As I have said time and time again, the best part of traveling and living in different places is the people and relationships you make. On the flipside of that, you meet awesome people, spend some time with them and then have to leave them. This part sucks. But back to the good. When you know awesome people all over, and you are traveling all over, you often know people where you are going. My return to the States has brought me back in contact with so many ridiculously sweet folks that every new city feels like a family reunion or walking into a candy shop where the candy is your best mates- terrible analogy, but let’s go with it.
From Perth I flew through Sydney, eventually landing in San Francisco. It was a little “back to the future trick,” as I left Sydney on Sunday May 15th at 2 somethin’ pm and arrived in SF Sunday May 15th at 11 somethin’ am. Strange, but pretty sweet to get some livin’ time back. Tyler picked me up and without a doubt, we stopped at In n’ Out. A Double Double Animal Style, fries, and a Coke later and I was at Tyler’s Mom’ in Davis showering up. Next was my hardest but best visit of the trip. I spent a few hours with the Heinig’s at their house. The hardest visit of my life without a doubt. I must have pet one of their dogs 5,000 times in the few hours I was there talking with them. It felt good to see so many loved ones and try to start getting some closure. Being away during the memorial was terrible, but I was comforted in the many people who told me that of course I was there. After my hard but good meeting with the Heinig’s, I left Davis with Tyler for Sacramento. I spent the night with Marcus, Daniel (Jesus he is getting big), and Reza. We were joined by Mario for a bit. It was nice to just chill out with old friends and catch up.
The next morning, Erika came over for breakfast before work, which of course was a great way to start the day. Reza and I then drove to Davis for lunch to meet up with Marcus, Logan at none other than GJ, for a lifers meeting. Jake attended in spirit, our usual waitress asked how Daniel was doing, and we all ordered the usual. The Tea was good, the food was awesome, but one thing had changed… none of us could finish. So ended my perfect batting average as a JG lifer. I guess all good things must come to an end. After JG, it was off to the bowling alley where Logan and I narrowly edged Tyler and Reza, earning a free pitcher of beer from the defeated. We were aided in our victory by several well timed gutter-balls hurled by Reza-two hands around my neck-Moddy. After taking Reza back to Sac, Tyler and I headed to SF where we met up with Drobny for some beers and a good catch-up sess. Post Drob visit, we head to Tyler’s pad in The Haight where we watched TV until we crashed.
I flew out of SF the next morning, landing in Seattle where the best sister in the world picked me up and took me back to Toby and Kirsten’s house. Rhiannon and I took a walk to lake Washington, before going to the grocery store and buying a feast to make for lunch. Rhiannon made us a great lunch and we hung out the rest of the day. When Toby and Kirsten got home, we went out to eat at a Vegetarian restaurant. The food was bomb, the company better. It was AMAZING seeing family again!
The following day, Rhiannon headed back to Sitka, Toby, Kirsten, and I went out to breakfast before they went to work. So nice to be close to family again! After a brief respite for my stomach, I went into Seattle to catch up with old friend Amanda Smith for lunch. It was great to see her and we chowed down on Mexican food by the water, while swapping travel stories from abroad. I am always trying to gauge whether I think someone would be fun to travel with, and Smith definitely passes that litmus test. I returned to Columbia city to meet Toby, who took work off early. We headed towards Safeco Field to catch the M’s and Angels square off, but first stopped at an asian food court and grabbed some of Saigon (in Seattle’s) finest cuisine. When we got to the park, we headed straight for our seats, about 6 rows behind the Angels dugout on the 3rd base side. No better way to spend your (or in this case Toby’s (the generous older brother he is)) money. Being that close to such high level baseball never ceases to amaze me, and my mind was racing with things that players did, managerial decisions, and the like. The end result was a success, a 3-0 M’s win, and a good ballgame.
The next morning, we said our so-longs, Toby and Kirsten headed off to work and my insane trip across country started. I picked up Geoff, my road companion and we set off in the direction of Minnesota. We left at 11am, and didn’t stop (except for gas and nibbles) until 2pm the next day when we pulled in front of Doug’s house in Minneapolis. Throughout the course of 25 hours, we covered 1680 miles, for an average speed of 67.2 mph, including our 5 or so stops for gas, and about 500-600 miles of torrential downpour in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota. We saw plenty of roadkill, one animal, about the size of a medium dog, that crept up on us in the dark, rainy night and which we ran over. The silver bullet handled the adversity like a small speedbump and after checking for car damage, our journey resumed. Montana’s big sky was amazing and Geoff was great company. I was in the zone for a looooong time, and drove the first 22 hours before handing the game over to the big lefty closer, who took us down the home stretch for the victory.
We were joined at Doug’s place by Joy and Black Ice, and after wheelin’ and dealin’ and making some calls, Showtime was roped into the mix. We went off to Pancho Villa’s for some good Mexican food, where we met Russell and CCG. Great meal… All-Star dinner crew. After dinner, we hit MLPS bars, meeting a couple Carl lady basketballers, Megan and Annie, and Kane, Colbenson, and some of their friends. We started at 4 C C, mixed it up at the VFW (oh yeah), and finished at Cowboy Slims before Geoff, Showtime, Doug and myself walked back to Dougs to crash. Much needed sleep. The next morning, Doug made us all a breakfast that the tavern would be proud of, before The King and I hit the road, Nasty Norf bound. We made it to Carleton late morning, where the Eugster boys, Heify, DavidAmes, and Grant with leeches B-ryce and The “raodhawk” Klein, Cam and Beth, made us a pancake breakfast with Margaritas. Spring Concert festivities were under way. The sky cleared for the outdoor event, and a beautiful day ensued. I saw everyone who I wanted while spending the day listening to music, playing bags, shooting the shit, and having a good time. The day was capped off with a 10 minute firework show, and trip to the Reub where a group of about 15 alums and worthy upperclassmen joined in the fun. Damn it was good to be back.
My last day in Minnie included a Perkins breakfast with Russ and Caitlin, who completed her MCAT before joining the SC festivities. I also returned to the cities to see Doug again (although he was there last night) and Joy, and Cam and Beth, and Davidames and Black Ice and Megan Lynn. We had dinner at the Tin Fish, which is absolutely amazing. Mahi Mahi fish tacos to die for. The plan had originally been for me to spend the night at Russ and CCG’s and leave the next morning, but much like I knew Geoff and I wouldn’t be stopping for the night en route to MN, I knew I was going to leave that night. As we were hanging out, my angst grew and then before I knew it, I was on the road to PA. The 21 hours it took to get there went by pretty slow. With no Geoff to keep me company, and my hatred for driving through Indiana and Ohio, and paying their stupid and expensive tolls, I figured it was best to breeze through. I took a 2 hour nap a few hours outside of Chi-Town but other than that it was open road. I arrived, completing my coast to coast journey in 46 hours of driving time and going some 2,940 miles. To say I was glad to be reunited with Rach would be a gross understatement.
I have spent the last week hanging around Bryn Mawr, watching Rachel study far more Chemistry than is healthy, dipping into Philadelphia a few times, and meeting her roommates and their friends. After an appointment in Philly on Saturday, I will be heading to Easton to start my coaching with the Lehigh Valley Catz and staying with the Heimbachs!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thank You Bears!
I find that no matter how much time you have to prepare for the end, it is always a mad dash to see everyone, pack up, and get to the airport on time. It is pretty much impossible to give everyone the goodbye they deserve, especially when every person you met bent over backwards to do things for you and make you feel at home. I experienced this in Belgium, and leaving Perth was no different.
Baseball was great. Despite a poor ending, it is hard for me not to be happy when playing the best game on earth. While I will look back on the baseball fondly, what I really will remember and cherish the most is the people I met, the generosity, pullin’ the piss with the fellas, Doug-O’s with the fans after the games, trying to figure out what people were saying when I first got there, figuring out the lingo and throwing it right back at people by the end, the list could go on forever. There are so many people to thank, so many favors I look forward to returning when people visit the States. I owe my good times in Australia to The Bears, and for that I want to thank everyone with the Bears for their share in making mine and Rachel’s time down under unforgettably fun. Thank you all so much. I miss you all already and can’t wait until we meet again… until next time Go Bears Go!
Baseball was great. Despite a poor ending, it is hard for me not to be happy when playing the best game on earth. While I will look back on the baseball fondly, what I really will remember and cherish the most is the people I met, the generosity, pullin’ the piss with the fellas, Doug-O’s with the fans after the games, trying to figure out what people were saying when I first got there, figuring out the lingo and throwing it right back at people by the end, the list could go on forever. There are so many people to thank, so many favors I look forward to returning when people visit the States. I owe my good times in Australia to The Bears, and for that I want to thank everyone with the Bears for their share in making mine and Rachel’s time down under unforgettably fun. Thank you all so much. I miss you all already and can’t wait until we meet again… until next time Go Bears Go!
Between Jungle and Mangroves There Was Reef
Thizz Face on the Reef in sick Aussie travel hats
Interested in getting married on the GBR?
My two days on the Great Barrier Reef mirror in fun and amazement at the natural beauty of Cairns my first and last days in Cairns (croc hunting and barefootin’). As badly as I want to tell you every last detail of the day, I will just give you a quick rundown of the top events.
Terence Farrell: You may remember good old Terence from the barefooted jungle tour. He is an Irish doctor, 26-years of age, and despite our prejudices against the Irish, couldn’t handle his booze. O and I spent most of the day with terence, who was on our Passions of Paradise Reef tour with us. By the end of the reef cruise, T and I were so close that I asked him a question about having sore testicles… so you know we were practically mates.
