AVA’S CHRISTENING

On 1st November 2009, I became a godfather to Ava (Jasmin and Adams daughter).

Unfortunately (and very sadly for me)… due to miscommunications with Jaz (who told me that the Christening was on a Saturday) I missed the ceremony, being in transit to Auckland, to start the new project.

Being another proud moment for me, I still have to share the photos

BACK IN OZ … then KIWI

Another flight across the Pacific, and 17 hour time zones, and back in Oz for few days to catch up sleep, family, and friends

Getting ready to fly out to Auckland, New Zealand, where I’ll be on a project for next 12-18 months, starting first week in November …. I will be 3-4 weeks onsite, and then one week back working off-site in Adelaide... “SWEET AS BRO”

BREA, CALIFORNIA

Got called out to do some work on an LA project, located in Brea, California (approx 30km inland, from where I lived in Newport Beach)…. Where I spent 4 weeks.
USA is great for shopping, especially as they come out of their summer, and start discounting the season, where Oz is about to enter theirs….. so I shopped till I dropped … not to mention the 10 dozen golfballs that I purchased (they were $7 per dozen, compared with $33 in Australia … so dirt cheap ... I can afford to be a bad player)
All in all, I left Australia with 23kg, and came back with 75kg (and new suitcases)

I had the opportunity to catch up with my SoCal friends, partied in Hollywood. and on last weekend, headed to Vegas (AGAIN!!!) to watch a collage football game….. .fantastic weekend!!!!

Pimping it up at the Palms

Playing with $1000 chips ... everything got "Comped" (expensed to the Casino)

LOUIS’S BAPTISM

It was with great honor and pride, that on 12th September 2009, I became a godfather to my friends Joanne and Christophe’s son, Louis.
It was held in Willunga, and the priest (Father Tom) was a classic .. check him out giving the sermon bare-footed.

Also being Jo/CTT 10th wedding anniversary, they surprised everyone by renewing their vows.

AUGUST IN OZ (First month back)

Time flies …. been back for a month already, and looking forward to summer/day light savings…. Little bit over the winter/rain .. and really starting to appreciate how wonderful SoCal was (with 30 degrees in middle of its so called winter), I really did missed out on last 2 years worth of winters!!!

My golf game still sux … just don’t get out enough .. but trying.

Life in general is at a lot slower pace, with everything being within easy reach (10-15 minutes drive).

I started working for the Aussie arm of the same USA employer, and so from career point of view, there is continuity, and love the work….Unexpectedly, I was called out to Sydney to take over the training class of (ironically) QBE (from a colleague who had to fly back to US for family matters), so last few weeks have been commuting to/from Sydney, which added an element of travel and stimuli, but overall, things are pretty good, and travelling to/from Adelaide is much easier than in USA…. I can wake up at 5am, and still fit in a coffee and shower to catch the 6am flight out.

Sydney will go on for another few weeks, and then there is talk of sending me back to SoCal for 4-6 weeks shadow training on new product line, that I’ll probably be implementing in Auckland (New Zealand) from mid October onwards.

Good to see and spend time with old friends … I have missed them all .. and this placement gives me the opportunity to settle back in, and spend some quality time with everyone.

Adelaide is one of those places, that everywhere I go, I bump into someone from the past…. So its interesting to unexpectedly bumping into an old acquaintances … seeing how they have changed, and where life has taken them.

TARGET HIT - JULY 23rd

On my birthday, I weighed myself … result 80.3kg (176pounds) !!! .... refer http://okbyebye.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-weight-loss-for-january.html

It looked little shaky few months back, but 2 months of travelling have worked in my favor … so looks like an expensive dinner is on Damian … whenever we get to meet again, in some random part of the world!!! … Tried to take picture of the digital scale (as proof) … but all too hard … so you just have to take my word for it.

I am back to my fighting weight ... going back to 3 years ago, after finished the 3 month drive around Europe (where I dropped to 78kgs) … so maybe its no coincidence that few months travelling/backpacking is actually good for the figure/scales.

