TravelStream™ news feed for member mikelaurence on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mikelaurence en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:47:13 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1163158860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1163158860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1163158860/tpod.html Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:47:13 -0400 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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The Bridge over the River Kwai, Thailand

We took a very touristy tour that had us on the road from 7am til 7:30pm riding in a minibus throughout southwestern Thailand. Our first stop (after a strange detour to a Coconut stand where every Westerner in Thailand seemed to be wandering around) was the floating market. This was pretty cool. In Thailand, the market is where you go to shop, hoards of people yelling and bargaining and wheeling and dealing: "Sir! Sir! I make special for you!". This market was set on a river with old ladies paddling up to each other in small wooden boats selling fresh vegetables and fruits. Vendors lined the river banks with their stalls selling hand made crafts and just about anyhing you could imagine. We watched this social spectacle in awe. The setting was very much like Venice but without the gondolas and cathedrals, and set to the backdrop of jungle. We then watched a 10 minute "Cobra Show" (the sign said it was the 'most exciting show in the world')...not quite, but interesting anyhow. This crazy Thai unleashes 3 Cobras and begins to attack them, slapping their skin, lunging at them like a madman...the cobras fight back attempting to bite him but this little Thai dude is quicker than the snakes and ends up catching a Cobra in his mouth. All the while there is this Thai stadning behind a podium giving a play-by-play of the whole thing..." yes, the snake is kill...yes...the poison kill you...yes" and on and on and on. Absolutely hilarious. For a little history lesson, we headed to the Bridge on the River Kwai which is very close to the Burmese border. The bridge is known in popular culture thanks to a largely fictional hollywood movie...a bridge that is just a plain bridge to the superficial observer. However, with a little context added, it becomes extraordinary. A very important part of the Death Railway built by the Japanese in World War 2. We eventually left and returned to the insanity of Bangkok and Khoa San.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159761360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159761360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159761360/tpod.html Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:30:59 -0400 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Byron Bay, Australia

Yesterday we dropped off Gibby and Kyle at their airports and Brad stayed at Bond University with Trevor...it's just Dylan and I again. Here is a few highlights from our weeklong party with the boys:1. Getting kicked out of the entire YHA association of hostels in Australia.2. Having our FAKE passport numbers and names reported to the police (Dylan is from Antarctica).3. Randomly Meeting up with Kristen and Page from Guelph in Surfers Paradise and partying with them at their place.4. Maverick reports double overhead waves at Burleigh Heads.5. Wearing garbage bags to bar in Noosa.6. Getting 'Looser-pissed' every night.7. Tiny Bears.8. OOops.9. Screaming for Huey (the surf god) with crazy Aussies while in the water surfing at Surfers Paradise.10. Jager Bombs11. Drinking the hostel out of Vodka.12. Telling everyone we are from Chad - when asked where we were from.13. Ending every sentence with ahh...like Metallica does. 14. Gibby walking around Surfers Paradise after the bar wearing a 5 foot tree on his head. Random girls from Switzerland say they have never seen anything like it in their entire lives. Just a week of random insanity. No sense at all. The good news is everyoine is alive and well...the journey continues. We are back in Byron Bay again for a little rest and relaxation.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1170143280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1170143280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1170143280/tpod.html Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:49:45 -0400 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

    Just when you think it can't get much better it does. Railay proved to be just as stunning a place as Phi Phi, or close, at least. After a few hours in the Andaman sea heading east we pulled up on a wide beach enclosed by massive cliffs and rock faces - one of the best spots in Asia for rock climbing. Drenched from the boat ride we quickly found our resort and unloaded our things. We climbed the rocks, self-rappelling down into crevices, free climbing and we hiked down into a lagoon at the top of one of the karsts. We spent time on the beach and went for a swim. Most of all, we found a second home at the Gecko Bar where Rastafarian Thai cats jammed out Bob Marley and The Doors all night, serving bottles of Samsong Whiskey for 200 baht. One of the coolest bars of the trip, illuminated entirely by red light, under the stars, with a massive mural of Jim Morrison and a smaller one of John Lennon with whispy hair above the stage where rasta DJ played tunes and threw out peace signs at us all night. The boys weren't shy to delve into some beers and whiskey shots.     One thing well portrayed by Hollywood is the potential to go insane while in Southeast Asia. We were all slipping. I became very ill with some kind of stomach bug while Cooky and Dylan had indulged themselves adequately. This crazy dark spooky looking monkey was hanging around on our porch for a few days, trying to sneak into our room, darting at us every once in a while, then sitting back and staring - black vacant eyes. The thing was frightening.   Eventually, we left Railay and made our way via 4 buses and 2 boats (the best example of inefficient travel in all of SEA) to Koh Pang-nan.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/baja_mexico_04/1082850420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/baja_mexico_04/1082850420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/baja_mexico_04/1082850420/tpod.html Sun, 04 Mar 2007 21:48:35 -0500 A 1 month surf expedition by Jeep througout the Baja Peninsula with Newts and Gibby.

