night and wanted to take it out on someone. Whether he meant it or was too afraid to say what he really thought to me on the street with no others around I am unsure.... Hmmmm... It bothered me I must say, the whole incident... Am I really that arrogant? Does having ideas for "helping" the world mean I am pompus? Am I egotistical to think I can help? Is help needed? Kind of made we want to say.... stuff it why help.... If this is what I get for caring.... stuff it! Hmmm well all I can say is, which was also said by a grumpy pommy guy at one of my childhood cricket games... "keep your comments to yourself". Free speech.... Ha! Provided you say the right things.....

The Quest(ion) and Why does everyone hate Dubai?

2006-06-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

I find myself continuously questioning people about Dubai and I keep being faced with the same responses: “Interesting place to visit, but would hate to live there”. Whether it be rampant consumerism, urban sprawl, insufficient amount of affordable property for tenants, non-existent public transport system, dark underside of mistreating women, drugs, and sex workers from eastern Europe and Russia, lack of democratic process in government add on top of this oppressive heat… Well I begin to question why on earth I am going there.

I mean as I look back at the past three and a half years of my life (my post University time) I seem to picking more and more unpleasant places to exist. I mean living in Canberra for two years, which I described as a ‘soulless town, that had a very itinerant population’ by this I was referring to how the public service took in fresh faced uni grads and churned out hard nosed neo-cons, who two years after starting in Canberra were off to Sydney, Melbourne or London to continue the spread of Economic rationalism and a individualist contract based work ethic…. So my time in Canberra pushed me towards running away…. Which I did and spent a lovely six months travelling in South America, which along with my time in Nepal, was probably some of the best times in my life.

Then there was the London, I won’t say England, as I don’t know the place, barring a handful of trips to the countryside I have spent my time in the concrete confines of Zone 1 – 3… Wow. What can I say about London?

Well: I have not gone a day in the past eleven months where I have not walked past both a crazy person and a drunk… yes everyday… I see them. Now I am a pretty compassionate person, but really everyday… even I don’t care anymore. Generally all I feel now is a feeling of distaste and a mild form of sadness when I am confronted with this during my daily routines. I think London has taught me that we are heading for drastic problems if we continue on the urbanisation of our daily landscape, which I think is a timely lesson to learn as the human race becomes more urban than rural. Living in cities is unhealthy for body, soul and mind – this London has taught me.

So then I ask myself: Why Dubai? Like why work out that cities are bad places to live and them move to the worlds biggest city in construction?

I guess I am fascinated with why we chose the wrong path… To me Dubai is what is going to kill the world (I could just as well be Shanghai or Seoul, but hey in Dubai they speak English a lot more than they do in those cities). Dubai is a perfect example of what emerging economies think is the way out of poverty, a way into meaning something in the new age of globalisation, a way to get a seat at ‘the table’ for when some of the big decisions are made at a global level (rather than in the Oval Office, which is currently the case). And my question would be two fold: Why do countries sell out so easily and what does it cost them in terms of culture, society, environment and sustainability AND are there other ways to have a voice and develop and/or does having a voice and developing really matter?

On top of the development debate comes the religious one: Dubai – Have you given up your values and customs for a buck, or is this what you want us to think, whilst you get as much money out of the west as possible…. And the Middle East as a whole, particularly Saudi Arabia – “okay the west is getting it wrong on the meaningful, sustainable life thing, but are you getting it any less wrong, given your lack of freedom and generally low levels of development and high levels of ignorance amongst the vast majorities of your populations (I will ignore the fact that this is often the case in the western world, noting that at least in the western world people have access to the info, whether they choose to read up about it is another thing)?”

And as I start this quest my travel companion will be getting his hands much more dirty into the sands of many a desert from Turkey to Iran to Afghanistan (http://hoist-the-spinnaker.blogspot.com/ ). We both have many questions, some similar, some different….We both have many ideas on what is true… a couple similar and many different… But we both know that something is wrong and that something HAS TO BE DONE if the human race is to survive…

Will the year be able to uncover some truths for us? I hope so.

13 days left....

2006-06-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

Amazing to think that I am this close to ending such a big chapter in my life. I get nervous knots in my stomach when I think about what lays ahead of me:

30 June - Finishing work here in the UK
2 July (morning) - Leaving friend/travel+fighting partner/roommate of 16+ months on 2 July,
2 July (afternoon) - Seeing mates from home after 16+ months
July - Meeting Farah's family
8 July - Going on bucks night in Toronto
15 July - Seeing Crouchy getting married
July - Go to NYC
28 July - Say goodbye to my love for undetermined period of Time
28 July - Fly to Uk and kill a day
30 July - Meet my confirmed "in mid-life crisis" Aunty and travel to Norway
Aug - Meet relos in Norway, swim in Artic Circle etc
10 Aug (morning) - Fly back to UK
10 Aug (afternoon) - Fly to Dubai
11 Aug - Start life in Dubai predicted weather - Sunny and 45C and humid :-)

Wow.... busy but exciting..... but to tell you the truth I would almost trade it all to be back in a hammock on a beach in Cuba... But it is time for a new challenge and this is the one that has come my way.

What can I update on? Well went to Roma a week ago... Amazing... It is a must see as far as I am concerned. The most beautiful city in the world thus far for me... and romantic too... check out photos: http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Italy . Farah and I had a great time... saw lots and ate lots, and what more can you ask for? Not much :-)

Rapidly approaching the joyus finding new roommates part of our stay... oh yeah... fingers crossed it does not end the way Canberra did. I am sure Nick is thinking the same, but more about the "winding up at the walkabout" night for him ;-)

Fancy leaving London when it is at its best? Long warm sunny days.... something I could not believe existed in this part of the world... Well I guess it will be nice to end on a high note....

And anyone reading this please spare a thought and a prayer for my parents who have recently lost a dear friend, Tony Yarum. My love goes out to them in these times of mourning.. hugs M & D!

Travels with old friends

2006-05-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

Two weekends and two chances to catch up with those we met on the roads of South America.

First weekend and after some cutting it fine antics from Nick we jumped on Megabus bound for Poole in the south west of England. My first time to the coast of England and a chance to catch up with Alex and Emile, whom we met in Barlioche, Argentina – we also climbed a volcano, swam in natural hot springs and ate out in Santiago Chile together. Amazing to hear of their travels on the road, they managed 18 months on the road non-stop. They really impressed me with the way they approached travel, albeit a little less of the Nick and Lucas “lets see how close to death/being arrested” style of travel but no less full of adventure and a willingness to suffer discomfort in pursuit of adventure. They came through those 18 months travelling South America, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh and India such well seasoned travellers, a great couple and will be getting married next year at the same beach Nick and I threw caution to comfort and jumped into the English channel on a blustery Saturday afternoon. Not quite the “Channel Kings” but we did get wet….

I give top marks to the English country side being beautiful and hence nothing like London… Expanses of green rolling hills and little village after little village. Thanks guys for letting us experience an escape from the endless grey city, which is London.

Slap a week of work in the middle, sprinkle an interesting intro lesson to Arabic, a grumpy dinner with Farah and her American friend (oh yes Grumpy Lucas does come around still from time to time, sorry babe ;-), some gym sessions and we were off again… This time to my home land and a chance to meet another travel friend and also celebrate the one year anniversary of the fight of the century, or alternatively Nick’s 26th birthday!

We brought Pat an old college friend of Nick’s along and were picked up at the airport by Edwin, our man of Rio and Santiago fame a.k.a Tall Blonde blue eyed Dutchman or the lady killer of Chile! We dragged Edwin away from his uni books and managed to experience both the Dutch countryside of his upbringing and then the night life of Edwin’s more mature years in Amsterdam the night later. Result: I realise that Dutch people are cool, relaxed and really know how to have a good time… well adjusted and at ease with themselves. This in contrast to some of the desperate tourists (particularly English, Australian or American) trying so hard to take enough drugs and see enough stripteases in a vain attempt to “get it”. I could have told them before they wasted their money; There is nothing to “get”. The Dutch don’t live like this, 95% of people that go to the coffee shops and strip bars in Amsterdam are tourists. You legalise something and people get it and get over it…. Maybe that is what the tourists could take away from it…. Censurship does not work…

Anyways the Dutch leave me with this impression: Smart! They managed to turn a flooded low land into a world class country, society and economy…. Not bad for a place with no natural resources (blonde well proportioned women on bicycles not withstanding ;-) Holland strikes me clearly as the most sustainable country of the west I have seen thus far. From a bicycle orientated culture (due to sensible high taxes on cars and petrol) to a less is more attitude to urban development (the Dutch appear to value smaller “homes” instead of larger status orientated “McMansions” which dominate many other western urban landscapes). I vote one for the Dutch way of life. Liberal attitudes to sex and drugs (thank God there are some Governments whom have faith in their citizens to make sensible choices), sound sustainable and efficient town planning methods, smaller standard drinks in pubs (250ml vs 568ml pints), and generally happier people… Oh and did I mention that they were smart enough to all learn English yet not lose their culture or language in the process, didn’t you ever look next door France???? Only problem about Holland is they have pretty similar weather to England i.e. crap…. See if only you educated all Australians enough we could create a perfect world i.e. perfect society AND Geography… Hmmmm….. Well beyond any radical social engineering I will continue to search for my perfect place. Off to Canada soon and then Norway… I wonder how they stack up to the Dutch?

Thanks for an awesome weekend Edwin! I have to say you have a great country… South America was cool but I wouldn’t give up on your homeland just yet… But then again I think it is the adventure of travel you’re addicted to, not really the place on the planet travel takes you. It is the change we love my friend… The driver of everything in the universe.. Evolution (change/growth)… We avoid inertia as only when we move do we experience stimulation to our minds as our lives expand and experience more… Can we ever find this stimulation in the cardboard cut out 9 – 5 life that society continually attempts to force upon us? This is a question I have yet to be able to answer, maybe you have some ideas on this?

Best of luck with your studies mate and I am sure we will see each other on the road once more….

Please check new photos: http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/Holland

The Master Plan

2006-05-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Master Plan is something I always heard Phil, Adrian’s brother refer to as I grew up. He always brought is up when something fortunate happened to him… he said it was “All part of The Master Plan (MP)”. Well I guess we all have a MP for our lives, something that if we could have it all our way would be our future lives (in a realistic sense – I mean being the world’s fastest 100m sprinter or Fabio are not really realistic MPs, although Nick would disagree about point one and Phil about point two ;-). Well I won’t go into the obvious problems that come with living for a plan in the future whilst neglecting the circumstances of the now, but rest assured that there is some value in the “delay of gratification” idea and planning for the future is generally a positive step towards successful life management.

So I have been thinking a lot about what I want to be when I begin to start “living in” my MP, as I know that I am currently preparing for my MP – hmmm guess it is all part of the MP – I am just in a given phase of my MP. Well I have realised that I am totally convinced that the world has about fifty years left before things start going nuts. I say “nuts” referring to when Oil starts getting so expensive and rare that wars break out and massive economic shocks are felt (note irony about the fact that this has already happened – a number of times!… Maybe twenty rather than fifty years hey??). When pollution starts getting so bad that even George W Bush puts on the green cap (although I dare say he would be dead by then, which is pretty much why he doesn’t care about the environment at all – although I note his children will probably still be alive then, provided their coke addictions haven’t killed them off). When water is so hard to find that dams are attacked by countries down stream and when mental illness rates get so high that it will be strange not to have had several mental problems by the time you leave school… So basically I figure there is about fifty (twenty) years before civilisation starts to fall apart at the seams.

So what would the best thing for me to do? Well, use the skills I have to stop this from happening of course. Pretty big ask I think, but we should all do our bit. So my MP is to do all I can to help humans survive … i.e. help the human race find a sustainable way to exist on this planet. Sustainable means F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Funny when you think about it. I mean looking at the world today I don’t think anyone could say they see the human race surviving more than a thousand years. Why have we become so short sited? Have we always been this way? I would say yes…. And with the death of grand schemes such as communism and the rise of the individualistic “-ism” of the capital based society we have become even more myopic as hyper-capitalism and consumerism take hold.

So I will aim at human’s use of energy and other essential resources as my first target as this will be the first domino to fall when the shite hits the fan… From installations in people’s houses that make it clear how much energy and water they use – backed up with the relevant education programs to make people care and conserve – or make them PAY if this fails; Information on purchased goods in stores detailing CO2 that were made to produce given product. Amount of water to produce your steak at your local restaurant etc and of course Taxes and other relevant incentives to actually get the positive outcomes as we all know people don’t really care about anything but money and their immediate family… My list is long but I will be working on it and hopefully I will be able to get into being part of the solution. After all we in the west are the biggest part of the problem and aside from all dropping the ball of our lifestyle and downshifting, which ideally we would do but realistically won’t happen, taking practical steps to reduce our impact on the planet is the beginning of becoming a sustainable species on this planet. If we don’t then I guess it is too bad for us… We will be gone and in a few million years all our remnants will be gone too…

Oh besides above said Rant; Just got a great guitar…Taylor – Steel string acoustic - finally invested in something of high quality… wonder how much CO2 was released into the atmosphere to make it? ;-)

Oh yeah and also started Arabic lessons, hopefully by the end of my time in Dubai I will be fluent and will be chin waging with good old Osama in the hills of Northern Afghanistan about the pros and cons of state sponsored terrorism (i.e. US Army) vs. stateless terrorist organisations… My answer to him would be: “Hezbollah!”

Dubai

2006-05-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

Talk about something I never expected when I got my ten millionth call from a recruitment agency nine months ago. I mean anyone who has done the working holiday thing in the UK would know that when a recruitment agency calls you just smile, hold back the sarcasm and say you're available to work right away… Well that was my job at Visa sorted (after many false starts and empty promises from three separate agencies)… And nine months later I sign a contract with Visa to work in Dubai for a year. It still has yet to sink in, but in three months I will be living and working in the Middle East… This is all so nuts and like something out of a dream.

So yes plans have changed and travel has been delayed but sometimes you have to grab what God offers you with two hands and make the most of it. I mean how many times will I be offered a contract to work for an international business (that funnily enough is also at not for profit, well for the moment anyways, so I am not really selling out to big business), in a far out there region that involves travelling to one of the most hard to get to countries on earth (Saudi Arabia!!!!!) and the rest of the Middle East… as well as the possibility of travel to Africa, Russia and Central and Eastern Europe… Could you really say no? Plus throw into that a tax free life in one of the international hotspots for finance and investment and the deal was sealed. All this from a foot in the door and a simple £14ph contractor job….

A tough week....

2006-05-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Well the past week was something that will never be forgotten easily..... I don't thing I need even write a single word in my journal in addition to "Tough Week" to help bring into my mind the memories (and in some cases the lack there of) of what happened over the past seven days....

I don't think I dare even go into the details of what transpired during those seven days.... I am not sure it is worth it.. Rest assured I caused two people pain (Farah and myself) and those two people are now over this pain and everything has been sorted... Only permanent damage is:

(1) My mobile, which is now at the bottom of a London canal somewhere, along with all it's numbers and about £25 of credit;
(2) My leg has what appears to be a hole in it... pretty sure that will gradually heal itself over the coming weeks-months-years;
(3) Some public and private property... not too much I hope but if one day when I am fifty five someone pulls a few of the plants in my front garden out and maybe kicks my car... well lets just say I will be able to smile and be satisfied that the laws of Karma still operate effectively in this dimension;
(4) Some brain cells (well I mean what you going to do about this one? I figure (besides the fact that the brain ceases to create new brain cells post 21 years of age... I will believe I am an exception to this rule..) heavy drinking encourages natural selection in the brain, whereby the weak brain cells are killed of allowing more room for the stronger cells to breed and multiply... an idea anyways); and
(5) In general some self respect....

Lessons learnt are large and I figure this is the key and what makes mistakes (provided no real damage is done, and as can be seen from above, all is pretty much right now) so important in life. The lessons learnt are:

(1) Don't go to "The Church" ever again... http://www.thechurch.co.uk/beginning.htm Eye opening, sure to say... but once is surely enough... the costs were too high...
(2) Don't give you mobile phone to anyone.. esp. when drunk; OR
(3) Even better, when planning on getting wasted, inform your loved one and then switch mobile phone off... maybe leave it at home;
(4) Drink with friends who will keep their "eye" on you... there should be a designated "sane" person in every drinking party.. drinking less than 20 standard drinks should be sufficient to gain this title;
(5) When you know more about an issue than your girlfriend trust your instincts and don't listen to her demands... no matter how much you love her; and
(6) There are lovely caring people here in London, many from the middle east and sub-continent... but rarely are they taxi drivers ;-p.

A fun week... mainly driven my a day/night out on Sunday 30th April at the Church and Saturday 6th May at "the end" ( http://www.endclub.com/news/index.php ). Took me all week to recover from last sunday... emotionally and physically... and I feel okay now post Saturday... Amazing what we do in search of an experience.... thanks be to God that I am smart enough to learn from all my lessons... and thanks also be to friends and strangers who help you in your moments of need... and thanks be for the forgiveness you get from those you hurt but who love you enough to understand we all get a little crazy sometimes :-)

Turning Twenty Five

2006-04-27T01:15:00.000-07:00

Turning twenty five, Easter in London, travelling to Spain…… Well a lot has been happening over the few weeks and as per usual my blog writing has been absent.

All I can say is that I have this strange feeling of being an adult at the same time as being so far from being an adult it isn’t funny. I mean I feel mature, wise and all that stuff but I just don’t feel any of the needs for settling down and getting “on” with life, nor to I have the unending confidence in my abilities that I expected to have as an adult.. Go figure hey!?

I have quit smoking for the eightieth time so we will see how that goes. My parents gave me some money (thanks!), which I spent (some of it) on having a lovely hotel in Spain for Farah and I. People had a party in our building on my Birthday so that, I decided, would do for my party as after all I have never been big on parties for myself. Also went to the Messiah in Albert Hall on Good Friday… awesome!!!

