TravelStream™ news feed for member bonkers on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/bonkers en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:29:32 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1133653800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1133653800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1133653800/tpod.html Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:29:32 -0500 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Windy Peat Bog, United Kingdom

Being home is like sleeping in a skanky mosquito infested pit of a shack on a deserted beach in some random country no-one has heard of where law has no meaning: you don't like it, but at the same time you love it, at the end of the day, it just has to be done. It shall be. There's no way round it and theres no escaping it. MIND ENJOY IT. The similarities in the cost of living are about the same, as is the level of work which is required to get by. The levels of dispensable income and limitless independance are however sadly amiss. I'm finding it extremely hard having to deal with all the meaningless BULLSHIT of-course, but somehow, I've managed just by thinking of the Inland Fucking Revenue or the Value Added Tadgerless bunch of cocksuckers in the same light as that corrupt old boot in Cambodia on border patrol who robbed me blind; except she only did it once and at least I knew she looked like a rat! In just the same way as before, I smirk at my misfortune and look only to the future - so when we going for a beer folks? I still shudder at the thought of the tens of thousands my father is forced to pay every year for..... ABSOLUTELY BUGGER ALL, but thankfully, since I returned, I'm quite proud of the fact I've managed to dodge paying all sense of tax into this senseless system of reprobates we call the 'Goverment of Little Britain' by working on the black market on the grey island of Skye. All the meaningless rules and exorbitant wasters of time <i>almost have no place on my island - 'Eileen A Cheo' as it's called in Gaelic. This roughly translates as 'the misty as all hell isle' - except the wind don't blow so hard in hell!I've been enjoying the extraordinary climatic conditions that the Scottish winter has thrown our way immensely. Especially when doing hard labour in substandard clothing, building shit houses on freezing wind blasted coastlines. It would be fucking boring if I didn't open my door to the tempestuous 120mph whirlwinds of wheelie bins, kayaks and dislodged slates doing Harry Potter style airborne magic shows before my eyes - "don't park your car near the house son, it might get damaged". Somehow, even though there's so few people, Skye can be quite an exciting place to live. The Glasweegians and the English scamper here north in their droves to "get away from it all". They soon leave however - when they discover how severe the weather gets!No seriously, Skye is at times, enchanting. As the photos will testify, it's an exceptionally beautiful place, the light is quite unique and the way of life none too short of 'alternative'. You gotta love the dancing clouds and the driving squalls of swirling rain which can be seen arriving from the horizon lacerated with shards of painted sunlight. Always changing and never predictable. One old boy, 70 year old 'e was, been living in the Western Isles all his life - "ne'er seen wea'er like this lad. Not since Nam". Apart from the obviously riotous locals, the isolation is a major element to life here. Driving HUNDREDs of miles to get ANYWHERE relevant is the norm. This is hard to take for two reasons: A. we have the most expensive petrol known to mankind, B. I have actually been absent for a small portion of my short lifetime and fancy catching up with a whole crew of mates I haven't seen in nearly 3 years. I think I've only been in Edinburgh twice since I returned and although I have seen one or two choice amigos, along with a few seriously rowdy nights of hell-raising with the mafia brothers in Inverness, this has been about the extent of my social activity.Christmas has become an insumrountable obstacle in my departure from Skye. I obviously haven't spent one with the family over the last coupla years. Christmas is a big thing with our family. Do I get a job and move on, risking another one absent from mother hens warm nest, or do I face another month at-least of wonderful home cooking, horrendous nagging from the old bird, and a winter that's set to be the coldest in ten years? I think I might just pull through the later. Hopefully the cold winter months will provide me with the motivation I need to get a proper job, save up, and move on again to warmer shores.... then again Santa tells me he's delivering a new snowboard for Xmas - perhaps, I'll love it! Ja ja jaaaa!!Job? what job? Catch me if you can!! HA HAAAA!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125488820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125488820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125488820/tpod.html Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:21:29 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

I ended my time out of the UK, just I started in Mexico City way back in May '03 - all on my own. Chris just scarpered off for a ferry to East Anglia, while I have to wait for the bus to Sheffield. But, drawing in the Purple Haze of the canals and coffee shops of Amsterdam was as perfect a way as any to round off the last 28 months. I traipsed about the red light district, just to pass the time of course, still being shocked by various sights such as big old black wifies with squint teeth and ginger hair peering provocativley at me out of the many red framed, full-length windows that adorn all the side streets round the Dam. Militant cyclists on the warpath - WHOOOSH - "that wis ma toes ya bas!". Boats full of bufties floating past on old dingies, in tight denim panties rubbing KY jelly on each other. Wrinkly rasta dudes, wi long dreds standing in the middle of the street chuckling away; when I clocked him with a razor nonchalantly chopping up a wrap of white powder, he growled - "wanna bite?!". All this on a beautiful summers day, 28 degrees in the Dam today, the last sun I'm likely to see until I leave Scotland again. But right now, although it's very sad this huge global odyssey is finally over, irrespective of what others may say, the world IS vast and you can't step on every stone; at least not in one go! Terribly missed family and friends are beckoning and it's got to End.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1126007880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1126007880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1126007880/tpod.html Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:15:29 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Stein, Isle of Skye, United Kingdom

