Sibaritico for Completos in Vina del Mar

In a recent post I linked to the video of Anthony Bourdain during his time in Chile.  I live just a few blocks from the site of his "Completo" consumption here in Vina del Mar so the other night (after a few of the necessary liquid appetizers) I rallied some ladies to go partake in some Hot Dog overkill.

If you have not watched the Anthony Bourdain video (a few blog posts back at MY BLOG) a completo is a footlong hotdog with Saurkraut, mashed avocado,  tomatoes, and artery clogging of mayonnaise, that I like to top with ketchup.

Needless to say it was a good night and the next morning I woke up a little rough.  I am still not sure whether it was the appetizers or the completo but I would definitely repeat the process.

PERU VIDEOS

Possibility of more content

I have realized that my blog here has gone greatly untouched this weekend but breaking my laptop, sketchy internet connection, and general laziness added up to fewer and fewer posts. I wish that I was still on the travel in many ways although I do have to admit to enjoying my time near home. The section of time from the time I returned to from England to what is now April has been spent relaxing and doing some minimal amounts of work. That said here is what I am looking into now...

I realize that I am going to have to actually stash a few more dollars into my bank account to actually afford the vagabond lifestyle that I have grown to love so I am currently mowing grass and doing yard-work to make a few extra bucks. Along with the yard-work I hope to be working for the US Census during the months of May and June. I am sure it will be odd to be back to work (granted I did work for 2 weeks this past winter at a pizza place.... not fun).

Other than that I am planning my escape from the country again. I doubt I ever mentioned this in the past because it was in the works but I had a job lined up for February of this year to Teach English in South Korea, but that fell through at the very last second so now I am looking for more work abroad. I have started dropping applications to South America and spending some time boning up on my Spanish repertoire.

Hopefully I can try and post some of my adventures around here to regain my knack for blogging and get on the road to somewhere with "international" flavor by July.

That said, wish me luck and thanks for reading.


Jonny Walker

VIdeo of Snowshoe Total

So here is the compilation video from the 30+ minutes I got this season.... just remember that all the best stuff is never captured on tape.

Decisions, Decisions

I am currently in Riga, Latvia and I have some decisions to make. Originally I took this most recent trip to avoid high fares home from England in early August and hopefully make it to Spain but it is coming time for me to decide what to do.

Here are some of my choices:

Go to Tallinn, Estonia (THIS IS THE FIRST STEP OF ALL THE CHOICES)

1. Head to Helsinki Finland and fly back to England en route to the USA
2. Head to Helsinki and fly back to England before going to Spain and then the USA
3. Slowly make my way back from Tallinn to Enlgland by land and extend the trip
4. Choose a major city or two and just go there before England and the USA
5. Work my way back to Spain and then England before the USA

Not sure which way to go but I should have it figured out by tomorrow. Oddly the thought of home is sounding good after about 7 months and if I can save a little cash I might get to go travel again a bit sooner.

Prague

After being in Poland I have found my way back to Prague but sadly haven't got to post nearly enough due to no wifi at the hostel so right now I have found a cable from the wall to post for a sec.

The city of Prague is one of my first real conquests in life (2003 I think) but I lost all the photos so I have taken a few more this time around.

Here I am up at the castle overlooking the city.


This is the famous Charles Bridge in town.

From across the Charles bridge though the castle really is a sight to be seen. I am hoping to get the chance to post more on here but I am staying about 3 days everywhere so I might have to just collage it all into a video in a couple of days.

Off to Berlin, Germany tomorrow... wish me luck

Just an Update

Today has been a typical uneventful day that I have grown accustomed to over the past year and a half. Technically I am now living in England (at least for 2 more months) so I am not out traveling at the moment.

This down time has made me look toward the future and wonder just where the travels will take me. It seems that I am more and more likely to be making a stop back in the USA in either August or a little later and then on to who knows where. The whole concept of the future has been foreign to me since I actually reached adulthood so I now wonder where I will be in a years time.

In my constant pursuit of education though I have decided to get my full TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification so that I might be able to continue my travels while possibly honing a skill set and learning new languages as I go, but will I actually use it or will it be like me degrees that reside in frames and wait to be dusted off?

Not really sure where I am going with this I guess I am a bit lost... then again I kind of like it that way.

Jonny

Bratislava and back to England

To wrap up my European tour I went to Bratislava Slovakia for a few nights to see another city. The city has been reinvigorated by their recent transition to the Euro and boast many beautiful sights right on the Danube.


The old downtown is nice and tiny so it is more of a walker's paradise.



Sadly I was so exhausted from my travels that all I wanted to do was pass out... luckily now I am back at my own bed in England and recovering from the trip.

The Snow Keeps Coming

Another night turns into another morning of waking up with a covering of snow on the ground. This winter looks to be one of our biggest in years if this keeps up.