Terence Tezza acting like a Terry Tezza
Highlights of the tour:
One of the Passions crew members was in a wedding gown being photographed for their promo for having weddings on their boat. There were a couple of sweet pics of the young bride, but the coolest was one they took with her in the dress underwater on the Reef.
The crew was awesome. We shot the shit with them, they made us feel comfortable and wanted, and even posed for a few pics with us after the tour was over.
After Day 1 on the reef, posing for a pic with the Passions crew
The reef and marine life was UNREAAAAAALLLLL! I saw sea turtles, sting rays, countless different types of fish, enough different colors of coral to make a color wheel, and my personal favorite, giant clams. The colors, corals, and marine life made the time in the water go by quick. We spent around 2 hours in the water at Michaelmans Quay and another hour in the water at passion reef. Michaelmans Quay was also a bird sanctuary, so there of course was birds galore.
Sea Turtle, Michaelmans Quay
Going for a dive, giant clam in the foreground, broccoli coral abounds
And again
Owen Checking out the brain-like coral
Brain-like Coral, which was really bright yellow
Parrott fish munching on coral, you can actually hear the crunch, crunch, crunch
After we got back from the reef tour, we stopped and played some catch with some people from Japan and Korea. We say that they were going through pitching wind-ups while playing catch with a plastic ball. After playin catch with them for a while and checking out Terence’s lefty arm, we gave them one of our baseballs in presentation format… needless to say they were thrilled. As were we. Thrilled but not too tired to hop in on a little zumba class taking place on the esplanade. O wasted no time getting into it and within 15 minutes, he had coerced me into taking part as well. Drawn to the front of the pack, shaking my hips like I have some, and making a fool of myself. A blast indeed.
Our Japanese/Korean friends showing each other pitch grips with their newly gifted baseball
Show your favorite grip! Us with our baseball buddies near the Lagoon
Zumba dance on the Esplanade... still rocking the travel hats
We topped off day 1 on the reef with a nice little celebration. We met up with Terance and of course cashed in on the $5 dinners and $7 pitchers at Patrick O’Reilly’s. After a day in the sun, I was quickly pretty drunk… but I was a saint compared to sloppy ol’ Terence who was a completely different person when he was drunk. We also met up with a French woman who was traveling alone who we had met from our Reef tour. Maria was an interesting lady, and after hanging out for a while, chatting, she bought two quick rounds of tequila shots and then disappeared into the night.
Tequila with Maria
It was a bit bizarre, but our drunk ‘nanigans led us to meet some cool people, a bunch who I would meet back up with later the next few nights. While debating whether or not we should go into a popular bar “The Whoolshed”, we found out by the bouncer that there was a cover charge. I asked if we could look inside to see if it was going off, to which he responded.. “fuck off.” With a laugh, we headed back to our hostel where we ‘pulled the piss’ with some folks we had met along the way back. Good night in the books.
We enjoyed our day on the reef so much that we decided to book in for another day. Day two featured a more laid back day on the reef. We spent the day on Fitzroy Island, about a 45 minute ferry ride from Cairns. The morning was a bit of a struggle after the long night, but we spent our first few hours Sea Kayaking around the island.
In our group of fellow kayakers was our guide, whose name escapes me because my memory is Tezza, Kevin and Geraldine, a couple who aren’t actually a couple from our barefoot tour, and a Japanese pair who didn’t speak any English and couldn’t swim. As the athletes of the group (not to sound like a jerk), O and I kind of did our own thing while the instructor looked after the other two. In addition to kayaking, we also had another good snorkel, made “Happy Mother’s Day from the GBR” in the sand out of Coral, had a little catch, and checked out Nudey Beach (where I was disappointed to find myself as the only person in their birthday suit). Except, I wasn’t actually naked—In fact, quite the opposite. O and I, at the demand of our Kayaking instructore wore stinger suits (a head to toe, thin, wet suit-like thing that protects you from jelly fish stings). Even out of the water, we rocked the suits like it was our job, not only making them stylish, but also protecting our skin from UV rays.
That night also happened to be our most fun night out in Cairns. With our German roommates, we hit up PJ O’Brians again for our fantastic grub. Again drinks followed, but this time we went to Giligan’s for the afterparty. Owen had found out earlier that night that his flight had to leave at 2am and so at 11 he would have to catch a taxi to the airport. That didn’t stop him from getting after it, and together with our roommates, their friends, and some of the people from the night before that we ran into, we had a pretty formidable crew (see said crew below).
We had a good time dancing and with my new friend and croc hunting buddy Thomas, I stayed out real late. O and I were both disappointed he had to leave, because we were have a ‘hell good time’ but it was awesome traveling with him. I have met few who ‘pull the piss’ like he does, a real ‘top bloke’, mmmm. Hopefully if luck has it, we will have another road trip together in the future.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Welcome to Cairns or Paradise?
Let me set the scene for Cairns.... Set in far North Queensland, it is minutes from the rain forest and a quick sail from the Great Barrier Reef. Sound good? It gets better.
By Australian standards, Cairns is CHEAP AS. Mix in the fact that it's waterfront streets are teaming with young people from all over the world, eager to have a good time, and then sprinkle in some very hip bars, restaurants, and shops and you pretty much have a foolproof recipe for a good time.
Oh yeah, the weather is reminiscent of a nice day in Florida or Southern California. Mmmmmm (a sound often made by Australians as a way of confirming or agreeing with something, a sound I have turned into meaning either that or extreme excitement... in this case the latter).
After two weeks of coldish, rainy weather in Sydney and Melbourne... Cairns was just what the doctah ordered.
Owen and I didn't waste any time getting the activities lined up and before we left Melbourne on our overnight flight, had already booked in onto Captain Matty's Barefoot Tour.
Highly raved about because of the tour's fearless leader, guide, and captain... Captain Matty himself.... the trip offered a different type of day tour. Rather than your typical impersonal, rush from one "must see" to another, the barefoot tour took advantage of a smaller group, and a tour guide who was more concerned with us having a good time and taking it in that rushing us all over. And so it was with this laid back vibe that we left our hotel in the Captain Matty shaggin' wagon bound for the Queensland rain forest of the Atherton Tablelands.
First things first, on the way up to the Tablelands, Captain Matty had to get to know each of his 13 or 14 passengers. We all went around and answered his 5 introductory questions and brief interrogation...1. Name 2. Where are you from 3. How long you will be in Cairns 4. Do you fold or crumple your toilet paper 5. relationship status
With the important stuff out of the way (most of us were folders, I know you were curious), we could now turn our attention to the Tablelands and let Cap. Matty do his thang.
First stop on the tour was the famous Cathedral Fig Tree. This strangler fig was massive and throughout the course of its 500+ year life, it had managed to engulf several other trees in its strangle of branches, roots, and trunks. See O and I posing beneath the menacing tangle below.
Truth be told, while the tree was certainly a "top tree," it was only a warm up for what was to come. After a pit stop at Crater Lake National Park for some brekky, we moved on to Mount Hypipamee National Park where we peered into a massive massive massive hole in the ground... a sink-hole, cater that dove some 60 meters straight down. It may not sound that sweet, but the moss covered water at the bottom and steep cliffs going straight down were pretty impressive. We followed that up with a short hike through the rain forest to our first waterfall of the day, Dinner Falls. O and I decided it was time for our first swim of the day and we headed into the freezing water. We were pretty pumped and took pictures under the falls, little did we know that Dinner Falls would be more aptly named Snack Falls, because bigger and better was yet to come.
By this time, it was approaching lunch and Captain Matty bused us to Milla Milla where we ate lunch at a very traditional Northern Queensland Aussie pub. A XXXX beer hit the spot with the steak sandwich and chips. The pub was certainly a cultural scene as the bar was run by Terry, a top bloke with a handle bar mustache, who Matty liked to describe as "rough as guts," hey... he was hung over from yesterday, of course, but that didn't impede him and his wife from delivering us a fantastic true Aussie meal.
It was at Milla Milla Hotel where we found out that Captain Matty is really a top bloke himself... he was very knowledgeable about the Tablelands, flora and fauna, and went about life with a great attitude. He brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm and his Kiwi/Aussie accent combined with his comments like "rough as guts, hey" and "brilliant" added to the trip for sure. He would often make fun of people on the trip or borrow their names for outrageous stories. Good times. All throughout our drive from place to place, a 294 km drive, he indulged us with facts, comments, and stories about where we were. We snapped a picture with Matty before leaving the pub, shown below. Note the reason for the name "Barefoot tours"... Matty doesn't wear shoes... ever.. Good on ya, Matty!
Next up was Milla Milla falls, a 40 ft drop off and the site for the waterfall Herbal Essence commercial where the girl in the vid flips her hair back... After we finally got into the water and swam under the falls, there was plenty of whipping our hair back and forth (best if read while listening to the song... I whip my hair back and forth). The water was pretty bloody cold, but we dominated it.
After cruising to several other waterfalls and dope viewing spots, Matty took us to our final and if my opinion counts for anything, best spot of the day... Josephine Falls.