Well here I am folks! Back to the sound of the bag pipes! I didn't have the best things to say about Scotland when I was away, probably because of the street violence and the terrible weather I had the misfortune to frequently encounter; but the sun is shining and I'm seeing it now in a whole new light. There really is nowhere quite like home and there's definitely no-one in the world quite like the Scots - it's great to be back! I checked in with bro Benny boy in Sheffield on the way up north. It was a great moment when we met up again for a few quiet beers and a days climbing in Manchester. The boy is a changed man: when I departed for distant shores he was jobless and practically homeless; now he has a great flat near the centre of town, a wee car, a pretty girlfriend and even has started up his own successful business - unbeleivable. Re-entering the world of Edinburger was a poignant moment, this was where i spent most of my adult life and I have many memories from this great city. I caught it at a primo time, with the Scotland v Italy game, music festivals all over and the huge end of festival fireworks show from Castle Rock. It was so wierd to be back on the familiar cobbled streets knowing everything and everyone so well, but yet so distantly. I hooked up with many true old friends and even bumped into a few random mates on the streets. It was just three days of constant - "Hey man! So good to see ya! Can't beleive it's been so long! Let's get the beers in!". Just as I thought: most of my mates here are still stuck in the life that staying in a UK city gives you - many are doing almost the same things they were as when I left. I suppose I would be too, if I had stayed, but it's crazy that <i>so much has changed in my world, but practically nothing in theirs.The final leg was the train thru the misty peaks of the Highlands to Kyle of Lochalsh, where I was met by another brother, wee Ollie - who isn't so wee anymore! We sneaked onto the island and I just turned up in the family home to the shock of my parents who didn't even know I was coming! Mum of course was holding back the tears and yet again, it was quite a moment. Everyone is doing seriously well, the folks business is now booming and the twins are sorted with all the toys under the sun, new cars, boats, guns etc... Should be a fun time up here with them, although my youngest bro Matt fell through two floors the other month so is currently a cripple! Soo....who knows what the near future will hold for me, maybe thinking about staying up in Scotland now... Really don't know though... London looks pretty nasty just now, maybe Sheffield with Ben or Inverness... or Edinburgh... I <i>really don't know. My life is now a spotlessly clean slate and I'm open to any opportunity - just throw them at me! I've got a few ideas and property looks like the way forward. Wi the bros all being into the building trades, we can buy old shells, do them up and sell 'em on for a fortune... We'll see what happens... no doubt I'll be slaving away to the corporate bollocks behind a computer before I know it. I'm really not looking forward to returning to that horrible sacrifice of 8 hours of daylight, 5 days a week for something that holds no real interest or significance for me.The trip in summary:853 dayscrossing 28 different international borders, some many timestaking only 6 international flightslargest overlander from Ko Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand to the Isle of Skye in the the Minch - approx 17,000 km's or 10,600 miles (does anyone know how to get this exactly?)only 5 and a half months proper working - wahey!1 lost passport4 cameras - two stolen, two knacked5 pairs of shoes - two stolen, two bust, one too stinky to keep!approx 12 pairs of flip flops - all stolen (or lost somewhere I couldn't remember!)only 3 barely surviving items of clothing from the start, although they're hardly in one piece!Around 250 hangovers!Favourites:All the volcanos in Latin AmericaAll the ancient ruins in Latin AmericaAll the old colonial towns in Latin AmericaAll the crazy islands in Latin AmericaThe music, the parties and the genuine LatinosEehm I guess... just about ALL of Latin America!Remote parts of the South Island and Great Barrier Island in New Zealand for mind blowingly stunning mountain and coastal scenery, the hairy scary locals and the mental extreme sportsKo Phangan, Thailand for the parties and the beachesLaos for the passive, honest people and the totally undeveloped beautiful landscapesThe beautiful ugliness of Cambodia and seeing the Khymers valiantly struggle from beneath it's dark dark historyYunnan province of China for the lovely Naxi and Tibetans living there and of course for Tiger Leaping GorgeMoscow, St Pete's, Copenhagen, Mexico City, Granada and Leon were favourite citiesThe friendliest people were the Fijians who also had the most incredible diving
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125308580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125308580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125308580/tpod.html Tue, 06 Sep 2005 13:41:49 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Utrecht, Netherlands

