It's a wrap - USA/Mexico

18 February - 13 March 2011

As has become standard for me when I've ended a trip I've taken to doing a last summary or a 'greatest hits' review whenever I managed to complete the final entry on the 'how, why, when and whatever else may have been alcohol related' blog series of my most recent escapades. Sticking with tradition and therefore adopting the same template that I've used in the past, see also;

[Morocco-Europe wrap - June/July 2008]

[Laos wrap - April 2009]

[Vietnam-Malaysia wrap - December/January 2009/10]

[Europe-Morocco-South America wrap - June-December 2010]

I bring you the close out of the USA/Mexico experience (yeah we didn't quite make Canada eh!)  within my still continuing domain of Life in a year full of Saturdays, which in it's 'Live' context comes to an end at the completion of this particular wrap up although a different incarnation will appear sometime down the track. Also look out for Reflections in a stream of consciousness which will follow on from where this wrap ends and will basically be a catch up on quite a few places that I was unable to write about whilst chasing my year of endless Saturdays...but for right now we have;

USA-Mexico - 'The Final'

Favourite places:

1. Mexico City (Mexico) - You know I don't even know if Mexico City was actually that great a place!? I'd heard about the rampant drug related crimes and related sketchy activity, I'd read that our government advisory agent was warning people against travel to all parts of Mexico and yet when we got there it was 'none of the above'. The people were quite warm, the food was fantastic and the Hostal Regina was, to quote a line from Man v.Food,  'da bomb diggity'. Obviously we were lucky with the people that we met there but sometimes that's all you need in order for a place to go from good to great. Also, Teotihuacan is only an hour or so drive out of the city and has to be rated as one of the world's greatest sites and sights! That counts for something.

The Zócalo as seen from torre latinoamericano - Mexico City - Mexico

Mexico City - Mexico

2. Mazatlan (Mexico) - Frichot would probably debate me on this one and I'm sure he would rather have seen Tijuana in this spot. Truthfully we could have made much more out of Mazatlan but it didn't work that way. For a place that has a gritty, colonial style old town, a fantastic beach where you can look out over the Pacific whilst watching the sun drop and consume copious amounts of your favourite beverage in the process, as well as it's proximity to 20kms of coastline with uninterrupted golden sand beach, well this for me has got to come in second.

Mazatlan - Mexico

Mazatlan - Mexico

3. Las Vegas (USA) - A 24hour party city where you can literally go nuts whenever you feel the urge. If you're on form then Las Vegas will already have been notified and will be waiting with bated breath to take you down!

The Luxor - Las Vegas - Nevada - USA

Las Vegas - Nevada - USA

4. Tijuana (Mexico) - This place once was great, not so much anymore but one again the people that we met along the way just made it cool.

Tijuana - Mexico

Most Surprising:

I think from the perceptions and the general propaganda sold to us by our government and western news feeds Mexico in general was surprising and therefore as a place Mexico City won the day for me. I could quite easily have spent an additional week there in order to discover both its present and past in all forms and facets.

Mexico City - Mexico

Coolest place for a night out:

1. Las Vegas (USA) - Mr 24*7 will take your nights and then raise you your days. The options and opportunities in Vegas are endless. All things debaucherous originate here and for most people it's where they want to leave them before they head back for home. Too much fun but remember to get yourself a decent loan before landing here, you'll need it!

New York, New York casino - Las Vegas - Nevada - USA

2. Los Angeles (USA) - I think that if you know the deal or the right crowd in LA then it can be a hell of a fun place to have a great night. We spent a great night on Sunset the first night we were in town and had heard of quite a few other places before we left that we should have tried but just didn't have the chance to take down. Once massive problem though, curfew kicks in at 1:30am - there is absolutely no alcohol sold after that time. You either hit the road and head for home or end up drinking Dr. Pepper in some all night diner.