This series of 3 waterfalls not only provided quite a pleasurable view, but also included a natural slide down the smallest waterfall. The rocks were slippery as, which provided us with a sweet for slide. We went down 5 or 6 times in all different ways... on our bellies, butts, backs, feet first, head first... it was sweet. A great way to wrap up a great day. Because we were not rushed, our day went from 7:30 until about 8 pm when we got back to Cairns. Our crew was decent, featuring a Swedish trio of Sheilah's (Sheilers if you will), an Irish Dr. named Terence who you will hear more about, a hungover Englishman name Terry, a couple of Scotts, a Ukrainian, a Chineese couple, a Canuck, and another Britt. Many of these folks we would run into later during our stay. O and I took our time at each spot and were normally the last people back to the bus.
We finished the trip off with an hour-long ride back to Cairns, chill reggae and other beats blaring on the bus, drowning out the beeping from a broken electrical circuit in the back of the bus.
We got back to our home for Cairns, the Global Waterfront, pretty rooted, but the day was just getting going. We picked up our $5 dollar meal vouchers for PJ O'Brien's pub, where we would eat all our dinners while in Cairns. When we got there, we tweaked the system and scored 2 meals each, each accompanied by a complimentary beer. Sweet as! After a plate of ribs, a burger, two beers and some good music, it only made sense to take advantage of $7 jugs (pitchers). We downed the jugs over stories, shooting the shit, and most of all wearing out Aussie Lingo. After two jugs, we decided we better not 'hit the piss' too hard with a day on the Great Barrier Reef lined up for tomorrow. We shut 'er down for the night and went back to the hostel for some much needed Z's. Day one in the books, Cairns=Cash Money!
By Australian standards, Cairns is CHEAP AS. Mix in the fact that it's waterfront streets are teaming with young people from all over the world, eager to have a good time, and then sprinkle in some very hip bars, restaurants, and shops and you pretty much have a foolproof recipe for a good time.
Oh yeah, the weather is reminiscent of a nice day in Florida or Southern California. Mmmmmm (a sound often made by Australians as a way of confirming or agreeing with something, a sound I have turned into meaning either that or extreme excitement... in this case the latter).
After two weeks of coldish, rainy weather in Sydney and Melbourne... Cairns was just what the doctah ordered.
Owen and I didn't waste any time getting the activities lined up and before we left Melbourne on our overnight flight, had already booked in onto Captain Matty's Barefoot Tour.
Highly raved about because of the tour's fearless leader, guide, and captain... Captain Matty himself.... the trip offered a different type of day tour. Rather than your typical impersonal, rush from one "must see" to another, the barefoot tour took advantage of a smaller group, and a tour guide who was more concerned with us having a good time and taking it in that rushing us all over. And so it was with this laid back vibe that we left our hotel in the Captain Matty shaggin' wagon bound for the Queensland rain forest of the Atherton Tablelands.
First things first, on the way up to the Tablelands, Captain Matty had to get to know each of his 13 or 14 passengers. We all went around and answered his 5 introductory questions and brief interrogation...1. Name 2. Where are you from 3. How long you will be in Cairns 4. Do you fold or crumple your toilet paper 5. relationship status
With the important stuff out of the way (most of us were folders, I know you were curious), we could now turn our attention to the Tablelands and let Cap. Matty do his thang.
First stop on the tour was the famous Cathedral Fig Tree. This strangler fig was massive and throughout the course of its 500+ year life, it had managed to engulf several other trees in its strangle of branches, roots, and trunks. See O and I posing beneath the menacing tangle below.
Truth be told, while the tree was certainly a "top tree," it was only a warm up for what was to come. After a pit stop at Crater Lake National Park for some brekky, we moved on to Mount Hypipamee National Park where we peered into a massive massive massive hole in the ground... a sink-hole, cater that dove some 60 meters straight down. It may not sound that sweet, but the moss covered water at the bottom and steep cliffs going straight down were pretty impressive. We followed that up with a short hike through the rain forest to our first waterfall of the day, Dinner Falls. O and I decided it was time for our first swim of the day and we headed into the freezing water. We were pretty pumped and took pictures under the falls, little did we know that Dinner Falls would be more aptly named Snack Falls, because bigger and better was yet to come.
By this time, it was approaching lunch and Captain Matty bused us to Milla Milla where we ate lunch at a very traditional Northern Queensland Aussie pub. A XXXX beer hit the spot with the steak sandwich and chips. The pub was certainly a cultural scene as the bar was run by Terry, a top bloke with a handle bar mustache, who Matty liked to describe as "rough as guts," hey... he was hung over from yesterday, of course, but that didn't impede him and his wife from delivering us a fantastic true Aussie meal.
It was at Milla Milla Hotel where we found out that Captain Matty is really a top bloke himself... he was very knowledgeable about the Tablelands, flora and fauna, and went about life with a great attitude. He brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm and his Kiwi/Aussie accent combined with his comments like "rough as guts, hey" and "brilliant" added to the trip for sure. He would often make fun of people on the trip or borrow their names for outrageous stories. Good times. All throughout our drive from place to place, a 294 km drive, he indulged us with facts, comments, and stories about where we were. We snapped a picture with Matty before leaving the pub, shown below. Note the reason for the name "Barefoot tours"... Matty doesn't wear shoes... ever.. Good on ya, Matty!
Next up was Milla Milla falls, a 40 ft drop off and the site for the waterfall Herbal Essence commercial where the girl in the vid flips her hair back... After we finally got into the water and swam under the falls, there was plenty of whipping our hair back and forth (best if read while listening to the song... I whip my hair back and forth). The water was pretty bloody cold, but we dominated it.
After cruising to several other waterfalls and dope viewing spots, Matty took us to our final and if my opinion counts for anything, best spot of the day... Josephine Falls.
This series of 3 waterfalls not only provided quite a pleasurable view, but also included a natural slide down the smallest waterfall. The rocks were slippery as, which provided us with a sweet for slide. We went down 5 or 6 times in all different ways... on our bellies, butts, backs, feet first, head first... it was sweet. A great way to wrap up a great day. Because we were not rushed, our day went from 7:30 until about 8 pm when we got back to Cairns. Our crew was decent, featuring a Swedish trio of Sheilah's (Sheilers if you will), an Irish Dr. named Terence who you will hear more about, a hungover Englishman name Terry, a couple of Scotts, a Ukrainian, a Chineese couple, a Canuck, and another Britt. Many of these folks we would run into later during our stay. O and I took our time at each spot and were normally the last people back to the bus.
We finished the trip off with an hour-long ride back to Cairns, chill reggae and other beats blaring on the bus, drowning out the beeping from a broken electrical circuit in the back of the bus.
We got back to our home for Cairns, the Global Waterfront, pretty rooted, but the day was just getting going. We picked up our $5 dollar meal vouchers for PJ O'Brien's pub, where we would eat all our dinners while in Cairns. When we got there, we tweaked the system and scored 2 meals each, each accompanied by a complimentary beer. Sweet as! After a plate of ribs, a burger, two beers and some good music, it only made sense to take advantage of $7 jugs (pitchers). We downed the jugs over stories, shooting the shit, and most of all wearing out Aussie Lingo. After two jugs, we decided we better not 'hit the piss' too hard with a day on the Great Barrier Reef lined up for tomorrow. We shut 'er down for the night and went back to the hostel for some much needed Z's. Day one in the books, Cairns=Cash Money!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, and Adventure in Nothern Queensland
The following is a very exaggerated story of my last adventure in Cairns....
What would an adventure in Northern Queensland be without crocodiles? Such was my thinking as my new friend Thomas and I boarded our rented 6 horsepower tin dingy. Like Stever Irwin and other crocodile hunters before us, we were ready to go nose to nose with the beasts. Leaving port, we felt good about our chances. As we scooted alongside the mangroves looking for the beasts, my confidence held strong. When Thomas started guiding us down a narrow mangrove, the branches clawing at our boat trying to devour of us, my once strong confidence began to wain and thoughts of stupid tourists getting stuck in the wild came creeping in. We made it out of our first tight canal unscathed. And the next. An hour in, we had seen no crocs... but how many crocs had seen us?
An hour and a half in, zero crocs had been seen but we were sure to see one soon. We were making our way through our tightest spot yet. Branches swept at us, our boat filling with leaves and branches broken off as we scrapped through. I don't think we will make it though I said to my crazy German crew mate who at this point had resumed driving. "You only live once," he kept saying. What had I got myself into? Surely this would be the sight we would see a croc, the one that would have us for dinner. More leaves filling the boat. Ants, spiders, and the almost invisible insects that enjoyed the flesh on my legs joined the crew. We made it out of the really tight spot... still up an offshoot of the main inlet, almost out of the clear, our engine died. For about 5 minutes we tried, unsuccessfully, to start it. Nothing. The oars were out... I would miss my flight for sure, but would we ever make it out? One last attempt and the bad boy started up... SAVED!
I quickly forgot about what a night in the croc infested water would be like and went back to trying to spot the beasts. After two and a half hours, we were still shutout and decided to head back in. Sad not to have seen a croc, but happy to be out of the boat we made it back in. Maybe all adventures don't need a croc, we sure had one without it and I have the bug bites to prove it.
What would an adventure in Northern Queensland be without crocodiles? Such was my thinking as my new friend Thomas and I boarded our rented 6 horsepower tin dingy. Like Stever Irwin and other crocodile hunters before us, we were ready to go nose to nose with the beasts. Leaving port, we felt good about our chances. As we scooted alongside the mangroves looking for the beasts, my confidence held strong. When Thomas started guiding us down a narrow mangrove, the branches clawing at our boat trying to devour of us, my once strong confidence began to wain and thoughts of stupid tourists getting stuck in the wild came creeping in. We made it out of our first tight canal unscathed. And the next. An hour in, we had seen no crocs... but how many crocs had seen us?