My god, this is the last place! Was meant to meet up with another Dutchie here but I didn't catch her in time, so England tomorrow! The last days have been filled with reminiscence of what has past, and I can't stop thinking about whats to happen in the days to come. I'm going home at last! Simply unbeleivable. I've shocked myself - to the core - that I've made it all this way. It's gonna be soooo wierd going back to normality. I guess like a whole new travelling experience, the most bizzare form of reverse culture shock you can get. Europe has been a great way to ease me back in to the ways of the west, but it's almost unfathomable to think that in a few days, I'll be catching up with ma bro Benny boy in Sheffield after not seeing him for 28 months - it's a really incredible feeling. Then all ma mates in Edinburgh, god knows what they're gonna think of me now! I reckon things are gonna be different. Then finally, back to ma folks house on the Isle of Skye in the NW Highlands of Scotland. The best thing of all I think will be to see all ma wee bro's - god I've missed them. The twins Matt and Ollie were only 17 when I left. I think they're gonna be 20 in a few months. Definitely they are gonna be like boys to men now.Well it's been emotional, just a bit. The highs and lows of over two years crossing borders all over the world has been an astounding and life changing experience. To witness the constant drastically changing environment, sucking in new languages, making relationships and drawing influence off 100s of wonderful new people, learning so much about every country, the history, the beauty, the ugliness, and the massive cultural variation is literally mind blowing. You can never really know much about a country at all, until you actually go there. You soon learn that preconceptions are meaningless and usually totally wrong. The best places, always, almost without fail, are only the best places because they have the best people. And beejesus I've met some fucking cracking people since I left Scotland, both amazing local characters and fellow travellers alike. To be able to come home through Europe and stay with a friend in every city along the way has been absolutely awesome. For that I must give a million thanks to Gabriella of Vasteros, Phil & Linda in Gothenburg, Funck & Jacob in the brilliant city of Copenhagen, Roel and family in Tukkerland for they have treated us like kings and really helped their poor travelling companions cope with the atrocious cost of existance in Europe - please come visit me in Scotland any time you like folks!Things I'm gonna miss most bout travelling:Crossing a border and witnessing every constant you know to be true, change completely.Atomic flatulence and hilarious comparative discussions on the subjects of fecal matter and explosive bowel movements.Writing stupid stories to all you guys about my antics.The photography.Having the occasion for a great party and a banter almost all of the time.The great Brits, Irish, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Estonians, Russians, Mongolians, Tibetan, Yunannese, Naxi, Lao, Thai, Khymer, Ozzies, Kiwis, Canadians, Fijians, Gringos, Peruanos, Chilenos, Dominicanos, Cubanos, Colombianos, Bolivianos, Panamenos, Kuna Yala, Ticas, Nicas, Hondurenos, Salvadorenos, Guatemaltecos, Belizeans and Mexicanos I've met at all over the place.Surviving easily on very little money, but still having an amazing time.Experimentations with facial hair.No bills.No mobile phones.No work.No commitments.No worries.Things I'm not going to miss at all when I go home:Crossing a border and getting the welcome of a rip off as soon as you arrive cos you don't have clue about the currency.Horrible bowel movements and nasty stomach infections.90% of Vietnamese.90% of Israelis.Russian visa regulations.The revolting Chinese toilets.Dealing with communist burocrazy assholes.Constantly being on guard because you have everything you own on you almost all of the time.Packing my rucksack which seems to explode violently all over every place I open it.Walking about like a bloody sweating tortoise with my home on my back.I never was gonna be able to write what I really wanted to say here, but I guess you get the picture. I have more good memories than I know what to do with. For those I'm coming to see on the last leg home thru the UK, I apologise in advance for all the boring travelling nonsense I'll be spewing forth when I see you, but I'm afraid that's all I know now! Everyone else, wish me luck re-adjusting my entire life back to one of reality. I've been going so long, travelling is reality.Over and out from The World.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125268260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125268260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1125268260/tpod.html Tue, 06 Sep 2005 08:11:37 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Enschede, Netherlands