Has my view on the world changed now I am twenty five? Hmmm:

Well I am as two faced as ever when it comes to my belief in the future of the human race. On one hand I am certain of the impending destruction; on the other the more people I meet the more I believe that the most of us are the same and that we will work it out somehow.

I still plan on becoming the first “world controller”, with Nick as my trusty advisor… and also will be a hermit for the last ten years of my life, when I plan to experiment with mind altering drugs.

I still long for the day that they put a computer chip in our brain, with wireless net connection and large storage capacity, which we can use to do all our work and other computer related activities whilst lying in a warm bed and thus avoiding the need for getting up for anything other than fun, like surfing and the like.

I still think God invented religion to ensure that Man would continue to fight and kill himself and thus never escape the monotony of daily life and become like God… God really doesn’t like to share the control of the universe, I mean doesn’t he trust us ;-)

I still think working 40 hour weeks for 40 years is insanity… think about it a little while and you will come to the same opinion.

Advertising is bad and marketers should feel ashamed of themselves as all they do is ensure people aren’t happy with what they have and hence force them to work harder in jobs they don’t like for things they don’t need. We are not “free”, as the sellers of capitalism would have us believe… rather we are trapped in a culture of expectations and image, where things are black and white… you fit in or you drop out…..

People are still pretty racist… and I guess this makes sense… we have hated difference ever since our cave man cousins saw some dude from across the river… different people want to take our stuff so we have to kill them… this is pretty much the same now… The Chinese want America’s lifestyle and the Polish want the British people’s jobs….

Sport should never have become professional as it allows people to “indulge” in sport without moving a muscle… fancy an overweight, unfit sports nut… how stupid!

Um… we in the west consume way too much and our day or reckoning is coming ever closer… Oil will run out in fifty years and wars will be the result…. Although hydrogen fuel cell technology is promising… this still is no excuse to waste what we have now…

Um… anyways that’s a little rant to show I still am as cynical as ever… But I know people are great all the same… we, myself included, just want to be loved and we do everything, from buying flowers for loved ones to going to war, to be accepted and loved….. I just pray that we express ourselves in more sensible, mature and sustainable ways into the future… If we don’t some species that can will replace us….

Thank you all for your birthday wishes and there are a few more photos:
http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/april
http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/art
http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/barcelona

Oh and only two months left in London… YAY!!!!!

A theory on the United States

2006-04-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

Nick and I were chilling after another nice gym session last night and I complained as to there never really ever being anything decent on UK tv…. I really wanted to chill for a few hours and watch some quality entertainment on the old tube… Thankfully my wishes were granted as “Super Size Me” was being shown on Channel 4. Sweet! Some quality American bashing… Nothing makes you feel better about the moral, ethical, intellectual, spiritual etc standing of your own nation than having a good old perve at American lifestyles….

Whilst watching the movie/documentary Nick, who hadn’t seen the film before, remarked on how stupid Americans are. And this is where I would like to commence my theorising.

Questions:

(1) Are Americans more stupid than the rest of us?

(2) If not, why do they seem so stupid?

Okay. Answer to question one is simple. No. Why, I hear you ask? Well unless you are racist you will agree that we as humans are all pretty much the same and given this the average IQ of America, as it is for the UK Australia and Bolivia is 100, simple as that. Fifty percent of people will be below that and fifty percent will be above that….

But surely the Japanese are smarter… they work harder… right!? Well no… although you can increase knowledge through learning your basic logic and hence intelligence is determined by genetics and cannot be changed no matter how hard you study…. Sorry Nick ;-(

So given that question one is sorted…. Why is it that every American we see appears to be dumb as a post? Well this is my theory:

We see most of our Americans on tv not in real life. Because America has such a larger media exposure to the rest of the world we tend to see a wider cross section of the American public on tv. Put simply we watch Jerry Springer, which shows the worst of American stupidity but we don’t watch Xian Chan (made up Chinese Jerry Springer style spin off) so we only see the higher/more intelligent people from most countries on tv… but for the US we see them all… from their best (insert smart American’s name here) and their worst (hmmmmm…Chuck Norris?).

Also, we associate wealth with intelligence. Given the United States is by far the richest country in the world we expect them to be the smartest. When we see that they are normal and not super smart they perform below our expectations and hence we are shocked and label them stupid. They are just like you and I… Sad but true my friends.

Oh… also maybe it is the accent and the fact that Americans tend on average to be more self centred … self centred being a characteristic often associated with stupidity…

Anyway check this just for fun...

http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm

Rest assured the States have the most nobel prizes in all categories… so they aint all dumb….

It's all about the weather!

2006-04-04T00:59:00.000-07:00

What a difference longer, warmer, sunnier days make!!! We have passed the spring equinox and I am feeling great… Please note this attached link to SAD http://www.sada.org.uk/ … this is why these poms are such depressive whingers half the time… they have an excuse!

Well Nick and I have moved from our lovely little private apartment in Ladbroke Grove to Kilburn Park which is further to the North West. We are currently sharing with two Slovenian girls who will be replaced by two Canadian girls in a few weeks. The move, once again all performed on the Tube went well, and besides my duvee trying to explode out of it’s plastic bag on the tube and on runs between changing lines all went well. Thanks Farah for letting me stay somewhere warm and dry in between leases!

So the new area is lovely, a little less richo but a good mix and it is even closer to my work, only 25mins walk! Which is great esp. given the improvement in weather and longer days…

Well only three months left… Can you believe this!?! We have been here for like eight months already. Rocked up on the 27th July, which was like over eight months ago… almost enough time to have a baby… fingers crossed I don’t get any calls from South American versions of the CSA Argh!!! ;-)

I have been very lazy of late with the blogging… I guess I just never really feel like blabbing on about things…. All I can say is for the past few days post move I have been feeling great. Nick and I are having more fun together now we don’t live solely together and I feel Nick has overcome SAD (see above) and is getting back into fitness and health, as too am I and it is doing the both of us the world of good. Farah and I are going great, less stress and more fun…. Although we have our moments (Farah - you sure you're not 100% black African?!?!) I think we have both grasped the fact that we are both at interesting times in our lives and hence should hold onto these moments as they last and accept what the future holds….

Also Jess rang me a few times last week, which was great as I haven’t really spoken to her in like well.. for like over a year. So cool to hear from her again… It can be easy to forget you have a family and a baby niece when you’re so far away… Well I don’t forget!

Love you all and might write a rant about positional consumption and the failure of the counter culture to create anything meaningful in social progress in the past forty years…. Just a book I read on the weekend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rebel_Sell ), which I followed by a walk to Camden town, where I saw hardcore punks holding up billboards advertising money changing and lunchtime meals…. How can one sell out when there is nothing to sell out… right?

Success on a Sunday afternoon....

2006-03-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

I often find myself very disappointed in my achievements to date... I have achieved very little so far in my life and am at risk of achieving nothing with what God has given me. Merely a small time hedonist... that is all I am... adding nothing and taking what I can. And hence my Sunday blues....

What is the point of continuing this style of life? And so it comes back to what I want... well I guess I want to learn how to be happy with who I am... And that, after all, was meant to be the purpose of this "journey"...

Well I know more than ever what a loser I can be.. How I continue to fail due to my own action and/or inaction. But then again what could I do to succeed, and in reality is there such a thing as success anyway?

I search always for those brief moments of happiness and enlightenment, they seem so rare and when not with me it is as if they never existed. Is this the meaning, to search for this? But are these things sustainable anyway? What makes these things good is their rarity, just like anything in this world. Only in scarcity is their value. And thus is the irony of the world we have created for ourselves. The very system we have made limits our happiness, our satisfaction, and it mediates itself to ensure we cannot have more for a sustained period. Linked to this is relativism, which is surely the curse of the rational (or more likely the irrational) mind. We can never have what we want because we are chasing a rainbow... We move towards it and it moves away from us at the same speed as our pursuit. So are we doomed to our predisposed ability to achieve anything? As after all an achievement is not really a thing in itself, rather how the given achievement makes us feel. And surely as a result of relativism this feeling is locked in place... and thus my fears of pointlessness arise....

Is this why we believe in God? Only within a "higher power" do we see the ability to break out of this fixed reality of relative value, only then can we find sustainable happiness? => This is my goal after all.

So why did I run from my faith? I guess because I saw it as a lie. People claim to seek faith on selfless grounds but this can hardly be the case. They seek God as a source of happiness and of comfort for themselves. So it was the falsehoods of worship that pushed me away. But unfortunately without God life has no meaning, whether or not God/Religion is lies or truth. So that is my dilemma; To attempt to construct meaning in my life without the God, from whom, I have run. Maybe this is why my Sundays are cursed... a reminder from God that I have ignored him... or even worse, have persecuted him!

So do I return? Do I devote these wasted days once again to God...admit to myself that I need God for meaning and then take my life forward from there? Maybe success in God will break my bondage of laziness and other successes will become possible. Maybe then I can have a vision for myself, for my life and not be afraid to make a go of it... as with God in your life there is no failure....

And thus is there any value in debating the existence of God? Maybe it is the case than man creates God by faith... we create aspirations higher than ourselves to help promote the growth of the divine in our lives. After all we are not that far from animals. And we see how we are still animals all the time. Whether it be the "meat market" culture of the pick up joint on a Friday night or sectarian violence in central Iraq shown on BBC World. We are but inches away from savagery... all of us....Hence we have created something distinctly above all this chaos... God. By following that divine path we save ourselves through God. Transcend the brutality of mankind and aim for something which is right and true... divinity. The fact that there is a common string of what divinity is amongst faiths/creeds etc the world over proves that there is a God... that we are all, as humans, linked to God and that only through God can truth, meaning and happiness ever be found [well it's an idea anyway]

The complete London experience

2006-02-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

I remember learning in school about how my country started.... Good old England has an acute shortage of prison space, this combined with a zero tolerance crime and punishment policy meant that new and ingenious ways needed to be found to accommodate the ever growing prison population. The Government of the time knew of a Great South Land that had recently been discovered and apparently this land had no one there, Terra Nullius they called it (we wont talk of the thriving indigenous population living there at the time…). So they thought to themselves....hmmmm..... these damn prisoners.....these convict folk..... why not send them across the oceans to this strange land far away.... down there they can't steal anything because there isn't anything to steal....yeah....lets get a fleet of boats together and send them to this empty land of the south....and thus my home country, Australia was born....

So what better way to connect with my home country than to travel all the way to London (where the birth of my nation was decided upon) and be pick pocketed by a Londoner.... Yep now I can truly connect to my home. So as I caught the no. 52 from Knightsbridge to Notting Hill, with flowers in one hand, the hand of Farah in my other hand and my wallet.....hmmmm...where is it.... I thought it was in my coat pocket....HA! Not likely my friend.... "Like to pick a pocket or two..." or so the song in Oliver Twist goes.... Well my wallet of ten years...yep one of my first purchases after getting my first checkout chick job at Coles Warrawong...is now gone...and Oliver Twist and all of his friends are now £20 + Oyster Card (£10 of prepaid London travel), photos of Farah, Sister and Debussy and Bonney (my cats of childhood), gym membership cards, video cards, phone card, and two credit cards better off... Do'h! Well that'll learn me I guess.....

So now I am planning super secure travel techniques for the next journey... I guess I can be thankful I have learnt my lesson now and not in Bishkek or Tashkent….

So keep your wallet safe ladies and gents.... the world is not a safe place!

The curse of Sundays...

2006-02-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

It's funny how no matter where I live Sunday brings with it the pain of never feeling like you got what you really wanted to out of the weekend.... And thus the sun is down the rain is here and another week faces me in London... only 20wks left though... amazing how the days just disappear... just like the polar ice caps the days leave us at what appears to be an increase rate of knots....

Well it has been an interesting few weeks in the mind of Lucas... The direction of momentum has moved off into the future travel that awaits Nick and I in just 5 months. The plans are starting to take shape.. http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/album08/The_Plan And with Nick gradually going insane at work (given he literally has nothing to do, and in true English style, rather than asking for more work to do, he apportions what little he has across the week and spends the rest of his time writing emails about world domination, the pain and pleasure of being a single hetro in search of love and researching travel...) plenty of effort on his part has gone into travel planning, hence the above link to some crazy plan to see the worlds most difficult to see places...

The next phase is about the begin with preps i.e. getting Visa's, which after doing a little looking around last week, I have realised that it is going to be a very expensive activity... Seems like the world’s most dodgy places are also the hardest and most expensive to get Visa's for... esp. Iran and the "Stans"... do'h... But get this!? I have one thing to thank good old Johnny Howard for => Thanks to the coalition in Iraq... and obviously our country's involvement there... I as an Australian citizen can get a Visa to visit Iraq!!! Yes (as mum and dad's brains explode...) I could go to Iraq.... Not that I will... but nice to know that the option is there...

Anyways besides thinking about travel I have to organise Tax here... which is a slight dilemma as I think I could avoid it if I wanted to..... But given I believe in the state and gave a speech at my graduation about paying taxes being a good thing I think I should get my stuff sorted and pay up..... But the evil temptation sits on my shoulder..... Also have to think about moving again in a month.... which will no doubt involve a midnight tube trip across London... fingers crossed we get a good deal and somewhere well placed...

Well I could ramble but I wont.... rest assured I am okay... feeling lazy on a Sunday evening..... didnt do what I wanted to do today => Work out master plan to save the world from certain destruction...hmmm maybe next Sunday hey!?!?!

Days getting longer and Lucas is getting happier :-)

2006-02-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that the worst that London had to offer in the form of weather is almost over... and coming to think of it the worst of everything is over... as I sense a strong need to touch wood. But really life has hit a really good patch of late and baring my normal mood swings, which I have decided are part and parcel of having a slightly over active mind the pros outweigh the cons so I will keep my fortnightly grump session thank you very much.

The last few weeks have been productive and enjoyable and time is starting to fly.... which I am not sure is a good or bad thing. Like I wait for the 1 July date for when all the travel starts again but well.... hmmm I am getting older too and when these days leave me they have left forever..... I have started learning French, thanks to Farah so I have a weekly Monday night lesson, which also involves me skating over to her house, which is great fun, I never have really skated regularly ever.... do I sense the need to do "young" activities to fight off the encroaching old age??? Ha! Well I hardly think 24yrs is a large amount of time in the big scheme of things.

Also starting to get back into web design so keep your eyes open to Futureshock101 joining the world of the web in a new way. Work has been pretty good of late and have put my little toe into the possibility of staying on here... obvious I wont work at this point in my life for the sake of work.... that's for the money hungry, the married, the tied down to financial commitments i.e. largely unnecessary material possessions..... fast/expensive cars, fancy large houses, you really need these things??? Well I guess living in a world without nature nor much meaningful spirituality means you need something to make it all seem worthwhile... so why not the pursuit of the material?

Actually the pursuits of life have been occupying my mind a bit of late... And with Nick sprouting many a controversial topic on his page I feel the need.... no duty to sprout my on rant.... So close browser now! hehehe. Well life I have decided (this is one opinion, I have ones on the other side of this argument, but like to explore all sides of ideas....) is quite possibly rather meaningless in its current state in the western world... Think about it.... We were originally designed to have children and perpetuate our gene pool.... now we avoid children like the plague until we have "enough" money for them, only have a couple and usually to the same partner... hence we aren’t maximising our evolutionary potential... so that reason for life is gone. Next meaning was spiritual.... well I wont delve into this except to say that the modern/"intelligent" life means God takes a back seat... so God as meaning is gone...Then the state.... we now are told to distrust the state and head towards individualism instead.... so our goal of a mutually created utopia, involving all society is gone too... So where is the meaning???? Basically our job is to consume to ensure the wheels of the economy keep turning.... sounding pointless???? So anyway.... I am still seeking meaning in this world..... Just a short rant for you.

Yeah check out some photos.... we swam in the Serpentine in Hyde Park on Saturday morning, it was 2C.... now that was so so so fun and all these old people were doing it.... I guess it is things like these and the people you meet doing them that create meaning in our lives.... sounds reasonable to me.... http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/album14

Anyway lost my train of thought.... will try to write more and email friends as I have been lazy of late. Take care all!

January in London (uninspired title)

2006-01-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

I tend to look at the frequency I write in my journal and/or my blog as an indication of how interesting my life is at the moment.... Well at least my mood towards and perception of my life. So has much transpired in the year to date? Well I can say that 27 days have left my life forever, much of that time exchanged for money... some of it given away and some of it stolen.... But now I am trying to write something 'meaningful', which as 'meaningful' things tend to be, means absolute bollocks (FYI I never use that word, just thought I would put it there to sound "English").

I went to France for a week earlier this month (see: http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/album12 for some pics) and experienced snowboarding for the first time... Actually besides ice hiking up 6000m peaks and ice sliding down active volcanoes this was my first "real" experience with snow... I say real cause I don't consider Mum and Dad driving Jess and I down to the "Snowies" for the day with a piece of plastic in hand a real snow experience... but that was fun too.... Yeah crazy stuff... you can see why Europeans are hard core. Like sliding down mountains.... cliffs even!!! Crazy crazy stuff... and being so keen to slide down these mountains of death they build cable cars up there..... Hmmm all I could think was.."This is fun... but surfing is as fun and easier and safer and cheaper....". Well I guess they didn't have beaches to go to so the next best thing was the mountain! Anyways that was fun... albeit nerve wracking!

Anything else of note in this world? Had our Swedish friends from Bolivia stay with us a few days last week. Was strange to see people we knew when we were different people... I confess to feeling awkward about it all.... I guess I have changed... at the very least in appearance ... they knew me as a long haired crazy man driving 4WDs across deserts... Gave me a chance to reflect on how I have and have not changed since the trip... Ha "The Trip" I call it... As I separate that experience from now.... Man I hate the compartmentalisation of life!