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Todos Santos, Mexico

Mexico...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159399680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159399680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1159399680/tpod.html Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:23:24 -0500 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Byron Bay, Australia

So going back a few days...Scotty and Jarrod ended up just heading back home to Melbourne (Jarrod was pretty banged up) and Dylan, myself, Stef, and this girl from the hostel, Katie set off to see Nimbin (The Maryjuana capital of Australia)...we drive inland for an hour or two, just totally lost, finally found this little one-street hippy village in a valley and we park the car. We walk down the street and in the first five minutes we counted 12 people offering us Pot, Pot cookies, Pot cake, Acid, Hash...etc..etc... absolutely insane. We visited the hemp embassy and the Nimbin museum and walked around staring at the crazy stoned cats...and then we bought some fresh cookies and vegetables ourselves and drove offroad to some lost waterfalls and ate them...and then we got lost in the hills and mountains again, barely making it backl to Byron Bay before dark - and let me tell you...u do not want to be country driving in OZ at nite...it's the darkest country in the world, not to mention the Roos and other animals on the roads. The next day we drove north to Brisbane...had some chicken burgers, got Dylan a new pair of jeans, and crashed at some motel on Kangaroo Point. somewhat uneventful. We woke up the next morning and headed north to The Australia Zoo, home of the crocodile hunter (former home, that is). It was unreal...We hung out with Kangaroos, Dylan was chilling with one of em, rubbing his back and stuff...they were hopping around. And we got up close and personal with some overactive Koalas. We also saw the Croc show, a few dingos, and the Cassowaries (giant ostrich-like birds that peck out your intestines)...A great experience. Afterwards,we continued driving north to Noosa, dropped off Steff at a hostel and then we went to pick up the boys. Gibby, his brother Brad, and Kyle met us at the Sunshine Coast Airport and the shenanagans began. We decided to go to Noosa, got beds at Koala's and started drinking...up all nite...insane...drove everybody in the hostel nuts cause these poor souls were actually trying to sleep...no way. A lot of people joined us for the party though. Woke up still blasted and went surfing for the entire day...esky on the beach and cold pints all day...and at night all over again...this time we almost got booted from the hostel and we got into a little trouble with the staff for having booze on the premise but we shifted the party to our room...room 19 and continued...Kyle started doing animal impressions on the floor of the hostel and that lasted for hours...he does a great sea turtle. So everything is a haze right now...we are back in Byron after spending most of yesterday driving south - had to call roadside assistance cause are car wouldn't start again. No matter, we are here and the swell is flat again. The biggest new development is the Canadian National Bodysurfing Team...Gibby anf Fursy came up with it...basically we go to the bars and lie to everyone we meet all nite...telling preposterous stories of how we are world bodysurfing champions...everyone believes us...we tell of how we are big in Spain and that we have billboards with our pictures on them. And a lot of the people we meet are from all over the world and have no idea...and Gibby and Fursy take it way too far as usual. And we all have nicknames...The Surprise, The Torpedo, The Shark, Maverick, and the Sandman...just retarded. And we are only paying for hostels nite by nite (even though it is cheaper to pay weekly) because the chances of us getting tossed out is getting higher and higher everyday.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/california0405/1104559200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/california0405/1104559200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/california0405/1104559200/tpod.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:04:03 -0500 15 months in West Los Angeles, California...etc..

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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

A New Years for the Record Books. Locked in thw Bellagio Compound, Matty C gets staples in his head, and we all wake up drunk in a parking lot...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158802260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158802260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158802260/tpod.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:47:30 -0500 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Byron Bay, Australia