The reunion with the Ginga, the 9th time now on this trip, was always gonna be a good one. After skipping thru Germany, barely our feet touched the ground there, we had only time enough to witness German football hooligans chanting and causing scuffles with the riot police in the Hamburg railway station which they just about shouted the roof off. We rolled over the Dutch border and into Enschede, known locally as Tukkersville. Roel of course was shouting at us across the station "hey yoooo mutha fuckers, how the hell are you!". Fucking absolutely brilliant to see the ginga legend again and the banter instantly flowed forth as we nattered about crazy times in Asia and the big journey home since I left him on the Mekong in northern Cambodia about 3 months ago.We got to his house and were greeted by his adorable family who took us in like their own sons and served us up with a fridge full and more of Grolsch and a table piled high with wonderful Turkish food. We ate and drank till we could barely move and then went out on the town of Enschede. I met some more Tukkers in Nha Trang, the great dutch duo Ingrid and Huong, so of course we met up with them in town. They dragged us off to some other student place and it's freshers week here too so was equally as mental as Copenhagen, but with more people and to the sounds of the Dutch underground hard hard dance music. You can hear the BOOM BOOM BOOM everywhere round da Nederlands, and a Dutchie isn't a Dutchie without a sound system more expensive than their car.Yet again, it was another goodbye to Roel. He loved the Brits so much when he was travelling though, he's coming to live in the UK for a bit. So for sure we will meet again very shortly.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124917500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124917500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124917500/tpod.html Mon, 29 Aug 2005 06:17:06 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

Myself and Christopher gave up on the idea of getting a ferry from Gothenburg back to Newcastle as it was sooo feckin pricey. So seeing as we're so flush, we've decided to fritter the money away another way and we'll just keep heading west, visiting as many people as possible until we turn into alcoholics.So we hopped over the water to Kopenhagen where we were met by the brilliantly named Funck of the 'Nha Trang Crazy Squad' fame. Him and Jacob had a crate of Tuborg and huge pizzas waiting for us which was fucking wonderful. Something I didn't know about Copenhagen is that it operates a bicycle coperative, whereby if you don't have a bike then you simply just take someone elses. Funck has had dozens of bicycles pilfered in the past and is tired of buying new ones, now he just "liberates" the unuseds lying about the city. So he had three freshly stolen steeds ready for some tipsy pedalling round the Copenhagen red light district by night, which was great fun until I fell off - twice. Anyway, we went for a few choice bevvies at the pumping Hip Hop Office and left to see that - shock horror - all three of our bikes had been nicked! Justice I suppose... but no wucking forries, the master Funckster had the "liberator" to hand and we soon had three new ones!Funck is at teacher training college here, so the next night we headed down to his student union. What a sight, at 5pm the place was pumping full of people getting loaded. It's freshers week here so the party was really in full swing and people were friendly as hell. Been loving Denmark, defo a favourite and yet another welcome surprise. Tomorrow comes the big finale and what could <i>maybe be the last destination before returning to the UNITED KINGDOM! It's no small one - Enschede, Holland wi da main man, the Ginga, the one, the only, RaaauuuullL!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124745480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124745480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124745480/tpod.html Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:13:07 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Gothenburg, Sweden

Only a few days in Goteborg with Chris' old school mate Phil, who we met in Sydney. We're sharing a flat with him and his girlfriend, a fiesty Rottweiler-Doberman cross that's just urinated all over the flat and a mad parrot that's currently sitting on my shoulder gibbering Swedish!Off to the fun fair tomorrow, then shooting to Copenhagen.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124628000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124628000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124628000/tpod.html Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:09:08 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Stockholm, Vasteros, Sweden

So we sailed across the Baltic yesterday on a stunning day and floated up thru the beautiful archipelago to Stockholm. Only a few hours there stomping around checking out the sites of the gorgeous old town on the islands before we had to make a hasty departure to mate Gabriella's house (prominent member of the Auckland Elite Drinking Corps) about 100 k's to the west in Vasteros. With the usual luck of a pauper, we landed in Sweden during it's best weather all year and therefore time for outdoor parties drinking gold-leaf champagne and munching on dozens of crayfish. The Swedes sure know how to lay on a good nosh up!Holy shit, we really are back in the west now hey! Credit card is going into meltdown but it's kinda nice to be making a return to the normality and pleasantness of Europe. We came from a place where dogs are lucky to have three legs; here they have their own drinking fountains! Before, we humans were forbidden to drink anything other than bottled water as it contained heavy metal, giardia and all kinds of nastiness; here you can drink straight out of the rivers in the capital city! In previous places, horses or mopeds out numbered cars by far, here Mercs and Saabs are the norm, and don't scare the shit out of us - they even believe in actually using the zebra crossings! So we're sitting in a real nice house watching MTV in English and it's all feeling a bit bizzare. It could be home, but no, it's definitely Swedish! The sophistication, efficiency and stlye of the place is unmistakable.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124360520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124360520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124360520/tpod.html Wed, 24 Aug 2005 09:59:54 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Tallinn, Estonia

