The Rambling Irish Vagabond

the 1 year blog post

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 12:56:00 +0000

Right now I'm totally neglecting this site and keeping it on life support basically, as I learn to be a dad and focus really hard on work.

Some highlights since the last post.

Bought a car after 12 years without having one and a house which I've been trying to do for years, in Clontarf, Dublin. Chuffed with it, was close to buying something in Dun Laoighaire but thankfully Mum and Bro talked me out of it to wait, which I did and I think we got a better option
I've been travelling:

Boston a couple of times (two inbonud conferences and JFK library, meet with cousins)
Cascais again, in Portugal (wife's 40th)
Japan and Singapore, and
Brazil for an entire month on Sabbatical from work
Ireland visited Killarney, Clare (Cliffs of Mohar, Bunratty) and Waterford a ton (mother and father's 50th wedding anniversary, check out the new Green Way). Also, saw Waterford unfortunately loose to Galway in All Ireland Final.

I've been working my ass of and trying to learn how to manage a big group

Trying to figure out how to plan and execute better and pot hole prevention as my manager calls it
Had a 19 person 360 review of my work, which results in a 20 page document, delighted with the fact any company would do something like that for me, still trying to apply it's results, and get better at areas I need to improve in my leadership style.

Kobe beef in Ginza, Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 15:21:00 +0000

Back in Tokyo for a week with work and had the chance to fore fill a life time ambition to eat some Kobe beef. Cost 160 euro but well worth the experience.

The Biggest and Best Adventure of them all

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:49:00 +0000

Welcome baby Sophia Saoirse Morales Fitzgerald to the world.

Sophia after the greek word for "wisdom" and Saoirse after the Gaelic word for "freedom"

I hope as you set out on your own rambling adventures in life you are both wise and free.

You have brought a lot of joy to both Camila and I.

x

World Cup - Part 4 - The Mighty Kaiserchiefs prevail

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:08:00 +0000

The World Cup final itself was an amazing day. We started in our hotel near Saint Dumont Airport a good 15 minutes by taxi from Copacobana. We wanted to get a metro but it was completely closed. For a two mile radius beside the Maracana stadium there was a total security lock down with a very heavy army and police presence. We tried to get a taxi but all were full. This was 12 o'clock in the day and the match starting at 4pm. We wanted to get to the FIFA fan fest at 1.30 at the latest to try get in. We eventually resorted to local buses and got lucky getting on to one. The 20 minute journey to get down town was hilarious. It seemed like I was in Buenos Aires, for all intensive purposes, I was. The place was a wash with the reported 120,000 Argentines who had mad the 30 hour drive from Argentina. Rio belonged to them to the disgust of the locals. They were singing loudly, slamming on horns and blowing on trumpets, whistles anything that would make a noise. It was great to see.

We got a bite to eat in a Boteca and made our way to the large queue for the fan fest, thankfully Camila and I and her sister and husband got in. The place holds 20,000 and I reckon 18,000 were Argentinean, there were a small number of Brazilians and a sprinkle of Europeans. We got a German flag and were supporting the Europeans. It was hilarious the amount of Argentines who came up to me and wanted a photo and the amount that also were waving their hands at meet trying to provoke a reaction. They were full sure it was there day and were going to win.

The only way to describe there support was like a huge heard mentality frenzy, the likes you would see in the stands of a derby game between Boca and River Plate or Celtic Rangers. They really were going for it. A lot of folk were at fever pitch for the entire game. The funniest part for me was when they had their disallowed goal. A lot of them thought the goal counted, they exploded when the ball hit the net. I've seen a lot of celebrations in my day but this one was ridiculous. Two old men in there 60s or 70s fell to the ground in front of my feet, rolling in the hallowed Copacabana sand, screaming and roaring in ecstasy. They were a mess when they got up, especially when they found out the goal was disallowed, I'll never forget the shouting on the ground, holding each other and shouting punching their hands in the air. It's hard to describe the emotion of the crowd and of these two fans in particular. The enormity of the situation of potentially winning the world cup on Brazilian soil was almost too much for them to hold in. I reckon they were right on the wire of spontaneous human combustion. Myself and Rodrigo couldn't stop laughing for a good minute. For me the best part of the entire day.

In the end, the Germans grounded out a well deserved win and the Argentines went from complete carnival madness to a progression of heads bowed down in silence walking out of the Fan Fest. I did my piece for the Germans and kept their flag flying as a proud European. The small Brazilian group that was present loved the fact that the German flag was aloft flying high as thousands of Argentines were forced to see it on the way out. It was interesting to note that only two of them came up and said well done. The rest were totally despondent and were simply without words.

The Brazilians partied hard into the night with their new found German friends. The sighs of relief from the Brazilans were palpable. The shame of them losing the cup to the Argentians would have be too much to bare.

The samba started again and the tango beats declined and all seemed well in the world again for the Brazilians as a beautiful night light came down on the Fan Fest. It was a really pleasure to have been in Rio to see history unfold and I have to take my hats off to the Argentians for a masterclass in how to support your team. Seeing so many of them making the journey mostly by car and then singing for hours on end was amazing and a sight i won't forget in a hurry. Also fair play to the Brazilians for putting on an unforgettable show and for the Germans inevitably doing the business. They fully deserved it. I'm already looking forward to Olympics down here already. If it's half the show that this one was it will be amazing.

World Cup - Part 3 - Ass Shaking on Copacabana

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 14:22:00 +0000

I didn't know what the FIFA Fan Fest was until I came to the World Cup, but now I know all about it. Its a festival come party, that FIFA put on for free, sponsored by big companies like Coca Cola, Johnson and Johnson, Hyundai, etc - to allow the general public watch the games in a huge party atmosphere with local entertainers taking the stage before and after the games.

The one in Salvador was great but the one in Rio takes the prize holding 20,000 people at any given time.

Here is one of the best acts "Anitta" a local funk queen that many are saying is going to be the next big act to come out of Latin America and develop a world audience.

Check out her dancing, her and her crew really know how to shake it all about. Really got the crowd going for the 3rd spot playoff before Brazil were crushed again, this time by the mighty Dutch.

Check out her most popular song!

World Cup - Part 2 - Top Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:23:00 +0000

There has been so many great moments in the World Cup so far. So much excitment and emotion. Blood has boiled. Guts have definitely spilt all over the place . Stars have been born. The tears that has gushed like the Iguazu Falls. The smiles felt like a sun set on Ipanema. The fervent debate. The pride in the anthems. The pre and post forsenic analysis. It's been immense.

Here are some of favourite moments in images, even looking at them now brings the memories rushing back.

van the man

"Forca Neymer"

"I did nothing"

Luis does the business against England

King James has arrived

Best goal keeping performance i've ever seen

What were the Iranian's feeling after this?

Would it have been better for Brazil if Chile had won?

Never seen anything like it. Management balls!

Some free kick!

Humble but triumphant goodbyes

The best goal scorer in world cup history. Watch out for your mate Muller!

Let me know what images you would have added to the list? Here are some of BBC's favourites.

World Cup Part 1 - Christmas Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:01:00 +0000

So I'm down in Brazil again but this time it's different - it's the World Cup. It's as if it has been Christmas day, every day. It's by far the best sporting tournament I've ever seen, studied and luckily been able to watch in person. Watching the Brazilians uncoil around this event and unleash their emotional tsumani on the world has been fascinating. Politics and sport are wed at the hip in Brazil with such a huge population which such stark disparities in the quality of life in society. I have been a little surprised by the amount of people that openly wanted Brazil to lose at the group stages from the tournament of in some shape or form receive a humiliation, which we now know they have with the unforgettable 7 -1 trawling by the imperious Germans.

As Camila's brother Fausto put it " PT or "Partido dos Trabalhadores" and Dilam [their president] are corrupt and not good for this country. They promise change but where is it. It is much better we get himiliated and people wake up and start to protest. We need change." It a strong conviction that most Brazilians support in the middle class, it's how this uprising or change in attitude happens, and when which is the question. Most people are behind the Cup now but in two months time when the next vote for the presidency of the country starts the majority of people are saying they'll voice their opinion in the ballot box to reject corruption and try start the change the country so badly needs.

As an outsider I enjoy talking about the country's situation, debating how it can change and comparing it to Ireland, Europe and other places I've been. It's like in Ireland talking about the weather or house prices, it's a national passion over here. People are curious about how it is like in other countries and what can be done here to improve things. And while there has been plenty of such discussions on this trip already, this time it's all about the football and what a tournament it has been so far.