But all is good more or less. I have come to terms with working for a living.... But hold true to the belief that 40hrs per week is too much to do at a long stretch... a year here and there fine but regular work that takes up your whole life.... That is insanity.... Actually I was reading my diary from Cuba last night and I had some very interesting ideas about work vs happiness vs security.. I wont write them here.... But interesting to know that my mind can think of such things.

London is getting brighter and I think the worst of winter is over... and thanks to all you car owners the winter was not as cold as expected.... So the greenhouse has had at least a short term benefit for me.... But as the world dies and wars are fought out for the scraps of civilisation I think I wont be a net benefiter of the process....

Going to Farah's first lead performance in London tonight.... should be so so so cool... Although I confess I am a little nervous. But given she is a world class performer there should be no problem. But I can't help feel that I will make her laugh or something during the show... I better be on my best behaviour.

Oh and have been reading some contrasting right and left wing economic stuff books lately.... And must confess the left are so soft around the edges and the right is so stupid...... It's no wonder they never agree... But I can't wait to go to a protest.... the tear gas thing, now that would be a box to be ticked... maybe a G8 or IMF or World Bank protest soon.... that would be like going to war for a good reason....

Well take care all.....

Goodbye 2005

2005-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

And so ends what has been the most event filled year of my life thus far so I guess it would be apt of me to do a little summary of what I have achieved/experienced in 2005.

I travelled to fifteen different countries, ate some of the best steak the world has to offer, ate glacial ice, hiked through dust storms with 30kg on my back, climbed a volcano and saw lava up close, had condors fly close over head, swam in thermal pools, listened to Easter mass in Espanol, drank Malbec, went to the driest place on earth, saw pink flamingos, drove a 4wd over salt flats, got lost in the desert, mountain biked down the worlds most dangerous road, climbed ice walls and summitted 6100m, searched for the lost cities of gold at the worlds highest lake, saw Maccupicchu, surfed in northern Peru, jungle trekked in the Amazon, boated down the Amazon on a Hammock, flew in a cargo jet in Colombia, had my first fist fight (with me best friend , yeah Nick you loved it!), went to Cuba (the ‘real’ Cuba!), smoked a Cuban, saw the ‘real’ Cancun, learnt Spanish, hung out on the beaches of Miami, worked in and managed a pub in the UK, got a job with Visa, met a lovely Canadian Opera Singer …… and so much more I probably can’t remember…..

I guess it’s hard to write how I feel about it all now. I live in such a different world to the worlds I have experienced this year. Living in a flat in London in winter doesn’t really bring out the poet in me….

I feel a little lost and alone at the moment I must confess. Being so far from my family and closest friends and having been away from them for so long makes me feel a little numb inside. Like I am holding my breath until I see them again…. I haven’t been too homesick on my travels but when I think of some of the things I have missed out on this year I do get sad. Namely my niece being born and growing up…. I guess that has been the biggest loss of 2005….. What can I say? I guess I regret not being there…. And this Christmas being alone whilst everyone I know (including Nick) will be with their families I do feel a little sorry for myself…. Farah is in Canada with her family, and my family are in Bundanoon right now in the warmth of Australian summer… and here I am going to work and getting home in the dark…. Oh well I will stop the complaining…..

So what have I learnt from 2005…. I could say the typical; that “everything is possible”… and it is true this I have learnt. I know now that you can go anywhere and do anything if you want to… and if you wait long enough your dreams will come true…. I guess patience is something I have learnt and as I sit here it is clearly something I am still learning. I have learnt that the world is not what we think it is… The TV/Books/The Internet are poor substitutes for the real thing. I know that to really have an opinion about something you have to get out there… I have learnt to shut my mouth…. In many occasions… Something I know those close to me in Australia would find hard to believe but it is true…. No more “opinions” about things I have no idea about…..

And for 2006? Well God only knows that one…. A few definite things are: I will work until June 30 in London, I will be in Canada for the 15th July, I will travel to more countries, I will go skiing in January, I WILL go to North Korea, I will … hmmmmm…. Well the rest I don’t know…. So much will change this next year I am sure. Will I continue to fall in love and move to another country to live? Possible…. Will I climb over 7000m? Hope so. Will I see my family? Bloody hope so. Anything is possible…. And those who know me know I hate committing to things so I wont. I will just say that I will be out here doing things not talking about them…. I spent so much of my youth talking so passionately about things but doing so little…. And from experience doing is so so so much better than saying. I have suffered for some of the things I have done but I wouldn’t take them back as they are all part of who I am now….

It’s funny thinking back to when all this started…. Hmmmm was it April 1999 when my direction first left me? Was it going to Nepal and realising that life had so much more to offer than what I was gearing myself towards? Was it the gradual grate of life in Canberra in a painful relationship and a meaningless circular existence achieving little? Was it when I broke up with Emma and fell of the edge of reason? Or was it when I met Lea and found out how fragile and unrealistic love can be? Or was it when I finally got on that plane to Fiji and then the world? Was it my first night in Rio? Was it letting go of control and catching the next bus out of town because I could? So many places I could finger as the beginning of all this…. Well when ever it started I am glad that it happened. I can thank Nick who booked two tickets and the then asked me if I wanted to run away from life with him to find what we both really wanted…What a smart move on his behalf……

I just want my family to know I love them, miss them so much…. And I thank them for understanding that I had to do this. That I had to leave before I lost myself in a life I never really wanted…. Thank you so much!

And for New Years??? Hmmm cold London is a must I have to say. Any resolutions? MUST! Top of them are quitting smoking for the 72nd time, learning French, getting lots of cash saved, being an awesome boyfriend and friend and working hard at work….. Have a great party everyone, enjoy family time and I hope to see some of you next year….

Small turns in the road

2005-12-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

It's funny when you trace back to the cause of things and see that small turn in the road and see the way it has taken you. Can it really be those small decisions so long ago that brings you to where you are? Sometimes I think that this is true, it is when fate comes into your life and takes you where you are meant to be.

For example I can trace where I am all the way back to Chile and an evening walk with Nick after a lovely meal that has led us to where we are right now....

We went to organise our Salar De Uyuni trip and it was just after dusk and we were walking down the little streets of San Pedro de Atacama. We went to a few different tour companies and got quotes and the final one we came to had a big selling point => "Chicas de Suisia" was the turning point in the road... Yes a tour with Swedish chicks, how could we say no? So we paid our money and organised to meet the next day for the start of our trip. We slept that night with dogs running around our tent and the crisp coolness of the driest desert on earth. The following morning we packed our tent up and set to leave......

And on that tour we meet not only Chicas de Suisia but also a Polish (Aska) and an Australian girl (George) who would end up changing the course of our lives....

Because of these two (in addition to many cool on the road tales of mines in Bolivia, nights out in La Paz and beach nights in Peru) I got my job in the pub, maintained the determination to stay in London, met Farah (as I met her through my job in the pub), got my current job at Visa as I would have left London before it happened if George hadnt convinced me to stay after listening to all my complaining, met Michael at the pub whose house I live in now.... I mean I could list many other things... but the point is I wouldnt be here if we didnt take that tour on that day... amazing....

I know we could dissect our lives endlessly this way, but sometimes it is nice to see the small things we do that end up defining so much of the rest of our lives. So guess we never know when destiny will happen and fate will decide.....

Well I am moved into our new place. It's great.... big living area, big bedroom and big kitchen... it is too good... and some morning in the coming months I will look out my window and see snow and I will be so happy ...... London the "ball buster" as a friend once called it.... well I think I will survive.... that and then some I think!

My land line is +44 2089645094 , I have broadband on 24-7 so I will be about on the web if anyone wants to say hello.... And it's only 18 days from the shortest day of the year and it's all looking nice from where I sit.... :-)

On the road again...

2005-12-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

And once again bags a packed and the road (or in this ase Tube) stretches out before me.... Amazing that after living in the same house for 20 years that since then I have lived in more places than I can count. Well this move aint so big but no less challenging... My entire contents of my life put into bags and moved across London....

Predicted to take two trips; One tonight and one tomorrow night. So if all goes to plan I will be able to stroll down to Portabello road markets on Saturday morning from me new home.... oh how sweet things can be when fortune decides to smile on me....

And it starts to get to us all...

2005-11-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

This morning felt like everyone in the city got out of bed on the wrong side.... I think there is this point that everyone realises that we are or the door step of winter and it has already been freezing for the past month and there are like four months to go of freezing weather and we all fall out of bed asking the same questions "Why, why, why am I here??? What is the point to all this??? Surely there is a better way to live...". I guess I should consider myself lucky as I have access to that "better way" if that's what we shall call it and I am merely delaying my gratification in exchange for a challenge, an experience and yes some £s to spend travelling.

Reminds me of a little saying. A man says to his friend "I'm so unhappy." And the friend replies: "You're not unhappy mate - you just think you are." So all is well, we just need to fix up our minds... Well I think getting some sun shine would be a help to, but seeing as that is not an option what can be done.... hmmmm grinning and bearing seems the only option.... Rest assured Nick and I considered staying on the Tube all the way to Heathrow and making a run for it.... Unfortunately we had the sense (was it sense of a lack of belief in true freedom?) to get off at Kings Cross and go our respective ways to work....

But yeah London has started to get to me. I think it is the everything inside thing that is getting to me... only outside you experience is from tube to front door.... of home, work or bar.... I want the wide open spaces... Like when I was on the vast expanses of the Salar de Uyuni.... man what a contrast to now.... I don't economic models factor the lack of environment very well into calculating the quality of life for people living in London... trust me it has a big impact on you...

Does know most other people are as unhappy if not more unhappy than you help? Hmmm. Well this lady gets onto the elevator this morning, like she barges in as the doors close... looks at no one and hits the button of here floor... her face is like "ARghhh why is life so hard, why do I put myself through this pain...." and then the elevator stops at a floor and she rushes out, only to find it was not her floor... he face screams "Oh God, oh God .... why why why have you made me live this life!!!". Rest assured after seeing this woman, in addition to feeling decided sorry for her, I felt much better about my life and managed a warm smile at her, in a vain attempt to make her realise that it all is not that bad, that there are worse things like cholera, AIDS, the devastation of war or Cancer to worry about..... We love to find pain in things... I think we seek it... I often in moments of happiness ask my self the internal question "So now, what is the problem" Like my life isnt complete without something to worry and gripe about... don't worry I have fun something after the initial feeling of happiness of seeing this overacting woman... I am insane? Well I am about as insane as the average Londoner.... but I have a ticket out of this asylum, don't think many of the other 7 million people here do....

Winter Solstice

2005-11-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

The best thing about doing something repetitive in a place like London is that when it all gets you down you can put your head up and think "Well at least I got my arse into gear and did something different by doing the same old thing on the other side of the world....". Ha, funny but it is kinda true you know. As I make the walk home from the tube, in now what is always dark, as it gets dark here at like 4.30pm, I do think this... it feels cool to be so far away from what was... and also so close to what is to be.

I have been thinking about the Winter solstice a lot of late and it all makes sense to me why all those pagans in the past used to (and probs still do in their dungeons in leather and sniffing nitrous etc) party and sacrifice virgins and the like on the shortest day of the year... What a celebration they thought! Bastard cold is leaving once again and the sun will once again return... so hey.. lets kill a hot chick that has never had a good taking care of... hmmm well maybe that aint so cool... but I agree with the happiness that comes from this great day.... This year the 22nd December... So I think I will celebrate this day... not sure how... and I doubt any virgins will be involved... but a sign of respect for the summit of London winter being reached is worth some kind of celebration...

And life? Well it is a process of growing up day by day.... Learning that yesterday I knew nothing and today I know even less.... but it is truly an adventure. The gym is an important part of daily life, although I have to remind myself I am going there with "Sporty Nick", hence I should not feel too bad about not breaking even muscle fiber in my body in every session like he does... But benefits are around and after doing something very silly (but enjoyable!).... yes I like Jerry Seinfeld before me... yes I shaved my chest.... and under that hair was a nearly finished fine Australian six-pack... four beers... and only two to go... I guess my workplace chocolate stash... plus other eating binges with Farah will have to end before the last two beers can appear... but hey... would it really be worth it.... we will find out....

Work has been pretty cool and I can to some extent see potential as I get to call people in Ghana, Kenya, Serbia, Uzbekistan... to name a few places... Okay we are talking about credit card sales and ATM transaction numbers but hey.... it gets you seeing more of the world in a way and that is what it's all about....

Future plans? Well who knows.... as I find myself more and more each day ready to give up the life of eternal singledom for the arms of my love I start to adjust expectations and life goals.... like imagine never living in your own country for much of your life.... Something I never thought (although I confess to having dreamt of it many a time...) would happen... but now it is a possiblilty. Although early days in my time with Farah it is nice to dream and one of these dreams could be me learning French and living in Canada.... imagine saying "mom" and "Aboot"... ha! Well at least I will be in the company of a Marty... as it seems Crouchy is considering the same possibilities.... And hey who could ever say no to two passports... oh and international children... and a cultured worldly lifestyle... not bad for a Borough Boy! No need to worry family... I will be back.. I am but merely speculating

Well just a quick ramble to let you know I am alive.... learning (going to public lectures), being cultured (going to opera), being sociable (going to the walkabout), spiritual (going to Hillsongs) and being happy (being with Farah). Life is always an adventure... but yes getting out of bed at 7am when it's -2C....it's always a challenge too!

The cold is here

2005-11-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

It took its time coming and I think that can be mainly thanks to a year that one would be forgiven for thinking was the beginning of Global Warming becoming a painfully obvious reality. It's below zero outside and I am in bed with a bennie on... mmmm nice I say. This morning was a sunny frosty morning so beautiful... but i know that the norm for this place is grey and cold but i will take the good when it comes and in my suit and coat walking in the streets was lovely!

Live like no one is watching

2005-11-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to try and understand what defines me as a person and I guess really what I can do to define myself. What avenues do I have in this life to express who I am to myself and to others? And why do I want to define myself at all.... Does there need to be a "definite" me? Or can I merely exist and that suffice, hence taking the Zen Buddhism attitude towards things...

As I look around myself it becomes clear that identity is a very important thing to people these days. But what I can see is the superficial world and therefore it is the material that will define people... So what defines me to others? The suit I wear and my hair cut... did I shave today... But surely there is more... Well do I smile on the tube during my journey to and from work? When someone tries to get into the doors of the tube when they close upon him; Do I pretend it isn't happening? Do I smile and show a facial expression of a knowing understanding, trying to form a general consensus with those on the tube as to the life that is transport, is an odd one.... but still a life we all share? Or do I look at my shoes (are they clean enough??), or at the map on the wall... which stop are we at? How many stops till home? What was that about a defective train??? Which line???? Delays????

It's funny... at present I spend 2hours a day in transit, I sleep 7hrs, work for 8.5hr (including lunch), spend 1hr doing gym, 1hr reading or listening/playing music, 2hr in prep for life (shower, food etc) and maybe another 2.5hrs either surfing net or drifting off to sleep.... so 2/(17-8.5).... about 1/4 of my "free time" is spent on the tube.... and what an interesting place it is.... The last few days I have spent the time reading... I have to say I feel like I am missing something... do I read to make the time go fast and pretend I am not there? Well yeah and I am sure that's what most others do too... Oh the Metro (the London paper free on the tube...)!! People love the metro and playing shoducu squared or whatever that numbers in a box game is on the last page... anything to pretend you're not there..... Well I want to be there... My favourite game is to listen to music and rock out (most others listen to ipod and not move a muscle, eyes forward... FEET TOGETHER!!! Which tube stop was that? Check map, avoid eye contact... okay three stops to go.....Oh cheap mobile phone calls to Nigeria!!! Might have to text that number, gives me £5 in free credit.. nice!), have a little dance and check out peoples reactions.... Bastard! That's what they think... crazy guy bumping into me.... into MY personal space.... MY SPACE! How rude is this guy.... But some smile and think about the music they love... or someone they love or a time they love..... The game I play is cracking the shell.... Hear and Now boys!!! I hate the idea of pretending you're not where you are.... embrace the moment... be here....and now!
So what defines me? And who is watching? The way I live every moment is what defines me; If I hate my time and avoid existing in the moment, preferring to pretend I am “out of time”, a skill I mastered on 36hr bus rides in South Amercia, then I don’t exist… This I am trying to avoid. And people? Who’s watching? Nobody… Which is the best excuse to not only dance, but also live like nobody’s watching…. If no one was watching what would you do different?

Freedom!!!!

2005-11-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

It finally has arrived and now I am once again able to travel the world.... Man talk about a run around of time and money all because I am an idiot... but now that has passed... I have a passport with a visa in it for the UK so I am legally living here once again and if I feel like it.... like seriously if I wanted to I could go to Holland for the weekend and then maybe Spain for Christmas.... oh yes... I am in London with money and a passport.... what more could i want???? Well now I can look at Ryanair.com and actually book a flight knowing i can travel. And this is extra good as I have a week booked in Austria in January for skiing, now I know I can go..... Yes Yes Yes!!!!!!! I have now dealt with the Australian Embassy/Consulate in 5 countries; Nepal, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and the Uk... lets hope the next time I am in one is because I got a posting there because I work for DFaT.....

3 months in and 3 weeks down...

2005-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that I have been in the UK for three months now.... and been working here at Visa for 3 weeks.... Time, once the routine sets in, just flies by from day to day.... Only 8 months to go and I will be back on the road again... Not that I am not looking forward to life in the meantime.... Plenty of things to be done, not the least of them lifting pieces of steel about a million times!

What do I have to say for myself at this stage? Well I am happy, really happy that a real life is starting for me here in London and best of all I have done it all myself, yep all done by me... And that really is a first as it was always mum, dad, jess or emma that got things happening for me and for that I thank them but now finally (and yeah I had to leave Oz to do it, sorry fam...) I have a life to call my own... Okay no fancy car or big house... but hey it's mine and that's good enough for me.

