Life in a year full of Saturdays

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Los Angeles (USA) - Who's the actor and who's the comedian?

LOS ANGELES (USA)
11 March - 12 March 2017

Here we were, back on Hollywood Boulevard and somehow, inch-by-inch this time, I started to feel that excitement that comes from being in close proximity to where movies are made and celebrity roam free. That world, the one of fantasy, celebrity, riches and excess, it all feels somehow within your frame of reference and understanding as the city brings you within touching distance of it. I somehow got a small buzz from being in that space and I now I can understand how LA can very much attract all those moths to its fanciful flame of promise.

Lunch at Hooters on Hollywood Boulevard - Los Angeles - USA

Hollywood Walk of Fame - Hollywood Boulevard - Los Angeles - USA

This day however was all about getting back to home base and our over-nighter was only for the sake of catching a late night flight to London which would then bounce us back to Belgrade.

Feels like Sydney, looks like home but is in fact London-Heathrow Airport - England

Sidling up to a bar at LAX for a few pre-flight cocktails, Inga and I encountered a guy who came across as a little bit of an antagonist. Picking up on the fact that we were reading a muscle building book, which was a recent purchase, and then associating our present body shape to an image that he believed we'd never achieve, he immediately poked fun at us by letting us know that 'we'd never get there'. Both he and I had some banter back and forth, initially because I felt like biting back. Apparently he was an actor, but he could have been a Used Car Salesman also who was on his way back to his Mom's house or something, I didn't pay a great deal of attention to be honest. Either way, we both made a point of telling him unequivocally that our current shapes would in fact change, quite dramatically, in order for us to be ready for our wedding at the end of June. He laughed of course and flippantly gave us a 'Good Luck' in the kind way that sounded like 'F*** Off' but his words were nicer for the sake of decorum.

So Mr Actor or Mr Comedian or whatever you - we had 'no chance' of achieving any form of fitness within three months??? Really??

Riga - Latvia

...and the book that we purchased was absolutely futile??

Amalfi - Italy

A complete waste of money that book - no muscles to be seen here

Riga - Latvia

'Obviously' we looked awful on our wedding day?

Where are you now Mr Actor? At home with Mummy?

Amalfi - Italy

Riga - Latvia

A couple of weeks before our wedding in Amalfi

Inga on our wedding day - my wife looked amazing!!!!

Amalfi - Italy

Well Mr Actor, or Mr Comedian, or whatever you are, with the indignant words of Sam Kerr after the Matildas beat Brazil at the 2019 World Cup, I say to you, SUCK ON THAT. This is what we ended up looking like! I hope one day you see these photos and realise that your failings don't necessarily mean that others in this world will fail in the same manner you a have. Resilience and dedication to your cause mean things to some people, once again, 'suck on that'.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Mexico City (Mexico) - Mariachi menu

MEXICO CITY (MEXICO)
10 March - 11 March 2017

Back in Mexico City after flying in from Cabo our Central American tour was slowly winding down. There were no new destinations scheduled, just Mexico City and the connecting flight out of Los Angeles before heading for home.

Mexico City - Mexico

Inga & I stayed at Hostal Regina, a familiar place to me, I had stayed there with Jet on my first visit to Mexico City in 2011. Hands down, the best hostel in terms comfort, atmosphere and location out of any that I stayed in. Located in the Historic Centre of Mexico city, the surrounds are enjoyable from an architectural perspective and the proliferation of restaurants and bars, which seem to have grown quite rapidly in the 6 years from my last visit.

Mexico City - Mexico

Most of the day we spent walking around the centre of the city, which again, on this occasion I found to be more lively and more dynamic than the last occasion here. Packaged into our cruisey meanderings was a stop to Torre Latinoamericana, located in the central, historic part of the city, the building is 182mtrs tall, and was for some time the tallest in the city. Offering commanding views of the entire expanse of this grand city, it's hard to believe by looking around that this capital that it was built on what was one Lake Texococo, until such time that it was drained under the instruction of Enrico Martinez, cosmographer to the King of Spain and also an hydraulic engineer.

Mexico City - Mexico

Los Angeles - USA

With a slow wind down we left Mexico City and headed north for our final stop in Los Angeles. Central America in many ways was not what we expected and to that extend offered more than we thought we'd receive.

Thank you to each and every place that we visited, you were all wonderful, except for El Jardin de la Vida in Ometepe (you sucked!).

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) - I once saw Sammy Hagar eating a waffle

CABO SAN LUCAS (MEXICO)
07 March - 10 March 2017

Another infamous Spring break location, we actually arrived in Cabo during Spring Break! Say hello to Schoolies on Steroids. In actual fact I find that American youth, and Americans generally, are soft when it comes to the consumption of alcohol. In Australia its our birthright to go out, get smashed, chunder and talk about what a great night 'that you can't remember' you just had.

Arriving in Cabo San Lucas - Baja California - Mexico

Cabo San Lucas - Baja California - Mexico

Cabo was to be our repose from the 2.5 month backpacking adventure that we'd been on. Not that we needed a break into tranquility but the art of backpacking can promote a type of weariness and exhaustion from movement such as sleepless overnight bus rides, ordinary accommodation, odd travel connections and other budget style hang-ups. We really had nothing to complain about though, perhaps I just needed an excuse to head to Cabo for a few days and this is what I created, hope it suffices?

Cabo San Lucas - Baja California - Mexico