Here is how Camila and i have decided to play it:

4 days in Brazil, taking in the amazing Brazil v Chile shootout with her family and friends. I'll never forget the penalty shoot out against Chile, everyone was emotionally destroyed after it
7 days in Salvador where we were lucky enough to take in live the USA v Belgium whopper of a game which saw one of the best, if not the best, defensive performances I have ever witnesses by a team in the World Cup. We also got to take in 3 games in the impressive FIFA fan fest events area near the famous Salvador lighthouse in the Barra area of the city. Most of these occasions where then followed by some caipirinhas and food in the crazy Rua Vermeholan area (think of a small Temple Bar, with loads of "gringos")
Next 4 days in Sao Paulo again, this time we took in the two semi finals. We watched Brazil getting hammered in Fausto's house and decides to keep away from the FIFA fun fest which is a good bit outside of Sao Paulo and also Rua Madelana, the main vocal point for fans, as reports where coming in that you could barely walk there it was so full. Im sure like the rest of you, you were shocked with the result. No one saw it coming. What an occasion. A massive lesson for Brazil and from a football point of view in my opinion a clear changing of the guard, with Germany now becoming the new super power in football
I'm now in Rio for the 3rd place play off and final. The big one. We've been really enjoying the FIFA fan fest, this one in Rio is on Copacobana so we're going to go for that.

More to come, time to go over to teamtalk.com to get ready for the build up to the games.

Budapest and Bratislava

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 23:37:00 +0000

Just back from Boston and New York and this time the ramble was to Hungary and Slovakia. for New Years. After checking out where we could get a bit of sun over the Christmas break and failing to get anything half interesting with a decent price we opted for bang for your buck return flight to Budapest for 330 each including 1 extra 20kg bag.

After a delay of 45 minutes due to the aeroplane having to update its “software” we were off. A short 3 hours and we were there. On this occasion I hadn’t much time to check out what the Budapest held with the exception of a cursory glance at Lonely Planet and Wikipedia. I had my trusty Irish Independent little green travel book on the city so I knew nearly every thing I needed would be in it. We went for a 5 star hotel the Boscolo, which is an iconic hotel rebuilt after the war boasting one of the most famous café houses in the world “café New York” which lived up to its decadent ornate reputation when we arrived.

We arrived 9ish at night on the first night and with the Christmas atmosphere still in the air and with the city preparing for New Years we strolled down town past the famous Budapest opera house and then to the Christmas stalls outside the impressive St Stephen’s basilica . Quickly, we bought a really delicious pint glass of sweet mulled wine. It was the best I’ve ever tasted. Hit the spot just as the doctor ordered. Then Camila and I strolled slowly down the streets to the water front to see the resplendent Four Seasons hotel all done up like a giant light show gushing out its energy onto the silently flowing Danube and iconic chain bridge which seemed to compete with the hotel for attention. As we walked across it we watched the beautiful castle in Buda on the right hand side and also caught our first site of the impressive Hungarian parliament.

The city is impressive and it quite rightly deserves the reputation of being called the “little Paris of the East of Europe”. It’s like you’re actually in Paris. The architecture is brotherly and the café culture is rife.

As we got introduced to the city I felt myself drawn to complex history the city had experienced of late. Aiding Hitler on his crusade, being pulverized by the Russian forces and subsequently having to endure decades of Communism before breaking free and winning its own democracy. The city has been true a lot and that’s not mentioning the evasion of the Romans and Turks, the remnants of which are still very evident in the bath and pool culture the city is so well known for.

The next few days were a mix of checking out the good, the bad and the ugly of the restaurant scene. Checking out the opera and relaxing in baths and hotel pools. Exactly what I was looking for from the trip.

Highlights, Lowlights and Learnings

They are big style into their Paprika over here, I didn’t know that before I came here. They even have their own TV channel called TV paprika.
The Italian influence is easy to see. Plenty of pasta and pizza on offer as well as the omnipresent local Goulash delicacies.
Being very fortunate to get a fantastic rendition of the famous “Nutcracker” opera in the Budapest Opera house. I’d known the name but had no idea what it was about. I also knew one or two of the melodies but had no idea what scenes they were in the opera and why they are so beautiful and world renowned. If you get a chance I’d say check out the show, especially around Christmas. Beautiful.
We then frequented one of the famous bath houses, the highlight in that one of the outside pools at 40 degrees inside the water and 5 degrees out with a chill breeze was great. Overall, very disappointing though. I had to wait 25 minutes in a very disorganized queue to get a ticket with zero customer services taking place and workers behind the tills which left you with a better chance getting a smile off a statute rather then any of them. Also, inside it was chaotic, and the disorganization was every where again. Poor signed posts, a packed locker room you couldn’t swing a cat in and very slippery floors everywhere. The pools were packed with people and you could tell a lot of people in there felt very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t go back
Rip off taxi drivers. I really detest this about traveling. Not for the first time and it won't be the last we were done. I had watched a YouTube video on Hungary and the guy presenting had advised to watch out for the taxis. He was right. The classic can you bring us to x location and then he brought us twice the distance we should have went when we actually realized where we were and where we had left from. Annoying. Best solution ring ahead to the hotel and get them to recommend a good taxi company.
St Stephen’s was well worth a visit, also interested to check out the mummified St Stephen’s hand. The inside of the church is beautiful and wouldn’t be out of place in the middle of the Vatican.
New Years night was really great. We walked again down the romantic streets of Budapest at night to close to the water to eat in a lovely restaurant called Italiano. For 87 euros a head we got a lovely seat beside the grill which we were able to watch one of their top chefs grill skillfully massive t-bone steaks all night. It was great to watch and very entertaining. Smoke everywhere. He fighting with the heat and flames while scorning and people who wanted to take a photo of the show. We got then to starter, a lovely salad dish for Camila and I had a delicious anti-pasta washed down with Proseco. We then munched down a lovely light dish of pasta and tomato and then a huge chunk of t-bone steak. Some of it was actually burnt and our very attentive waiter without missing a beat went off to get us some more. The services was top notch all night and it was great to see a good restaurant in full flow. By the time we finished the meal it was 11.50pm, Camila then asked the waiter could we pay for the meal, but go out to watch the fireworks and then come back to finish our meal. They obliged smiling and before we knew it we were marching down the street to the Danube and chain bridge to see the spectical. What a let down! If I had 3 of my own tiny little fizzlers and waved them in the air and threw them up in the sky the last moment it would have been better. It was brutal the worst ever. Definitely don’t come to Budapest for the first show. Camila and I discussed it after wards and we won’t even give it 1 out of 10, we agreed on .5 out of 10. I’d say there was 20 fireworks shot into the air at most. Most of which were at different times. There was no synchronisation, no planning, no nothing. Everyone left after 3 minutes flat. A disaster for the organisers, whatever happened we may never know. Back to the restaurant, we had a nice plate of assorted deserts, then I tasted the traditional pork knuckles and lentils which the locals eat after mid night to usher in a new year and prosperity.
We also checked out the famous Gereaud café down town. This was great. While a little expensive at 13 euros for a steak sandwich and 9 euros for a slice of cake. I could see what all the fuss was about. Think Paris macroon’s in Harrods on 5^th avenue New York. Chic. Very cool atmosphere, only think was it was full of tourists like ourselves which took a little bit away from the experience when you see all the camera on show.
One other restaurant come café that warrants special merit was the impeccable Callas, 1061 Andrassy Ut, just in case you need the address. Wow! Amazing service and again as in so many places in the city, a beautiful café, with live piano playing and tasty beverages and cakes. I’d be very happy to have somewhere like this in Dublin, I’d definitely make it my business to be a regular.
The inventor of the biro and the Rubic’s cube come from Budapest

I won’t be rushing back to Budapest any time soon but I’m very glad I came. It is without doubt a beautiful city and the food can be excellent. I’d say you’d need no more than 3 days to take it in. Get yourself a nice hotel down near the water front and make sure to try go to the baths at off peak time to get the most out of it. Make sure to check out some of the really nice cafes and the Opera is an absolute must. Also on offer is the paprika and local Bulls blood wine if you can get your hands on it. The main shopping thoroughfares are nothing to write home about. Very similar to all the others ones you’ll find in most places around the world. So I wouldn’t recommend it for shopping. The city itself is very charming thought and prices off the main tourist locations are very good. Go to laze around the city in the cafes, soak up some of the very interesting history, slurp on some Goulash and paprika soup and check out the music which is everywhere.