An hour and a half in, zero crocs had been seen but we were sure to see one soon. We were making our way through our tightest spot yet. Branches swept at us, our boat filling with leaves and branches broken off as we scrapped through. I don't think we will make it though I said to my crazy German crew mate who at this point had resumed driving. "You only live once," he kept saying. What had I got myself into? Surely this would be the sight we would see a croc, the one that would have us for dinner. More leaves filling the boat. Ants, spiders, and the almost invisible insects that enjoyed the flesh on my legs joined the crew. We made it out of the really tight spot... still up an offshoot of the main inlet, almost out of the clear, our engine died. For about 5 minutes we tried, unsuccessfully, to start it. Nothing. The oars were out... I would miss my flight for sure, but would we ever make it out? One last attempt and the bad boy started up... SAVED!
I quickly forgot about what a night in the croc infested water would be like and went back to trying to spot the beasts. After two and a half hours, we were still shutout and decided to head back in. Sad not to have seen a croc, but happy to be out of the boat we made it back in. Maybe all adventures don't need a croc, we sure had one without it and I have the bug bites to prove it.
Emotions of the last month...
The following touches on my thoughts and feelings over the last month, rather than descriptions of what I have been doing. As such, it is more of a post for me as opposed to one for you all, but feel free to read if you would like. Descriptions of what I have been doing can be found in the posts that will follow (above)... As always, thanks for reading!
Where to begin, where to begin? I guess I owe an apology for leaving everyone hanging in suspense for the last month. It isn't that I wasn't thinking about you all, in fact it was quite the opposite. I have been thinking about you all non-stop but just didn't have it in me to pound the keyboard with updates.
The last month has been an intense and trying time for me, a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. What is forthcoming will also be an intense period of transition, as I leave the international baseball playing and traveling behind and return home to stay. My time in Australia is rapidly coming to an end as I chase summer back up into the northern hemisphere. With a return to the States and school lurking in the not so distant future, change in lifestyle and culture shock are imminent. The time of transition has been amplified by a constant stream of thoughts going through my head, feelings of fortune, sorrow, happiness, and the like. It seems like the last month has provided me with every emotion from the lowest valley to the highest peak.
A little less than a month ago, one of the best people in this world left us. The definition of a "top bloke," Scott's death has hit me harder than anything that has ever happened. Being so far from it only made controlling and dealing with my emotions harder. After looking into options to get home and talking with people close to me, I decided to do what I thought Scott would want me to do... what I would want someone to do if the situation was reversed. I decided to honor my commitment to playing in the Provincial League Championships outside of Sydney and finish my intended time in Australia before returning home to pay my respects.
My plans included travel following the tournament and I just returned to Perth after 19 days split between baseball/tourism in Sydney, and taking in Melbourne and Cairns.
We took Gold in the rain-shortened tournament, which I played with my socks up to honor #20, and touring the hot spots of East Australia was amazing... but the trip constantly left me in internal struggle, feelings fluctuating between guilt and happiness, but above all feeling fortunate.
I have been so fortunate to get the opportunities I have had, to meet the people I have, and all of these experiences and people will continue to shape the way I look at life and appreciate life far, far in the future. I am very grateful for having you as an audience to share bits and pieces of my experiences with you, and for that I thank you. I will get away from this writing now, and tell you a bit about my experiences out East. I could write for days about the great experiences out there but will pick just a few to share... I hope you enjoy...
Where to begin, where to begin? I guess I owe an apology for leaving everyone hanging in suspense for the last month. It isn't that I wasn't thinking about you all, in fact it was quite the opposite. I have been thinking about you all non-stop but just didn't have it in me to pound the keyboard with updates.
The last month has been an intense and trying time for me, a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. What is forthcoming will also be an intense period of transition, as I leave the international baseball playing and traveling behind and return home to stay. My time in Australia is rapidly coming to an end as I chase summer back up into the northern hemisphere. With a return to the States and school lurking in the not so distant future, change in lifestyle and culture shock are imminent. The time of transition has been amplified by a constant stream of thoughts going through my head, feelings of fortune, sorrow, happiness, and the like. It seems like the last month has provided me with every emotion from the lowest valley to the highest peak.
A little less than a month ago, one of the best people in this world left us. The definition of a "top bloke," Scott's death has hit me harder than anything that has ever happened. Being so far from it only made controlling and dealing with my emotions harder. After looking into options to get home and talking with people close to me, I decided to do what I thought Scott would want me to do... what I would want someone to do if the situation was reversed. I decided to honor my commitment to playing in the Provincial League Championships outside of Sydney and finish my intended time in Australia before returning home to pay my respects.
My plans included travel following the tournament and I just returned to Perth after 19 days split between baseball/tourism in Sydney, and taking in Melbourne and Cairns.
We took Gold in the rain-shortened tournament, which I played with my socks up to honor #20, and touring the hot spots of East Australia was amazing... but the trip constantly left me in internal struggle, feelings fluctuating between guilt and happiness, but above all feeling fortunate.
I have been so fortunate to get the opportunities I have had, to meet the people I have, and all of these experiences and people will continue to shape the way I look at life and appreciate life far, far in the future. I am very grateful for having you as an audience to share bits and pieces of my experiences with you, and for that I thank you. I will get away from this writing now, and tell you a bit about my experiences out East. I could write for days about the great experiences out there but will pick just a few to share... I hope you enjoy...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Here's to as good a person and friend as you can get
Scott Heinig 6/4/88-4/17/11
My first memories of Scott Heinig stem back to little league. Although we played in opposite divisions, I kept close tabs on worthy opponents in both leagues, knowing that there would be a good chance we would play for the City Championship. As fate would have it, we ended up squaring off against Scott's team, the dreaded and much despised Yankees.
The game was a nail-biter and in the end, the Cubbies swallowed a difficult 1-0 loss. It was at this stage that I decided that if you can't beat a team with Scott, you might as well join him... so that is exactly what I did.
We joined forces for the first time on the Davis Diamondbacks and man did we have a good time. Renting "movies" in West Covina, going to hooters in Palm Springs, taking trips to play around California, and learning how to play baseball the right way. It was on the Diamondbacks where I really got to know Scott and that infectious personality of his. This was a special guy... always walking around with that goofy smile, poised, sharp as a tack, accepting of everyone, and the list goes on. It didn't take long being around Scotty that I forgot that he was a 2 years my junior and a year behind me in school.
For the next 6 years, I played on teams with Scott, spent countless hours with him off the field, and grew to love him more and more as time went on. There are so many good things you could say about Scott, but what keeps coming back to me as I think back on all those great times we shared was how much Scotty cared about everyone and how good of a friend he was. When I went off to college in Minnesota, I tried to convince Scott to follow me out there. I told him we would turn the program around and start a dynasty. When he didn't join we in the Midwest, it was hard to fault the guy. He had a plan, and he no matter where he went or what he did, he was going to be damn good at it. As he went on to dominate at Cosumnes and earn himself a D1 scholarship, I still tried to find ways to get a Dynasty going with Scott.
Just this last year when I was playing in Belgium and our other American went back home, the club turned to me to find a replacement player. Scott was the first person in my mind and I quickly started my attempts to recruit him. We will build up the club and start a dynasty I told him. We will turn the ship around. After weighing his options, Scott decided instead to go back to Humboldt to play for the Crabs. He couldn't come out if he had any doubts and if he wasn't fully committed. And how could he leave his beautiful girlfriend behind? While I was disappointed that he didn't come out, his reasons were unselfish... he wanted what was best for the team, what was best for his relationship. He knew how to give it nothing but his all. My second attempt at starting a dynasty with Scotty had failed, but I had bigger plans, I would get him when it mattered most, when we could do the most good. I hadn't told him this yet, but my 3rd attempt to start a dynasty was already in the works. Scott and I would run our own program, not as players, but as college coaches. Surely, this would be an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. With Scotty on board, any college program was destined for success.
I will never get a 3rd chance to recruit Scotty or to make my final pitch, but one thing will happen that not even he can refuse. When I do get a chance to run my own program, he will have as profound an impact on it as anyone. He will be there pushing me and pushing the players to be their best. He may be gone, but he continues to positively effect those who were fortunate enough to meet him and even those that weren't. As word spreads that Scott's heart has saved someone's life, I am not the least bit surprised. Even though he is gone he still continues to make a difference in the lives of others. Only you could find a way to be bigger than life.
I want to be a better person because of you, Scott. You are sorely missed but will never be forgotten. Love you more than words can say.
I will never forget the good times spent with you...
Playing Cards, Luncheons at Martin's, sleepovers at Tyler's, playing pick, winning games, competing, Mr. O'Keefe's Calculus class, a man in a white hat, your endless smile, your quoting of Super Troopers, Little League, Diamondbacks, Jr. Legion, Post 77, BDP, parties in the country, singing along to good music, your franchise hug, your loyalty, your devastating slider and tiny steps when you run, Marcus' back room, working out at DAC, NFW pizza orders, trips to hooters as 13-year-olds, "how great is life today?", honorary class member of 2005, chump status, 2004 Section Champs, the Boss Hog, physics, the green dragon, the Giants, all the lives you touched and continue to touch, your family, Lauren, financial advising, Davis Graduates softball games, rides to games in Larry's car, fantasy sports, talking about baseball and pitching, making adjustments, mental toughness, and the best friend anyone could have.