Frichot on Sunset Boulevard - Los Angeles - California - USA

3. Tijuana (Mexico) - Walking down Revolucion in the centre of TJ you can imagine that way that this place use to be back in its heyday. Many places have closed but with that said there are still quite a few joints open and once you're in it's inevitable that  a tequila bottle will find it's way to you and 'somehow' a way that it will get tipped upside down by your new found friend - just note that hours later that 'somehow' you need to find your way home.

Yeah, that cost all of $3.00 - Tijuana - Mexico

Best accommodation:

Without question the Hostal Regina in Mexico City. It's hands down the best hostel that I've stayed at. It's enormous, it's extremely clean, it's close to the centre of town but most importantly it's the staff that makes this place amazing. Rather than being just 'staff' they actually got to be friends within just the few days that we stayed there. I don't know how they managed it but they seemed to know all their guests by their first names. If ever you're in Mexico City then stay here, you'll have a hell of a time.

Hostal Regina - Mexico City - Mexico

Everyone say 'hammered!' - Hostal Regina - Mexico City - Mexico

Best place to get totally lost:

1. Las Vegas (USA) - Any time of day or night this place is operational. You can lose your money, mind and a lot of time and not worry about where you are or where you're staying. As long as you have the internal fortitude then you can try and match Las Vegas, the king of 24*7.

Las Vegas - it'll beat you...trust me!

2. Tijuana (Mexico) - When a guy comes up to you and says, 'Hey do you want something? Girls, massage, donkey shows?' then you know that getting lost might eventuate in some type of experience that you didn't quite anticipate.

Welcome! We have everything you want and many things that you don't

3. Mazatlan (Mexico) - 20kms of sandy Pacific coast beaches on its doorstep, unbelievable sunsets and a cool old town make this a place that you could easily loose yourself in for a week.

Mazatlan - Mexico

Best place to drink and get totally lost:

1. Las Vegas (USA) - Seriously you 'could' actually lose the shirt off your back here and it would be a valid scenario. Nothing more needs to be said.

2. Tijuana (Mexico) - Drink and go to a donkey show, I dare you! Then I dare you to make it back to your hotel with your wallet in tow.

3. Mexico City (Mexico) - I blame Hostal Regina for allowing Mexico City to make it to my top three. There are times when I wished I 'had' lost my room key, would have made for a more convincing story with some people.

Best drink:

1. Red Trolley (Karl Strauss Brewing Company) - Universal City - Los Angeles (USA)

A great medium-bodied beer with heavyweight malts. From what they say on their site it's brewed with a half tonne of caramelized malts for a rich copper colour and toffee flavour...and yeah, it's tasty!

2. Vanilla Cappuccino - Any Oxxo location in Mexico

An Oxxo is pretty much like a 7-11, just that there's 100 times more of them in any Mexican City. These coffees were our saving grace day in and day out. A post hangover recovery in a country where a cafe was more than a chore to find, this caffeinated thing of beauty was 'the fix'.

3. Tequila - Mexico City (Mexico)

It's ubiquitous isn't it? Think Mexico and you think tequila! I'm sure the tequila that we had in Mexico City wasn't even very good but when mixed with a party atmosphere well, it just made it dynamite.

Best meal:

1.Torta de chorizo - A hole in the wall shop - Avenida Mesones - Mexico City (Mexico)

Jet didn't try this out but there was a great little hole in the wall place on Avenida Mesones that made the BEST tortas (basically a type of sandwhich made from a unique style of bread). They place some spicy chorizo mince on a grill, laid some cheese over it, covered it with avocado and a few other items, then 'hey presto', a sandwhich of magnificence. It was simple, elegant and my way of starting each day (or was it afternoon) in Mexico City.

 
2. Down on the beach - Mazatlan (Mexico)

Another fiesta of simplicty. Swordfish, grilled prawns and a simple salad. I think the salt from the ocean had a lot to do with it but when you're chilling on a beach with a great meal and beer in hand, what else do you really need?