Memories:

Horrible meal outside of Basillica, New Years night waiter feeling sad he had to work, cool little lemon slice juicer, huge party boat on the Danuble, busker up at the castle, communist statues in the park, McDonalds meal for 1.5 euro with model inside, rave party the 30^th of December in one of the pools, dodgy breakfast in hotel, getting a Panatoni present off hotel, Camila buying Paprika, strange local currency FORINT, Hooters, terrible Bruschetta but lovely pizza in a dodgy Italian restaurant, ice hockey in the pubs, very poor tapa bar, with Hungarian owner brutalizing the Spanish language :0), joint bed and room in hotel, fat kid jumping in the pool and annoying everyone, delicious coconut slide and mulled wine and beer, excellent glass of New Years wine, dodgy light flashing bunny ear costumes,

Bratislava was 3 hours away from Budapest. There was very little on offer when we got there. Some quaint cafes, pubs and restaurents but very little in general. The city seemed vacant almost absent with the exceptions of the tourists around. 1 day is enough to see it. We went to the recommended tourist havens. The castle, which wasn't much to talk about and then the main square which had some nice churches and some cool cafes but very little. For a capital of a country it was very underwhelming. It felt like a small parochial city in Ireland, like a Dundalk or a Drogheda.

Only really thing that was of note was the cool saucer type restaurent on the bridge in the middle of the city.

Anaconda River and floating meditation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 16:16:00 +0000

I'm in Brazil in a town called "Bonito" or the direct translation in Portugease, "Beautiful" and by God is this place beautiful. I now know why its got the name and why its the number one eco tourist site in the country. We are in the state of Matto Gross do Sul, in the south west of Brazil, home to some of the biggest snakes in the world, the anaconda, they even have a river called Rio Sucuri, or Anaconda River they have so many of them. Camila and I did a rafting trip while here and we got to see 3 on the river including a 7 meter monster who was quietly hiding in a tuft of grass on the side of the river basking in the early morning sun. The state is home to a number of indigenous tribes, the vast majority of which tourists can't visit, and the land os covered in tropical savannah's that house some of the world's great biodiversity.

Bonito reminds me a lot of Champada Dimentina in Bahia with also some of savanna in South Africa thrown in for good measure. The land had red soil, rolling small hills, sugar cane everywhere, with wide exapnses of land with what look like anorex cows everywhere. The locals look Indian like and they all have dark skin and jet black hair. We arrived here by taking a 1.5 hour flight from Sao Paolo, which was tough, as I had a hangover from Camila's sisters marriage to Rodrigo Bortocceli. When we got off the plane we were hit with a heat wind which was 39 degrees. Same experience as walking into a sauna. Intense heat straight away hitting your face and letting you know you're a million miles away from home. Despite the farcical airport the infrastructure of Bonito is very good with one main road with a variety of restaurants, souvenir shops and tourism agencies making up the majority of sites. The city itself is very close to Campo Grande to the north and to Paraguay to the west, which has had a big influence on the place. I ended up getting a shave and haircut for 23 real or 7 euro from a Paraguayan man who married a local girl here from Brazil and has been here for 40 years where he plies his trade with one tiny little barber shop, with one old chair which he says is 80 years old. When asked why Brazil, he explained in his native Spanish "mucho serviceo", more business.

We're on day 4 of 8 days in Bonito and it has been action packed. The highlights so far:

Fazenda Mimosa. An old colonial farm in a vast farm, that boasts 5 excellent waterfalls that we decided to pay a visit to. The trip consisted of 8 people being walked through a forest for 20 minutes getting an explanation of the various flora and fauna on offer then a slow boat down a beautiful river with tiny waterfalls and then a variety of large waterfalls where we all got the chance to swim in if we wanted. The highlight being this amazing waterfall we could swim into a cave behind it called, "Cachocheira Desejo" or the waterfall of desire or wishes, the reason being was that a natural stone formation inside the cave that had formed over thousands of years which looked like a man's penis was inside. Only in Brazil!I'd give the trip a strong 7/10 for value and for beauty
Floating down Rio Sucuri was excellent. This involved a pick up at our hotel, then a 20 minute drive to another private farm where we went to see the spring of the river and then from there we put on a wet suit and a snorkel and gently floated down the river for 1 hour. This trip was like a a space walk, except in the jungle, with a river jam packed with exotic fish, with a bed of snails crustaions, white and black stones, fallen trees and branches and a ton of algae and shrubs. What I liked most about it was how beautifully transparent the water was and how we simply had to kick out legs once at the start and then for a solid hour we had little or no work to do but float. The water was maybe 2 or 3 meters in depth at it's deepest and there was a large variety meandering turns with lots of surprises of different scenes and settings. I found this a very very relaxing meditative experience, where I could watch a amazing fish, listen to a variety of warbles and chirps from the local birds, while watching my companions enjoying themselves as I figured out in my head some of lives little puzzles and gave thanks for all the great people in my life and for some of the amazing experiences i have had. 10/10 for value and beauty. It was the nearest think to space I've come to and an amazing way to float while praying and giving thanks.
I've done something like this before but going to Gruta Azul or the Blue cave was cool. Another trip about 30 minutes from the hotel this time in a group of about 8 we descended down some very slippery rocks to a depth of about 50 meters to see a very nice cave end full of crystal water in a chamber of stalactites and stalagmites. What was very beautiful for me was not just looking at the water and hearing the stalagmite water drops piercing the blue crystal water but also looking back up the steps we had come seeing the intense bright light descending down the walls and hitting the chamber casting shadows in multiple directions. I thought it was a little dangerous. The groups were too big. There was a lack of infrastructure and easy to slip and annoyingly it was only one way, so you had to wait for other groups when trying to go down and come up. I'd give it a 5/10. I'm not a big cave fan hence the low marks also I'd seen many limestone caves in my day, some of which are as good if not better.
Not a trip but something I've really enjoyed on this trip has been the wild animals we've seen. The huge anaconda was a highlight, but while swimming in river Sucuri I also saw a small fish no bigger then a sprat or anchovies jumping out of the water to catch little flies that hovered on the edge of the water beside a waterfall. They jumped various times and it was a cool sight to be seen. We met some small monkeys that came out of a sugar cane field while driving to one of the sites and they were very cheeky getting very close to our van looking for food and getting up to no good in general. We also checked out a lazy alligator, the locals called Tom who just seemed to ignore humans and just hung around the dinner areas waiting to scavenge and then just posing for photos at the water edge. We then met a large parrot who for the last 5 years has befriended a woman who was selling cards, jewelery and clothes beside to the entrance of Rio Sucuri, he loved running around after her and also he loved being kissed and also showing off his feathers when she asked him to do it.
In our lovely hotel, when we arrived for the first 3 days, while it holds over a hundred people there were only 4 including us. We had the place to ourselves. We got to know a very nice older man down near the pool who put music on for us at night, while he talked to us about why he left the hustle and bustle of Sao Paolo, never to return, for a more tranquil life in the jungle city of Bonito. He also introduced us to an amazing local fruit called Guivera! Wow! I haven't been able to stop drinking it. Seemingly this is the only place you can get it. A lovely light, cross between a melon a lemon and a peach. To compliment the picanha, manjoica and rice a delight.

There are a number of things I'd like to report that have been frustrating about Brazil, some of them the old faithfuls:

The traffic in Sao Paolo is terrible. Really congests. It seems to have got worse since last i got here. You can literally be caught in traffic for hours with sometimes 100s of kilometers tail backs. The crazy motor bikers also like to take their fair share of risks darting in and out of traffic. What has been a pain is also the large number of protests going on in the country, which I totally agree with, the people fighting corruption and trying ti increase the quality of their overall health, education and infrastructure as well as much more, but it has grinded traffic almost to a halt in some streets I've been on
While the euro is strong at the moment at 3.1 to the real, it is still expensive here and importation tax is everywhere. Here in Bonito, the trips we are doing are great but they often charge up to 3 euro a photo when you finish a trip - which is expensive for us but exorbitant for the locals.
The heat! Some of the nights have been hot!