Love you #20, RIP
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Time Flies When You are Having Fun...
The last 3 weeks have absolutely flown by... Other than our flop in the playoffs for baseball, I couldn't have written the script much better.
Gone are the baseball grand finals/playoffs
Come and gone but not forgotten are Marcus and Jaime and 10 days of adventures
Survived was the players trip weekend to Lancelin
Here is Mad Monday
Coming is the PL Heat trip to Sydney, travel out east, and the end of work at Lawley's
There is a lot to fill people in on, and before anyone knows it I will be back in the States for my first extended stay there in over a year. So where to begin?
Baseball... After rolling through the first half of the season nearly perfect, the departure of Freeza Time marked a change in luck for THE BEARS top side. We struggled a bit in the second half of the season, but held on for the number 2 seed going into playoffs. Unfortunately for us, sometimes the best teams aren't the team that wins in the end. We weren't playing our best baseball heading into playoffs and ended up getting bounced in 2 games. I feel a fair bit responsible for this meltdown, as I had a poor outing in a game that would have sent us straight through to the championship series. I think everyone on our team feels that if we were playing our best baseball that would could have taken the flag, but we played the worst we have all season and the results reflected that. Hats off to the teams that took us down.
I now turn my attention to the PL Heat team that will represent Perth and Wa in Blacktown, NSW a short distance outside of Sydney. We will be playing against the other states for the Australian Provincial Championships in a 8 day tournament at the Olympic Stadium complex. The trip should be a lot of fun and hopefully we can win it. It looks like this may be my last competitive baseball for a while, so I will definitely be looking to finish the 2011 campaign on a higher note than our flop here in Perth.
Marcus and Jaime's visit: There is not a lot that we didn't do. Freo and the Freo Market twice, camping in the bush outside of Collie, Margaret River beach house, Rottnest Island, Yanchep National Park, relaxing on the beach at Scarborough and Cottesloe, a night out in the CBD and Northbridge, Bears baseball, a season opening footy game in Subi (for Marcus and Jaime), exploring Subiaco, Australian BBQ, Kings Park, roos, koalas, quoakas, and brown snakes, a trip to the movies, trady's lunch and more, all jammed into 10 days. Best of all, it was just great to catch up with old friends and have a good visit. We pushed El Pinto Blanco to the limit and made the most of our time. I wish they could come back and we could do it all over again.
Players Trip in Lancelin: With the season coming to an abrupt and unexpected end, we decided not to waste any time and take our players trip (paid for with fines money from post-game kangaroo court) pretty much right away. We booked a house in Lancelin, about 100Km north of Perth, for the weekend. In true Aussie fashion, drunkenness and bbq ensued for about 48 hours. Mixed in was some beach fishing and 4x4ing in the dunes. It was a good weekend getaway and we got back in time for the exciting Gran Final for the PL2 Bears side, an exciting 16-14 victory that saw the Bears erase an early 9-2 deficit, included a skirmish between the teams and about 8 collisions at home plate. The win was capped off with "winner's piss" and Emu Export (awesome). Today is Mad Monday, the day after the season and we will be getting together with all of the boys one last time for a punt, a trady's and no doubt a brew or two. Thanks for a great season Bears, it has been a blast.
Pictures and more to follow shortly!
Gone are the baseball grand finals/playoffs
Come and gone but not forgotten are Marcus and Jaime and 10 days of adventures
Survived was the players trip weekend to Lancelin
Here is Mad Monday
Coming is the PL Heat trip to Sydney, travel out east, and the end of work at Lawley's
There is a lot to fill people in on, and before anyone knows it I will be back in the States for my first extended stay there in over a year. So where to begin?
Baseball... After rolling through the first half of the season nearly perfect, the departure of Freeza Time marked a change in luck for THE BEARS top side. We struggled a bit in the second half of the season, but held on for the number 2 seed going into playoffs. Unfortunately for us, sometimes the best teams aren't the team that wins in the end. We weren't playing our best baseball heading into playoffs and ended up getting bounced in 2 games. I feel a fair bit responsible for this meltdown, as I had a poor outing in a game that would have sent us straight through to the championship series. I think everyone on our team feels that if we were playing our best baseball that would could have taken the flag, but we played the worst we have all season and the results reflected that. Hats off to the teams that took us down.
I now turn my attention to the PL Heat team that will represent Perth and Wa in Blacktown, NSW a short distance outside of Sydney. We will be playing against the other states for the Australian Provincial Championships in a 8 day tournament at the Olympic Stadium complex. The trip should be a lot of fun and hopefully we can win it. It looks like this may be my last competitive baseball for a while, so I will definitely be looking to finish the 2011 campaign on a higher note than our flop here in Perth.
Marcus and Jaime's visit: There is not a lot that we didn't do. Freo and the Freo Market twice, camping in the bush outside of Collie, Margaret River beach house, Rottnest Island, Yanchep National Park, relaxing on the beach at Scarborough and Cottesloe, a night out in the CBD and Northbridge, Bears baseball, a season opening footy game in Subi (for Marcus and Jaime), exploring Subiaco, Australian BBQ, Kings Park, roos, koalas, quoakas, and brown snakes, a trip to the movies, trady's lunch and more, all jammed into 10 days. Best of all, it was just great to catch up with old friends and have a good visit. We pushed El Pinto Blanco to the limit and made the most of our time. I wish they could come back and we could do it all over again.
Players Trip in Lancelin: With the season coming to an abrupt and unexpected end, we decided not to waste any time and take our players trip (paid for with fines money from post-game kangaroo court) pretty much right away. We booked a house in Lancelin, about 100Km north of Perth, for the weekend. In true Aussie fashion, drunkenness and bbq ensued for about 48 hours. Mixed in was some beach fishing and 4x4ing in the dunes. It was a good weekend getaway and we got back in time for the exciting Gran Final for the PL2 Bears side, an exciting 16-14 victory that saw the Bears erase an early 9-2 deficit, included a skirmish between the teams and about 8 collisions at home plate. The win was capped off with "winner's piss" and Emu Export (awesome). Today is Mad Monday, the day after the season and we will be getting together with all of the boys one last time for a punt, a trady's and no doubt a brew or two. Thanks for a great season Bears, it has been a blast.
Pictures and more to follow shortly!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
An Update on Life
I hate to admit to it, but I think you all know the reason why I have been slacking on the updates lately... Ok, yes I am having too much fun and working a ton, but c'mon people, you know me better than that. That's right, you guessed it. Fantasy baseball has, to use an Australian analogy, come back into my life like a well thrown boomerang.
While my marathon email draft has been taking up more time than I would like... er, lets be honest, I sadly love the time that it takes up in my life, it can't be blamed for my lack of posts. I have been ridiculously busy. Flat out. I will try to quickly catch you all up on my life, which has had some exciting decisions and new directions of late.
Decision Time:
One trouble about playing ball abroad is that your life is blocked up 6 months at a time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you are one injury or accident away from having to figure out a new plan in a hurry. It is also troublesome because you have to decide where you will be in 3 months, about 3 months in advance. Letting things play out isn't really an option. I have always tried to have some sort of a back-up plan if things were to go awry. So, while I was trying to figure out where/if I would play next season in Europe or make an attempt to catch on with a team in the States I decided I would apply to grad schools to get a start into coaching. Coincidentally, this is also a process that takes a lot of planning ahead, as applications are due a good 8 or 9 months before programs start.
It also turns out that applying to grad schools is a long, arduous process. I spent hours working on applications, checking deadlines, trying to get in touch with people with a bizarre 16 hour time difference, writing and re-writing essays, requesting transcripts, etc. All the while I was doing this for 3 schools, UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Seattle University, I was also traveling throughout SE Asia and trying to talk to teams in Europe about potentially playing for them the following season.
In the end, I had offers to play in Europe sitting on the table, and not heard back from schools. I decided that I would write to Berkeley explaining my situation and see if I could get a decision. If not, I would bank on getting into UW, defer for a year and play again in Europe. If everything failed, including baseball and my first two choices in schools, I would consider Seattle U, if accepted. Luckily, I heard back from Berkeley and found out I would be accepted.
This left me with a difficult decision... do I give up the lifestyle I have lived for the last year, which has been beyond amazing, and playing the sport I love more than almost anything to go back to school. Making the decision even harder was the inability to defer admission to the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education program at Cal.
Reaching A DECISION...
a) was extremely hard
b) will change my lifestyle dramatically
c) is something I still think about frquently
d) has me extremely excited about the future
e) has lit a fire under my ass to finish this season strong
f) had me looking a baseball from multiple perspectives and thinking if I was coaching, what would I do.
My life for the next year or two as currently planned:
First things first, finish what I came here to do... win a Championship. Plenty of work left to be done there, but we are in a great spot as a team to do that. Playoffs start this weekend. 4 teams are left. We are the 2 seed. 1 and 2 play each other (Bears at Rockingham) and 3 and 4 play each other (UWA at Carine). The loser of the 3-4 game is out. The winner of the 3-4 game plays the loser of the 1-2 game for the final spot in the Grand Final. Winner of 1-2 game goes straight into the GF. The GF is a best of 3 series to determine the Champions. Go Bears Go!
This week is exciting for a number of other reasons as well. Marcus and Jaime arrive on Friday for a 10 day vacation in paradise. As if that was not exciting enough, Rachel comes back next Monday. Booooyah! That was the sound of an EPIC 10 days.