So where to from here? Well wait for my passport... continue to court a lovely lady... go to gym... go to cultural events (Millencolin next Wed night!!!) and keep thinking about what I want to do with my life. Pretty simple, pretty lovely and to tell you the truth I love it!

New place and new life

2005-10-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Finally settled into something that atleast to some extent feels like a permanent life here in London. I confess that it is strange to re-enter the day-to-day life of work, rest and play but I welcome it for the time being. Nothing like being able to plan for the future with the medium term being stable. And I guess that is what I have been looking for for a time.... Being a ship from shore with no anchor is good for a time but there is a need to enter a habour and repair and let the sailors off onto dry land..And here I am on dry land for about six to nine months.... Only one more vaugeness in my life and that is my working VISA... Well the Homeoffice have confirmed reciept of my new passport, which I got hold of last wekk so the wheels are turning and once that is in my hand I will feel really sorted and free to do weekend trips to France etc....

It's funny now as what can I write that will arrouse the interest of anyone? Hmmm get up at 7.30 catch tube get to work at 9am, work...., leave at 5pm, catch tube and get home and then.... maybe gym, some dinner, reading.....hmmmm then what.... Well that hasn't happened yet anyways as last week was full of activities... Monday night was dinner with Mum during which I got the low down on her trip to France and a chance for her to vent RE: 'travel issues...' and then, tuesday night went to Westminster Abbey for a special Latin/Saxon singing night with George. and two of the locals from the Thatched house..... It was sososososo cool.... massive 1000yr old building with brilliant singers... I lit a candle for my family, said a prayer and even got down on one knee before leaving....these buildings evoke something and I am not one to buy into the material excesses of religion but lets just say that history has a spirit and it lives in certain places.... Westminster being one of those places...

Wednesday night resembled a more day-to-day type life...groceries and my first insight into my old loves....food and more food.... rest assured Nick does not share these same loves to sharing food will not be such a common thing between us....he is very health concious... I value pleasure too much to cut it out for the sake of health......

Thursday night.... and my last night with mum and a meet and great for Farah and Mum.... and all i can say is mum's are lovely and I love mine and I will leave it at that... Oh and Canadian Opera singers are also lovely, beautiful and great at dealing with mothers that want to know everything....

Friday night and Opera (yes free ticket front row thankyou... and flowers in my hand for one of the performers....... can my time in London be any better???). Dad you would have loved it Bruckner.... powerful and religious.... Do I notice a religious tone here...... London a sinful city offering God back into my life.... Well I think it's about time... I have be seeking the divine on my travels and it's good that it is showing itself to me....

Weekend yes weekend oh how i love thee......yes WEEKEND!!!!

And i note that work forms a gap in my commentry.... why do we dislike it so? Is it like dead time, a dead weight loss of living in a society that costs money? Hmmm well I find work okay, almost up to speed with my job, which entalis bascially auditing all submitted VISA Activity statements for Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe... oh and VISA is not a profit orientated company, rather they want everyone to use credit/debit cards remove cash and facilitate near costless transactions.... Hmmmm.... I think so everyone can buy more and more.... well too early to tell but rest assured they are no more (i think less) efficient than operations in the AustraliaGovernment so I must say the idea that govt is inefficient is a load of rubbish.... And this is what i am here for... to see big business function... it's goals and it's ins and outs.... once again all to know and understand more,,, as this is what i value... wisdom and knowledge...

Well that's my ramble... I live at 1 Sydney Street, London, N8 OET.... Sharing a room with Nick (again) and life will continue on......

Change the name of this site???

2005-10-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm.... goodbye office hey.... well from where I sit (4th Floor of VISA International Office Tower, Sheldon Square, Paddington, London...) well I guess it's now "Welome Back Office!!!" Well I confess that I odn't mind the office too much.... it's the five day a week thing that will kill me in the long run... I reckon it's what kills everyone... maybe I have found the cause of cancer and yes Ladies and Gents the cure is simple!!!! Just swap 9 to 5 time 5 to once a fortnight in your local branch of Centrelink..... stuff getting fit and stopping smoking... QUIT WORKING so much!!!!!!That's the secret to a long and healthy life....

Well anyways life is good and I am well.... klausenl@visa.com if anyone is interested as i havent sorted my net access yet for home.... Will write more soon but am off to see Mum for my final dinner with her in the UK (and yes there will be someone with me for her to meet..... ;-)

The real life continues....

2005-09-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just finished a four day stint of managing a pub, something interesting, frustrating, enlightening and damn hard work! Tonight was a hugely busy night and i was responsible for it all.... funny when i think about it as i have been in much more respectable positions of employment but still nothing as intense as working and managing this place. So I am still learning new things so it is all good from where i sit i have to say!

Funny thinking about how the last nine months have evolved... been away from oz since 3rd Feb and so many things have been done in that time and i guess my life is now boring again. Working and in a routine... not much more interest in my travels as the travels have come to a bit of a halt... and then you realise that real life continues... keeps on turning and happening and if you want time to pass, to get 'things' out of the way until you have fun then you really have failed in the game of life i reckon. I am waiting until i get to travel again and i think this is stupid. Every day is a chance for adventure, something new, but i think we all resigne ourselves to surviving through life rather than living it... why do we do this? How do we waste our lives like this???? I hope i dont fall further into the trap of just living for some future period of happiness...

Like now i am happy, slightly lonely and a bit over worked but yet i fell good about where i am... pleasures have become more simple but no less pleasant.... no longer seeing mountain ranges of beauty.... rather a melting pot of people that is nearing some climax... London is a crazy place and I sense something will end here soon.... but then again who knows as this place has seen it all... whole place has been burnt down, been bombed... had plagues etc etc and it keeps on going... to some extent i see london as the western civilizations example of the stuborness of white people... never willing to give up even if the road they are headed down is doomed they will make it work some how even if they dont enjoy it they battle on... crazy bastards i think!

My plans are in the air at the moment.... short term ones anyway, still searching for the office job that wont arrive. Dealing with employment agencies that are full of shite and just making a living and saving here in the pub.... still aiming to stay till June and then travel and hey if i dont save enough to travel i will do it anyway...debt is there to be used if it is used as an investment and i think seeing the middle east and central asia incl China in the next year is an awesome investment... the pay offs may or may not be financial but they will make my mind a stronger and more valuable tool for me to use in experiencing the rest of my life!

Off to do some travel with my mum over the next few days which will be a nice change. Seeing mum is so cool .... has reminded me how much i love my family and how much i will enjoy returning one day to see them... but also has shown me that i need not return tomorrow to avoid missing them... My relationship with my family will always be strong and i can return when i am ready,,,, only one member i dont know yet and i will be home in time to ensure i get to know her intimately before she starts to get too old....

All in all i am happy..... and finally, finally i have done something completely on my own.... and that was what one of the big goals of this trip was... to finally do something on my own, without others influencing it or making it happen... So happy to be an adult of independence....

What do I really want...

2005-09-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sitting here in the pub 35min away from what is going to be a hell of a busy night and just finished having the most in depth 1.5hr convo with a gentleman who came off the street... Intense convo about everything from politics, social structures, economic development etc etc... And it really got me into thinking about what I really want to do....

I must admit that London is not being as I expected it to be.... no office job, and to tell you the truth I don't think it is coming... and really the things about office work I like are all bad things anyway...superficial dressing, a sense of importance which is not linked to your quality of character and of course the money..... hmmmm....well thinking about staying in the pub for the time being...because...well I have little choice as the recruitment firms cant get me a darn job....what really is wrong with my cv??? Anyways you do the best with what you have and that is what I am going to do...

Went for my first nightout clubbing in London last night... a place called fabric (www.fabriclondon.com) really cool.... no drugs, just two beers and lots of dancing.... really enjoyed it.... tired today as a result but there is always a price to pay and this one was worth it!

And in the biggest piece of news.... Mum is coming tomorrow.... so mum and I will get to see each other for the first time in 9months!!!! Could have a kid in that amount of time!!!!

The final straw... but the back didn't break

2005-09-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a tough time deciding whether to stay here or not, umming and arghing about it for so long I almost wanted to hit myself in the head (I think I actually did) for being such a whinger about it. And then I had the big test to see if i really wanted to stay here and give it a go... Yes I lost my passport, which also contains my working visa.... Nice one Lucas, as I hit myself in the head a few more times. Well atleast all that smashing my head into the car seat in the back of the Volvo when I was a child was preparation for something... Well it is going to be the most painful and expensive lesson I have every learnt I would say.... about £250, and for those at home don't even worry about it. Rest assured I could travel to a few cities in Europe for those fund.... and on top of that the waiting in lines and filling in forms I have only just begun.... But from all this (besides a new sense of purpose, a reorganisation of all my stuff etc) I realise that I really want to stay here.... So that's sorted and I feel good about it.

I don't know what to add since my last post. Still slaving away in the pub here, have been offered a supervisors position, but really.... I think it would be a very silly move on my behalf to take it up.... it would be hard work and not really enough cash to be worth it.... but it would be a change so I have thought about it but reckon waiting out until the office job finally arrives is the way to go i think..... patience.... locking myself in here would be a wasted opportunity i would say.

Started going to the gym last week, which has made life feel that much better and almost have a six pack... I think it's more form travel and working here in the pub but once I add the gym to that equation I should be cut in no time.... vain I know but being happy with the way you look really makes you feel better I think.

The longer term plans I guess have to some extent fallen of the radar of late, the symptoms of getting into the daily grind way of life.... living from day to day waiting for those precious times off where you can chill and read and sleep in and do what you want.... PLS note the fact that this is the biggest problem with the world.... the fact that we all work and as Paul Dempsey says "Pray for Friday night to save our lives..." why do we do it? Well in our world we do it to consume.... trade freedom of time and expression (as at work you submit to rules and regs of the boss and orgnanisation at large)... are these sacrifices worth the dvd player or the 3G mobile or the wide-flat-screen tv???? Should these questions need to be asked..... One thing I have learnt here, besides how do deal with people and their petty meaningless rituals, which they have designed to give their meaningless lives structure and some sort of faux meaning, is that we are all slaves..... and the only difference between us is how good our deal is in being a slave i.e. how much we earn and the 'respect' that gets tagged to it.... I mean I have gone from a management position for the Aust Gov to minimum wage.... And all is pretty much the same except society doesnt respect me much anymore and I earn a hell of a lot less.... but either way I am a slave.,... and as I ask, a slave to what end? and then I ask do I have to be a slave? I could continue on this line but will leave it for now... it's 2.30am and i am tired....

As you can see my mind has not stopped..... I am reveling in this change.... I want to work in all sorts of jobs.... hence my desire to get back into sometime old hat aint so strong.... I like knowing things and people.... that is what this is all about....

But besides my rant I am well and happy. I have made some good friends here and will have places to go in Poland, South Africa and NZ after leaving here.... maybe even France too.... All good.....

Just a shame I cant go to Holland with mum as my passport thing will take too long to sort..... well maybe next year hey mum.....

My new real world....

2005-08-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

And this is it for the time being I guess.... my new real world is here in the UK and I have to say that after the initial post holiday/journey/travel depression, which I guess was to be expected I am happy with my new existence and the possibilities that it offers me.....

Like the past few weeks has been an up and down roller coaster of "should i go home?", "should i stay?" and pretty much between those two extremes several times each day.... and then I came to the idea that I should just drop the question and let it happen.... and that is what I will continue to do. I think I have spent my whole life with the idea that every decision has to be a big deal and all the positives and negatives have to be weighed up, calculated and then a finally...a RATIONAL decision made based on all the facts and in this case I think it doesnt work. Rather I just needed to relax and let the truth come to me. And the truth is that I love the world and I want to see as much as possible before my time/money/energy/health runs out and I have to return home to recover and pick up the pieces of what I left behind, and that time is not now and that much I know!

I have managed to find happiness in this way of life, working and living a strange life has begun to appeal to me... Canberra was my first step into that world and it had problems as those who knew me at that time would know.... well this is my second attempt at an independent life.... and I can see it working out and that makes me happy.

Nick gave me the lonely planet for Europe on my recent visit to his abode in the country (btw - his family are lovely and Bury is a lovely town.... English country side is so much like driving from Robertson to Moss Vale on the Southern Highlands it made me decidedly homesick and happy to know that when I do return home that I have that waiting for me...) and looking at it reminded me how i am in the best place in the world for myself at the moment! I can't wait to explore europe... next month I get to go to Holland with my mum and will also arrange to meet a few dutch friends i met on my travels..... how cool I think to myself.... And i see all these countries and all their history and realise that this history is part of my history and i realise I will be at home here, a home i never realised i would find so far away from Australia. I am half Dutch => I go to Holland next month! I am .25 Norwegian and i am going there next year and I am .25 the rest of europe and will be going there over the next year many times...... man this is such a must. And then when I am 50 after being married for 20 years I will return, more cashed up, with a car and do it all over again.... and I will be able to remember the child i am now..... and laugh at myself now..... it will be amazing.....

Besides the decision making process I have come to terms with being insignificant.... it's a great feeling i must say. Like in Australia I sort of had a bit of power, smart and experienced so i could find a good job without too much difficulty.... here I am competing against the worlds best..... wow and what a difference it makes! I am going to attack my cv over the next few weeks and make it much more marketable and try may hand in this world, against the best..... Ha, we grow up thinking we are so important and then we get out here and see it all and it really puts us in our place... and i think this is good for us. Thinking you are the best is silly, it is a poor way to find value in yourself.... better do you best and be your best..... and i feel i am heading this way. Like I think about when i finish this journey... I would have been in over 50 countries, spoken several different languages, worked in many different places and most importantly met many many different people. and it is from these people we learn the most.... people are amazing the world over and they have gems of wisdom for us all... all it takes is bothering to talk to someone, open up to them, make them feel happy to talk to you and you find out about another world you never believed existed.... Our worlds are small and my goal is to expand mine as much as possible.... why? well I want to understand the world and it's people as much as possible...why? because i find people so so interesting.... the idea we kill each other, fight wars, hate, love, make families become jealous, have sex, talk, yell, chat, work, walk, run.... I mean we are all people... and we fall into our little box, our corner of the universe and think we have it all sorted and understand things... well that's all good and well if we want to be ignorant..... but one truth i had in my life was i hated injustice and ignorance... and I guess that's why I am out here,.,,,, to kill my ignorance.... as I confess to stupid stereotypes and pure ignorance for much of my life.... and am sorry to those that suffered from these...

Anyway my first ramble for a while... working too much to be able to get online for a long time, but the bosses are away so am online at work.... nice one, glass of wine, my iriver in my ears and rambling thoughts of my mind now on the web. Hope you are all well and will talk soon!

The beginning of something new.....

2005-08-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Decided after a stern talking to from Nick (and a deserved one too) and a few reads of the letter I wrote myself on the plane from New York (the letter was a gee up to give London a go... saying that I will thank myself in the future for really getting stuck in here, as home will always be there and that 10 months really isnt a long time....) that I am staying atleast for now.... no running away like I have done so many other times in my life.....

I think it was getting straight into full time work combined with the fact that I am having a bit of singleitis (i.e. a bit lonely, esp after Nick departed to the country....) and knowing that the world is full of people getting lucky and I am not one of them was getting me down.... Then I realised that I have so much time ahead of me worrying about being alone for a while is stupid and hey one day I will get married and be with someone for like forever... so why rush it hey....

So yes London will be my home for sometime yet I would think....

Plus mum is coming over in September..... how cool is that!!!! and then Dad will come over next year in August.... how could I leave if me being here has dragged the olds out of oz for the first time in 20 years!!!!! I am doing something right I would think.....

Don't have overly much to say as I find that I have all these ideas but when I hit this blogger they fade away and the flow of writing stops. But I have music now, which is a great thing!!! Music and like heaps of it, 8500 songs!!!!! So music is back in my life (well it never really left as the guitar was there which was cool). Pub work is good fun and am totally used to it now... we have many locals and lots of fancy people that come in to eat and drink and get really drunk... and they tip well.... getting between 15 - 25 pounds a shift in tips, which is great I reckon. Also the office job prospects are not too bad. Am in the running for a 12 month contract with a French Bank, BNP Paribas, so fingers crossed I get a go at that, will be in internal staff budgeting etc so I think I should be able to handle that... once again type cast as the accountant, but French bank..... mmmmm.... maybe get to go and work in Paris a bit, now that would be cool!!! Pipe dreams at this stage but knowing that these sorts of things are possible gives me the courage to stay here and see what happens.....

Also dying to get back into the gym and get fit and full of energy as it aint long before that dreaded London winter comes.... man it's like meant to be 10 times worse than winter in Canberra (can that really be possible!?!?!) so have to get fit and healthy before the attack of depression and unhealthy living comes on. Am hitting the multivitamins and eating healthy already in anticipation.

Oh and everyone here has an Ipod... like Apple must love this place, everyone is so keen to walk and not talk to anyone, esp. in the Tube!!!!, that they have this music in their ears all the time and they are all IPods... well I wear my big ear muff earphones with pride and my IRiver kicks the arse of IPod cause it's different!!! (that's right yeah, different is cool...!@?!?!). Well I think it's cool. You really see the digital world destroy human to human interaction... but I guess this is the evolution into the digital universe that is the next stage in human evolution.... can't fight progess or the future..... should we want to???

Also shaking off the last sicknesses of South America (and Cuba...grgrgrgr) - Don't laugh Jess!!! So once that's sorted and all the admin crap like office job, apartment, bank account, tax number etc I will feel great... And the good news is Nick has decided (after all his talk about easy options etc!!!) to come down to London... so the DoFA team will be smashing up the main financial district of Europe in no time..... So as you can tell am up beat at the moment..... Lets just try and make this last.... well I reckon the Gatecrasher techno playing in my earphones is helping my mood... love music!!!!!!

Also plan to start doing some arty shots of London people and stuff in general (if time permits that is..) so watch out for changes to my site!!!