Japan - Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:26:00 +0000

Japan - Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:02:00 +0000

The Arrival of Fausto - Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Ibiza

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:01:00 +0000

The last 3 weeks have seen me rambling with my brother in law Fausto Morales. It was his first time to Europe and he took in plenty new experiences for his first time here:

A fresh pint of Guinness in Dublin
Listening to melodic harp playing hippies at the Cliff's of Mohar
A medieval banquet where you had to eat with your hands and bring plenty of "mead" in Buntarry castle
A refreshing swim at Newton Cove, Tramore
A tour of the Heinkeen brewing factory in Amtersdam as well as a tour of the infamous red like district and innumerable coffee shops
A photo with the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
A tour of the Eiffel tour in 38 degrees of stifling heat
A history class on Napolean's tomb
A bopping, thumbping, fist punching techno night never to be forgotten in Cafe Ole, in Ibiza's Space discoteque from 1am to 7pm
A Facebook check in and plenty of snaps at the world famous Cafe Del Mar, with one of the best sun sets we've ever seen
Eating mouth watering watermelon at the turquoise and azure blue beachs of Formentura

On the 2nd half of the journey his girlfriend a federal policewoman from Port Alegre visited as well as the well as Camila tagging along for good measure.

Just like my trip around the world a few years ago I felt the rambling spirit inside myself come to life again. Although not as long as my trip 7 years ago I found the 3 weeks very liberating. I thoroughly enjoyed going from city to city meeting friends, eating and drinking good food and wine and checking out what existed around the corner of calles, ruas, boulevards, streets, rows and lane ways.

Some of the stand out memories.

Checking out the medieval toilets of Bunratty castle and sipping the sweet honey whiskey on offer. I'd recommend the banquet, for 50 euro it's a good night out, with lots of story telling, songs from the old days and plenty of belly laughs. The food was very basic but the atmosphere and entertainment made up for it. A pint around the corner in Ned's pub was well worth the visit
Fausto's face after he jumped into the Irish sea for the first time. Like a dog fetching a piece of wood thrown into the water. It was a case of jump in, scream, search for the ladder and get the heck out of there, hyperventilating along the way! Brazil's are made of soft stuff... they need to toughin' up a bit! :)
Enjoyed a very nice barge cruise around the canal's of Amsterdam and enjoyed taking in the massive bicycle stand and canal boats. For those uninitiated to Amsterdam life, the amount of bikes flying around and parked everywhere is crazy. Think Beijing in the good old days and you won't be far off. The canal ride was 11 euro and took an hour and a half. Well worth it. House canals of which I believe there are about 2500 in Amsterdam range from the weird and wacky to the ornate and beautiful. You can get a good selection here to see what I mean.
In Brussels we visited the externally impressive Atomica monument which was great to look at but a real let down inside. If you go, don't bodder going inside, save yourself the 12 euro and just take some snaps from outside. There is some museams inside but they are really really poor. What I enjoyed the most from out 2 days there was seeing the world famous peeing boy statue dubbed "Mr PeePee".. well worth seeing him at while eating a tasty waffle from the shop beside him.
Paris is Paris. This time the sun was a blazing 38 degrees roughly all of the 4 days we were there which made it uncomfortable. On more then one occasion my hand fan had to come into use. On this occasion the Eiffel Tower was majestic as ever. The queues were a disaster. We spend 50 minutes queuing outside to get in. 1 hour to go from the 1st to the 2nd level and 15 minutes to come down. The light show on the hour at night was as impressive as ever. When we where ther there was 10 models for some glossy magazine posing for an hour doing cover shots. For the first time ever I saw the tower being out photoed by a barrage of tourists who seemed more impressed by the even leggy catwalk models.
I've never been to the Lourve, and for 10 euros it is fantastic value. One of the best you'll get at any museam in the world. It is massive and would take at least one full day to check it out properly, and at that at a rush. This time as well as the seen the black haired fair lady herself we also got to see Napolean's quarters. One hell of a party room and some incredible gold platted oranate rooms full of the decorations of war and triumph.
Versaille, the French palace a mere 45 minutes by metro and train outside of the capital were well worth a visit. This is where the old kings of France lived in ridiculously lavish surrounds which massive perfectly manicured garden grounds and a huge palace that is hard to fully comprehend once your inside it's so big. Reminded me of visiting the Vatican.
Ibiza was all about beach and top clubs. I saw Seb Fontaine and the amazing soul brothers in Cafe Ole, Armin Van Burren and the disappointing Paul Oakenfold in the world's biggest club Priviledge, a really great set from Calvin Harris in the impressive outdoor Ushia and then Eric Morillo in the equally impressive Pacha. Ibiza for me was overall a bit of a let down. Maybe I'm getting old and cranky a bit and becoming a bit of a travel snob but the cost of things was bordering on a joke. Fair enough, we paid 50 euros to enter the nightclubs, to see some of the best DJs in the world but 18 euro for a Red Bull and Vodka, followed by 12 euro for a bottle of beer was taking the piss! Also, for the first time in my life I got charged 3.50 for a bowl of ice to put into our fizzy drinks at a restaurant. Spain currently has 25% unemployment in total and 52% unemployment under 25's. Desperate times in Spain and you could sense it in the way the taxi men were looking for every little cent on their clock. It the trip cost 7.15, they wanted the 15 cents. Also, the food was very expensive and it looked like people were out to charge for everything.

Anyhow, great to be back home as usual and here is some of the photos so you can see what it was all about.

Some snaps of the day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:56:00 +0000

Paradise Islands

Lone Swimmers @ Sun Set

Day Trip Boats

Cheese On The Beach

Ice Deliveries on a Jet Ski

Sun Sets

A snap of a snap

little Portuguese churches shot from a speeding car

Ilha Bela

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:59:00 +0000

I'm now off the coast of Sao Paola at the eponymous Ihla Bela or "Beautiful Island". Interesting place and I'm enjoying investigating what it has to offer. To get here it took a 4 hour drive from Sao Paolo before we came to the ferry stop that took 30 minutes of waiting in line in our car and then 15 minutes to cross over to the island. Ihla Bela is about 6km by 3km wide, 5km of the coastline and has in the region of 30 tropical beaches all spread around a number of spiky mountain tops covered in forest and clouds. It is a place where the rich of the rich come from Brazil to vacate and it received millions of tourists each year, most coming from Sao Paolo, Rio and Buenos Aires.

Today, we took the car along the north side of the island passing by about 8 different beaches. We decided to descend down a forest path with a small river covered in stones to get down to a tiny beach about 500 meters wide that was situated by a very small farm. Down there was 5 people already and an old women selling beer, water, sun tan lotion and crisps. It was an idyllic hideaway and across the water ways you could see two cruise ships in the water, a man paddling effortless on a kayak and some threatening rain clouds in the town of Sao Sebastian which was in the distance.

I immediately jumped in the warm water when I got the beach. On entry there was no cold sting just warm water. I stayed in there for 20 minutes flapping around in the brown green water with a few waves occassionally disturbing my mediation on the coconut trees and forest slopes that were all around.

After I came out of the water the guy who was kayaking had come ashore and was talking to Camila. He had rowed about 6km to get to the beach and was spear fishing for some local fist to eat. He too was from Sao Paolo, he ended up telling us all about the island, the types of dangerous snakes and spiders that exist in the centre of the island but no where near the beaches. He explained to us that a wind coming down from Rio was causing a certain type of small frequent bumpy wave that was hitting the west of the island today. He went into a lot of detail why Ihla Bela is famous all over the world for kite surfing and wind surfing due to its unique winds that are a regular feature of life on the island. From his colourful and passionate discriptions it was clear to see why so many people come here and it explained why we were seeing so many marinas with a huge variety of paddle boats and all types of powerful jet boats that were anchored in nearly every beach we saw. He went on to offer to catch some fish and cook for us and he gave us his address on the island where he has a house of his own. He gave me his flippers and snorkeling mask and insists I take them to explore some of the dives to the east of the island which I hope to do Monday. Nice guy.

Today we are also trying to book a boat ride to two of Ihla Bela's most famous beaches. We'll get up at 9am and come back at about 5pm. We'll go by boat but come back by jeep through the forest with a couple of dives in between. So far the best quote we got is about 150 reis which is about 60 euros which ain't too bad so we'll go with that. The jeep ride is supposedly worth all the money alone with a number of water fall stops also taking place where we can dip our toes. Only problem is that the weather is forecasted for rain which may scupper our plans.