After the excitement of playoffs and visits die down... if ever, I will turn my attention to the Provincial League Heat team. This is a team made up of players from the various teams in our league and we go to Blackstown, (just outside of Sydney) New South Wales to play against teams from the other states. The tourny lasts 10 days, and I plan on extending my stay for an extra week or so to see some of the east coast of Australia.
So... I leave Perth April 22, tentatively get back around the 7th of May. By this point, my visa will no longer allow me to be a baker boy, so my last day of work for Lawley's Bakery will be April 21st-ish. I then plan to hang around Perth for a bit, hopefully check out a bit of Western Australia before heading back to the U.S. sometime mid to late May. I will then be looking for people to drive across the country with me, destination Easton, Pa (via Minnesota, of course).
I will then be assistant coaching for the Lehigh Valley Catz, a team I played for during the summer of 2008. After my summer in Lehigh, I will return to the West/Best Coast and try to settle into school at Berkeley and hopefully some more assistant coaching with one of the college baseball programs in the Bay Area.
The most important date of the summer, however, is July 23rd, when Toby and Kirsten will be getting married outside of Seattle. I can't wait for that, and am excited to see my family continue to grow with awesomeness (aka my sister-in-law and soon to be s-i-l).
So what am I forgetting? Oh, thanks for asking. The fantasy draft is going pretty well, I like where my team is at, although my last 2 picks may have been a bit suspect. I guess time will tell.
Meanwhile, I am having a ball in Perth. I spend about 40% of my time here working, 40% of my time playing/practicing baseball, 19% of my time kickin' it with my mates, 16% of my time writing my blog, and about -15% of my time sleeping.
Rachel also has some big decisions coming up, which will allow my plans to become more concrete and detailed. Check out her blog for her updates at:
http://adventuresofflatrachel.blogspot.com
So in summary, I love it here. The next two weeks promise to be EPIC. The Red Sox will win the World Series, in 6 games, over the Phillies. The Bears will win the Flag. I love life, and the people in my life. I am really busy, and now accepting applications for driving across country (or part of the way) with me. Bribes accepted.
That is it for now, hope everyone is well!
Peace and Love and GO BEARS GO!
Ethan
While my marathon email draft has been taking up more time than I would like... er, lets be honest, I sadly love the time that it takes up in my life, it can't be blamed for my lack of posts. I have been ridiculously busy. Flat out. I will try to quickly catch you all up on my life, which has had some exciting decisions and new directions of late.
Decision Time:
One trouble about playing ball abroad is that your life is blocked up 6 months at a time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you are one injury or accident away from having to figure out a new plan in a hurry. It is also troublesome because you have to decide where you will be in 3 months, about 3 months in advance. Letting things play out isn't really an option. I have always tried to have some sort of a back-up plan if things were to go awry. So, while I was trying to figure out where/if I would play next season in Europe or make an attempt to catch on with a team in the States I decided I would apply to grad schools to get a start into coaching. Coincidentally, this is also a process that takes a lot of planning ahead, as applications are due a good 8 or 9 months before programs start.
It also turns out that applying to grad schools is a long, arduous process. I spent hours working on applications, checking deadlines, trying to get in touch with people with a bizarre 16 hour time difference, writing and re-writing essays, requesting transcripts, etc. All the while I was doing this for 3 schools, UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Seattle University, I was also traveling throughout SE Asia and trying to talk to teams in Europe about potentially playing for them the following season.
In the end, I had offers to play in Europe sitting on the table, and not heard back from schools. I decided that I would write to Berkeley explaining my situation and see if I could get a decision. If not, I would bank on getting into UW, defer for a year and play again in Europe. If everything failed, including baseball and my first two choices in schools, I would consider Seattle U, if accepted. Luckily, I heard back from Berkeley and found out I would be accepted.
This left me with a difficult decision... do I give up the lifestyle I have lived for the last year, which has been beyond amazing, and playing the sport I love more than almost anything to go back to school. Making the decision even harder was the inability to defer admission to the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education program at Cal.
Reaching A DECISION...
a) was extremely hard
b) will change my lifestyle dramatically
c) is something I still think about frquently
d) has me extremely excited about the future
e) has lit a fire under my ass to finish this season strong
f) had me looking a baseball from multiple perspectives and thinking if I was coaching, what would I do.
My life for the next year or two as currently planned:
First things first, finish what I came here to do... win a Championship. Plenty of work left to be done there, but we are in a great spot as a team to do that. Playoffs start this weekend. 4 teams are left. We are the 2 seed. 1 and 2 play each other (Bears at Rockingham) and 3 and 4 play each other (UWA at Carine). The loser of the 3-4 game is out. The winner of the 3-4 game plays the loser of the 1-2 game for the final spot in the Grand Final. Winner of 1-2 game goes straight into the GF. The GF is a best of 3 series to determine the Champions. Go Bears Go!
This week is exciting for a number of other reasons as well. Marcus and Jaime arrive on Friday for a 10 day vacation in paradise. As if that was not exciting enough, Rachel comes back next Monday. Booooyah! That was the sound of an EPIC 10 days.
After the excitement of playoffs and visits die down... if ever, I will turn my attention to the Provincial League Heat team. This is a team made up of players from the various teams in our league and we go to Blackstown, (just outside of Sydney) New South Wales to play against teams from the other states. The tourny lasts 10 days, and I plan on extending my stay for an extra week or so to see some of the east coast of Australia.
So... I leave Perth April 22, tentatively get back around the 7th of May. By this point, my visa will no longer allow me to be a baker boy, so my last day of work for Lawley's Bakery will be April 21st-ish. I then plan to hang around Perth for a bit, hopefully check out a bit of Western Australia before heading back to the U.S. sometime mid to late May. I will then be looking for people to drive across the country with me, destination Easton, Pa (via Minnesota, of course).
I will then be assistant coaching for the Lehigh Valley Catz, a team I played for during the summer of 2008. After my summer in Lehigh, I will return to the West/Best Coast and try to settle into school at Berkeley and hopefully some more assistant coaching with one of the college baseball programs in the Bay Area.
The most important date of the summer, however, is July 23rd, when Toby and Kirsten will be getting married outside of Seattle. I can't wait for that, and am excited to see my family continue to grow with awesomeness (aka my sister-in-law and soon to be s-i-l).
So what am I forgetting? Oh, thanks for asking. The fantasy draft is going pretty well, I like where my team is at, although my last 2 picks may have been a bit suspect. I guess time will tell.
Meanwhile, I am having a ball in Perth. I spend about 40% of my time here working, 40% of my time playing/practicing baseball, 19% of my time kickin' it with my mates, 16% of my time writing my blog, and about -15% of my time sleeping.
Rachel also has some big decisions coming up, which will allow my plans to become more concrete and detailed. Check out her blog for her updates at:
http://adventuresofflatrachel.blogspot.com
So in summary, I love it here. The next two weeks promise to be EPIC. The Red Sox will win the World Series, in 6 games, over the Phillies. The Bears will win the Flag. I love life, and the people in my life. I am really busy, and now accepting applications for driving across country (or part of the way) with me. Bribes accepted.
That is it for now, hope everyone is well!
Peace and Love and GO BEARS GO!
Ethan
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Shout Out....
To DAVIDAMES, aka DAVI DAMES, aka David Ames, aka The Mental Rock.... get healthy buddy... then it's UhOHkNightTime!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Bats Back in Win
The Bears of old were back yesterday at the Bear Cage, getting back to the win column with a convincing victory over the 3rd place Carine Cats.
I had a solid start on the mound, certainly a step in the right direction to where I want to be come playoffs in 2 weeks. I was able to keep the ball down and despite being a little lose on location in and out, stayed out of major trouble. I need to build off of that outing and improve the next two weeks of practice so that I can roll into our top of the table playoff match throwing well.
While on the subject of pitching, I found this article on the role of a pitching coach to be quite interesting.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/03/06/arm_angles_and_head_games/?page=1
One thing about my time playing abroad is that you really rely on yourself to make adjustments and pick up on what you are doing wrong. I have also come to realize that you need to pick and choose the advice that you take from people. What is most important, is, as they state in the article, that you need to know yourself... know what you can do, know what you can't do. Stay within yourself.
I feel like I have become much more adept at pin-pointing flaws in my swing as the year has gone on... not that that means I have been able to fix them, but at least I know what is wrong haha. It was a nice 4 for 5 day at the plate against Carine as well, although one of my hits... a swinging bunt/Q ball shot should probably count as minus 3 hits. I'll take what I can get.
In other news, Trady's lunch is still the best. I am still a great Ramen Noodle cook, despite Gabbo's attempts to sabotage my masterpiece by putting in too much chili. Marcus and Beave get here in T-minus 11 days and Rach in 13... can't wait. Epicness is bound to follow. Otherwise, I have been working a ton... not only am I a baker boy but a barrrrrrista as well, make a damn good coffee if I do say so myself. In closing, Go Bears Go!
I had a solid start on the mound, certainly a step in the right direction to where I want to be come playoffs in 2 weeks. I was able to keep the ball down and despite being a little lose on location in and out, stayed out of major trouble. I need to build off of that outing and improve the next two weeks of practice so that I can roll into our top of the table playoff match throwing well.
While on the subject of pitching, I found this article on the role of a pitching coach to be quite interesting.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/03/06/arm_angles_and_head_games/?page=1
One thing about my time playing abroad is that you really rely on yourself to make adjustments and pick up on what you are doing wrong. I have also come to realize that you need to pick and choose the advice that you take from people. What is most important, is, as they state in the article, that you need to know yourself... know what you can do, know what you can't do. Stay within yourself.