Tough living here in Mazatlan - Mexico

 
3. Buffalo wings - Malgard Public House - Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (USA)

These things were just damn tasty. The right amount of spice and taste which in turn got carried along with a few medium bodies ales. I think Frichot would probably debate me on this and add Mel's diner on Sunset as number three on this list. Actually, I think his top three here would be quite different and from what I know he probably would have gone in the following manner;

The Melgard Public House - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - California - USA

 
Frichot's top meals
 
1. Buffalo wings - Mel's diner - Sunset boulevard - Los Angeles (USA)
I think he has to remember that he was 'a lot' a drunk when we arrived here and that anything at this point would have served him justice. 

Mel's diner - Sunset Strip - Los Angeles - California - USA

2. Jack in the box - Tropicana Ave - Las Vegas (USA)

A great mixture of size, grease and good 'ole fashioned burger technology. I can understand why this would have made the Frichot top three.

 
3. Johnny Rockets - Melrose Avenue - Los Angeles (USA)
We got into the chilli cheese fries big time and these guys did it right. Their shakes were damn good also.

Johnny Rocket's - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - California

My guilty pleasure
 
The burrito hot dog - Pink's Hot Dogs - Cnr of Melrose Ave & La Brea Ave - Los Angeles (USA)
Two hot dogs, in a tortilla, filled with chilli, cheese, sour cream and all other things that could deliver a heart attack with four bites. It was just way too much but 'oh so good' for the journey. 

Pink's Hotdogs - Los Angeles - USA

Best bars
 
1. Rainbow bar - Sunset Boulevard - Los Angeles (USA)
We had a great time here and it was our first night out on the trip. In terms of the type of bar it was, well, it was actually quite plain. I mean it did have a type of 'hidden' upstairs section that acted as a bit of a novelty and it is a well known haunt of Lenny from Motorhead - which is part of the reason why Frichot loved it. In my estimation the venue itself, I thought, was average but we met a few people, had fun and Frichot met his first celebrity, Ron Jeremy. 

The Rainbow Bar - Sunset Strip - Los Angeles - USA

 

2. The Viper bar - Tijuana (Mexico)

A fairly plain bar that played some fantastic rock/grunge/punk music and had a great crowd. We were on the look out for something just like this and it delivered in spades. How can you go wrong with 1.2 litre bottles of beer for $1.50!?

The Viper bar - Tijuana - Mexico

 

3. The Snake Pit - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles (USA) & The Melgard Public House - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles (USA)

These two places were located a few mins walk from one another on the same road. The Snake Pit was a great 'local' to have in terms of it's proximity to the Orbit Hostel and the Melgard had a great range of beer, great food and a French-Canadian publican that had intellect oozing out of his chosen stance of elegant silence.

The Melgard Public House - Melrose Avenue - Los Angeles - USA

The Snake Pit - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - USA

 

Best video

 

The drunk cab ride in Los Angeles takes this one out. This was our ride home, or rather our attempted ride home whilst we zig-zagged up Sunset boulevard. Somewhere along the way Frichot made the call that some exotic entertainment might fit the bill nicely, and well, the end result was this

 

[Drunk ride on Sunset]

 

Favourite/best photos

1. On a Greyhound, between Los Angeles & Las Vegas

Again, this is one of those scenarios where it may not necessarily be the best but it's the one that always catches my eye. I actually really like the relection in the mirror and therefore the implied transience.

2. On the beach in Mazatlan - Mexico

The elements here are cool. I took better photos in Mazatlan in terms of framing but the colours of the sky in this photo sell it everytime.

3. The Joshua Tree - Mojave desert - California - USA

 

Anything that reminds me of U2 is going to hit a sentimental mark with me. This is one of those times where I wish I was able to lose the reflection in the bus mirror but eh, 'it still goes good'.

4. View of Teotihuacan from the pyramid of the moon - Mexico

An amazing place, what more do you need to say?