One thing I noticed today as well is that a lot of Brazilians now have smart phones. This wasn't the case two years ago. The prices are still ridiculous. It is more costly for me to call Camila's mum's mobile from a Brazilian mobile phone then it is to call her from an Irish one. The prices are really high, and inter state additional charges exist. A lot of Brazilians have been travelling abroad in the last couple of years, especially to the US, and you now also see a lot of the latest iPads knocking around in beaches and in airports. The prices for normal day thinks have also gone up. I reckon about 15% since last I came here. That's a big jump. The economy is still doing well, and reminds me of 2005 back in Ireland. They've also this month officially surpassed Britan as the 6th biggest economy in the world.

Some of the other highlights so far:

-Watching a young man yesterday, maybe 20 years of age, playing Vivalidi on his violin for 20 minutes on rua de meio with tons of kids staring at him in awe like I was

-Visting the Irish bar on the island that was the first Irish bar i've visited abroad with no Guinnesss

-Climbing a mud hill to get up from a secluded beach and meeting a goat half way up who seemed to be kneeling down and watching beetles go by

-Looking at a man standing on a surf boat, fully upright, paddling out to his jet boat about 150 meters off coast.

-Drinking a fresh water melon smoothie with a plate of calebresa and incebola onions fried with some golden sizzlingly olive oil

-Eating freshly baked potato crisps on the side of the road with a coconut ice cream

-Listening to Brazil's answer to Christy Moore, Jorge Ben Jorge, singing "Moro em pais tropical" - I live in a tropical county, says it all really!

-Met the owner of the hotel we're staying in, 6ft -7 German man who worked from General Motors, didn't like it, when he met a Brazilian woman on holidays decided to come down here and live for good!

Buzios and Dune Surfing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:18:00 +0000

I'm back in Brazil the state of Rio De Janeiro in Buzios and I'm very happy to be here! I'm spending 3 weeks with my Brazilian family and once again enjoying all that this amazing country has to offer. As normal, like clockwork, despite my best efforts, I'm getting a little burnt despite using factor 50 and a Panama hat. The short sleeve t-shirts are on and flip flops and swimming togs are the order of the day. Scarfs and gloves and such items are non existent and if you showed them to the locals they probably wouldn't know what to do with them.

Buzios is a very special place. It's rare to hear non Brazilian's talk about it and I have a funny feeling the locals are trying to keep it as much of a secret as possible and rightly so. It is a lush peninsula eight kilometers long with 23 beaches of all different shapes and sizes. Yes, you heard it right. 23. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from the city of Rio and it's well worth the effort to get here. It's one of those local gems that most tourists either don't know about or decide to ignore because they want to focus on the city of Rio.

So far I've been to 3 of the beaches and what stands out to me are some of the dunes they have, which they rent skiing equipment to skillfully slide down and also the fact that the water is kind of cold and fresh water rather than very salty and warm like I'm used to when swimming here.

For me swimming in Waterford conjures up names such as the Guillemene, Newtown Cove, Dunmore East, etc, down here the names of the beaches or completely different: Geribá, John Fernandes, Horseshoe, Ferradurinha and Manguinhos. Beach life is central to being Brazilian and central to the Christmas and New Year holidays. The Brazilians in their droves leave their cities and head for their coastline which is a massive 7000 kilometres long. Buzios is one of the country's favourite destinations, especially since Bridget Bardot the famous French actress came here in 1964 and revealed to the world the beauties the then small sleepy tropical fishing village had which is now a booming tourist destination which has 28,000 annual inhabitants that swell to 200,000 this time of the year with tons of jeeps, buggies and bicycles criss crossing around the peninsula from beach to beach.

Click here to see some images of what's on offer to get a better sense what I'm talking about.

Like many of the urban Brazilians I left the city to come to the beach. In my case Camila's family and I left the chaotic ugly metropolis of Sao Paolo's and its 20 million + inhabitants to get to Rio. We took a one hour plane ride from Sao Paolo to Rio and then got a private bus to bring us here. I'm travelling with Fausto, Camila's brother and his son Victor Gabriel, Carolina, Camila's sister and her fiancee Rodrigeo and we also are with the energetic Cidinha who is Camila's gregarious mother. My brain has switched into Portuguese mode and with the exception of Cidinha who has no English, we are also chatting in English as rest of the group are very eager to practice while I'm here.

Like all my other visits to Brazil the trip has been a continuous education and adventure rolled into one. These days i've coined a new term for it "Edu-ventures". It started with Christmas preparations as we arrived on the 23rd of December. The trip to get here wasn't the best. We were hit with a security guard strike in Paris which meant we had a 12 hour delay in our flight. When we got here, my sister in law's car broke down in the busiest road in Sao Paolo, and when I mean busy think of a 5 lane motorway that is 30 km's long and which has huge heavy lorries laden down with oranges, tiles, piping, electronics, etc and thousands of cars and motor bikes zipping by belching out smoke from exhausts and constantly beeping as they jockey for position. Carolina's car broke down in the middle of all this and it sat still bang in the middle lane for 5 minutes before we got some help from some of the other drivers on the road who helped us push it to the side before we got it going again. It was interesting to see the truck drivers were the ones who helped and with military position started to direct the traffic behind us as some of the others who had stopped help push the car.

Christmas is celebrated at midnight Christmas eve in Brazil. Christmas day is not like ours in Ireland and is mostly for the first half used to recover from the night before. They have a meal at about 10.30pm and for us consisted of Turkey, Pork, carrots, salad, rice and potatoes and an assortment of fruit for starters and desert. Presents are given out at midnight and then cousins, aunts, uncles and friends start visiting from 12.30am to around 2.30am. Most people are in bed in Ireland when the Brazilians are only getting going. As normal, a lot happens in Brazil in what they call the "madrugada" hours which are from 12 to 4am.

It was great to experience Christmas in hot weather, this is only the 2nd time I've been away from home. The last one being in 2004 when I was in Thailand when the infamous tsunami hit. It was great to be in shorts and t-shirt and getting a chance to get away from the Irish weather for a short time to get some heat and light. For me the light is as probably more important in terms of satisfaction rather then the heat. Like Ireland there is something magical about a blue sky, a wide azure blue sky, that makes people smile, sing and dance. We didn't have it all our own way, but the times when the sky was blue and the sun bombarded us with its rays of golden sunshine and shot darting shadows all around us when the odd cloud in the sky blocked its view were delightful to watch. As ever I was very appreciative of it having come from a rainy few days in Waterford and Dublin. It was worth the airfare alone.

It's the 1st of Jan and I'm being called to go to lunch so I better go. Let's see what 2012 has to throw up, I hope it goes well for you and yours. I'm going to get a glass of pineapple juice or"abacaxi" as they call it by their local indian translation and ponder on what lessons 2011 had to reveal which I will bring with me into 2012 as we look to some new objectives and goals I hope to reach.

Feliz Ano Novo! Happy New Year.

On the hunt for gout!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:57:00 +0000

Last week was such a great week. It was a sojourn to Porto to explore the wonderful maritime historical city and its enchanting river Douro where the finest port in the world is produced. For many years I like a hot port in the winter with my newspapers on Sunday. Typically, it was a glass of Sandyman but over the years I've enjoyed quite a number of other brands: Fonseca, Grahams and Foleys. I was spoiled when I saw the variety in Porto. I typically drink red but after a friend of mine gave me some white, Lagrimas (translated to "tears" appertivo port) I was also converted to it!

Our first stay was Hotel Palacio which a Portugese native who works with Camila, a lovely guy called Daniel, recommended. I booked it for 99 euros a night on hotels.com and while a small 10 minute ride out of the city it was worth it. The welcome we received was as good as any I've had in other hotels, with a couple of free glasses of port and an enjoyable 20 minutes being given by the women booking us in with a map of porto and the region and telling us what to see, do and eat.

After a couple of days checking out some of the local river haunts including a decent churrascaria where I got my fill of picanha and Camila also got some bacalchua, we took a two hour train to Regua in the heart of the douro to another recommended hotel, Acaporou which was excellent but expensive at 220 at night. Unlike others I've been in this was deep inside a vineyard and hugged the river Doruo itselt with an excellent view. We stayed for 3 relaxing days and toured around the local "quintas" or farms tasting all types of wines and cheeses. The trip was made even better in that we had a chance to meet our French/Portugese friens Liza and Al who spend a night hanging out with us!

We'll be back, I'd recommend mid Sept, as that is when the fun is to be had with the harvest of greats being prepared.

San Fran, Sydney, Mumbai and Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:40:00 +0000

The last few months since joining LinkedIn have been a whirl wind. Very long hours coupled by the steepest learning curve I've encountered.