I feel like I have become much more adept at pin-pointing flaws in my swing as the year has gone on... not that that means I have been able to fix them, but at least I know what is wrong haha. It was a nice 4 for 5 day at the plate against Carine as well, although one of my hits... a swinging bunt/Q ball shot should probably count as minus 3 hits. I'll take what I can get.
In other news, Trady's lunch is still the best. I am still a great Ramen Noodle cook, despite Gabbo's attempts to sabotage my masterpiece by putting in too much chili. Marcus and Beave get here in T-minus 11 days and Rach in 13... can't wait. Epicness is bound to follow. Otherwise, I have been working a ton... not only am I a baker boy but a barrrrrrista as well, make a damn good coffee if I do say so myself. In closing, Go Bears Go!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Time to Bear Down
After dropping 2 games last week in embarrassing fashion, we have 2 more regular season games to get back on track before the playoffs begin. Unfortunately, it will be a while till be get back on the field in a game situation, as this week is our bye. By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I hate having 1 game a week and a bye every 6 weeks on top of that.
After losing 2, you want to get back out there and turn things around. Not wait... and wait... and wait. A week from today we play Carine and will have a chance to secure at least a top 2 finish, which will bode well for the playoffs. It is possible if things work out in our favor this week, that we will already have 2nd place on lock.
Meanwhile, away from the diamond life has been good. I have been working just about full time, but making sure that I take time to hang out with friends and take advantage of the Trady's lunch at Greenwood Pub. Best lunch deal in WA... a big steak, fries and a salad for $13. On top of that, it is also a TAB and it has been fun to put dollar bets here and there on the horse races and dog races going on around Australia and then watch the action take place. After all the hootin' and hollerin' at the screen, I normally have as much money as when I started for my efforts. For the big betting boys, a clear strategy has emerged. Always bet on a name that has "Hawk" in it (that is my nickname here). Works like a charm.
A funny thing happened the other day when me and some friends were out to dinner. They had a small selection of Belgian beers, all ridiculously priced. A Duvel for $13 dollars? I was tempted... But when I asked if they had the proper Duvel glass to accompany the beer, they looked at me like I was crazy. I explained what I meant, and they showed me the glasses that they had. None of them fit the bill and decided against the $13 Duvel... the price and lack of Belgian beer knowledge was a disgrace. I may be a cepo, but I have learned a thing or two during my travels. It did make me think of Edward Duvel/Kebab hands in the Brussels Park... good times, good times.
Today I'm off to catch some Aussie Rules Football pre-season action, my first taste of footy. Should be a good one. I will try to be more diligent about updating, but it has been tough with me working so much.
Looking forward to Rachel's return and a visit from Marcus and the Beave!
After losing 2, you want to get back out there and turn things around. Not wait... and wait... and wait. A week from today we play Carine and will have a chance to secure at least a top 2 finish, which will bode well for the playoffs. It is possible if things work out in our favor this week, that we will already have 2nd place on lock.
Meanwhile, away from the diamond life has been good. I have been working just about full time, but making sure that I take time to hang out with friends and take advantage of the Trady's lunch at Greenwood Pub. Best lunch deal in WA... a big steak, fries and a salad for $13. On top of that, it is also a TAB and it has been fun to put dollar bets here and there on the horse races and dog races going on around Australia and then watch the action take place. After all the hootin' and hollerin' at the screen, I normally have as much money as when I started for my efforts. For the big betting boys, a clear strategy has emerged. Always bet on a name that has "Hawk" in it (that is my nickname here). Works like a charm.
A funny thing happened the other day when me and some friends were out to dinner. They had a small selection of Belgian beers, all ridiculously priced. A Duvel for $13 dollars? I was tempted... But when I asked if they had the proper Duvel glass to accompany the beer, they looked at me like I was crazy. I explained what I meant, and they showed me the glasses that they had. None of them fit the bill and decided against the $13 Duvel... the price and lack of Belgian beer knowledge was a disgrace. I may be a cepo, but I have learned a thing or two during my travels. It did make me think of Edward Duvel/Kebab hands in the Brussels Park... good times, good times.
Today I'm off to catch some Aussie Rules Football pre-season action, my first taste of footy. Should be a good one. I will try to be more diligent about updating, but it has been tough with me working so much.
Looking forward to Rachel's return and a visit from Marcus and the Beave!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Big Weekend Followed by Big Week
With a weekend off baseball, Timmy back in town, Kat's birthday and the 3 game Australian Baseball Championship Series in Perth... it was time for a big weekend out.
The line-up was as follows.
1. Perth Heat Game One, L
2. Sleep
3. Work
4. Perth Heat Game Two, W
5. Timmy and Roh's post-game pre-game
Getting ready to go out
6. Night out at Mint in Northbridge to celebrate Kat's B-Day
Timmy Working the poll... about a second before he fell on his face
Action shot, that was not set up or anything... definitely heat of the moment shot
Lee trying to hide the fact that he brought a purse out with him
7. Back to Timmy and Roh's-- Sleep
8. Perth Heat Game Three, W
ABL Champion Perth Heat
9. Weekend Over
Weekend MVP: Woobie
Clutch Facial Expression of the Weekend:Roh
Rookie of the Weekend: Me
Most Inspiring Effort: Waddle
Biggest Disappointment: Timmy (Sunday circa 4:30)
Comeback Player of Weekend: Gabbo
Gabbo pretty much captures the weekend in one facial expression
A great weekend.
This week is a big week, baseball wise. We play a night game tomorrow at Barbagallo Ballpark against 2nd Place Rockingham... a win and we clinch first place. Then on Sunday, we bounce back with another one against UWA on the road. 4 days, 2 games, a chance to clinch first at stake. In between, there is the Balcatta Bears Quiz Night on Friday and pretty much every other time I will be slaving at the bakery. Should be a good one.
In other news, Rachel and my plans for the upcoming year are slowly coming together. More on that in another update coming soon.
For now, Go Bears Go!
The line-up was as follows.
1. Perth Heat Game One, L
2. Sleep
3. Work
4. Perth Heat Game Two, W
5. Timmy and Roh's post-game pre-game
Getting ready to go out
6. Night out at Mint in Northbridge to celebrate Kat's B-Day
Timmy Working the poll... about a second before he fell on his face
Action shot, that was not set up or anything... definitely heat of the moment shot
Lee trying to hide the fact that he brought a purse out with him
7. Back to Timmy and Roh's-- Sleep
8. Perth Heat Game Three, W
ABL Champion Perth Heat
9. Weekend Over
Weekend MVP: Woobie
Clutch Facial Expression of the Weekend:Roh
Rookie of the Weekend: Me
Most Inspiring Effort: Waddle
Biggest Disappointment: Timmy (Sunday circa 4:30)
Comeback Player of Weekend: Gabbo
Gabbo pretty much captures the weekend in one facial expression
A great weekend.
This week is a big week, baseball wise. We play a night game tomorrow at Barbagallo Ballpark against 2nd Place Rockingham... a win and we clinch first place. Then on Sunday, we bounce back with another one against UWA on the road. 4 days, 2 games, a chance to clinch first at stake. In between, there is the Balcatta Bears Quiz Night on Friday and pretty much every other time I will be slaving at the bakery. Should be a good one.
In other news, Rachel and my plans for the upcoming year are slowly coming together. More on that in another update coming soon.
For now, Go Bears Go!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Bears Bats Smoking in KScott
Strange Day... it is Superbowl Sunday and the Superbowl isn't until tomorrow morning at 7.
Bears have been red hot since coming back from the break. Today's victim was Kelmscott, who lets face it, never stood a chance. It was a cruisy 31-1 win... a score I hope resembles a beat down the Pack will give Ben Worthlessburger and the Steelers. One might have thought that the burning in the air was the blistering hot Bears bats, but it was not so.
With bush fires threatening the area, there were bits of ash falling on the field and plenty of smoke in the air. Not great when you have to run around the bases 31 times, but I shouldn't complain as houses were getting burnt down a few neighborhoods over.
On a personal note, after struggling a bit of late, I finally felt comfortable at the plate. I know that I shouldn't put much stake into results from a game like that, but as far as feeling like I have actually swung a bat before, I was pleased with the way things went from a feeling standpoint.
Looking to dial it in for the home stretch, Go Bears Go!
Bears have been red hot since coming back from the break. Today's victim was Kelmscott, who lets face it, never stood a chance. It was a cruisy 31-1 win... a score I hope resembles a beat down the Pack will give Ben Worthlessburger and the Steelers. One might have thought that the burning in the air was the blistering hot Bears bats, but it was not so.
With bush fires threatening the area, there were bits of ash falling on the field and plenty of smoke in the air. Not great when you have to run around the bases 31 times, but I shouldn't complain as houses were getting burnt down a few neighborhoods over.
On a personal note, after struggling a bit of late, I finally felt comfortable at the plate. I know that I shouldn't put much stake into results from a game like that, but as far as feeling like I have actually swung a bat before, I was pleased with the way things went from a feeling standpoint.
Looking to dial it in for the home stretch, Go Bears Go!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Meanwhile Back in OZ...
Sunset at Cottesloe Beach from the other day
I was welcomed back to Oz with a stretch where I worked 10 out of 12 days with the other two days being game days. Things were busy to say the least.