5. Frichot pulls a LA sign - Los Angeles - USA and a 'Punch buggy' - Mexico City - Mexico

Frichot 'cooling it out' with his LA sign.

This is so typically Mexico City that it just has to make the cut.





Best shot taken by someone that's not me

Me on top of the pyramid of the sun - Teotihuacan - Mexico

Can't argue about this, when you ask someone to take a photo for you then you kind of hope that they might be able to pull off a decent show like this.

 

Coolest moments

 

1. Standing atop the Pyramid of the Sun - Teotihuacan - Mexico

It's a place that I'd always wanted to go to and just setting foot in the complex got me emotional for 1.5 seconds (I can be such a girl sometimes). Climbing to the top of the highest (legally climable pyramid in the world), taking in the view in 360 and experiencing that with a great friend, well it just made for a cool moment.

  Pyramid of the Moon - Teotihuacan - Mexico

2. The confetti assasinations - Hostal Regina - Mexico City (Mexico)

This night commenced as a pathetic little pinata construction class in the foyer or the Hostal and turned into a wet rag throwing tequilathon which somehow turned into a confetti war (which I may have instigated). It's rare for so many friendly and cool people to be in one piss weak class at the same time but that's the way it eventuated. When your night closes out at 5am the general rule is that you've had a decent night.

The confetti assasinations - Hostal Regina - Mexico City - Mexico

 

3. Lucha libre - Arena Mexico - Mexico City (Mexico)

I thought this night was going to end with me slashing my wrists from boredom. Seriously, it commenced with a wrestling bout that looked as though a bunch of Mexico City accountants had got together and had one too many short blacks...but as the beer flowed and the night progressed I found myself getting into the theatre, the mayhem and excitement of the crowd. I cheered for everyone, just because I could. We then followed up the Lucha libre night back at Hostal Regina with a Mexican cooking class, and...wait for it ....many tequila shots!

It could be something desperately seedy or it could just be the after affects of the lucha libre

 

Honorary cool moment:

 

Now this wasn't a cool moment for me but it was cool in the sense that I'm sure for Jet it was the cherry that landed on top of the ice cream that was the trip. I don't know how or why it happened but Jet met the leading singer of Suicidal Tendencies, Mike Muir at LAX and then we were lucky enough to take a couple of snaps with him at Brisbane airport.

 

Now that's cool! Frichot & Mike Muir - Brisbane airport - Australia

Sketchiest moments

 

1. Frichot and his impromptu 'USA is gay' song - Avenida Revolucion - Tijuana (Mexico)

When you're in the heart of Tijuana the border with the USA is probably only 1-2 kms away. Our first night in Tijuana none too surprisingly involved a night of drinking which in turn involved a stop at a local hot dog cart. I knew Frichot was on fire when he started taking down hotdog after hotdog, six in all. At the completion of his six set and inspired by his surroundings Jetson came up with an impromptu song entitled, 'USA is gay' - and he just went for it, over and over. Somehow he acquired a roving guitarist to accompany him, a crowd of about 15 Mexicans, inclusive of the hot dog vendor that was now grooving to his dulcet tunes. The 'problem' arose when a native of San Diego took exception to his lyrics and started to go mental as to why this 'English guy' would want to say such a thing about his homeland. For a few moments we both thought that we would be having a fight on our hands, not a great result when the outcome would have been a night in a Mexican prison. Somehow I got around to calming the guy the down and apologising for our alcohol inspired antics.

It started with something totally innocent like this!

 

2. Crossing the border - Tijuana (Mexico)

It wasn't so much sketchy as it was dodgy. We disembarked and literally walked to the frontier without so much as a sideways glance from anyone. No visa, no entry stamp, nothing that could possibly acknowledge that we'd entered Mexico. We paid for it too. Weeks later in Mexico City, trying to make our escape, we paid for the Mexican's lack of border security.