Random highlights from recent trips:

Bumping into an old work colleague on George Street, Sydney as I went for a 7am run. Small world.
Meeting a blind man in Mumbai with 10% vision who was bursting with excitement after marrying a beautiful women who has 30% vision. The humblness in which he told his story will also stay with me.
Street children begging at your taxi window
Experiencing the mania of cricket world cup in Mumbai, only comparable to the soccer world cup in Brazil. Thousands and thousands of Indian kids bringing cricket bats with them everywhere.
Lawless, fearless, 3 wheeled, rickshaw drivers in India
Rome with Joe and Dad. Priceless. We should have done it years ago.

San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:56:00 +0000

I'm recently back from my first visit to the wonderful city of San Fran. On this occasion I was over for a two day off-site (internal meeting) with my US colleagues to plan for next year. I recently came back from another visit to Hyderabad in India via Dubai and I've been piling up the miles on the road. In recognition of being away from home a lot my manager allowed me to change my usual business class flight status to two economy flights to allow my wife to come with me. So on this occasion it was the two of us! This was Camila's first visit to the US and she needed to go through a lengthy, absurdly bureaucratic process (and I mean absurd) including an interview before she got a ten year visa to visit the US. Eventually all was sorted out and we both found ourselves in SF for the first time. I spend two days at the internal conference and then we both took another 4 days off to the check out the city. We stayed in the highly recommendable W hotel, on 3rd avenue and Howard (the pancakes are a must). Which is a very modern boutique hotel which caters for the young at heart? It's location was perfect and it took us no time to get to Union Square as well as down to the port area.

Highlights on the trip:
1. Seeing what an Apple conference looks like. When arrived the launch of the new iPhone was in full swing and you could feel the buzz in the city
2. We checked out a baseball game and were lucky enough to be with the Microsoft team in our own corporate suite which was an experience
3. We visited Alcatraz which was a fantastic audio tour that I would highly recommend. You need to book a day in advance as it is almost impossible to buy tickets on the day.
4. We checked out the famous Fisherman's Wharf with its whining and belching seals which loiter around the front of the harbouring smelling badly in their hundreds.
5. We rented some bikes from Blazing Saddles (which brought back some memories when we were taking out the bikes as I met some young lads from Limerick who were on their J1 student visa for the summer [reminded me of when I did the same in New York, Long island]), from there we paid 32 dollars each, which i thought was a little steep, and spent a lovely hour cycling along the cost and over the famous Golden Gate Bridge and on to Sollenous before we got the 30 minute ferry back to leave the bikes back. Great views from the bridge and well worth the effort
6. We went to a very nice Brazilian churracaria and stocked up on some of Camila and I's favourite food: fejoada, manioc and of course picanha.

On the home we also hit it lucky as we got upgraded to business class, which we were delighted with, not sure why, but it helped a lot getting a few hours sleep before arriving in London. San Fran left a big impression on me. It is clean, there is a lot of green living taking place with lots of people recycling and cycling, the restaurants and bars are great, and there is loads of people using technology which is no surprise considering the HQs of Google, Apple, Facebook, Oracle and scores of startups are nearby and dotted across Silicon Valley. I'm really looking forward to coming back and maybe next time making a detour to Las Vegas!

Caracus Clouds and Corruption

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:47:00 +0000

High above the sprawling metropolis of Caracas, 2150 meters up by cable car you will find the wonder Avila Magico. It is here that I caught my first majestic view of Caracas’s sprawling skyline etched into the rolling jungle hills all around. The cable ride to the top costs 18 bolivars or approximately 3.50 euros (using the official exchange rate), and it take a glorious 18 minutes to get to the summit. For me this funicular ride was made all the more special as I entered a great big bulbous grey cloud half way up. As it enveloped the tiny cable car I was in, visibility dropped to no more than 3 meters. I was alone, moving at a 45 degree angle with a sheer drop below and wild canopy vegetation all around. It felt like I had my own personal cloud to move me forward gliding gracefully over a thriving green tree ceiling. It lasted for almost 5 minutes. I didn’t want it to stop. I felt I had been physically transported inside my own grey matter. Occasionally, another cable car, always empty, ghosted past me and evaporated into thin air. I was suspended in the air but moving forward. 360 degree cloud all around me and only the sound of the cable car wire sliding me along reminding me that it was reality - not a dream. It was surreal. A moment like no other.

At the top you can see the coast line and tower jungle below carved into the valley. While at the top I went hunting for a Venezuela magnet for my collection back home and wasn’t disappointed. With broken Spanish I chatted to a very nice shop attendant and I managed to get a lovely piece of polished wood with the city vista on it. With hunger setting it I decided to eat some more delicious Arepas that I had been introduced to the day before. These are delicious corn bread pancake like breads that the locals stuff with all kinds of things: vegetables, sauces and meats. Easy on the palette I think the folk back home in Ireland would enjoy them and I’d encourage them to seek them out where you can. Unfortunately, we don’t have Venezuelan restaurants that I know of back home but I’ll be looking for some Arepa ingredients in the Brazilian shop in Dublin when i get back. At the top of the mountain is a half kilometre stretch of well laid out path with some small and large restaurants. Also, at the top is the famous Hogert hotel which was created by...

I joined a tour of local Venezuelan’s as they toured the hotel but left half way so I could get down early and make my way to the airport. On the way down I hit the cloud patch again and this time as I glided I thought about Aruba and how far it was from here. I also thought of home and looked forward to getting back there which is always the double bonus when travelling.

Unfortunately, I need to report that security is a huge issue in Venezuela and as I was to learn in the airport corruption is rife under the despotic rule of Hugo Chavez. While in Caracas my colleagues in work informed me of the difficulties of living in Venezuela at present. 40% deflation in the currency in the last 12 months; two dual currencies in operation with the locals having little or no ability to buy dollars or Euros unless using the black market; minus 2 GDP growth, 35% unemployment, a huge reliance on oil revenue to keep the country afloat; 95% food importation; mass emigration; constant electricity and water breakdowns; a border dispute with Colombia and horrible violence on the increase. Venezuela is not a safe place at the moment. It feels as if it is also going to get worse listening to the locals. Maybe it will become Burma or worse Zimbabwe? Chavez has a seemingly iron grip on the country and he has already changed the constitution - al la Putin style - to allow himself serve well beyond the normal two four year terms usually allowed.

While going to the airport I made the mistake of not asking the taxi man to escort me to my check in. This is something you really don’t need to think about in other countries, at least the ones I have visited. Normally when you go to the airport you step inside the door, you are greeted by a monitor showing what check in gate you go to and then you make your way there hassle free. In Caracas this was not the case. Anti-drug police where everywhere. Like spiders setting a web very quickly an English man working for Cisco and I where asked to go into a room where our bags were carefully checked for drugs. We then both had to enter a machine to do a body scan. We were told we needed to pay a 40 euro tax for exiting the country which was normal in Venezuela and I knew from talking to my colleagues I had to pay. When I went to the counter to pay it the security people asked if I would trade my dollars with them for the local Bolivar dollar. This was a way for them to make a little more money for themselves as the US dollar or Euro on the black market was worth at least 40% more than the official exchange rate pegging. I explained I didn’t have any of either which was the case and that I would use my credit card. Then out of the blue the officials started asking me for a “propina” which is a tip in Spanish! I refused to give them anything. At which time a young officer started to heckle me. I understood enough Spanish to know that the words he was using were not nice. At this point I had my passport back and was in the public area where you pay for your exit tax. He followed me and asked me again for a “propina” and I refused. As I made my way to the Air France check in but he was again giving out! Luckily, nothing else happened. Looking back, I learnt that I should have got my taxi man to escort me to the gate and possibly this wouldn’t have happened. At the time in this situation you are not sure if they are going to plant drugs in your bag or for how long they may detain you. Everyone is speaking in colloquial Spanish and your passport quite often gets distributed amongst 6 or 7 people and sometime one of them enters a room alone and you’re not sure what they are doing with it. An uncomfortable situation and one I hope I don’t have to go through again. It helped showing my Microsoft ID and I count myself lucky no further complications arose.

When through the gate the Cisco gentleman in front of me bounced into me again and we went for a beer together. He was very annoyed by the whole experience he went through and vowed never to come back again. I could see why. For me it’s sad when officials like this are so blatantly corrupt with foreigners. This is obviously only the tip of the iceberg of the type of full-scale corruption in place, at this time, in Venezuela. For the locals who have to live with this type of quality of life on a daily basis my thoughts are with you all and I hope that brighter days are soon to come. Seanie Fitzpatrick and his raspacious mob and our struggling slow-drip government seem like knights in shining armour compared to the crew down here on the streets of Caracas. I’d take Cowen and co any day of the week compared to Hugo Chavez. Make up your own mind, but in doing so, check out this excellent documentary: War on Democracy.

