http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/himynameis/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from himynameis en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:31:47 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:31:47 +0000 They bite at my flesh as I lie in the water. Yellow red blue purple green silver black brown and white. A symphony of colours. Stripes and dots. Little critters with sharp incisors and large oval ones with huge puffed lips. A magnificent display a wonderland of sorts.He swims right at my mask. A fish the size of my finger but defiant as he protects his territory. A blow fish magnifies itse http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/El-Nido/blog-457367.html A fly hits my eye with the speed of a bullet a pothole send me airborn for the umpteenth tie the stars light my way as a new moon struggles to make itself seen. The purr of my Honda 125cc XRM pierces the night's eerie silence.Palawan Philippines.Far from the madness of Southeast Asia. Out of the way and out of favour with international tourists. One Abu Sayyaf kidnapping too many and the few pe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/blog-456294.html I flinch as he places the blade to my throat. Slowly he slides it along tearing at the hair follicles rasping my skin. A blade so jagged it mimics the surrounding Karst landscape.I had hesitated a moment too long.Haircut over I should have jumped right out of the chair. Instead I found myself thrust backwards shaving foam of sorts slapped onto my face and with a hair clipper stuck up my ears http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-455464.html Here it was. The picture was complete. Someone being honest about his motives. Finally.Like so many before I had figured him out from his accent. T. my fellow countryman. World traveler and Samaritan. When the Russians had stopped giving aid to Cuba he was there to exchange soap for services. Five hundred clean sweet smelling ladies. When an influx of other male 'tourists' meant that soap was n http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/blog-432227.html The hook had barely touched the water when a voracious mouth with teeth like sickles attached itself to the chicken on the end. Fish number three would do to satisfy my meat intake for the day. The date on my watch indicated it was Tuesday I had been here over a week and a half. Was it really that long The days had passed by so quickly...a sure sign that I was enjoying myself. I had better be I http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Easter-Island/blog-415553.html No entiendo he said with a puzzled face and a look of fear in his expression. The overconfident prickahole had had the tables turned on his little charade.Not two minutes earlier the man had gotten into the front passenger seat of the taxi I had just hailed to get back to my residence. Asking for documentation the driver duly obliged. The man proceeded with a mobile phone call to 'HQ' 'repo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Potosi/blog-415535.html Six men in camouflage jackets pulled up in a pickup and beckoned for me to get in.Where have you been We've been looking all over town for you. Let's goPedro moved his gun to make room for me in the back while Richard took the wheel.Are you ready to see a 'tigre'Hell yeah I said.Three days earlier I'd met the men while looking for someone to take me into Bolivia's Pantanal wilderness. Having http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Santa-Cruz-Department/Puerto-Suarez/blog-415531.html Rested and restless I was in need of some action. The parties at the Loki and Wild Rover had grown stale. The frequency with which the travellers changed in these places was staggering. Five old and fiftyfive new faces every night. Where are you from Where have you been so farQuestions a shortterm traveller may revel in replying became tiring after half a year on the road. The question Patrik http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Lake-Titicaca/blog-415510.html Why do you keep stoppingthe guide asked with an irritated expression on his face and agitation in his voice.Mmm...because I can't breatheI replied in turn.The monster had flicked his switch. The previous morning Christophe and I were left waiting in vain for our departure. C's guide had called in sick and the agency was desperately in Bolivian terms trying to find a replacement. Low and beho http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Huayna-Potosi/blog-415481.html Te gusta coca No thanks I don't like fizzy drinks. Nacho looked at me like I had just said the stupidest thing in the world and given the circumstances I just may have. I wasn't being offered America's top export after weapons but that's another matter. As a sign that he understood he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little plastic bag to offer me Bolivia's sole export the coca http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-404233.html What is your religion she asked.This was either the silliest pickup line I have ever heard or the most shocking introduction ever. When I had first seen the two girls I thought that they were prostitutes. Two hotties dressed like they were out to party wearing full makeup in a deadend town with nothing but soldiers around...and I was dining at the Military Casino. Dear Wilma and Maria will h http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Santa-Cruz-Department/San-Jose-de-Chiquitos/blog-401533.html Leaving the Altiplano and La Paz behind I journeyed to Cochabamba. The Pope had been here in '89 and a statue of Christ to surpass the one in Rio had been built to commemorate the visit. But I wasn't here to save souls. Preaching is not my style either. Instead I chose to torture myself by taking a six hour trip down a cobblestone road on a bus made for elves. Visions of Ko to tamo peva raced th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/blog-401524.html I shuddered as I felt the movement on my skin. Instinctively my hand reached out to kill the would be invader. But there was none.It had taken the boat three hours to bring me back to civilisation but it would take my mind much longer to readjust. The swarms of mosquitoes were replaced by waves of motorcycles. Rurre a town of merely fifteen thousand seemed like a megalopolis compare to Torewa a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-394122.html The year was 1985. Michael Jackson was King of Pop Sylvester Stallone was Rambo and NASA came to stand for Need Another Seven Astronauts. Swimming four hours a day and playing with Lego left little time for anything else. The ATeam took up another hour of my precious time so what else could I possibly do Well this curious little boys mind was preoccupied by one thing...animals. Capturing liz http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-379418.html How many people are goingThe accent sounded familiar.So far I have three replied Eric.When it was time to write down our passport details I wasn't surprised in the least. I turned to him and saidMajhen svet a ne Small world isn't itI'm not sure if it was my Ljubljana dialect or the fact he hadn't heard Slovenian spoken in a while but it took Bostjan a couple of moments to understand tha http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Venezuela/Guayana/La-Gran-Sabana/blog-388336.html Six dark figures approached me on the jungle path. Five of them were carrying machetes. Hotel Rwanda Long sleeves or short sleeves Would this be my end Music emanated from the approaching men. The sixth figure was carrying a boom box. I breathed a sigh of relief. The men were pork knockers on their way back from a long days work.Since the world diamond price had dropped they were in need of a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/Kaiteur-Falls/blog-385583.html My hammock was out the mosquito net ready and I was about to look for my windup torch when the first rain drop hit me. It was then I was reminded the little dry season was late in Guyane. Like every night it would rain a little here and there with a stronger deluge in the morning and another early afternoon. Sleeping in the car it would be then. For the third night in a row.I hadn't intende http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/French-Guiana/blog-379405.html I had watched them pull in. The guy was trying his best to impress her and she was doing her best to stay aloof. I believed she was French but couldn't quite place him until he asked me Are you going to Sao Jorge Do you want to travel with my friendThe guy was from Brasilia she as I had guessed was French. He was showing his friend around his home town but was leaving her to do Chapada do Vea http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Goi-s/Chapada-dos-Veadeiros-National-Park/blog-379358.html Are you going to the Chico Rei mine tomorrow Are you going to hire a guide and want to split the costsThe words awoke me from my slumber. My body was awake but my mind was still fast asleep after being occupied by the cripple sorry to my American readers if there are any. Political correctness has still to hit the shores of Europe and her kids on the overnight Sao PauloOuro Preto bus. When t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Minas-Gerais/Ouro-Preto/blog-379347.html The five men were thrusting their arms out in fighting motions 'dancing' to the rhythm of the music when the police came from behind and clobbered them with their batons. The four men in front writhed with pain while the fifth eluded them stepping back and closing my path. When the beating had stopped the police motioned the men to move on. Man number five may have thought he had escaped a beat http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Salvador/blog-378197.html