That's the exit on the Mexican side of the Mexico/USA border

 

3. The Mummy Ride - Universal Studios - Los Angeles (USA)

This was actually hilarious for me but then again I'm a lover of roller coasters. Somehow I had coaxed Frichot to getting on this ride (a man that despises coasters)...you do the maths now. What made this 'sketchy' was the fact that the coaster took off into total and utter darkness, it was pitch black and all you could figure out was that the coaster was moving at a rate of knots and dropping away from under your rear end. Frichot screamed like a little girl on his first ride, it was absolutely brilliant!

 

Uncoolest moment:

 

Well you can read about it in detail here if you'd like [The Project] - not being able to get on our flight back to Los Angeles and encountering such impolite imbeciles all over the airport just made for one draining, bitch of an evening.

Frichot in despair back at Hostal Regina after one crappy evening

 

Best comeback:

 

1. Every day on our trip after crossing the border

We were fiscally struggling each and every day after crossing the border in Mexico. We were waying up our options almost daily, one of which was me heading back to Los Angeles and heading for home so that Frichot could continue on. With some skill, dexterity and assistance from Warren we managed to make it all through Mexico and back home.

 

2. Frichot climbing to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun - Teotihuacan (Mexico)

On the 'bad side' of a hangover and violent food poisoning Frichot had been vomiting like continuously like a fountain in Hyde Park. Not only was he not at the top of his game health wise but it was an agonisingly hot day for anyone on 'hangover recovery duty'. Somehow, I'm not quite sure how, through will and determination, this guy made the climb with me - now that's a comeback.

 

3. The Dutch girls re-return - Hostal Regina - Mexico City (Mexico)

Frichot had been tuning in a pair of Dutch girls who had kindly visited our hostel on the night of the infamous Lucha Libre. Somewhere during the evening Jet disappeared back to our room as his food poisoning took a violent turn. Making my way down to check on our hero I asked him if there was anything I could do for him, 'Sure' was his response, 'Bring those two Dutch girls down for me'. Now I don't know what it was I said or what spin I must have given those two ladies but for some reason I did manage to get them back to the room for our hero in waiting - unfortunately my good work was wasted, there was nothing Jet could do when they arrived, he was totalled! 

 

Total number of  bus rides - 5

Total number of flights - 3

Distance travelled in kms - 30012 k

Number of times Frichot stuck his tongue out when a photo was being taken of him  - 78

There we have it, USA/Mexico all wrapped up. Kind of sad for me now in the sense that Life in a year full of Saturdays in a 'live' sense comes to an end, unfortunately reality has that lousy knack of catching up with you. As I mentioned at the start of this write up my Reflections in a stream of consciousness will look at a few of the places that I missed writing about whilst I was away last year, i.e., Madrid, Colonia de Sacramento, Mendoza, Bariloche & Sucre.

For right now I'm at the point where I need to dream it all up again. New name, new places to see and new people to meet. For the moment I have the idea that finishing off what I left behind in South America is what I need to do, so the aim will be to head back there in December/January this year and take on Argentina, Brazil & Peru.

If any of you feel like joining me then let me know - it's going to be a blast!