Oh and if you ever read this George, thanks heaps for being here for me right here and right now, without you my start to London would have been rubbish... and Aska too, you have helped me out more than you know!!!!! Cheers ladies!!!!!

Some new photos...

2005-07-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all have some new photos uploaded.... have plenty to write but am a little too tired at the moment.... my first shift of work was intense but great fun and I learnt a great deal... have to work like 45hr/wk in this pub.... don't know how you can do it Em.... so tired after my first 9hr shift....not used to standing up for such a long time.

Take care all and will post more on my next day off... whenever that is. But rest assured I am having a great time!!!!

Photos (also on gallery side bar - Look at righthand side of screen!):

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/hondurastolondon

http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/firstdaysinuk

Oh and Poms are lovely!

A different universe....

2005-07-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

Here I am in London! After 6 months of travel I hardly believed this time would ever eventuate, but it has. Does it bother me that such a great journey has come to an end, am I sad to lose that freedom, those cultures of such depth and diversity? Hmmm, yes sad, but not depressed. I am glad that it is over for now. I felt that I had travelled enough, each new experience was becoming less and less confronting, inspiring and amazingly enough less 'real' or was it more real? That world was becoming my world, I was growing accustomed to crazy things... so much so that crazy was becoming normal and normal becoming crazy..... Well London aint normal! It is definitely CRAZY!!!!

The last week of travel is a bit of a blur.... as much of the time was filled with anticipation for London, what to expect, where to go, what to do.... all that kinda stuff... which I admit is a bit silly as I wasted my last days of the journey thinking about the future not living in the present ("here and now boys!" - cries the birds of Aldous Huxley's 'Island'). But that's me in general, always thinking about something... and afterall how exciting is the future with all its uncertainties! Also my time in Miami offered me something different too, which involved stepping out of time for a while… an experience well worth it :-)

Miami was hot, humid and American... but also very Latino too.... I have this feel that although US culture is dominating the world, the US culture itself is heavily influenced by the Latin culture.... plus every culture of the world.... So I harp on about the spread of the US culture around the world destroying cultural diversity in its wake but US culture is nothing more than a collection of the world's cultures. From Africa to China, Italy to Cuba the people of the world have influenced the US.... Leaves me a bit confused.... What is the US? Why, if they are a mesh of the world, do they feel the need to go off and destroy the rest of the world when afterall all the US is a mix of people from every corner of the world. Two possibilities: (1) The US that goes out conquering the world is the Govt. not the people, given only 40% vote (mainly anglo-saxon decent ~ note the massive generalisation), few of which are black or Latino etc... the Govt. represents the views of the 'old American', the patriotic person who would have the whole world with it's 6billion people die to ensure the 'American Way of Life' OR (2) The people of the world once joining the US as citizens get caught up in it all... and forget their roots, from then on they are happy to be ignorant to the plight of the rest of the world (as the traditional US citizens have always been ~ big assumptions here.... but hey that's the way theories start, right?). But either way the days of the US empire are numbered and it has served it's purpose.. has helped stopped the rise and dominance of fascist govts. (well that's not true..... and hey the US is a fascist Govt. in a way too.... so strike that one)... so what did they do that was so good? Umm.... well Sienfeld was awesome and so were the Simpsons.... and ummm well hey it gives us in Aust, Uk and the rest of the world in general someone to blame for all that is wrong with the world... and afterall if it wasnt them it would have been someone else.... You can tell I have lost my head of steam for criticising the US…. I know the truth about it so that’s enough for me for now… and hey besides given the fact the Yankies on average are ten times dumber than they would have us believe, it is up to us to be the mature sensitive ones and let it slide… for a while anyways…

So now to the times at hand.... The flight over from the US was comfortable, half empty plane which was a nice final experience of transit after 6 months of all extremes of getting from A to B via X, Y & Z. But didn't sleep on the flight and arrived in London at 7am on Wed morn.... so I now have my first case of jet lag... I ask myself why I didn’t I have it after the trip to Rio from Sydney and I realise that (A) it was 84hrs of transit so i had no idea what time it could be and hence my body accepted what it was given time of the day wise, and (2) I got so wasted on my first night in Rio time ceased to exist for a while and I was ready to start again on South American time... So this morning I have dragged myself out of bed at 7am after getting to sleep between 3-4am this morning, in a final attempt at riding myself of the lag... if I fail now it's sleeping tablets all the way!

Airport was fun (esp for Nick, who had to wait at the tube station for 4hrs whilst George and I found my box of clothes from Oz and proceeded to experience the joys of the Uk Govt. as I got it cleared through customs...). Yep 4hrs of time plus £37 extra to get that box into my hands.... was it worth it??? Hmmm well it was as I now have 4 suits, which will come in handy.... but it was a tough start.... two days with no sleep, trying to be polite to staff at the airport so I could get my box which was sent by another party (my mum) and I had no letter of authority from mum to allow me to pick up the box.... well Aussie charm does work on the Uk people.... yes!!! So it's not just those in South America!

After the stuffing around I got into my new home (wow, realising that entries will be of the 'I' and 'My' variety now, no more 'us' and 'we'.... this is going to be weird I think. Nick and I have grown so close over the past 6 months, I am going to truly miss him..... hopefully he decides to live in London. But for now it's just me, alone in my fight for a place in the world..... well it's about time I became independent... see Jess I finally am doing what you demanded of me 4yrs ago!) the Thatched House in Hammersmith, London.... lovely place, pretty fancy and cool people. I almost passed out that afternoon from shear exhaustion.... had an arvo nap and then went to Nick's brother's house for a lovely meal and good conversation and an insight into a life in London, which didnt seem too bad to me.... Then back home to find all the bar staff drinking etc and the fact that our first night here allowed free alcohol and well the rest as they say is history.... guitar songs and stories and then finally at 4am sleep..... rest assured I woke up with the worst headache of my life..... first time on the beer since Oz and man was I feeling it! So my second day in London was a painful one (after I woke up at 1pm...). Had my meeting with the recruitment agency at 5.30pm, so yep had to drag my body/mind out of the pain of why why why did I drink last night(???!?!?!), and be on the ball for the 1.25hr meeting.... but at least I got the impression these guys are interested in helping me find a job (hmmm so I wonder what their commission is?!?!). So had my first solo tube experience, and really after getting a bit lost first up and dealing with the fact that the directions I got from the agency involved getting off at a tube stop that is now closed due to the July 7 (why do we refer to terrorist attacks by their date?) thing, so yep had to walk between three tube stops, work out where i was and find the place, which was right smack bang in the middle of London.... got there on the dot of 5.30pm!

Vibe is: London is way way cool.... will be a bastard in winter and they work hours that are stupid too.... but this is what I want.... like weights and climbing mountains... pain is weakness leaving the body and I plan on getting rid of a fair bit of weakness here..... long hours for a year wont be so hard I don't think.... And it is part of my plan anyways... Not really for the money... rather the experience in what seems to be a 'world' city.... this is not the UK rather it is the EU and man does this place have a lot to offer people.... I doubt I will have time to get bored here I think.... fingers crossed I find a good job with good people.... but hey I think I can handle pain too..... but rest assured there will be some London posts that are deeply cynical and depressive, seems to be what London does to people, will I be any different??? Time will tell....

God bless....America?

2005-07-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

WellI expect to hear a respective sigh of relief from across the globe ....mum....dad.... I am out of South/Central America...I am healthy and alive..... so you can all chill out...unless your worried about terrorists....will be in London on Wednesday morning.... Will write more later.

PS This place is not cleaner or better developed than South America, only dif is that the cars are richer looking and everything costs more....so is it all really worth the price we pay for the American lifestyle???? I think not!

el final entrada de Latino America

2005-07-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last day.... last day and I say it like it is the last day and also the first day as here is not where the journey ends but rather where it changes continents and causes. The shaking off of my old life and all the guilt and regret that it had held in my heart is over and I am ready to start to create an adult life for myself.... the child I was in Australia is slowly become the adult I dreamt about many years ago. I remember when I was 7 in year 2 at Farmborough Road Public School and I thought of the future... I thought of the HSC and how amazingly hard that would be and how that one day I would be an adult and look old and have to make all my decisions for myself and could do anything I wanted....and I thought that would be so weird to be me and to be this responsible intelligent adult, I really didn't think such a creature would be created from the child I was then.... and now 17 years on (17!!!! Can you believe that, I never thought there would be so much time held by my life...) I am that adult I never believed I would become.....I guess now the man with children, family and etc is just a step away too... But now as an adult I no longer fear that picture... I don't view it from the selfish viewpoint of a child (well I still do sometimes ;-) rather I see it as another journey and something that can be shared with other people.... a person whom one day I will meet (or have already met and don't know it yet...) and the people we create together....

But for now my eyes are fixed firmly on London and the next year of my life, the possibilities it holds for me... it is all very exciting for me. I have already sorted accommodation and a job in London to get me on my feet so I can start to see my life taking shape there... And that's what it's all about when you get down to it... being about to see things in your mind removes fear and uncertainty... I see Latin America in my mind now.... I will no longer buy into what people say about it... I have painted my own picture, my own reality of the place... as is the case for London.... the picture in my mind is starting to be formed... in a year the work of art will be finished and once again my scope of vision, wisdom, understanding of the world will have been increased again. And that is what is the most valuable thing of all... as God said to Solomon.... it is Wisdom above all that should be sort as a pirate seeks gold throughout the oceans of the world... and that is what I seek more than anything... as with wisdom, understanding I will no longer be a slave to my immature emotions, I will be able to view things as a whole.... like why do relationships end, why do I get robbed, why do my loved ones leave/die all these things are approached much more constructively with wisdom..... And man although I am still young, and very nieve (and a bad speller as my posts will attest to!!!) I feel twice the wisdom and understanding in my soul and mind compared to when I left Australia..... and as long as the law of diminishing returns applies to the attainment of wisdom (which I doubt it would because God is eternally and completely wise, hence there is unlimited wisdom to be gained.... hence the function cannot be an inverse geometric curve...) I can hardly imagine myself as a 30 year old.... haha more likely than not I will have discovered away to go backwards by then and be like a 17 year old again... maybe that will be for the best ;-)

So that's just a quick ramble as I sit here in the most western, and luxurious place I have been in 6 months... 6 free internet terminals, a massive big screen tv with cable, a pool with lazy chairs.... lots of british 'backpackers' lying about around it in bikinis.... wow this is a far cry from earlier on in the journey..... showering above toilets.... sleeping on the street....treking for 4 days with 30kg backpacks, 84hr transit stints, naked swims on deserted beaches, fights in Colombian streets, police, army, cargo planes, disgusting boats, crazy bus rides, the list is long and a summary I will have to write....

And for the past few days.... where to start....well did havc my credit card stolen... I thought I had lost it but no... it was stolen and now reduced of valor by $AU2100 including a $AU12 maccas transaction.... what spastic would serve an ugly Guatemalan with an Australian Gold Credit card!!!! Anyways.... will get it back but yes have another admin task to add to my list....

Stayed in Tegucigalpa for three nights.... went walking aimlessly about the town as I have discovered that I love to wonder about capital cities... it seems most people want to experience to 'culture' of a country so they avoid the city and stick to country regions but most people live in cities now.... hence the capital city of a country is now the dominant culture of a country (sad I know!!!) but only in these cities do you see the real culture and also where the future of that country lies.... and yes it all points to the Americanisation of everything I have seen thus far....

Tegucigalpa is filled with burger king, maccas, dunkin donuts....etc etc and yes I ate there... and you can hardly blame me as I have had the runs for a month now and am trying to get that issue fixed prior to London.... current chances of this are slim :-( Also managed to run our hostel for a night... was great fun.... running the bar and front door. I have missed the joys of phyical tangible work for so long... so the bar job in London will be a welcome break from the office for a little while.... Just being able to serve and chat to people... so fun and so easy on the mind... although you have to be on the ball too... alert but not alarmed as they say :-)

The road to change....

2005-07-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

After three days of buses we get a quick break from travel for a while..... Forgot how much I was sick of riding on buses and realised why I was so happy to stay in San Pedro for 2 weeks. Getting on and off and organising buses is a bugger of a thing to do let me tell you!!!!

Well we left San Pedro on Thursday around 10am after running around trying to get our clothes dry.... sun drying in a town that has rain everyday just isn't that great an idea!!! Well once that was sorted out we got on the bus and this one was great..... flying up a hill from about 1500m to about 3000m altitude, crazy corners at speeds that you wouldnt believe, with three or more per seat....never a dull moment!!!! Arrived in Guatemala City around 2-3pm, found the cheapest hostel we could and I proceeded to call back to Australia cancelling my credit card, which magically disappeared on the bus trip..... Man that's the third new credit card I have had on that account, St George must think I am insane or something.....

Once that was sorted had a quick look around and indulged in some Burger King... not sure what the excuse for eating is this time... but I am sure that there was a good one at the time.... The people in that city are a bit crazy.... Like you go into a clothes shop, supermarket, fastfood joint and there is a guy at the front with a pump action shot gun to greet you.... hmmmm so I think in my head, if I steal a hamburger this guy is going to shot me and the shot gun pellets are going to get any bystanders within 10m of me.... interesting.... Went to the movies and saw Batman.... mmmmm... the idea of solving all our problems with money and violence!!! I loved it, got to eat popcorn and drink coke so really I can't go wrong... not a bad movie all in all... easy to watch and simple plot, something you need after a day on a bus... The as I was walking out of the movie there's this guy next to the security guard... and he's making this click click click noise... and I am thinking like, what is that noise.... then I look closer and he's playing with a hand gun, pulling the trigger and pointing the gun at his mate.... and I start laughing and the guy looks at me with this smile on his face..... Man that place was crazy!!!! Apparently you can buy guns over the counter in bread shops in some places... and the banks have a sign at the front saying "please don't bring your guns in..." And you thought the US was nuts!!!!!

And then we're off again on Friday morning..... this time a bit longer and town buses.... leave GC at 10:30am and arrive at the Honduras boarder at 7pm.... we had a stop halfway and were told our bus would leave at 4pm, we went off to get something to eat, returned at 3:40pm, our bus was gone... had to wait to 5:30pm for the next bus. Because of this we got to the boarder after the last bus.. it left for Honduras at 6pm... So we're there at the boarder in the dark, lightning going off in the distance, rain approaching.... and we don't have enough money (well we did but there was no way we were going to let the locals charge us $US20 to go 10km....bastardos!!!!) to get from the boarder to Copán, the first town in Honduras..... so we wait and luck should have it we hitch a lift for free siting on the back of a ute.... sucks to you dudes trying to rip us off... we ended up paying nada for the lift...and we so would have waited there all night to avoid getting ripped off.... all part of the adventure I reckon!

Saturday morning was ruins time.... not really my thing I have to say but a box to be ticked... yep now Mayan ruins have been seen by Lucas. But the place did have a vibe the night before... Like I had these very vivid dreams, really intense and I woke up all mad..... but then at the ruins there really wasn't too much of a vibe..... Too organised for tourists... like hand rails on the towers and stuff.... bloody soft tourists being catered for... takes away from the vibe of a place... But there was this lovely tree covered in butterflies... so that made it lovely for me.... and the jungle there was really nice....i.e. no mossies!!!!!

Then Saturday on a bus all afternoon and arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Capital last night at about 10:45pm... buggered completly.... as I said over buses.... So we hang here for a few days... just organising stuff on the Net for UK.... and buy supplies for UK, given everything there will cost a billion dollares! Walked around the place today... seems pretty cool.... people look pretty cool, but still pretty poor....

Anyways not much else to say.... just getting ready for the end of it all.... Man this is going to be weird...

Cerca al fin

2005-07-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

Wow... well here I am with just 14 days before I enter the "real world" again.... It's been 12 days in San Pedro, which is the longest time I have spent in the same place for longer than I can remember... last place was Canberra I think (wow, was I actually really there...seems like a dream.... so so so long ago in my mind). Although a bit sad to be ending this phase of the journey I am kinda excited and happy about it too.

This town has been lovely and has existed in two seperate parts completamente! The first half we stayed in one side of the town... the "Gringo Side", which really was unproductive, but allowed me to take a well deserved break from running around the world.... it really is hard work travelling from place to place around these parts of the world and a recent email from a friend made me realise that rather than being an acception, this difficult (well I call it difficult, but after a time it really isnt that hard, and in fact becomes quite an adventure... imagine catching the bus/train/plane/boat to work everyday and each day the transit offered something amazing and new... well maybe it does, but being on a bus at 7am on a freezing Canberra morning seemed rather dull to me, but hey maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough......) way of life is the norm for about 5 billion people on this world... hence I am in the "real world" and London, Sydney, Los Angeles and the rest are just abberations...

The Gringo Side involved pretty much just eating.... drinking.... and that's pretty much it..... but we made the right decision and moved to the other side of town, moved in with a family and started studying, which although painful for me (I don't know where I got this from... but when something is hard for me to learn/do I get so mad.... like really agitated.....) was a very worthwhile experience, and provided I put some effort in London to continuing my study, rather than drinking beer, which is what it seems most people expect you to do there I should be well placed to make it a language I can actually speak. In a way it has been like living a normal life the past week. Up the same time everyday... breakfast....second breakfast (with coffee *2) then off to class.....break halfway through class.... after class home to lunch.... then a bit of internet.....then gym....then post gym food.....some study....dinner.....then some study..... Hmmm real life does have its advantages.... It's nice to have routine.... but I will however enjoy these last two weeks of travel.... And the family we have been living with is really lovely.... the Dad's (Felix) a bit grumpy (I think the stereotype Alpha Male grumpy father thing is still very common in this part of the world). Francisca Snr is a happy mother, lovely cook and enjoys our presence... Odit the 15 yr lady is a local fox from what we can tell...you just can tell i reckon, and the youngest Francisca Jnr at 7 is so bright and cheerful.... nice to be with a family for a change... and they don't want to screw us for our money..... got them a cake, a basketball (for Francisca) and some chocolates as a going away present.