With a tear in our eye we departed from St Pete's and here were are: back into the shock of Europe after absolutely no problems on the border - what was LP on about? It couldn't be more different from what we've been used to. Hundreds of tourists and pissed up Brits, everyone speaking English and the common courtesy of a European - we're gonna have to start behaving ourselves now!Went out for a few beers last night where we met a bunch of Scottish rugby animals all geared up in their kilts and sporrans! - geez, I forgot how absolutely mad us Scots are! Not been up to much other than that, just chillin and checking out the very pretty city which is Kinda like Prague but not as old and quite small.Ferry to Stockholm tomorrow.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124037300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124037300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bonkers/latin-nz/1124037300/tpod.html Thu, 18 Aug 2005 06:41:26 -0400 Escaping the grim reaper in Latin America, adrenalin madness in New Zealand, party central in SE Asia and then the mammoth overlander all the way home thru China, Mongolia and Russia.

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Sankt Peterburg, Russia

Tache Ticker: Considering that we're closest now to Europe, it's surprising that there's taches galore in St. Pete's! Seen many tachetastic beezers, including one which was wider actually than the wearers face! One other particularly impressive bewhiskered gentleman had one to rival the Ulaan Baatar beauty with waxed fat twirly bits reminiscent of the famous "Your country needs you" geezer. The biggest challenge now is going to be: how long can we withstand the abuse from the hordes of Gillete fanciers on our return to the tacheless west; before we must hack the bastards off our faces? Not long I'm reckonin...After squeezing in the Kremlin and a quick visit to the ancient town of beautiful Suzdal in the Golden Ring we left the grandness of Moscow behind, it can be rivalled only by the elegance of St Petersburg. The city which was founded by Peter the Great as a "window to the west", on a swamp only 300 years ago, must be one of the most architectually stunning cities in Europe. Gold spangled domes and shining needle-like spires adorn the fine city scape which lies across the river Neva and the centre is criss-crossed with Venice-like canals. As with Moscow, you can really feel the weight of history here, the old capital was the birth of the Red revolution and everyone knows about the 'Leningrad Blockade' which was the definining event of the 20th century here. One million people died within the city walls from starvation, disease, shelling or canibalism as they were trapped here by the German siege for nearly 900 days. The UK and the US by comparsion lost only 700,000 in all of WWII. The real gem of St Pete's is of-course the world famous Hermitage museum. It must be one of the greatest art collections in the world. Made so enormous by Catherine the Great's shrewd dealing, she collected many of the best pieces by exchanging crappy self portraits of herself! - and she was a munter! The Reds also siezed a shedload of masterpeices during the revolution and there are entire rooms full of Van Gaugh, Matisse, Cezzane, Monet, Renoir, Piccasso and many others. I'm not exactly an art buff but it was pretty incredible to get to see such a collection.Soski, no much else has been happeningski. Almost mastered the Cryllic alphabetski and it's only a matter of time before I'm fluent in Roooski! Since myself and Christophski, bad farewell to Tim and Jesski, we have mainly been admiring the local wildlifski. The Common Hairy-Legged Babuskaski is a dangerous animal however, although part-humanski, it often behaves like a rabid dogski. This can be very disturbingski, especially when the common subspecies - hairy top lipski with camel breathski - is barking in yer faceski! The much more attractive creature known simply as the Greater Spotted Hotski, bears none of these offensive characteriskis however. Apart from on their headskis, they are hairless mammalskis with colourful markings and very small clothinskis. They normally can be found with stilleto hoofskis and red lipskis. I would recommend every <i>single manski, drop whatever they're doing immediatelyski and get their arskis out here prontoski!Rossiya has been a real delight, unique and in a class of it's own. No other country has such an identity, a history or has had quite such an affect on the world without the world really knowing anything about it. The place has exceeded every expectation and we'll be sad to leave. Indeed we were actually quite apprehensive before we got here, but all the horror stories of police extortion, violent street scum and general dodginess have been unfounded. While the Ruskis certainly won't win any prizes for being the friendliest nation on earth, they will never bore you and even if they don't speak English (which is normal), it's usually an interesting encounter. The best part about this country is that although it's absolutely stunning in parts, takes up the majority of the worlds landmass and has so much going for it, there's barely no other tourists here at all. We've been stuck in St Pete's for 5 days now due to now bus seats to Tallinn being unavailable but we're off tomorrow on the over nighter. With any luck, the Red border guards'll let us out without taking all our money off us!
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