6 CONTINENTS in 12 months

I just realized that in past 12 month, I have managed to travel to all Continents of the world, which I think is quite an achievement, and hard to believe I actually did all that travelling, until you start adding up the list

AFRICA - Egypt Jun 09

SOUTH AMERICA - Peru July 09

NORTH AMERICA (based out of LA)

AUSTRALIA - Nov 08, Feb 09, July 09

ASIA - China Oct 08

EUROPE (6 Flights into London, UK)

• Aug 08: Ireland


• Sep 08: Portugal/Spain


• April 09: Italy/Switzerland


• June 09: Finland/Estonia ….Poland

LIMA - Miraflores

I have to say, Miraflores district of Lima really surprised me … stunning coastline, great food, and an amazing atmosphere …. (I could really live here, as a base)…. And it was a great way to relax, and spend last few days of my Peru trip…. And it was hard to leave, once the time arrived to head off to the airport.

AREQUIPA

Ok…. So the return trip back to Cusco was a lot better then expected …. The following morning I bought a train ticket to Ollantaytambo (US$51 for 2hr ride), and then was lucky enough to share a cab with some locals back to Cusco (US$3.50 for 1.5hr, 85km ride) … all up the trip back was less than 4hrs, bypassing the most dangerous roads with the sheer cliff drop-offs.
I really had enough of the Cusco, and had the need to move on, so decided to catch a night bus (with a bed-seat) to Arequipa, about which I have heard a lot of good things.

Arequipa gave me a flashback to my South America travels of 2003 …. All these Latin American cities have the same feel about them …. Spanish influenced building, churches …. But nothing really unique, that gives them any WOW factor.

Arequipa is much prettier than Cusco, with a magnificent cathedral …. But other than that, there is really nothing here to keep my attention for longer than a day … so tomorrow, decided to fly back to Lima … giving me two full days to explore Peru’s capital, before heading back to USA, and then Oz.

MACHU PICCHU

Getting up early was not really an issue (I was grouped with couple of American guys, and they were up, which got me up as well …ie.we shared a room).
By 5:30am, there were approx 600-700 people lined up for the bus, and the street was alive with vendors, and tourists full of anticipation…..A dozen buses arrived, and quite efficiently (surprisingly), the masses got transported to the peak, and then through check points to the ancient Inca ruins.

I have to say, that once I was at the top, I realized that the strain of last few days (flights, altitude sickness, all-day bus ride, 4am start) have taken their toll, and even though this has been a goal of mine for nearly a decade, I was not as excited as I should have been …. Don’t get me wrong ….quite a spectacular place ….. but the tour I was on had to return by 11:00am, so it only gave us few hour to enjoy Machu Picchu.
By 10am, the place is packed with tourists (maybe 2000 plus), and I starched out on the lawns, and had a little nap … only to wake up in time to return to Aguas Calientes (by return bus).

I have to add a side note … as far as a tourist destination goes, in my experience (and I’m up to 60 countries covered in past decade, or so) Machu Picchu is one of the most difficult places to get to … from Lima … one needs to get to Cusco (20+ hour bus ride, or plane at 5am), then there is a monopoly on the trains that go from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (5hrs, approx US$50, which at peak season, are usually sold out days ahead).
Then there is also the 30min bus to get from town, to the peak!! (at US$7 each way) …and a day pass to Machu Picchu is also quite expensive, at US$45.


So here I am, after few hours at Machu Picchu, and I’m contemplating another 10hr bus ride back to Cusco …. Thinking … Im really not ready for that .. an decide to abandon the tour, organize a room, have lunch, and make my way back in afternoon, to watch the sun set over Machu Picchu…. The way I look at it, I did not travel half way around the world (again), for a few hours here … I will leave when I am ready!!!
Glad I did, by 2pm, all the morning tour groups have cleared out, and there is a total of no more than few hundred people wondering around, and now the Lamas have moved closer to the edge, where they can be photographed with the ruins in the background.

How I get out of Aguas Calientes is another issue … with which I will deal with tomorrow, or day afterwards!! All depends on when the trains are available (the prices range up to $300 for return trip, so one can get the train .. it all depends on how much you want to spend)…. One thing I know, is that as a destination … I wil probably never come back to Peru again.