Los Angeles - 72 suburbs in search of a city

12 MAR - 13 MAR 2011

It was somewhere close to 9pm when we finally detached ourselves from the customer and immigration road block at LAX and walked out into a brisk evening, our feet now planted on terra firma knowing full well that we had escaped the clutches of a Mexican conspiracy that aimed at keeping us in the country solely to break our will and lighten our peso load. Standing at the cab rank for only a moment or two I was kind of glad that we were heading back home on the morrow. Not for the fact that I didn't enjoy Mexico, far from it, but for the simple fact that Los Angeles as the glitz and glamour town that exists in most of our minds does not equate to the actual reality of the situation. I read a quote in the Alaskan Airlines inflight magazine by American satirist/poet Dorothy Parker regarding her perception of Los Angeles that seemed to be incisively apt, 'Los Angeles was a place of 72 suburbs in search of a city'. Reading that  was non too surprising as in my previous three visits to LA I'd never truly been able to get a feel for the place. It's decentralised, detached, somewhat vacant and a little soulless. I'm sure that there are cool places out there, and I'm sure that if you knew the place it would be fun but as an outsider, well it kind of bores me. There's no easy fix for you to find, there's no beating heart and if you need to get anywhere then good luck attempting to do it without a car.  I explained my perceptions of Los Angeles to the Russian taxi driver that we inherited for the 40min drive from the airport to the Orbit Hostel on Melrose Avenue. He chuckled at the Dorothy Parker line I quoted to him and said that he agreed with me, then when I pressed him on a few more questions regarding his life in Los Angeles he became strangely ambivalent. Not an uncommon trait for Russians I must say! You know I've never ever heard them speak glowingly of any place or anything unless referring to the 'famous' borscht and blini's of their hometown, even if that hometown may be located somewhere like Yakutsk in North Eastern Siberia. Listening to his accent and his odd take on Americans in general I thought back to a character in a Tom Clancy book that I had read years earlier, Rainbow 6. One of the main protagonists in that book was a Russian cab driver whose sole aim was to attack a government building in NYC with a biohazard agent. It kind of felt for those few moments that it wouldn't take a lot for this disillusioned soul to flip the crazy switch and go all bio-terrorism on our arses! In the end I was just thankful that he got us to our destination.

 Early evening LA arrival - bright lights, decentralised city

 Settling in at Melgard Public House - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - USA

Settling in at the Orbit that evening it felt as though we had been away from LA for months. In actual fact it had only been three weeks but it felt like a hell of a long time. Somewhat beaten by our experience the previous day and perhaps a little weary from the full-scale project that we needed to undertake just to make it into LA on this day we headed down the road a few blocks to Melgard Public House for a few quite ales and some decent food. Now this is a place that I can get behind. A comfortable scene without blaring music and a French-Canadian publican who was typically understated but who you knew could outsmart, outwit and out talk you on just about any issue you chose to bring up if he was in the mood to do so. As Jet and I sat at the bar drinking away in quiet reflection of our deeds over the past 3-4 weeks, and as Jet  also contemplated whether he could in fact manage to sit at the bar with a virulent strain of Mexican travel bug playing havoc with his bowels, we checked out the first reports of an earthquake that had just taken place in Japan. As you know, breaking news is always kind of sketchy but when I first saw the magnitude reading of the quake, an 8.9!!!, I kind figured immediately that a major catastrophe was now in progress. Bits and pieces of images came in as we were sitting there but the most striking was a live broadcast of one of the several tsunami's that rolled in over the north-east coast of Japan. The 'as-it-happens' telecast was disarming in terms of what you knew it meant. We witnessed in real time the force and power of a natural event that you knew would be taking lives in those very same moments. It seemed to be perversely voyeuristic and confronting all at once. Helicopters were zooming in on people and vehicles trying to outrun the wave but who tragically were getting caught in the onslaught. Essentially we were witnessing the last moments of life for many people...it was fucked.

 Melgard Public House - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - USA

 Another favourite on Melrose Ave - The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit - Melrose Ave - Los Angeles - USA

Frichot and I headed back to the Orbit that evening in a strangely sombre mood. I don't recall that we said alot other than Frichot pointing out that he was in quite a hurry to make it back to base camp otherwise he'd breaching the constraints of his Dickies in a most unpleasant manner. I immediately picked up the pace in aid of satisfying both his comfort levels and his dignity.

The next day we were amazingly hangover less! I mean that really does warrant an exclamation mark and all because I can't remember the last point  in time on this trip where that  hadhappened. Heading out somewhere close to noon we took a bus up to Hollywood and strolled around for a while, just kind of killing time more than anything else. Jet managed to find a store that had a shirt that he really loved but didn't have his size - good news however, there was an outlet at Universal City that might just be able to cater for a man with three weeks of Mexican fiesta lovin' in his belly. Considering that we were also throwing up the idea of catching Battle LA on it's opening day then the idea of heading to Universal to close out our last afternoon on this trip seemed apt.