Colombia, Bogota

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Having made the flight from Seattle to Atlanta I had less than 72 hours to visit Bogota. The classic in and out so not a lot to report. I was here to work to evangelise and explain a new global social media recruitment strategy that the team I work for is deploying around the world. I was also here to talk about some direct sourcing techniques using Boolean logic to pin point information using search engines and databases. A training that helps our recruiters around the world source more passive candidates on the internet. I stayed in a boutique hotel called Hotel Casa Medina, which was very comfortable and very close to the office. I’d highly recommend it if you come here.

What strikes you straight away when you arrive is the security protocols. Fingers prints needed to change money. Finger prints needed to enter the office. Guards and sniffer dogs checking our cars as we enter into shopping malls. Like a lot of south American countries you have to pay attention to where you are going, when, what you wear, etc. One of the girls in the office kindly brought me and one of my other colleagues from the US to the famous T junction one of the nights which is a big shopping mall beside a T street full of modern western mostly restaurants. While there we stopped off at the local Irish bar where on a Wednesday night I got the chance to watch a packed pub of Colombian’s sit back and have a few beers after work. While there Claudia our host from the office told me a little about the FARC guerillas and how they are almost completely wiped out by the present government even though they still manage to detonate occasional bombs with devastating effect in the country. We also heard about stories about how beautiful Cartagena on the coast and the capital of flowers Meddelin. While, only paying a quick visit to Colombia I’d definitely like to come back. While the traffic was bad in the city and the security is high, I felt safe, the people we met were very nice and the government seems to be stable and moving its economy in the right direction.

Mauritius

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:43:00 +0000

About a 5 hour flight from the east of South Africa is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 500 miles east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands.

The island is most famous for an extinct bird: the dodo. Uninhabited until the 17th century, the island was ruled first by the Dutch and then the French after the Dutch had abandoned it. The British took control during the Napoleonic Wars and Mauritius became independent from the UK in 1968. Now the country is a very proud republic full of sugar cane and tea plantations with the symbol of the mythical bird everywhere you look. The people are kind and generous and look more Indian than African. Similarly the culture is closely pegged to the Indian markets and Hindu temples are everywhere.

Nowadays the island is also well know for the speed and ingenuity by which it has tapped into the world tourism market. It was for its proximity to South Africa and the lure of a relaxing week on the beach and in a nice hotel is what would we were looking for. It was what we got.

The Heritage Golf Spa is on the south side of the island and one of the new breed of hotels. They care for your total needs while there and at 300 euros a night is a little pricey but worth it all. Events like water skiing, kayaking, cloud surfing, archery, giant chess, bikes, hills walks, tennis, massage, aquarobic sessions, and much much more are often. For us we went for a treatment a day of massages and then we both took a water skiing lesson a day. The entire experience was completely relaxing and exactly what we wanted and needed after 4 weeks on the road and the especially in the knowledge that "back to work" was looming.

One of the best experiences we had was a stroke of luck. The day we were due to leave to go home ir flight got delayed. It was 8am when we were in the airport and we learned that we wouldn't be leaving until 8pm that night. Something that made our heads hang for 30 minutes as we were trying to learn about when and how they were going to get us home our heads dropped a little. They then said they'd be sending us to a nearby 5 star hotel, we could have free golf, as much free food as we wanted, free internet and go snorkeling if we wanted. Now that's what I call looking after your displaced customers. I got 18 holes in and Camila relaxed on the beach getting some sun rays. We then went on the most amazing hour of snorkeling I have ever been on. What was happening under the water blew us away. School of fish everywhere racing around the famous Azul Blu lagoon, with hundreds of them surrounding us with some cheeky ones even kissing us! There was animals under it that I never knew existed. Hand in hand we snorkeled together for 30 minutes in about 3 meters of water with about 15 other people in a huge lagoon and then we went exploring a bit. It was brilliant - I really really loved that snorkel - the very best I have ever done. The 12 hour flight home after that was a breeze.

Safari - the big 5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:51:00 +0000

We decided to try out look seeing them in Shamwari Game reserve in Port Elizabeth a two hour flight from Cape Town.

The big 5 was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot: the lion, the African elephant, the Cape Buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros, either the black rhinoceros or the white rhinoceros.

Unfortunately, the big five are among the most dangerous animals on the planet so as such they have been hunted aggressively with huge reductions in their numbers of late.

For those of you that don't know alot about them as I didn't before the trip here's a small animal lesson on each:

The Lion (Panthera leo) is a large carnivorous feline of Africa and northwest India, having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail, and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.

The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) is a very large herbivore having thick, almost hairless skin, a long, flexible, prehensile trunk, upper incisors forming long curved tusks of ivory, and large, fan-shaped ears. There are two distinct species of African elephant: African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana).

The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid. It is the most dangerous of the Big Five, reportedly causing the most hunter deaths.

The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large, carnivorous feline having either tawny fur with dark rosette-like markings or black fur. Leopards are the most difficult to acquire hunting licenses for and are often difficult to hunt due to their behavior and their nocturnal feeding habits. Leopard hunting usually overlaps several weeks of baiting.

The Rhinoceros is a large, thick-skinned herbivore having one or two upright horns on the snout. In Africa, there are two distinct species of rhinoceros; the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Both of these species have two upright horns on the snout.

This was the first time we had gone game driving at it certainly is exciting the first time you start to head out into the bush in a small jeep with a fully loaded gun on the bonnet of the car just in case you have any difficulties. Our first ride started at 4.30pm just after we arrived from an hour's taxi from the local airport. It was lashing out of the heavens but we were determined to see what we could find...

more to come...

South Africam, Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:46:00 +0000

I’ve always wanted to visit and always knew I would. Landing in Cape Town was with mixed emotions. I could feel the sense of history around. If ever a fascinating country be, this I knew from my pre-study was one of the best from which I could further my education.

It was the land of two oceans: Atlantic and Indian. It was at the very southern tip of the massive continent with neighbours such as Namibia and its famous jagged dunes, Bostwana with the incredible rich diversity of the world famous Okavango Delta. . Zimbabwe and a batter and bruised people with one of the world’s longest reigning despots, to the east Mozambique and its beautiful coastline and last but not least tribalism personified in the mountain men of Lesotho with their incredible Drakensberg Range and the brave Zulu tribes of Swaziland. It was the land where the Dutch and Portuguese set up early colonies. With the Dutch deciding that the Cape should be set up as a farm for its Dutch East India Company exploits to offer its sailors a resting point and an opportunity to search for hidden gold and diamonds. Then in 1806 the British had their time as overlords and encourages its expansion by soliciting the Boers (Dutch, Flemish, German and French settlers) to take plots of lands and build a thriving communities. Conflicts as we know ensued and with despicable Berlin conference of 1848 the crude lines that divide many tribes unfairly across the continent and which lead to the current map we have of Africa was unfairly drawn.

Going from the airport to the Cape was a sad moment. The famous “Cape Flats”shanty towns where tens of thousands of disadvantages black south African’s were hoarded into stuck out like a sore thumb on the horizon. They gnawed at me and insulted everything good in the world. As our taxi speeded by they reminded me of the other such camps of deprivation I had seen before: the slums of Rio and the horrible disease ridden sardine like shacks of Mumbai. This time a different country, but the same old story. I had seen it before and knew it well: inequality, rapaciousness and apathy of the grossest form. All 7 deadly sins were visceral and very much alive. However, as a i studied an old women holding a small dusty dog beside her shack I reminded myself tha this was not the time for introspection. I was conscious while acknowledging the indigenous peoples’ plight and the tremendous social, economical and racially fueled fight they still had on their hands and the false dawns once promised after Mandel’s reign, I was on my honeymoon. There would be another time to think of such issues and I would have time to see my own interpretation of the balance truth of how things for the different demographics in this complex society actually was.