This town is so so so so funny.... It in a kinda way represents me (and someone else I know...you know I am talking about you!!!!). Like 80% of the people here are Christians, mostly evangelical by the sounds of their church services... really full on, they have signs everywhere saying "Busca a Dios" (look to God), "Sonreir Jesus Te Ama" (smile Jesus loves you) and "Dios es Amor" (God is love), so yeah like hard core Christians... And this big group of North American Christians (I no longer refer to people from the US as Americans as it is so disrespectful to the other 500 million people that live in the Americas) arrived today, usual type, one eyed, probably Repulicans, lovely people as long as you're on their team or about to be converted to their side (ie. NO MUSLIMS ALLOWED CHRISTIAN BROTHER!!!) so I am walking along the street.... and low and behold in two of the restaurants I pass a circle of christians playing the guitar, singing "Jesus lover of my soul" are there....and I smile to myself (whilst resisting the urge to take a photo.... ), I at first think something cynical... then I realise they are happy and not hurting anyone... and hey everyone has a hole in their life they need to fill... probs better God than porn hey..... Well after walking past them.... I get offered drugs and pass a few bars where people are taking drugs and drinking.... and then I think... This town is like me!!!! Loves God and the sinful way of life as well.... Anyways I feel things here will come to a head in the next few years as from what I hear the place has been growing out of control of late, mainly due to increased numbers of tourists.... but tourists come here to not only learn Spanish but take drugs also so the drug problems are growing (with locals as well)... but tourists = money... so decisions have to be made.... Seems to be a story all over the Americas... in different forms but the key problem is the same... White anglo saxon people with money destorying communities..... Like remember in the Matrix when Hugo Weaving (it was him?...anyways Agent Smith..dude that says "Mr. Anderson" all the time) says that humans are like a disease.... and like everyone who watched (mainly white anglo saxons...) said to themselves and their friends, by Joe I think he's right!!!! And then continued to live their lives as per usual.... Well I don't think people in general are the disease.... maybe white people.... And even as i write this i change my mind... white people arent the disease...rather it is our way of life that is a disease... a way of life that just doesnt work in the longrun.... but a way of life everyone thinks is the way to go..... Watch out for China!!!! But maybe we are meant to destroy everything on this planet, maybe nature is the enemy....note the commencement of a circular argument with myself....entonces... I stop this topic aqui!

Well I guess it would be an apt time to sum up my adventures..... oh do I really want to start such a mammoth task? I defer to no, maybe another time, maybe never.... Like the whole tale telling thing is a bit lame I think.... SO many people like to tell everyone how good they are about the cool places they have been... me all I know is who I am when I am in these places and really I am not vain enough to think people care that much about my opinion... entonces.... ask anything via email and I will answer all questions (bar 7 ;-).

Seriously it has been cool. I have only a hand full of mental explosions during the past six months, which is pretty good considering the life I led in the last four months of my time in Australia (sorry to everyone who knew me during that period of my life...). I have proven so much to myself and am ready (fingers crossed) for phase two of the journey.... London here I come.... suits here I come...expensive cigarettes here i come....really good dance/techno music here I come..... snobbery here I come..... everything costing a billion dollars here i come.....lots of blonde haired chicks here I come..... Yes it will be hard.... if I hate it heaps I am out of there in a flash..... but I will give it a burl as what have I got to lose???? Nothing! And what do I have to gain.....Things I probably haven't even dreamt of.

Thanks parents and friends for your emails... and general support and esp Mum for all her work on my Financial/Insurance/Clothing/Musical issues whilst I have been being Indiana Jones in this part of the world...(If you have seen my hat you would understand!).

Cuidate mi amigos!

Este me gusta!

2005-07-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

News article on G-8 summit, 8 July 2005:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/world/12088025.htm

Excepts from article:
Leaders from the world's top eight industrial nations ended their annual summit Friday by agreeing that humans are a major cause of global warming and pledging to work toward reducing it, but they didn't commit to any specific actions or timetables......provide up to $9 billion over three years to the Palestinian Authority to assist its drive to become an independent state.......Bush administration officials also called the summit a success, especially on climate change....."The most striking thing about the G-8 communique is it largely adopts the U.S. position," said Myron Ebell,

Comments:
Hmmm well that's interesting, I always thought it was the frogs who were to blame for global warming!!!! And now we've worked out that there is a problem we promise to solve it but then do nothing to change it.... is this logical??? Man with people like the ones that go to these conferences ruling the world is it any wonder that we are all doomed!!!! And what's the $9 billion for the Palestinian Authority??? Is it like the "aid" the US gives to Israel????

¡La vida nunca es facil! ¡Pero es bonita!

2005-07-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Life is such a funny thing and the mind... wow it is even more crazy I think. It is hard to know what part of my mind is the new person I have become and what is related to the old person I was... I know the old me still exists within and it raises it's ugly head from time to time and does something crazy.... but also it has value too as it grounds me in what is the life to which I will eventually return. But the new me offers so much more insight, a much calmer approach to life and so much more rational.... Guess these two parts of myself will battle for sometime yet I would say.

I am in an instrospective mood.... as like everyday here in San Pedro the afternoon storm is coming over and thunder rumbles on the other side of the lake. The grey sheets of rain will start there journey from the other side of the lake to our little San Pedrito.. We will have some refreshing rain, it may or may not stay for the evening and then awaiting us in the morning will be perfectly calm sunny day... smooth waters and mild breezes. I sit here on the computer with the odd truck or motorbike driving by the front of the internet cafe, thinking.. thinking...

It's funny as I have been confronted with something negative, something that would have normally bothered me, but I am not bothered... The only thing that bothers me is that i am not bothered... hence, I see that the new person I have become has taken the dominance in my personality.... And I have to say this is great as I normally would go and have a coffee and a smoke.... now I might just forget about it and will be fine.... that's is great news as I doubt I will die of a stoke now.... I still do stupid things but no longer to I beat myself up about them, I apologise to those involved (if it's not just me who suffers) including myself, learn the lesson, what went wrong etc and get on with mylife..... Something tells me just by gaining this I have succeeded in this trip... And that is only one of many of the things I have learnt!

Aha! That's why I am feeling introspective, I only have 19 days left on this trip and it's time to "sum up" and get ready to move to another part of my life. Once again thanks family, friends and God for making this all possible! I have loved this trip so much, it has been truely amazing... and I am definately travelling again asap but no need to worry parentals I want to work and study more too.... just want to be efficient with my life... you know get the most out of it and use it to give the most to others also....

So what are some of the things that I have learnt?

Some español (hopefully more after this course);
People are great, crazy, bastards, boring, selfish, giving etc etc;
My family is so great and amazing!!!!;
All you need it food and shelter and maybe a good book to read;
You can travel anywhere as long as you have some cash (and even when you don't ;-);
I have the ability to put my head down and achieve anything (even if I still have doubts about my worth as a person! That matters little and can be ignored...);
No place in the world is perfect and yet every place is perfect;
People are all the same at heart, only what is on the surface differs;
Sex and money are the most important things to people.... and people only want money so they can have sex... hence Sex is the most important thing... you can tell that we haven't evolved too far from the apes just yet;
Travelling with someone is a blessing if you pick the right person (thank God I picked the perfect person!);
Things from home never really leave you if you don't want them to (and sometimes they stay even if you want them to leave);
South America is not dangerous, neither is anyplace I have been, people who have never been to these places say they're dangerous;
Always trust your gut instinct;
Don't trust anyone except your family and close friends;
People here are more efficient at making happiness (I could analyse this one all day, but rest assured it takes $US30,000pa to ensure the average Aussie is stressed out and not satified with their life, whilst it takes the average Guatemaltecan $US1,800pa to always have a smile on their face and say g'day (and they don't want money from you...));
I do believe in God and always pray.... even if my rational mind doesn't like it!;
Many people come in and out of your life.... it's best to keep a few close and accept the exit of the many with a happy heart, you can't keep everyone around you forever;
My biggest problem is with women and given I am not gay I have a bit of work to do in this area... maybe I will become a monk (with a massive porn collection of course;-);
I have a hell of a lot more to learn... like man I feel I know a lot less now than I did at the beginning of this trip.... but that makes me realise that the vaile of ignorance is slowly getting lifed!

Classes are going great.. got the weekend off so will do a hell of a lot of study, but I am not meant to be smoking.... man I feel my mind already justifying a few smokes to reward my study.... but then what, when I am in London, have a hard day at a new job... have a smoke.... I will always have a good excuse for a smoke so I will just have to resist... Oh yeah fyi I have quit (AGAIN!!!!) smoking.... "Bien suerte!" I hear you all saying.... Watching a movie tonight, hang around and hopefully practice some spanish with our homestay family and people about the place.... Oh and given I am with Nick I am sure some gym session will be involved somewhere, maybe another kyack on the lake early tomorrow....

Reality check

2005-07-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check who is winning the war for collateral damage (an adjunct of the wider war for/against global equality).... there are always two sides to the story and when the book is written by one side can you really trust it to tell you the whole story???

http://www.iraqbodycount.net/

http://icasualties.org/oif/

¡Pensar para se! ¡Autoridad de la pregunta!

Staying put for a while

2005-07-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well after tossing around the possibilities in our heads we have decided to stay here in San Pedro and learn Spanish for a week... Then see some ruins and race down to San Jose and catch a flight to Miami and then good old London town..... This place is incredibly relaxing, which is a great way to finish off our trip, cause in a month I will be hitting the city and the developed world big time....

We had considered doing a dive course but thinking about it it appeared too expensive and really something I have never thought about doing before, I would mush prefer to improve my spanish before i leave as it would be a waste not to use my time here to learn a new language.

Just realised that the disk of photos from Cuba we got burnt did not work...grrrr seem to be having no luck with photos on this trip. Lost the first half of our trip when my iriver died... and now one cd out of 4 did not burn..... Man this is so frustrating!!!!!!! But being annoyed and learning to get over it and put it into perspective is one of the most important parts of this trip i figure.... Just think i hav learnt enough about that and would like things to work a bit more smoothly from now on....

The Plan (for today anyways..... as always subject to change)

2005-07-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

So anyone who was wondering anything about my plans, here they are.....

Feburary 2005 - July 2005 - PHASE ONE - The Latin American Oddessy

August 2005 - June 2006 - PHASE TWO - The English Oddessy (possible quick jornt home for Xmas)

July 2006 - PHASE THREE - The North American sojourn to see a Crouch tie the knot

August 2006 - November 2006 - PHASE FOUR - The Europe to Asia Oddessy (by land!!!)

December 2006 - PHASE FIVE to INFINITY - Yes I know it's about time.... the real world, steady girlfriends and jobs, career, possible further education, then hmmm marriage.... mortgages, kids..... and obviously eventually death (that is a certainty)

Questions anyone?

Getting ready for the change....

2005-07-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well after the journey to get here, and I do say journey as it was a killer getting from Cancun Mexico to Central Guatemala, like 21 hours on the Mexican Spew bus with Soccer Dog as the only entertainment.... It's funny how I have learnt to endure extreme pain and just go crazy and laugh about it... Like exams at school and uni, you know the time just before the exam when you have studied too much and it's all too painful and you start running around going crazy... Well I say spew bus, cause we went through these mountains, really windy road, plus the bloody local communities put speed bumps everywhere, so the bus twists and turns and slows down and speeds up the whole time, and like everyone on the bus except Nick and I spewed, I think our extensive time in buses (over 300hrs now) has made us immune to any travel related sickness.... They actually had a designated post windy road spew clean up stop..... Nice. And during all this we had a movie, Soccer Dog http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/PD--10121056/Soccer_Dog_The_Movie_(dvd/video_release).htm?sOrig=CAT&sOrigID=18882&ui=9510F8BF8AFD4C098E350F0E55223B57 to keep us amused.... Bloody hell it was a crazy bus trip... and a family of three annoying kids who took turns crying the whole time also kept us amused also.... I love pain!!!!

Arrived in this boarder town and we waited in the dark and rain for five hours to catch a bus that I am sure came directly out of the Twilight Zone, once it dropped us off I am sure it returned there... I sat in the corridor between the seats and in front of me was this drunk crazy guy that wanted to talk about sex the whole time... And when I was sick of talking about it he called me a faggot.... So I ignored him and pretended I was asleep... Whilst this was happening we had our bus searched by cops, the driver kept turning off the lights (driving lights too - imagine being in the jungle in the dark, in a bus driving like a maniac with no lights..... rest assured mum he did turn them on quickly) and they put on Blondie full ball on the stereo..... After this we get into the bus station at 1am and this aint no bus station, just a street with buses, and we have to wait till 5am for our bus... well we thought it was 8am but found one by chance at 5am... luck once again.... So at the bus station we sleep on the street but not before we have a guitarathon with the locals were I have to sing like 4 songs out loud about the señoritas in Australia... romantica and all that... made them up on the spot but they loved them and we managed to attract quite a crowd at 2am in the morning.....

And then another bus to the lake.... and was half asleep the whole time, and then BAMM Nick yells we're getting off!!!! And then onto another bus down to the lake, get off this bus to find out it's another 8kms to the lake so get on the back of a 4x4 down to the lake, get out drop our packs and get brekky.... 40hrs of continous travel.... man and you think I am on a holiday!!! Not a chance mate it's a constant battle to get from one place to another, that's why this is a JOURNEY not a holiday... holiday's are for tourist and last like 4wks as people can't bear to leave the comfort of their job that they hate anyways.....

Now am here by the lake, went for a kyack this morning and got a great workout from it.... planning to climb a mountain tomorrow, then well who knows.... Just have to be in San Jose, Costa Rica by 22nd that's all that's certain for now.

This place is truely amazing, a big lake surrounded on all sides by massive mountains and volcanos... There are little villages smattered about the hillsides and I am staying in one of them, San Pedro (like my Cusco friend), which is a little hippy hangout. Last night had fire twirlers and all that sort of stuff. Really chilled out and so beautiful. Eating dinner by the large, watching the weather change... as it does so often when there is water and high mountains about.... Love it!!!!

Have started the other part of my life also... Registered with two employment agencies in London... Man it is hard to believe that I will be there soon. Having showers and being clean, wearing fancy clothes and behaving like a mature adult... Wow, but unlike people i have met on this trip I am not sad about finishing up this trip as I view this whole time away as the trip. South-Central America was phase one, and England will be phase two. I have travelled enough in crazy lands for the time being. I miss working, I miss having to get up in the morning (crazy I know, I am sure I will read this in three months and say "what the hell was i thinking, getting up and going to work every morning sux big time!!!") to go to a place people need me... I also miss progressing in my career... So I am ready. The next three weeks will be a holiday before I hit work. I am sure it will be fun, but no regrets on entering phase two....

In Guatemala and will be offline for a few days.....

2005-07-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

No need to worry parents am safe just heading to a village with no internet and will probably stay there for a week. This place is so beautiful, green and mountainous.... At this lake surrounded by volcanos... Really amazing place. Will write when I return.

Oh also sorry for the negative bent on my last two posts, guess the whole Cuba experience mixed with returning into such a concumer orientated society got to me. It really is easy to turn into one of those ´there is no hope´ kind of people if you let yourself go... rest assured I wont become that kind of person...

Back on the road....

2005-06-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well off on another bus in 2hrs... from Cancun to Guatemala.... hard to believe all the places I have been already. Meeting people here in the hostel you really get a feel for how well traveled you are... Peoples eyes bulge when you tell them you've been travelling for 5months.... hey even mine do. But Nick and I have discussed the need to be wary about being a "Bloody hell, arent I a great person cause I have travelled so much" person. So many people think they know more and are cooler cause they have travelled (we are not cool, we were looking for an algebra book for our travels...)..... It really isnt that hard.... get on a plane, bus, boat, car, train and do it, simple as that..... Guess the only thing is that we took the risk of leaving work.... But hey work will always be there anyway, and I have the rest of my life to work, why waste these great years of my life so I can retire at 52 instead of 53.... either way I will be old then and wont be able to do half the things i can do now.....

Whilst having chicken fajitas for lunch I looked at Nick and said tomorrow we're going to be in Guatemala!!!! Like you forget how cool these places are after travelling for a while.... You can get so used to being in strange and new place.... to such an extent that strange and new is normal and normal (eg here in Cancun to some extent) is strange.... I mean cars stopping at pedestrian crossings, more than one type of drink or meal to choose from when eating... man that's strange... having a toilet with toilet paper and a seat and not having to pay for it... that's strange!!!! The human can get used to anything I reckon.... Like home to me is packing my backpack and sitting on a bus.... couldnt be more normal. Meeting random people and talking about all sorts of things and never seeing them again... that's normal.... So once we hit England my brain is going to explode..... but I can be sure that I will also get used to that too.... hey and if I don't I will be off again...

Been thinking about Asia a bit. Nick and I are rather convinced that China is the way to go. We had a big discussion (brought about by the crazy posts on Nick's site about Cuba... Nick has deleted the comments now and blocked future comments on that post) about what's wrong with the world and what we can do about it.... And yes, as the eyes roll back and the reader thinks "toss toss toss, like these guys selfishly indulging themselves in other cultures always with the backup of a gold credit card know anything about saving the world....".....and there are a number of things we came up with and one was China... All comes down to my 30 year theory, which is this: In Thirty years at current economic growth rates China's economy will be larger (economically speaking) than the US and hence China will start to dominate world affairs..... The result of this is... well who knows, but one thing can be sure0, if China pollutes as much as the US does for every dollar of GDP there will be no world... So maybe going to China might be the way to go, learn Mandarin as that may well be the dominate language of the future.... Anyway it's a thought anyway... We also came up with many other ideas.... some silly, some reasonable, some overly idealistic.... but we're thinking and once we have seen the world maybe then we can start doing something to help save it.... As they say even the greatest rivers start with one drop and we have seen and been on the worlds largest river, the Amazon, so who knows hey?

