saintjohnnymexico

Tropical Locations are nice, if you're into that sort of thing. Just looking down from the airplane I knew the water was warm, and probably full of sharks. Tara and I left Sydney today reluctantly leaving what had become a very calm and hectic, fun home the last few days. The idea of leaving the bustle of Sydney to sit on a beach all day and drink $20 cocktails didn’t hold much appeal to me, but I was on board for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR, for the rest of entry) and seeing Tara in a bikini for 80% of the next 4 days. Why can’t women put the toilet seat back up? (best bumper sticker ever) I admire how many people around here are just, “living.” Living out of trucks and painted up vans. Working ... read more

My two favorite, fun phrases I’ve learned along the way that I’ve enjoyed. 1. “Good on Ya” -A nice way of saying thank you or they like what you’ve done 2. “ What are you after” - bartenders say this often instead of, “what do you want.” Sydney has a rare thing about it that should be used more often in the United States, it’s called, wait for it…..free public transportation. It’s the most amazing thing, all day, a giant green tax payer funded bus, picks you up and drops you off for free. There’s no catch, at least I don’t think there’s one. Of course if they did this in the states, they’d probably collect your DNA or make you fill out a form so they can sell your info to telemarketing companies so ... read more

Flying over cities in the states you can always count on seeing swimming pools, baseball diamonds and high school football stadiums. It’s funny here because flying into Sydney all you can see is oceans, sailboats, cricket and rugby fields. It’s the strange little things that bring simple pleasure and reminders that you aren’t home anymore. Sydney is a well put together puzzle. There are a million people and streets and backstreets and alleyways and stairs, but its so easy to navigate everything. The city has a pulse, there’s beeping horns and fast cars, people passing by quickly in a mad pace, but there’s also an alarming amount of calm, ease and friendliness about it. The décor and backdrop to the city is history, tourism and business. All I can think about is all the cool spy ... read more

My Blogger of the Year Acceptance Speech After 4 months of traveling there are so many people to thank, in no particular order, thank you, all of you. Tara and I appreciate all of you. And thanks to everyone who read this stuff, it was actually a lot of fun to write. Rob and Carl- Dublin became our home base for family, planning, and learning about Ireland and Europe. It was always nice to have these two guys take us in periodically and do everything they could to help us stay healthy, happy and on track. You guys are good friends. Eurail- Eurail though we had our times, was the cheapest and most effective way to experience and travel through Europe. Choo Choo baby. Lonely Planet- This book was key to the cheapest living and always ... read more

Mind the Gap Mind the Gap- A Comprehensive Guide to All My Thoughts In and About London Getting to London only furthered the nightmare that became travelling on planes, trains, boats and taxis. It took us 52 hours and cost about a $1000 to get from Rome to London, but we finally made it. I’d go over how awful and hellish it was, but instead I will only speak of two highlights, first and foremost travelling on ferries in the mediteranian is sweet as pie. They have resturants, bars, casinos, rooms with showers, and a movie theatre. The second highlight is my uncovering of the biggest conspiracy concerning the vatican since the Da Vinci Code. On our train from Paris to London, I swera I saw the pope on the train, dressed in civilian clothes. Now ... read more