Mike Fowler
I'm Mike, a 25 year old Canadian who's trying to follow summer around the world over the next few months. There's no real itinerary or method to the madness but my thoughts are that I'll start off in Australia for a month or so. Land in Sydney and head north along the coast to catch some waves, do some scuba and well, do a whole lot of nothing. Maybe I'll cruise through the outback, see Uluru.....no idea, just going to take it as it comes. From Australia, I'm planning on flying into Thailand to meet some friends. We'll probably hit the beach, wake up beside a few lady boys (please no.) and drink until one of our liver's gives out. After we need to head back to Bangkok for a black market liver, I think I'll do a little loop around the rest of SE Asia for good measure. From SE Asia, I'm going to fly to London where I'll head south to Northern Africa. Gonna hit Turkey and after Turkey, I'm planning on doing the typical Eurail/Hostel cruise up through Europe back to London.The Palest Guy On The Beach
All in all, I'm just looking to experience the world, meet cool people, catch some sun and maybe enjoy a refreshing soda pop or 17 along the way.
I'll be updating this blog every time I can to keep everyone up to date with where I am, what I'm doing and so my mom will know I'm not dead.
Hope to see you on the road!
Travel Blog Posts
July 12th 2009
Now, I've heard of and gone through with some pretty bad ideas in my time. Running in a throng of Spaniards dressed like idiots being chased by bulls certainly ranked right up there near the top though. I guess I really had no idea what exactly to expect before I got there. I just planned on showing up to Pamplona, running like I was being chased by death (or death with horns), laughing at the end and getting the heck out of Dodge.So I arrived about mid morning expecting to run in the afternoon and make tracks to Madrid. Well, when I got to the festival, they told me that the running only happens every morning at 8am. The idea goes from bad to worse. To say that I function poorly early in the morning is ... read more
People are still talking about MJ? That was soo 6 countries ago.
Published: July 11th 2009Europe » Spain » Catalonia » BarcelonaJuly 11th 2009
Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be writing a blog. When I last wrote, I was up in Sweden. Wow, pretty much the whole continent away. The heat up there was incredible for some reason but luckily there was a beach pretty much in downtown Stockholm. And a beach filled with Swedes is worth the heaightened expense of the country anyday. From there it was on to Copenhagen for Canada Day. And I thought Sweden was pricey. My first (and last) meal was a $19 shawarma and can of Coke. Incredible! That's like four times the price of Canada. It's not that Im running low on cash, I just flatly refuse to lay down that kind of money for food. Scottish blood in me I guess. My time in Copenhagen pretty much consisted of sitting by the ... read more
4 days in Sweden, down $1000 and 0 IKEA sightings
Published: June 29th 2009Europe » Sweden » Stockholm County » StockholmJune 29th 2009
Sorry, no pics. I haven't been anywhere that I could take generic shots of. I've actually just spent my time going from concert to concert across Europe for 5 straight night of shows. After my last blog posting, I went to see prog masters Dream Theater in Olympic Park in Munich. It had been raining hard for 3 days so not exactly an ideal venue for a show, but luckily it kept the crowds away. Normally, Dream Theater draws upwards of 10,000 people to their shows. I was fortunate to see them in the rain in Munich with only about 1,000 though. Cool show, although the weather could have cooperated a little more. The next day, I was off to Hamburg to see the best rock band in the world today, Clutch. I had ordered my ... read more
Oh Poseidon, why have you chosen to rain out my holidays?
Published: June 23rd 2009Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich
June 23rd 2009
Budapest certainly ended with a bang. Stayed out all night, even past hostel check out (yikes), to say a goodbye to the city. The advertised ska band we were going to see turned out to be a ska inspired rave. Oh well, sometimes being disappointed isnt quite disappointment. Next move was on to Croatia for some beach time. My train ride from Budapest to Zagreb was perhaps the most excrutiating of life though. Having not slept the night before, I was planning on sleeping the entire 6 hour train trip to, hopefully, put in a good effort on my first night in Croatia. Unfortunately I was seated beside a very religious lady from the US who was called by god to go and visit a church in Croatia. Good on her, not something I believe in ... read more
"Man, they all look like porn stars" "I think they are all porn stars..."
Published: June 17th 2009Europe » Hungary » Central Hungary » Budapest » Pest
June 17th 2009
At least somewhere in Europe knows how to treat a hockey game. Prague had all the bars open allll night long to watch the Cup final. Very much worth the stupid amount of traveling I had to take from Greece to get there. The team I was quasi hoping for won and I got to smash cheap Czech beer until sunrise so I really cant complain. Prague in itself was a super cool city too. As in, it was cold and rained the entire time I was there. But actually, it was one of the better cities Ive ever been to. I don't know why, but I always feel like European cities should be bigger until I actually go there. Weird. Oh well, place was good, the people I met were good, the beer was cheap ... read more
I somehow dropped another belt size......one more and it's time for a new belt
Published: June 12th 2009Europe » Czech Republic » Prague » Old Town
June 12th 2009
I haven't written anything here in almost 2 weeks. Wanna fight about it? Despite advertising free internet, most hostels I've been staying at really only give you about 15 mins, which gives enough time to type a fewq sentences and maybe upload a pic or two. And well, between trying to find a place to live upon my return to Ottawa, informing people that I am not, in fact, dead and the exhorbited prices being charged for internet here, I've been slacking. And oh, of course, I've just been out doing things that don't involve me sitting in front of a computer screen. I guess it's getting to be summer in Canada and most people are outside (or should be), so it's not a big deal anyway. So I spend a few short days in Turkey. ... read more
May 31st 2009
Been a few days, but hello again. After my precarious situations with cabbies in Cairo, I thought I would be enterprising and take the public bus around for my last day here. What a rush that was. Should be an Olympic sport actually. My hotel was situated a little of 26th of July, which is a fairly major road here where cars (and apparently public buses) stop for no one. In the distance, all you see is a bus coming and you and about 20 locals start jogging up the road to get speed. The bus never stops for you, so you have to throw aside both children and 70 year old women for your spot at jumping on a bus in moving traffic. Once you're on, it's no cake walk either. The place looked like ... read more
I don't really have anything clever to call this
Published: May 26th 2009Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo
May 26th 2009
Well I arrived in Egypt yesterday. I guess I chose it as one of my few around the horn stops because I'm a history nerd, and what better place to see some unique history. I took a red-eye into Cairo international and don't really know what's going on due to drinking on the plane and not really sleeping. I didn't get an Egyptian Visa at home because I heard they were easy to get at the entry point. I couldn't really get any Egyptian Pounds in Morocco either, so I just decided to show up with a Visa and bank card and hope all went well. Unfortunately, the bank machines at the border were all out of order. I've heard from quite a few travelers that The Egyptians generally aren't that helpful to the tourists but ... read more
I once traveled with a guide who was taking me to Faya. He didnt speak for nine hours. At the end of it he pointed to the horizon and said, Faya! That was a good day.
Published: May 23rd 2009Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Marrakech
May 23rd 2009
Wow, what a couple of nights. I left off in Djemma in Marrakech to hit the hammam. Well, as expected, it wasnt my cup of tea. I left after about 10 of my cultural experience. In Casablanca, I got quite a few, 'what are you doing here looks' but it was all good in Marrakech until the hammam. There havent been many moments quite so awkward as being naked and hqving 20 naked men staring at you like you dont belong while another clothed man is attempting to scrub you despite your best French and Arabic protests. That overwith, myself and four others from France rented a 4X4, grabbed a guide and made for the desert. Well the mountains first actually since you have to go through the Atlas mountains before the desert. Its incredible the ... read more
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