As for Central America? We have no idea where we are going or what we will do there, really unplanned but that tends to be the best way to go about things.... Lets hope there are no earthquakes or killer floods.... And lets hope we get to San Jose, Costa Rica by 22/7 as if we dont we miss our flight and are stuffed....

Goodbye Mexico, a country that appears to be the 51st (or more likely 151st) state of the United States of America.... rich and getting richer, full of inequality and yes they eat super sized Big Mac meals here too.... so they will be getting fatter too...

Oh and also don't watch the War of the Worlds... watched it yesterday, load of crap and the audience laughed at the most odd parts, but looking at the subtitles you wonder how much they miss (alot from what I could tell)..... Makes me wonder how much I miss when I watch a French movie.... as always the people of the world will have their messages forever lost in translation... Better get learning Mandarin or I wont know what Big Brother is telling me not to think in 30 years time ;-)

Remember:

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

Think of that when you get up in the morning to go to work to pay for the excessive consumer items you don't need... are you a slave to the 'image economy'????

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

2005-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well as I like to refer to it... I just 'got back' from Cuba.... what an experience... I am not sure if I can really get what the place was like onto the page here but I will try and will edit this post when more things come to mind.

Oh before I start.. Check out Nick's post on Cuba and all the responses...stirred up a real hornets nest he did... http://hoist-the-spinnaker.blogspot.com/2005/06/cuba-cuba-cuba-cuba.html#comments

As I say talking about politics is like talking about religion...A Christian is always a Christian and a Right Wing Hack is always a right wing hack.. so why do evangelists even bother to try??? Guess they like thinking about how 'right' they are... and what better way than to tell someone else about how wrong they are!!!!! Gotta love arrogance!!! Me I am a postmodernist...can't go wrong there... i.e. everything is right and everything is wrong at the same time... perfect.... "Life is but a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves...."

The details of our trip

We arrived in Habana in the middle of the night as our plane was held on the runway in Panama for a few hours due to a massive electrical storm, I was actually surprised that we took off at all, it was really intense. We got to our Casa Particular at 1am and were lucky to be let in, it took many a ring on the bell to wake Ramiro's (the owner - can you really own houses here... well that's a whole other story) mother. Once up the next day I went exploring and proceeded to learn the first lesson of Cuba... now I thought (stupidly I admit) that given this is a socialist/communist country that everyone would be nice and giving, given that is the central tenant of an egalitarian state... well I was wrong! I got ripped off on a foreign exchange transaction and coaxed into buying overpriced cigars as I was lured into a local’s house at 8am on a Sunday morning. I could hardly say no to buying a box of 25 Cubanos whilst in a house in a place I didn't know speaking to two big black dudes in Spanish.... well we learn. I also learnt that I am a wog big time... everyone there thought I was either Italian or Argentinean (there you go Jess we can't deny that 1/8th blood line...). The rest of the time in Habana (3 days) involved just walking around getting a feel for the place, almost getting ripped off a few more times. Habana is a city that must have been great and beautiful at sometime in the past (ironically probably during it's Colonial period...) but it is in decay now.... And all I could ask was why don't they just paint there houses the place would look a whole lot better!!!!! Later I would realise that the money for paint just ain't available.....

After Habana we got a car (with locals) to Cienfuegos and later onto Trinidad where we found the greatest place on the beach in a little town called La Boca. It rained a lot of the time there but that didn't matter as it really hasn’t rained at all on this journey and fresh tropical rain and thunder storms were a welcome change. Everyday there we managed to either ride a bike or walk or run a million miles... I am not sure why we did this but we loved it all the same... check out the blisters on my feet in the photo gallery!!!! Managed to have a killer night out in Trinidad, which resulted in me ranting about revolutions and why I thought Cuba had failed etc.... Lesson learnt, Lucas no longer talks of politics when drunk....

Then headed to Santiago de Cuba and basically got rained out the whole time.... meant time to read, write and think.... man I have had too much time to think.... If you read my journal you would understand what I mean! We met a lovely Finnish girl who we hung out with for a couple of days... being with someone who has not been traveling for a long period of time give Nick and I a good dose of reality and an insight into how insane we have become over the past five months....'only a traveler knows the feeling!' would be an apt term to describe us at the moment...

Then it was into trucks to find the more difficult, possibly more economical, way to Baracoa on the east coast.... Man I almost got in a fight with the bus guy, who tried to charge us $US12 each to sit in a packed bus for 4hrs.... well after consultation with all members of the bus we came to an agreement... sorted I guess.... bloody hell, sometimes it's easier to take the tourist bus, in comfort and away from conflict, but then I would never learn anything...

Baracoa was a ball.... Although we did end up getting trapped there for a few extra days due to there being extensive power cuts, hence we couldn’t get money out, hence we couldn’t buy a bus ticket, pay for accommodation etc.... Also got to stay on the beach for a few days, 'illegally', but the money we paid to the locals would have been a great help although I dare say they were running a pretty serious risk of getting arrested... seeing this made me realise how desperate the money situation is here... risking jail for like $US50...hmm something doesn’t add up.... But we were covert and ensured that they did not have to deal with the police, although we did come close a few times... So it was beach, great seafood (REALLY GREAT!!!!) and more time to read and yes you guessed it.... think! Well I think I have psycho analysed myself to death now.... conclusion I am mildly insane, suffer from extreme bouts of self doubt but am in general a pretty good guy with good prospects for the future.... If only I didn't think too much....

After Baracoa it was an all night bus trip to Santa Clara to see Che's grave... well where his remains are after they were returned from Bolivia in 1997, some 30 years after his death! Bus was tourist this time as we thought it simply not worth it to fight with bus drivers again.... Santa Clara was a quick over night stay and then our first train on our trip.... Man 9hrs to travel 260km.... that's efficient, but it was comfortable enough... so no real complaints here, although we were charged 24 times the local price for the train by this time I was happy to pay.... By now I have really got a feel for the desperate economic situation of the country and a few bucks from me will help them more than a big mac meal will help me.....

Then back to Habana for a final two days and yes by now I was looking forward to 'getting back' to the 'other world' ie a world in which not everything is difficult.... Managed to cut sick with my Spanish whilst walking around town alone.... I find when I am alone and have to speak Spanish I actually can... kinda like getting chucked into the ocean... you swim or die! Also didn't get fooled by people trying to rip me off.... although now I was almost tempted to get deliberately fooled to help them out and give them the money they need.... but my bank balance aint so hot and the Aussie dollar aint either and I am heading to pound territory soon.....

Then plane and Cancun.... and don't get me started on this place.... a whole different planet... kinda like the Gold Coast except full of Yanks not Japanese and.... grgrrgrgr man do I feel poor... In Cuba I was the rich man and here I am the poor man, bloody young americans with all their money from investments exploiting people in countries like we have visited in South America..... Anyways that post is for another day....

Rest assured I am well (although my bowls haven't completely removed the 5c ice creams of Cuba!) and ready to hit Central America.... although I could handle a cold winter weekend in Bundy... maybe next year hey!?

Thoughts on Cuba

Firstly communism my fellow comrades is dead, yes it is sad to say but seeing Cuba was like seeing the final death throws of mans final attempt at making a society that was fair to all. Why did it die? Well I have many ideas on this topic, the first would be that most people are selfish bastards and just don't like sharing hence a society based on completely equalising wealth just can't work as people want more than their next door neighbour...grrrrr. Also the United States has alot to answer in relation to this issue as well. Once the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba was devastated all the soviet markets for their products disappeared over night... with no foreign exchange earnings they couldn’t get any cash and hence could not import anything. The bloody US won’t let anyone trade with Cuba so the only money they get is from tourism... like ALL their money..... as you can imagine that is not much given that Cuba has been an agriculturally based economy (mainly sugar)... essentially Cuba is unemployed and their is no international dole cheque for them to pick up..... Since then Cubans in general have given up and you can tell…. They don’t appear to be interested in work… and when the power goes off they just chill out or go home…. They don’t seem overly phased about it…. Acceptance of these failings of the state lets them continue into the future and become more prevalent.

I have read alot of Che's works whilst being here and it appears that it was all based on some really great, although rather idealistic, ideas... it just didn't work out in the long run.... I have to wonder if all those people back at home wearing all those Che T-shirts know what it was really on about…. Hmmm I doubt it and I also doubt they would want to live here either… but hey in the western world it is very easy to be happy in your ignorance…. I think Che was a bit too extreme and had way too much faith in people…. People in general don’t care about much except getting fed and having a family…. Struggles to ensure equality and justice is reserved for only a few… and unfortunately this few is never enough to fight imperialism…. Money and power is always more attractive than truth and fairness….

Cuba is a real bastard of a country to try and do anything in. Getting ripped off by locals seeking extra cash is common and you really can't trust anyone. Which is a shame as the few who we got to know and got to trust are really great people with great ideas… just seems they are a bit trapped by the system…. But what could the solution be? Obviously if (when…) the US takes over they will turn it into another Cancun or some other money spinner for US financial interests …. Yes the people will have more money but their culture will die and another part of the world will become the same as the US…which any sensible person will agree is a tragedy….The endless destruction of cultural diversity that the US has caused worldwide…. Man and these people wonder why much of the world hates them, calls them the ‘great evil’ and then attacks them. Personally I am surprised the attacks aren’t bigger and more frequent… but as I said most people aren’t interested in this sort of stuff… and that is how countries like the US get away with it, apathy of the general population… Why were Che and Fidel great people (I use the term loosely here…)? Cause they got the people to give a damn and fight for their rights…. We need more of that today. But given and Cuba has lost it is there really any hope for the future… And how would we really stage a revolution against a system that essentially is our whole world…. Do we cut off our nose to spite our face or accept the way things are and take pleasure from the small things cause from where I sit the big picture is pretty grim and getting worse by the day…

Sorry to be so glum but the world really is a mess… turn the TV off and get out here to where the other 5.5 billion people live and you will know that this is the case and hey I have only seen 0.5 billion to date, once I hit Asia…. And then, bloody hell, Africa!!!! Man am I going to be depressed and have an extreme reproach for the way man can treat his fellows the world over…. But once I know the problem only then can I start working on a solution…. Maybe another Great Flood would help… but who would God save??? Is anyone really worthy??? Not me, not by a long shot….. ARE YOU???

Cigars, Commies and Castro!!!

2005-06-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well am finally off to that great country that we Capitalists envy so much..... Yes tomorrow night I fly to Havana, Cuba where I will spend 23 days living in the luxurious lifestyle that the economicaly efficient system communism provides those lucky citizens of Cuba! Rest assured that I will have a Cigar or ten and will also pack as many of them into my surfboard case to sell on the black market in Miami.

I don't plan to be online whilst in Cuba as access to the WorldWideWeb will be too much of a Capitalist Pig thing to do and hence may ruin my great commune life I plan to make for myself in Cuba. So don't be offended if I don't reply to emails or post on my site, it wont be because I am dead....

I also plan to try and get to Guantanamo Bay to visit our best mate David Hicks... I'm sure I will be lucky to get within 50km of the place, but I will try!

Bogota has been a bugger but thankfully all the passport stuff is done and we both have valid passports with Cuban Visas and we also have accommodation in Cuba sorted for the first night, plus our flight out of Cuba to Cancun, Mexico on 28 June and also a flight to Miami from San Jose, Costa Rica on 22 July so hey we are totally sorted to London now.... strange feeling to have everything planned... haven't felt that for a while!

So tonight is our last night in South America... as a tear wells in the corner of my eye and it slowly slides down my cheek I think back at all our adventures in this amazing and crazy continent.... It has been awesome, we have done, seen, experienced so much here!!!! I can't wait to return again one day, maybe with a Chica!?!? I will miss this place but have had enough of the place for now and am looking forward to seeing different ways of life.

All I can say is that life is great where ever you are and there will always be days you have the shits and want to punch a wall (or ya mate's head;-)... But remember there are dudes living on the streets in every city of this world including your own. So if you feel like God is being a bastard to you and it's just not fair, go to your local hobo hangout and lie down on some cardboard and go to sleep.... see how that feels and then you will know that you've got it good, bloody great infact!!!!! And hey if it all goes down the drain and the bank forecloses on your property and everyone thinks you're a prick you will always be able to hit the hay and get a good night's sleep somewhere even if it's the cardboard on the ground in the Plaza de Armas in some South American city.... There is always hope and options!!!

Oh, another thing. I saw two pigeons get run over on the street yesterday. The first time I have seen such a thing happen in my life. The first one got smashed and was dead instantly, but it's friend only got half killed. This guy picked it up and put it on the sidewalk where the pigeon proceeded to stumble and cough up blood out of it's mouth...cough cough twice it coughed up blood and I looked at it and thought....which is worse off, the pigeon or the home person on the street three feet away? And although I had no answer I felt more sorry for that pigeon than any homeless person....... I don't know what this means as it seems both that pigeon and many of the homeless people in this city are equally screwed.... but something about an innocent animal being hurt so badly got to me..... cause we all know there is not one human on the face of this earth who is innocent..... hmmmmmmm morbib stuff I know, but I think although this city has given me the shits it has taught be a lot... lessons I will never ever forget!

Anyways, there are new photos on the site, so check 'em out (had to miss out a lot of photos here as I reckon I would get shot or mugged for taking some of them) ... will be back around the end of the month. Hope you all have fun. Hasta luego.... ¡Bien Suerte y chao!

From the Amazon to Bogota

2005-05-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an interesting past week or so..... hmmm what has happened since my last post?

Um went into the Amazon Jungle, which was way cool got to spend a night in a local village and then the second night actually in the middle of the Jungle in a hammock. The sounds of the jungle are magic, literally music, much better than that ‘new age’ sounds of nature crap all the yuppies listen to in their 14th floor apartments..... But the jungle itself spoke to me and it said this: “F”#$ Off!!!” so i was glad to leave. The place is lovely, magic and I am so glad that I have seen it in the flesh but I don't belong in a tropical rainforest, give me the temperate forests of Oz anyday!!!! Like 30 C plus humidity plus 1000 (literally!!!) mossies.... no thankyou God crafted me for other places. Did get to catch pirranas and put my finger in ones mouth.... they are crazy fish.... Also got to play with a sloth, mini tiger, boa, monkey.... really cool fun.. They have monkeys as pets here and people kept trying to sell me monkeys for like $AU20.... but what do you do with a monkey once you have one????

Got back into Iquitos and just bummed around a bit nothing too serious just a night out on town and also played a poker machine (just for you Crouch!!!) and it was queen of the Nile and I turned 10 Soles into 20 soles which was cool fun..... From Iquitos it was back on a boat and heading onto the real Amazon and down to the tri boarder area (Colombia, Peru and Brazil). This boat was so dodgy, half the price of the first one and really I have never been in a worse toilet (actually there was one in Nepal which was worse....) and the place was packed with locals and the noise of the engine..... Well as I say if it ain’t hard it can’t possibly be real fun! We hit Iquitos last Friday (27/5) and played the game of how do you get out of a town which has no rivers north nor any roads in that direction... after asking soldiers and cargo workers we managed to get onto a jet carrying frozen fish to Bogota and by nightfall we were in the Capital of Colombia!!!!

Once in Bogota all went crazy... Nick lost his passport.....we got ripped of by a taxi driver.....once finally into the hostel we planned to get to (a day late thanks to the that bloody taxi driver...sending us to a mates hostel cause he wouldnt drive us to where we wanted to go) Nick and i proceeded to get drunk for his B’day (well actually on Sat we went to a lovely art gallery, which was great and now I am mad keen to see all Europe has to offer in the art department...nothing like walking around in nice clothes with your hands behind your back with an intelligent knowing/understanding the deeper meaning of art look on your face!!!) and well besides not remembering anything of the night I beat the crap out of Nick outside our hostel....about God knows what.... All I know is that Nick was screaming at me and kicking doors and the only way I figured to shut him up was hit him in the head... great mate i am hey.... well we managed to avoid getting arrested even though Nick was in handcuffs at one stage..... And I appoligised to Nick and all is sorted.... check his web site for his version of events.....

And now we are in Bogota trying to get Nick’s passport sorted, I have been trying to send my surfboard home, but will cost a billion dollars as they only ship via air from these parts.... and also we’re getting frisked by the army as they hold their machine guns and there are roit police everywhere plus a million homeless crazy people crapping in the streets and screaming out all kinds of stuff.... So we say bugger this crazy town and we are off to the North Coast of Colombia tomorrow...Cartagena.... meant to be lovely and from there we plan to go straight to Cuba.... well that’s the plan for now and Mr. Tabla de Surf stays with me to London.... another great purchase of Mr Klausen... ;-)

But on a more important note we are both heathly...well Nick has a few cuts and bruises about the face, but we are safe (from others anyways;-) and are happy and are mad keen to see Cuba hopefully we will be there in a week, fingers crossed....

Also please do write comments of whatever kind on this site as I havent been getting any and feel like no one loves me :-( booo whooo.....

Music from South America

2005-05-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just added some songs to the web site.... The top five section on the right hand side of the web page has direct links to song files in mp3 format, just right click and select save as... also www.lucas.intercate.net/music has all music files saved on the site, you can down load and listen through your favourite media player. Just thought I would give you a taste of the music we listen to over here and with my IRiver being on it's way to Australia for repair this really is all the music I have to listen to ;-)

FYI

2005-05-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Advice from www.smarttraveller.gov.au.......
We advise against non-essential travel to these countries:
Algeria
Angola
Central African Republic
Colombia
Haiti
Indonesia, (including Bali)
Kyrgyzstan
Nepal
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Yemen

Off to Columbia

2005-05-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

We leave Iquitos this afternoon for Columbia, which means another few days on a boat sleeping on a hammock.... hmmmm tough life I know!!!!

Well there are heaps more photos in the gallery to have a look at so have a look see.... we as usual have been up to many different things!!!!