So we've been here in Byron Bay, the best place in the world, for 3 nights. We are gonna stay here another 3 or 4 and then head back up north to the Sunshine coast to pick up Gibby and the boys. Man, Byron is a riot. We've been surfing everyday. The first day we surfed the Pass (a legendary long point in Australia) and Watego's (heaps of fun)...the Cape is very beautiful... a headland and natural park very similar to Noosa yet with this gorgeous lighthouse perched at the very top of it all. We walked from our hostel (the YHA off main beach) all the way around the headland and to Watego's. Surfed for hours. At night we've been cooking up some great meals too...adapting to the backpacking lifestyle...drinking heaps of cheap Australian wine. And it gets even better...yesterday Dylan, myself, Karin, and Stef walk thru the town and to the supermarket - on our way back to the hostel this cat with sunglasses approaches us and who is it? Scotty from up at Agnes Water!!! Him and Jarrod and Pete were just chillin at the Hotel Bar staring out the window and they recognized us! So now it gets crazy! We have a pint with em' and Jarrod, myself, and Stef hop into his car and head out looking for a good place to surf and toss a football around...We find Cozy Corner at Tallow Beach. Jarrod brings a case of beer and we drive down there with everyone...a few other friends form the hostel join us...and what a day! These boys are a riot. Just crazy. Victoria Bitter on the beach tossing the football...Jarrod and I go for a surf...he paddles out on the 6'3" and I on the 9'2"...the waves were pretty good considering the lack of swell(3-6)....very steep and occasionally barrelling in a small kind of way. Jarrod is unreal...just grabbing every wave and cut backs and bottom turns and off the lip and man...he's been surfing his whole life- a very mellow guy. It was a little trickier on the noserider but I managed to get 3 or 4 really great waves...one backside...and one crazy drop in on a bigger set that stuck me right in the barrel before I got dumped on. The best surf of the trip so far. Scotty paddled out too and Stef caught a few and even Dylan got out there and almost got himself into a fight. And then this 5 foot shark is swimming thru the lineup...a few dolphins and jumping fish too... And we get drinking and Jarrod spotted a couple of snakes...apparently the most poisoneuos in the world...the brown snake or something like that...and he decides to try and catch them by the tails! Crazy Aussies! So eventually we pack up our shit and head back to the village and to the hostel. Make up a fine meal and we start on the wine again. And we have a good crew of about 10 or 12 of us now and things get rowdy...we head to this gond show of a bar called Cheeky Monkey's where everyone gets naked ont he dance floor and dances on tables...Jarrod and Scotty go missing by the end of the night...and everyone kinda gets scatterred...the story goes like this: apparently Jarrod gets dragged outta the bar for some reason and a full on brawl with the doormen ensues...Karin got a picture of him and his face is mangled. He ended up at the hospital for a bunch of stiches. I had no idea that this was happening because I apparently I was hanging with Stef and talking to some Israeli guy about middle eastern politics...??? Go figure. Dylan found himself in the mix and escaped with only a swollen foot...God knows what happened to Scotty. So...here we are sitting at the front lobby area of the YHA waiting for Jarrod and Scotty to pick us up so we can head to Nimbin...the Amsterdam of Australia. I have no idea if they'll show up...they are leaving for Melbourne later today...they want us to come and stay with em in Melbourne. What a bunch of great dudes.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158573960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158573960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158573960/tpod.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:33:25 -0500 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Noosa Heads, Australia

We spent the last 3 nights in Noosa Heads with the girls at this real cool hostel (Halse Lodge) right across from the surf beach at Noosa...The village is very upper-class resort style ...A little too classy for surf travel. None the less, Noosa is legendary and we arrived at the tail end of a good swell...caught some nice ones off the first point, Boiling Pot, and Tea Tree (a rocky yet fun and powerful wave). The first point is like the Malibu of Australia...perfectly shaped and clean, you could ride it forever. And I did. Man it's great to be in surf country now. We ran into the guys from Peru and Chile who we'd met at Fraser Island...they were at Noosa for a surf. Also, we ran into the Swedish friends at Halse Lodge...it's prety cool how you run into all these people you know everywhere. Australia is really a country of vagabonders. Everyone has a beat up campervan and a surfboard.The national park in Noosa is very beautiful..we went on a few hikes with our boards in search of waves...Dylan got a surfing lesson at the rivermouth with some cat from Coolum...he was doing the Keanu Reaves pop-up on the sand like in Point Break...haha...and Stef bought this $800 7'0" brand new made in California board...I picked up a shorty for the ride south...a great deal...a 6'3" Al Merrick epoxy board used for only $295! These things usually go new for 8-9 hundred...the only thing is that the one I bought had been recently repaired due to a freak accident involving an automobile running it over. Oh well. So, I'd estimate that I surfed a minimum of 5 hours per day while in Noosa...not bad considering the waves were pretty small. Can't wait for Byron. In Noosa we also had a few drinks and made an unbelievable dinner at the hostel kitchen that consisted of Pasta and meat sauce and soft tacos with plates of beef and lettuce and tomatoes and cheese to choose from...unreal!Stay tuned for more!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158218100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158218100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1158218100/tpod.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:21:52 -0500 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Fraser Island, Australia