Consider this snow claimed in the name of Jonny Walker

More Pics: Easter Island

I have so many pictures from this amazing island that I have to post some more. This is a picture of the only seven Moai that face out toward the sea.


I also have been spending a lot of time at the beach. Notice the wet hair. Of course I had to get in the water.

At the end of the first day the owners celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary. All were invited for free food and drink. It has been great staying here.

The next morining I ventured to the end of the island to view the dormant volcanoe that is now filled by water. Many ceremonies were conducted here including the Birdman. Look it up for yourself, because my time is short online here.

Rockin it out with Cookie Monster

Only in a hostel do you end up making friends like this. I really can't explain it. I think the picture speaks for itself.

Late the other night we went to Sargento Pimientos (Sargent Pepper's) in Barranco. It is a different experience from the bars in the US because it was so simple (concrete dirty floor, poorly kept facilities, and bartenders that try and gouge a little extra cash out of you) now that I think of it, it is exactly like the US. While inside I met quite a few Peruvians that were very nice. My spanish is slowly evolving.

Quite the staged photo.

Camping in July 08

After the beach I took a night off at home and then realized I needed a vacation so I packed up and headed out on a camping trip.

Some serious packing happened.


When we got there it was raining so we hung out in the picnic shelter for a while

It was really nice today

I made some serious Buffalo Shrimp

they were delicious

Now I am back at the house doing my online class and getting ready to head back to the camp for the night. It is rough being this guy

Golfing - The Final Round

Alex and I went our for the final round of golf. The raincheck was for nine holes so of course we played a few extra.

This is my birdie celebration photo from the last hole of golf I plan to play until I am 40.

Last biz in the Burg

Before heading out of town for some extended stints at the beach I made it to an Irish Sesiun at the local pub. Basically it entails just a bunch of musicians sitting around and playing a mix of traditional Irish music and some local flavor.

Just a pic of the outside of the pub

A glorious Guinness tap


View down the bar.



I didn't get any pics of the music cuz my hands were busy with my guitar... now on to the beach.

ROAD TRIP! Beach Style

Come 4th of July I am heading to the beach with some friends so to get ready for that trip I am heading to other beaches for a "practice run" for a week or two.

This is the map for the trip


My first stop is to visit a friend or two down in Myrtle beach for a little bit...


Then do the same in Charleston, SC...


Then head further South and possibly swing through Daytona Beach for a day...


And finally arriving in West Palm Beach where I will be staying with relatives.


The length of the trip is uncertain, but the one thing I am certain of is that I will be doing very little and getting a tan. It is hard to walk a mile in the shoes of Jonny Walker (due to the broken leg) but it is sure looking like it could be interesting.

I AM WALKING AGAIN (VIDEO)

After 9 weeks of hobbling around on crutches after colliding with a tree out in Colorado I am now back in (limited) action. I have gained my Docs approval to start walking around and using my leg.

One more round of X-rays (Time number 5)

Waiting for some good news

Waiting can also be educational...

The spur coming up from the lower bone is what re-attached to my leg and is now hopefully connected to the bone and a healthy ACL.

This is my cheesy inspirational video.

Bonnaroo Dreams

So before I set off on my international adventure I am looking at spending some time taking in some music, sun, and relaxation down at Bonnaroo. With any luck I should be up and walking by then and I am hoping that this can be my first test for my leg.


Here is the lineup for the concert. I am looking for a few people to go with so if you are up for it just let me know. I have a huge tent so it should be about 4 nights of camping with great music.

Here is my new reading material. OK so I got it for Christmas, but I just started reading it recently. Hopefully when the leg heals up this will be the first part of my trip.
In my physical therapy session I asked the guy when would be the soonest that I could snowboard again. His reply was jokingly, "What are you going to go to South America to get some runs in?" You should have saw his face when I said "Yeah in July."

So far I have read up on Argentina and Chile. I am sure I will get most of the countries done in the next couple of weeks.

Right now I am hoping to hit:
PERU
CHILE
ARGENTINA
BRAZIL
(probably in that order)

The Tent Run Ends

After five consecutive nights I have opted to enjoy the comforts of indoor living for the night due mostly to the wet weather. Alas the run has ended, but the tent is still up so there is still a chance for another.

Night 5 in the tent

On night 5 the tent went big. We started a fire and turned the video games to face outside so we could play outside.

If you can't tell from the picture Bob is ecstatic.We decided to go fancy and have a little box wine in the tent.

This led to a girl sighting, although she didn't want to be identified as a tent groupie.
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After she left for the night we decided to do a little grillin. (well BOB did and he included me in the portions)


All in all, it turned out pretty good and it should be just the amount of food to help me survive another night in the wilds that is Holt Lane.

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