As we passed the towns, and I started to stare at the beautiful Table Mountain one last thought entered my minds as we left the poor behind so quickly. It was that of one of my hero’s ( Professor Muhammad Yunus) dreams - that maybe some day my childrens children’s children would only have to see such poverty in a museum - museum’s of poverty. No longer real in the world. Just relics of a past brutal immature time when man had shrieked some of its essential responsibilities to look after the planet and each other. No more slums, shanty towns or favellas. World Peace. The eradication of poverty as we know it on the earth. (You can learn more about Professor Yunus, his pioneering work on micro-banks and why this eminent Bangledeshi received his Nobel prize, here). As I stared at the unusually beautiful chunk of rock that gives Cape Town such a dramatic setting I quietly smiled to myself, and was content, that with men like Muhammed Yunus and the mighty Mandela, life was beautiful, and I thanked God I was now about to explore one of the world's most beautiful cities with my equally beautiful new wife!

More to come...

The Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:48:00 +0000

It's kind of hard to describe the happiest day of your life so far.I'm not even going to try. I hope this video here and these small section of photos give you a feel for what it was all about.

The Fitzgerald's meet Christ and the Big Pig

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:10:00 +0000

As we sat in the Jury’s hotel reception room 5 minutes away from Dublin airport munching on some chips, crisps and chicken sandwiches the night before the 9.20am flight the next day to London and onto Paraty, Rio the scene was set and the protagonists with varying degrees of travel experience insitu in high spirits. I love that feeling just before you are about to go travelling. It was here again. After receiving a warm heartfelt best wishes phone call from my godmother who finished with a “look after your mother” I sat back and took a moment to ponder on the momentous journey that was about to unfold and the loved ones who were coming along for the ride. For me the journey would consist of: Dublin-London-Rio-Paraty-Ilha Grande-Rio-Buenos Aires-Cape Town-Port Elizabeth-Johannesburg-Port Louis- Paris-Dublin. A generous 5 weeks off work and 6 countries to traverse. For the others 1 week which would consist of Waterford-Dublin-London-Rio-Paraty-Rio-London-Dublin and the final leg back down the road to Waterford.

Munching into a well cooked chicken breast with some chips was my beautiful mother. Omnipresent in my life and forever with me where ever I go. This time she was coming with me. With two flights in her life, on both occasions to England ( to visit her sister and her sister’s family) this was the biggest trip of her life, bar none, and probably always would be. She was nervous but excited. My father had never flown before. Eventhough he would argue that he flies in the cold waters of Tramore everyday of the week as he dives, floats and breast strokes in the cold south eastery waters of Ireland. A great man about to go on (at least physically) a great journey: an turas fada. Calm, collected but also excited I enjoyed knowing that he was about to experience a wonderful trip that I hoped would give him many new colours to dip into when painting pictures of the soul. Normally one to travel inside. He was about to go outside. I knew, more than anyone else, he would probably be the main benefactor from the experience. Having got lost already using the lift in Jury’s to find his room I smiled to myself knowing that this was going to be unforgettable for my Dad and for all of us.

My brother Joseph, his wife Eleanor and their beautiful all singing all dancing daughter Ellen were next. All experienced veteran’s of the air with countless miles racked up after numerous trips to the US and Europe. However, this trip would be completely different to any they had been on before. It would be late 30’s in temperature. They would have to manage a country where not a lot of English was in use and also the food would be a lot more different than probably anything they had experienced before. Whether they would enjoy it or not I wasn’t full sure.

Then to make up the final elements of the travelling party was my childhood friend Bryan Walsh and his lovely wife Gillian. Both had been to Brazil with me before for the carnival and both where making a big sacrifice of leaving their two children for a week to come and be present at my wedding. Something I will always be grateful to them for. The Walsh’s a bit like Joseph come from the modern Irish travelling generation, as I did, that had been blessed to see the world. This trip for both of them would be a walk in the park. With a couple of books and a glass of wine once we left London they’d drift off to sleep on the plane as if they had caught the train from Plunket station in Waterford to Heuston station in Dublin.

At the table with the usual sounds of a busy hotel in the air I took a moment to think to myself as myriad images came to the fore. I grabbed at them and help to one. It was gratitude. Gratitude for getting to this stage in my life with so many loved ones beside me. Gratitude for being lucky enough to be marrying such a wonderful women: Camila Montilha de Morales, soon to be Fitzgerald. Gratitude to be so privileged in life to be able to do the things I was about to do while Hait’s castrophe still roared and the plights of so many people’s silent and unheard cries rose to the heavens with no one to hear with no one to hear nor defenders in sight. Here I was muching chips, crips and chicken with the most important people in my life getting ready to go to Rio. I felt extreme contentment and happiness.

Approximately 24 hours later we were outside our hotel the Rio Othan, on Copacobana, listening to the waves, sipping on some agua de coco and caipirinha’s and saying hello to my good friend Robbie Griffin who had made his way down alone the day before from Dublin. To my surprise, everything had gone smoothly and there was no issues. My mother’s asthma had not played up and neither was the heat causing her any problems. My dad had enjoyed the trip and was enjoying the foreign surroundings of the beach and all the little peculiarities that the new local had to offer.

Like an expedition to the Himalayas Mam and Eleanor had planned well. At least a years planning went into their bags. And I’m sure my mother had gone on many trip to Clonmel and Kilkenny with my wonderful Aunt Una (who I’m sure had her part to play in making all plans were double checked). My brother had walkie talkies ready for all to use. My father bought his first pair of prescription shades and half a pharmacy and half a swimming pool was with us. Thankfully, the flights went well, and we all got to the beautiful Atlantico Avenue, Copacobana, and our lovely hotel the Rio Othan, with enough time to spare to have some tasty steak and onions washed down by a coconut water. We all sat there taking in the beautiful beach and happy that we had arrived. There was a lot to do the following day and Rio as all who have been there know has much to offer.

Christ the Redeember or as the locals call it O Cristo Redentor is the iconic statue of Christ that towers over the city. It stands 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635 tons , and is located at the peak of the 700 metres (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It is one of the tallest of its kind in the world and the Fitzgerald family was very impressed when we paid it a visit.

Besides the beauty of the vista from the top, which is one of the best I have ever sceen we also got a chance to visit the tiny tiny church at the heel of the statue. Most visitors don't even know it is there. I pointed it out to my father who promintly gathered the trops in probably the smallest church any of us had been in to say a decade of the rosary in Irish. I’m pretty certain it was probably the only decade of the rosary ever said there in Irish. It was a forever moment to remember. Afterwards we gently descended down the newly created escalators and then made our way to do some shopping and try find my Dad a pair of sandels.

That night we all went to a churrascaria or Brazilian steakhouse. Churrasco is the cooking style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese for 'barbecue'. Camila and I had planned carefully and we were all booked into the best one in Rio: Porcao, or the big pig! The word barbeque for Irish people conjurs up an image of back gardens, spits, charcoal, burgers, sausages and chicken wings. For the more adventurous it might mean marinated chicken breasts, scallops, monk fish, squid and some quickly flipped mackerel. For the Brazilian’s it’s very very different. Picture a huge salad and sushi table 4/5 meters in circumference with lots of exotic cheeses, pastas and vegetables with a generous offering of Japanese style foods and cheese breads. This is the starters offered with local Gurana drink, coconut juice, soft drinks and wines. Next you get a picture of a cow divided into over 13 cuts. You also get 2/3 waiters, per person! On your table, like a beer matt, you have a green piece of cardboard on the front and red on the back. When you flip it to green, you are giving a signal to the waiters to come at you as quick as possible with as many meets as possible for you to eat. When the signal in red, it mean’s leave us alone, to try digest what we had eaten. And so on and on it goes. Plate after plate. Dish after dish. Drink after drink. But the cow is only half the story! Then comes the chicken, all sorts of fishes and they don’t call it the Big Pig for nothing. Lot’s of bacon on offer and lot’s of fillers like melted mozarella cheese, empanadas, onion rings, fried banana fritters and chips all a mere nod and a wink to a waiter away. Churrascaria’s are built for international rugby teams that haven’t ate for days. They are built for gormandisers of meat who delight on salty, perfectly cooked, slivers of tender rump or picanaha steak that’s juices are just as nice as the meet itself. They are unforgettable food and drink marathons. If ever I was on death row and a I was asked what would be my last meal. A churrascaria standard all inclusive menu in the Big Pig, Rio, would be my unanimous choice.

It was a food education the Fitzgerald family won't forget and for and all in 50 euros for 2 hours and and as much food as you could eat great value. I can’t wait to go back… From Porcao it was a taxi back to the Othan Palace, early to bed, to get ready to catch the bus the next day for the beautiful sleepy town of Paraty!