A hell of a lot had happened since the last post...We finally left Agnes Water and drove south for Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. Our last day at Agnes was unbelievable. These two Aussie dudes Jarrod and Scotty picked us up at around 10 or 11 am at the hostel we were staying at (Cool Banana's)...These guys are legends. They picked us up in Jeep towing a boat...a Tinny with a 25 on the back. The plan: Stop at the bottle shop and pick up a few cases...then head out on the ocean with this little boat for a day of drinking and surfing behind the boat. It was insane. Jarrod and I put the boat in and drove out and around the point at 1770...the waves were launching us 5 feet in the air...shit was flying out of the boat...just crazy...Jarrod starts riding the waves with the boat, flying up and down the faces right near shore...very intense. We arrived at the main beach where we picked up Scotty, Dylan, Stef - the surfer girl from northern Germany, Karin - from Stockholm Sweden, and the beer. We cruise out into the ocean and away from the crowded main beach, heading south along the headland until we found it...the perfect little deserted beach nestled between two giant rockfaces...a beautiful little cove. So we spent the day there drinking, swimming, and riding Jarrod's surfboard behind the boat. The Aussies were always looking over into the water just to make sure there were no Tiger sharks around...apparently there was a spotting that day and being right in the middle of breeding season off a rocky point probably wasnt the safest. No matter. The best day in Agnes. We plan to meet up with Jarrod and Scotty further south in Noosa. The next morning we took off...headed south for Hervey Bay...The girls, Stef and Karin hitched a ride with us. We stopped off at the Bundaberg Rum factory on the way to see the Bunda Bear and then got a room at a hostel in town. The next morning Dylan, Stef, and I headed out to Fraser Island on a self-drive 4 by 4 adventure with 13 other people...two vehicles. This was crazy...off roading on the world's largest sand island...we drove up and down the eastern beachhead as the surf pounded the shore...a big swell but nobody goes in the water at Fraser because there is a fantastic chance you'll get taken by a tiger. We camped out for 2 nights..and drank alot of wine. During the 3 days we were there we did alot of exploring...inland drives to check out all the freshwater lakes and go swimming. We also drove up to Indian heads...a rocky lookout on the northern tip of the island. On our second night camping a pack of Dingoes surrounded the tents and even went into our tents and stole Stef's bag, dragging it 20 yards into the bush and eating her chocolate...A dingo grabbed my bag too but only made it a few feet from the tent...they actually went inside the tent while it was zipped up...and everywhere you lookes...you see these reflecting eyes in the night staring at you...the dingoes! They are pretty cool. Yup, we are exhausted and back at the hostel in Hervey...planning to head to Noosa tommorrow...where the surfing really begins. Oh almost forgot to mention that we went to a crazy shark museum...just nuts...A giant preserved great white in a tank, alot of info on the sharks around Australia...the guy who owns the museum actually believes that the tourism industry keeps shark attacks under reps to prevent the downfall of itself. He says that there are real killers/man-eaters out there swimming round ready to eat people at anytime...a load of bullox if you ask me. Cheers.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1157785320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1157785320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikelaurence/the_world_2006/1157785320/tpod.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:56:31 -0500 Qua patet orbis - A surfing/backpacking/cultural odessy throughout California, Australia, Southeast Asia, with a short stop in Egypt.

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Agnes Water, Australia

We initially planned to only come to this town for less than a day...we've been here 4 now...still waiting for the mystery swell that everybody says is coming. There's a guy that works here at the backpacker's lodge, Cool Bananas, he showed up 4 and a half years ago here planning to stay 2 days....yeah ...he's been here 4 and a half years. It's the trap. Everyone here is so cool and laid back, it's a small town on the ocean, around 2,000 people, off the beaten track a bit, and its a surf town...no reason to leave I guess. So we basically wake up and spend the day at the beach swimming and paddling around...come back to the lodge and get blasted at nite on Australian wine and party with everyone here. Campfire, guitar, booze...etc. It's a good life. Days could turn into weeks and months and years here and you'd never even know it. Now, only if the waves would show up. Everyone is waiting for it. We drink wine and jokingly plan to burn a surfboard for Huey (the god of surf). Its a great crew here...travellers form all over the world, Germany, team Wales, England, Sweden, there's even a girl from Oakville here. Some crazy Aussies offered to take us out to the outer reef to surf if the swell comes...perhaps that may occur, maybe not, who knows? el plano looks to be like we may head south to either Fraser island or to Noosa or both very soon.
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