 An All-star showdown on Hollywood Boulevard

 On our way to Universal City

Up at Universal Frichot did actually find the shirt that he was looking for, that was the good news. The bad news was our decision to watch Battle LA. It was a shaky-cam fiesta of cheesy lines, indiscriminate and haphazard explosions, a storyline that line that was stolen from the pathetic annals of Independence Day with an 'Oh Captain my captain' moment thrown in to boot that made you feel blatantly embarrased for both yourself and everyone in the audience. at that moment I don't get it though, a concept like this can actually work I think. I watched District 9 just the other day and whilst this isn't a classic film either there was enough in it in terms of themes and concepts to make it both entertaining and stimulating. That good guy v. bad alien garbage in movies such as Battle LA and Independence Day just do my head in. I know what you may be thinking, with Battle LA I probably should have known better but hey, it was our last day and it was the second time that we'd watched a movie on our last day of a holiday thus setting in stone a ritual that we'll obviously look to follow in years to come.

City Loft in Universal City

 City of Angels - it's all in the detail

Finishing in the early evening we strolled back down into Universal City and acquired ourselves a few Red Trolley ales at one of the bars on Universal walk. It was a good way to end the day and an ingenious way of getting the bitter taste of Battle LA out of my mouth. As sure as the beers were over and done however we were checking out the 'count down' clock for the V Australia flight back home and realising in our post beverage glow that we needed to make haste.

Some three 'moderately' eventful hours latter, ones that involved several modes of transport ,we were at the V Australia check-in counter ready to jump the flight back home. As we made our way through what felt like the 'striptease' security stop, seriously it's a flurry of belts, shoes, socks, jackets and all other clothing items, we arrived at our check-in gate with time to spare and no immigration hassles. This we hoped was going to be the 'cream cheese' of boarding rituals and thankfully that's the way it ended up.

Now over the past few months Jet for some reason has been bringing up the virtues of Suicidal Tendencies with me more often than I 'use to' mention the virtues of Steve Waugh. Either in passing or more directly he'd ask me 'Have you heard of (such and such) song' or 'Did you know Mike Muir did this or did you know that Mike Muir did that?' - mostly my response to those questions was often 'Mate, I have no clue as to who Mike Muir even is'. So it was with an odd sense of sweet seredipity that when we arrived at the check-in gates that Jet scanned our fellow flight companions and said to me, 'Hey, that guy looks like Mike Muir, I'm sure it is'. Now let me say this, Jet sometimes gets his celebrity sightings wrong and knowing this I simply said, 'Hey, if you think it's him then you should go up and say hello'. As Jet walks off I thought it was a 10-1 shot that it was actually the dude that Jet thought it was but when I saw his face light up I kind of figured out that he hit is mark. Some 14 hours later in Brisbane after a flight that bounced us across the Pacific with 7hours of non-stop turbulence I actually got to meet good 'ole Mike. I was honest with the guy, I just said 'Hey, my friend likes you but I honestly don't really know who you are', his response to that 'Yeah, most days I don't know who I am either!'...I know what you mean Mike, I know what you mean.

 Jet with Mike Muir - lead singer of Suicidal Tendencies - Brisbane Airport

 This sign has nothing to do with the relative size of appendages

A few hours out of Brisbane we were back in Sydney on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon. This trip had been a hell of a lot of fun, we'd been to some amazing places and met a lot of great people. The only problem was that as soon we were out of the terminal I was already thinking ahead and promising myself to 'set the date' for my return to South America in December. So Argentina, Brazil and Peru, get ready because I have an encore that needs to take place and I'm coming back with my own audience in tow!