The next time I write I will be in Columbia as we aim to get into Bogota (capital of Columbia) by the weekend for Nick's 25th Birthday, so partying shall be had a plenty!

Oh and go the Blues!!!! As I believe the State of Origin is on this Wednesday and thanks to technology I will watch it on a reply on the net when I hit Bogota, so don't any of you tell me the score!!

Take care all and will post with more details soon.....

Cusco to Lima and beyond....

2005-05-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Haven't written a decent post in a while so here goes it....

After partying a little too hard in Cusco (mmm the sweat white.....meat?) we finally escaped the lure of nights with cheap drinks and women and made our way to Lima (basically cusco besides the Inca trail thing is a place where heaps of gringo touristas party til 6am or till they die!!!!); Getting to Lima involved a bus trip that unlike I originally thought, which was straight to Lima, actually took us halfway to the bottom of the country... I worked the actual route of the bus when I hung a leak at 5am, looked around and said "Fugger" I am in Nasca, the place I was too tight to go too.... and now here I am (¿Soy muy estupido, no?). The 20hr was so cold (like 5C) and I didn't really dress to the occasion so I froze and hence couldnt sleep and then at three in the morning I saw how the bus drivers here REALLY drive.... argh argh argh.... nuts, I mean N-U-T-S, like 120km/h round corners whilst overtaking a truck....mmmmm... nice one.... anyone want a life insurance policy on me ... (just jokes mum, smile please....). The hammock from my guitar case was my only blanket, so I sat there scared, cold and waiting for sun rise.....

Into Lima and straight down to Barranco, a lovely suburb in the south of the city, real fancy and all, think it's where all the rich people and ughmmm drug dealers live... Stayed at a gringos only place where I remember why I hate gringos so much. All the people at this hostel did was drink and get home at 7am in the morning and be all noisy and agressive (Aussies and Poms, need I say more??). Mind you I did join them on one night or two..... Can't call me Lucas if I am not a hypocrite from time to time ;-) I did however get to catch up with Mia and Emma (our Swedish friends from the Salt Flats), which was great as I got to spend a Sunday afternoon at the movies with Mia (saw Kingdom of Heaven - **** - Orlando Bloom), which meant the company of a lovely lady plus popcorn and coke yah!!!!!

Lima also involved going to massive markets, chilling out in a local pub (so much like Kembla Pub I had to have a few extra beers and smokes to celebrate ;-), and buying s SURFBOARD (tabla de surf), like I don't have enough to carry anyways... but like everything on this trip it's a new test as if it was easy it wouldnt be fun.,... right...RIGHt??? Oh and yeah we got our replacement credit cards and BOOM we were gone.... off to the beach... mancora in the far north of Peru and yes another long bus trip (17hrs).....

Now I have never been to a town that has no weekend, and I don't mean this in the old Japanese , "what you have days off work" mentality thing, rather quite the opposite, these people have no week days.... they just surf, build a few buildings from time to time, sell drugs and smoke drugs and drink.....yeah, that's about it.... that's why people get trapped there.... but not me...no....a week of that life was enough for me (for now that is ;-). We did get to hang with our Aussie and Polish friends George and Aska... and thanks to them (you know you love it girls!!!) we partied way too much and slept away oto much of the mornings.... luck the day i did sleep in the surf went off and had four surfs.... nice one!!!! Also managed to smash my knee on the coral reef and hence get my first 'real' surfing injury (I don't think slamming your thum in the volvo car door when strapping the boards to the roof at the beach counts.....). And then off once again and another long bus trip... 26hrs this one and into the Amazon we go.

We rock up to this town, Tarapoto, which we were told you could catch a boat from to Iquitos, but guess what there is no big river there, rather the correct town, Yurimaguas is 5hrs drive away, so we share a car with another local and our two guitars (as we later found out that we paid the price of a person for the travel.... bastardos!). And then it's down to the river and onto the Eduardo, our home for the next three days..... The boat was just chilling time, reading and watching old American Vietnam movies with Chuck Norris and Van Dam..... (mostly dubbed into Spanish...) and I managed to get an ear infection, which would be the 10 millionth for me life!! Thanks mum for teaching me the ear bud thing.... I think I will quit from now, much worse than smoking I reckon and way more addictive.....

Now am in Iquitos and will be heading to the Jungle tomorrow morning for three days.... And the most important question I now have is should we go out tonight????

Take care all and will write again soon.

I am an Uncle!!!! Say hello to Bethany Morrison....

2005-05-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

Lima

2005-05-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Big city...... really big!!!!

Still alive and still having fun....

Looking to buy a surfboard and other surfing supplies for the trip up north... cant wait!!!!!!

Mescaline

2005-05-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

An alkaloid drug, C11H17NO3, obtained from mescal buttons, which produces hallucinations. Also called peyote.

And highly recommended by me and much more importantly it is legal!!!!

Quick run down is as follows:

9:30pm: Mix powdered cactus (San Pedro) with water (MIX IT WELL!!!)
9:31pm: Start the painful process of drinking the thing....
9:45pm: Introduce pepsi to the mix as the taste is too bad
10:05pm: Finally it's finished!!!!!
10:30pm: Hmmmmm that feels odd......
11:00pm: Ohhh yeah that's cool!!!!
11:05pm: Start playing guitar and making up cool songs (well I thought they were cool...)
11:45pm: Head out (feeling great although stomach is still coming to terms with its contents...)
12:00am: Yeap this is the best....
12:00 - 3:00am: Chat, socialise, Dance and do a classic air guitar solo to the Gunners 'Sweet Child 'o Mine'....
3:30am: Home and guitar for another hour, really great songs now!!!
4:30am: Quite time, visions, dreams etc... really trippy....
7:20am: Wake up (was I actually sleeping???)
7:30am: Showered and on the streets to observe the locals...
8:30am: Done some internet and time (finally!!!) for bed...

Great stuff.... Really worthwhile experience.... but hard work too.... that drink was really bad!!! Anyone see John Saphran???

Half Way.....

2005-05-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well here I am at the half way point of my time in South America and at first thought I feel like saying “Gee that went fast….”, but then I think back and realise that it has not gone fast at all.... I feel like I have been here forever.... Thinking back over all the things I have experienced since I left Australia I can hardly believe I could fit them all into a three month period, truely amazing I think.

As I hit this mid point of my journey I feel I need to reclarify what I want from this and where I want to go from. Kinda reminds me of back at home when I would write this list (a very optimistic hopeful one I must say) of all the things I want to achieve over the coming months/years etc... Ha! I really am an odd person I have to say. Things on those lists would be like: Stop smoking. Get fit. Be a nicer person. Save money etc etc. Why do I feel like I need to write down on a list of what I am eventually going to fail to achieve? Hmmm guess I just like to make myself feel guilty hey. Okay well I am atleast wise enough now to write myself a much more simple list at the top of which is a strong desire to learn as much spanish as possible before I leave this world.....

But besides writing lists I also need to think about my life as a whole and where it may or may not be headed. And the funny thing is that I really don’t know and I guess I don’t need to know. All I know is that I am doing exactly what I need to be doing and that I should keep doing it. I have no idea what career I want or where I want to be in a year or five....

It’s funny you know. I walk down the streets here and have all these thoughts and emotions that I want to express, write down or something and everytime I come to write in this journal I come to a blank. I am not sure if it is my subconcious telling me that by writing it down the experiencies are somewhat cheapened or maybe I just can’t put into words what I am feeling.... Well I am happy I can say that. Happy to be here and happy to me myself here. I think that’s what happens when you’re no longer around your family and peers, you really find out who you really are without the influence of others. I have learnt alot about who I am: I am an adult (hard to believe) but totally and utterly a man, I know it sounds wanky but it is true so many things I have had to react to and the way I did react have taught me that. I have very strong will power when I let go and let my desire to achieve something take over (mainly linked to physical endurance, but also mental). I still don’t really know what I want to do but I know what I want. I don’t need to be with someone to know that I am loved, being single (properly) for the first time in 8 years has taught me this, although I sometimes miss the reasurance of a loved one I no longer need it and when I realised this I realised that I am totally free.... I could go on but this really is turning into a wankfest so I will stop here.

So what about may physical reality as opposed to what’s going on inside this insane mind of mine.......

Well just went to Maccupichu and I have to say it was amazing but in a way I did not anticipate... As I sat up there sunning myself on a massive granite rock listening to the various tour guides show the million tourists around I thought about what people are capable of... I was impressed with the efforts of the Incas but not for one second did I think them any more amazing than any other past civilisation. I think we like to place certain past civilations on pedistals and worship them for their amazing ability.... but I reckon we’re all the same and just cause they built this city on top of a hill doesn’t make them anymore important than civilisation that came and went 2000 years ago and left no traces..... We always want something to worship don’t we, like the Jews and their desire for a King, guess we’re never happy being as good as each other, someone always has to be the best and get all the chicks..... Hmmm what am I talking about????

Anyways, did the Inca Trek thing on a bike the first day and walked the following three days. The bike was cool fun 80km down hill.. except my front axle broke about 20km down and a stick had to come into play for the next 10km then good old liquid nails solved the problems for good.... except then my brakes died, but as I have learnt if it goes smoothly then it’s boring! We spent the night in a field with dogs and turkeys and I made the same mistake for a second time.... I barked back at dogs, something to take to heart is this: DON’T BARK AT DOGS IN SOUTH AMERICA!!!!!! They chase you and will attack....... The second day was a walk day finishing in hot springs with the locals... And the funniest thing was: A mum grabbed her child (who was pissing on the ground) and dragged him to the hot springs and made him piss in there... loved it! These were the springs we were swimming in..... so funny! Third day was a short walk and train trip to Aguas Callientes (just below Maccupichu), that night I had my first proper Spanish conversation... about politics, chicks and the economy... nice one. Can’t wait to get good at this language. The day four was the trip up to Maccupichu... now Nick and I not satisfied with simply walking up decided walk/run was the best option and reached the top in record time (25min), but if this wasn’t enough we wanted to be first to the top of Yuana Pichu as well so we basically ran up this thing (mountain at the back of the photo) in 20min, passing tourists on the way up.... but alas upon reaching the top there was one tourist up there.... ARGH!!!!! We had to settle for 2nd and 3rd place (note here that that tourist caught a bus to the top where as we walked all the way). After getting back down and having a nap in the sun we decided to race the bus down the hill... 10-15min down and the bus beat us by 10m.....

Anyways back here in Cusco and heading off to Lima tomorrow. Have decided to give the Nazca lines a miss, not sure why guess the $US35 flight plus buses means it will be a $US70 side trip and I want to use money to buy a surf board. We wait in Lima for our new credit cards and then to Mancora and to me an Eden of surf, sun and sand (and maybe a few otra cosas ;-)

Well that’s my babble for the moment. Have a million other things to write but hey somethings are much better said than written....

Oh and the coolest thing is the next time I post onto this I will be an Uncle.... hey does this mean I have to be responsible? Hmmm.... have to think abit more about that one....

photos and video...

2005-04-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Check out this ==> http://lucas.intercate.net/videos/ mov00271.mpg for view from the top of the world, right click and select save as, it's a big video file (9.2M) but worth a look!!!

Plus new photos in the gallery http://lucas.intercate.net/gallery/huayna?page=1

6088m

2005-04-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to recount the hardest thing I have ever done!

No it was not the HSC, nor getting a university degree or starting my first full time job. I was not breaking up with my first girlfriend (Sorry Mel!) nor going out in ten foot surf..... I was climbing a 6088m mountain called Huayani Potosi.... 2000m of ice and snow to the top. I have never been so close to crying, throwing up and giving up as a result of physical pain in my life! We got up at 11:30pm and started the climb at 1am, reached the top at 6:30am for sun rise and commenced the decent at about 7:00am and reached the bottom at 10:30am..... All with no real breaks only ones to catch your breath.

As you get higher up the mountain the amount of oxygen in the air gets less and less until you can barely walk 5 meters without colapsing (and I mean falling to the ground gasping for air.....). Like ten times on the way up I was gasping "I give up, I can’t go on". But it occured to me as I said this that there really wasn’t much I could do if I gave up. Would I sit there in the snow and ice at 4am in the freezing cold moring at about –10 degrees and wait for the rest of the team to return from the top some 4 hours later??? And then you find out that when you are faced with impossible things that you have no choice but to do you do them. And the amazing thing is that I wanted to die at 4am (and 3am and 2am) but at 5:30am we hit the last part of the battle, the final assualt onthe summit. A 200m shear wall of ice. Now I am so afraid of climbing cliffs, let alone without much safety equipment (a guide, Nick and I were tied together but to nothing else) but I knew what I realised before... I had no choice but to do it and the goal being so close I was able to ignore my nausia (from the height, lack of oxygen, and food and water as I could not eat or drink due to by sickness and above all lack of oxygen as I had not slept the night before) and all other fears and use my ice axe and crampons (metal spikes on my shoes) and make it to the top.....

At the top unlike what I had anticipated, which was me getting a photo of myself on the summit with no shirt on (something for the ladies....), rather I was copmletely exhausted, like never before in my life. And I was so cold that I had to rub my toes (and fingers) back from the brink of frost bite (this is no exageration!!!!). But as the sun rose it all warmed up and became totally worth it. I was almost on the brink of tears with myself and how proud I was that I could do something I knew I could not do. It then became apparent that what stops me from doing things is fear not my ability (well most of the time as I doubt I would have ever been able to play for the Steelers...). I can’t wait to try this out again something Nick and I will have to work out.. But it is not limited to adventure sports but everything so maybe when I hit the office in London I can start to apply the things I have learnt here.....

And after all that we have a few lose ends to tie up here in La Paz like my new Brazil VISA as we have decided to go down the Amazon on a boat after all.... 10 days from Iquitos (Peru) to Manaus (Brazil) from there North into Venezuela and onto Colombia. Before that though we head to the Isla del Sol in the famous Lake Titicaca (yes ladies and gents from the cartoon lost cities of gold!!!!) and then to Cuzco to do the world famous Inca Trail, then to Nazca to see the ‘lines’ which have confused scientists for hundreds of years, then to Lima and north to Peru’s world famous beaches... then to Iquitos..... Heaps of things to do so I better get moving. Hope all is well and will be incontact with all of you via the email!

Makes it to 24 alive!!!!!

2005-04-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Thankyou all for your emails and Birthday wishes! I have to start by saying it was the best birthday I think I have ever had. Not in the sense of being around those you love (as none of you were there!) but due to its simplicity and excitement…. No pressure about presents and doing things and being in places, rather I had one place to be and fate could take control from there.

Well the mountain biking was amazingly good, like whenever on this trip I think I have had an unbeatable experience I manage to do something better!!! Actually more likely is the fact that the intense feelings of the last experience start to fade as the new experience is formed and then of course the new experience is going to be better (well seem relatively better anyways) but hey who cares about analyising things when you can feel them for yourself!? But really I pushed myself to the limit going down that road, always near the front and close to the edge… and when you see the photos you will know what I mean about near to the edge! Managed to finish 2nd out of 17 people, which given my minimal experience was a major achievement (note here that it wasn’t a race by any means but if you put young men and speed together then a race will always eventuate!).

The rest of the day faded into the spirit of the Russians (Vodka, my favourite!), rest assured that the gropes of nights gone past returned (some of you will know what that means, others not). I managed to dance with God knows how many women and then stumble home empty handed at the end of the night, fall into bed and eat my Snickers bar (which I have been dying to eat and because I suffered major memory loss from that night I can’t even remember eating it, the half chewed nuts and pieces of wrapped strewn across the room led me to believe that it was me who ate it…. This has harmed me so badly that I dream of chocolate… but hey I just had two chocolate donuts and a mega big coffee so I am feeling great!!!!).

Woke up the next day with that feeling that I am sure we can all relate to, which is, ‘how did I get here and what happened last night?’ not something you want to feel every morning but well worth it from time to time. Had a great brekky with a view to die for and then went for a swim….. Got Nick out of his slumber and then phase two of the weekend’s adventure was to begin…. Catching a local truck back to La Paz, this involved standing for 5 hours with the locals as we slowly climbed back up the ‘worlds most dangerous road’…. This was as good as the day before for excitement and danger… Like have you ever seen two trucks pass each other on a 4m wide road, with a 800m drop to contend with???? Check photos…..

Rest assured it was cold by the time we got to the top. We went from about 400m to about 4800m, that’s a big climb in any country and in the open, in the rain and by the top snow it can get pretty cold. A sheet of yellow plastic kindly shared by Lorenzo who was sitting next to us was a God send. The fruit grower and his son, David, travel down and back up that crazy road every weekend to go to church…. Now risking your life to go to church is an amount of dedication us in the west just don’t have anymore…. Rest assured Lorenzo spoke no English and it was my slowly improving broken Spanish that enabled me to learn things about him….

Well Nick, Donal (our new Irish friend, who I think we peer pressured into coming on the truck… like we saw no other Gringos in these trucks, just another testament to Nick and My desire to do everything possible and push ourselves way out of our comfort zones…) and I finally reaching La Paz said our goodbyes to a our new friends on the truck (most of whom warmed to us once they realised that we had bothered to learn Spanish) and hopped into a mini van into the Centre to get some well earned Burger King©….

What a weekend!!!!!! Tonight we’re going to the cemetery here, where I plan to scare the crap out of myself and then it is off to a mountain climb in the next few days. We hope to break through 6000m, this will be most likely once again the best things I have done on my trip so far…. I wonder what will end up being the best??? Maybe returning home to see all of you again…. I think that will be the case most certainly…

Hugs and Kisses and prayers too as I now go to church regularly even if it is sitting in the back of a Catholic church for 10 minutes at a time…..

Happy Birthday Lucas!

2005-04-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone, lets give Lucas a round of applause on behalf of his birthday! He is on the otherside of the world from his family and friends, so make sure you leave a comment to wish him all the best!

Love you brother.

Andrew