The winter break did little to cool off the red hot Bears, as we have continued our winning ways and sit atop the league with a 12-1 record, two games clear in 1st place.
The weather here has been wicked hot as well, with a 5 or 6 day stretch that was pretty much unBEARable.
Some of the highlights since returning from our trip have include:
Australia Day:
The equivalent to our 4th of July, the day was awesome. The morning started with my first round of Golf in about 5 years. Me, Ft, Gabbo, Frank, and Spooner hit the links hard and I am sad to say I still have the nastiest slice in the history of man, which I attribute to my inside-out baseball swing. Despite hitting the netting at a 90 degree angle from the tee box on the first whole, I bounced back to shoot a cool 61. Unfortunately that was for 9 holes, not 18.
The rest of the day was spent poolside and BBQing at Rikki's parents place. We were joined there by the usual crew of ladies, where we lounged, got into some piss, and played beer pong (the way with paddles). I was horrible. We continued the pool party into the night, when we got a surprise visit from Timmy, who was back from the mines for a few days because of a cyclone. That was cause for celebration and everyone got after it pretty good. We capped off the night by walking up the hill to check out the firework show over the river. I also got plenty of practice saying my Aussie phrases, which I have continued to work into daily conversation. It was a great day to be Australian... or at least in Australia.
BBQ at Timmy and Roh's:
Much of my social life revolves around BBQs. At this Q, I had my first experience with Lawn Balls, a bochi ball (i know i butchered that) type game, where the balls are unevenly weighted and you curve them towards a marker ball. My only good bowl of the day was ruined when Timmy knocked it out of the way.
We rounded out the great night with some catch up coins and other games. Shenanigans were in place, as is the norm.
Night at the Casino:
Went to Burswood Casino with some of the boys and had my first winning night...ever. I am off Cash Creek, but Burswood is a different story.
Other than that, I have continued my Monday night dinner tradition over at the Free household, which has featured some excellent dishes of late. I also am finished working at the Uni Sports Camp for Kids, both a good and bad thing.
As for right now, I am about blogged out so it is time to head to the beach. I will try to keep you guys up to speed with what is going on over here so stay tuned and as always, thanks for reading along. Comments/suggestions always appreciated!
Peace and Love,
Ethan
Singapore
After leaving Rachel in a rushed goodbye trying to catch my flight, I still had some of SE Asia to see. I had a 8 hour layover in Singapore and figured why not get out of the airport and see a bit of the city.
Singapore, with its strict governing, offered a stark contrast to the rest of SE Asia. Extremely modern and clean as a whistle, it hardly resembled the same part of the world that we had just traveled for the last 3.5 weeks. With $1,000 fines for riding bikes in parks, possible jail time for not flushing a public toilet after use or sleeping on park benches, it's no wonder that people obeyed the laws and kept things clean.
A very clean Singapore
This sign is sure to get you off your bike. No riding in the Park!
I spent my time wandering around the parliamentary buildings, court houses, and along the river.
View of Singapore from along the river
Sign says it all
I spent several hours inside the Museum of Asian Civilisation, which had incredible displays and was packed full of information. Like the rest of Singapore, it was very modern in its presentation. Having taken a number of classes on the anthropology of SE Asia, this museum was a special treat for me.
Display at the Museum of Asian Civilisation
After exploring the museum I set off for lunch, heading in the direction of Chinatown. I never made it that far, I don't think, but I definitely found some good food. Of course, with so much selection and people hurriedly ordering from the food court and little semblance of order, I ended up getting something I regretted. It was good, but I was hoping to finish SE Asia on a really high note food wise. I guess that is asking too much.
With time winding down and a decent size commute back to the airport, I was left with some $9 Singapore that I had to spend. With that money, I wanted to get some food before the flight and maybe a magazine.
Having been in this situation several times, where you only have a small amount of money to spend that wouldn't make sense to exchange, and you try to spend it on quality stuff and get as close to spending it all as possible. I pride myself on this ability, but with few options outside the security checkpoint in the budget terminal, I bought a Men's Health Singapore (I know, that is weak) and a cheap sandwich. Turns out my airport expertise failed me. I assumed there would just be seats on the other side of the security, but instead there were TVs, free internet, and plenty of better food options. I was kicking myself when I was a dollar short to buy some dim sum. I would end up finding that dollar I needed in another pocket later, adding insult to injury, but the important thing was that I was now on my flight bound for Perth, a great vacation in the books!
What I thought was a nice shot of this memorial
Interesting/Modern looking building off in the distance
Courthouse? Memory is failing me
Pretty much what Australia is all about... from the eyes of a Singaporean... not far off
Singapore, with its strict governing, offered a stark contrast to the rest of SE Asia. Extremely modern and clean as a whistle, it hardly resembled the same part of the world that we had just traveled for the last 3.5 weeks. With $1,000 fines for riding bikes in parks, possible jail time for not flushing a public toilet after use or sleeping on park benches, it's no wonder that people obeyed the laws and kept things clean.
A very clean Singapore
This sign is sure to get you off your bike. No riding in the Park!
I spent my time wandering around the parliamentary buildings, court houses, and along the river.
View of Singapore from along the river
Sign says it all
I spent several hours inside the Museum of Asian Civilisation, which had incredible displays and was packed full of information. Like the rest of Singapore, it was very modern in its presentation. Having taken a number of classes on the anthropology of SE Asia, this museum was a special treat for me.
Display at the Museum of Asian Civilisation
After exploring the museum I set off for lunch, heading in the direction of Chinatown. I never made it that far, I don't think, but I definitely found some good food. Of course, with so much selection and people hurriedly ordering from the food court and little semblance of order, I ended up getting something I regretted. It was good, but I was hoping to finish SE Asia on a really high note food wise. I guess that is asking too much.
With time winding down and a decent size commute back to the airport, I was left with some $9 Singapore that I had to spend. With that money, I wanted to get some food before the flight and maybe a magazine.
Having been in this situation several times, where you only have a small amount of money to spend that wouldn't make sense to exchange, and you try to spend it on quality stuff and get as close to spending it all as possible. I pride myself on this ability, but with few options outside the security checkpoint in the budget terminal, I bought a Men's Health Singapore (I know, that is weak) and a cheap sandwich. Turns out my airport expertise failed me. I assumed there would just be seats on the other side of the security, but instead there were TVs, free internet, and plenty of better food options. I was kicking myself when I was a dollar short to buy some dim sum. I would end up finding that dollar I needed in another pocket later, adding insult to injury, but the important thing was that I was now on my flight bound for Perth, a great vacation in the books!
What I thought was a nice shot of this memorial
Interesting/Modern looking building off in the distance
Courthouse? Memory is failing me
Pretty much what Australia is all about... from the eyes of a Singaporean... not far off
A Night in KL to round out the trip
All trip we had run into people who said avoid KL, there is nothing there. Well we went there and there was a market... so in our book it was pretty legit.
I don't have much on KL, but it did have some of the coolest signs that we ran into... The no kissing sign on the previous post (which was actually KL but I am too lazy to change it), a sign straight out of zoolander, directing people towards the Center for Slow Learners (I finally found my home), the umbrella sign showing motorcyclists where to go when it rains... some other keepers.
It also had the stupidest metro system I have ever seen. 10 minutes before the train arrives, you queue up in these lines. 10 MINUTES BEFORE IT GETS THERE!!!!! There is a line for only women and a cart in the middle of the trains for only women. The real cluster F occurs when the train arrives and the doors open. All the idiots waiting in line for 10 minutes are so sick of it, they bum rush the train before people get off. So you basically have a mad scramble to get on or get off before the doors close and I'm fairly certain that it creates a breeding ground for pick pockets and that someone, somewhere, sometime in KL has been trampled to death. Just plain stupid.
Anyways, this is a rather anti climactic way to end the writing about the trip, but it was kind of an anti climax at the end... accept for the fact that I went to the wrong airport and had to rush to the other one to get there on time... a damn expensive mistake.
But I made it just in time and before I knew it, I was on a plane out of Malaysia, wrapping up a greeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaat trip.
Women only subway car
The subway lines that don't work and lead to a stampede every time the doors open
KL by Night
Transport/food stall rickshaw
Last real mean in SE Asia... Soup served sizzling with a cracked egg on top.
I don't have much on KL, but it did have some of the coolest signs that we ran into... The no kissing sign on the previous post (which was actually KL but I am too lazy to change it), a sign straight out of zoolander, directing people towards the Center for Slow Learners (I finally found my home), the umbrella sign showing motorcyclists where to go when it rains... some other keepers.
It also had the stupidest metro system I have ever seen. 10 minutes before the train arrives, you queue up in these lines. 10 MINUTES BEFORE IT GETS THERE!!!!! There is a line for only women and a cart in the middle of the trains for only women. The real cluster F occurs when the train arrives and the doors open. All the idiots waiting in line for 10 minutes are so sick of it, they bum rush the train before people get off. So you basically have a mad scramble to get on or get off before the doors close and I'm fairly certain that it creates a breeding ground for pick pockets and that someone, somewhere, sometime in KL has been trampled to death. Just plain stupid.
Anyways, this is a rather anti climactic way to end the writing about the trip, but it was kind of an anti climax at the end... accept for the fact that I went to the wrong airport and had to rush to the other one to get there on time... a damn expensive mistake.
But I made it just in time and before I knew it, I was on a plane out of Malaysia, wrapping up a greeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaat trip.
Women only subway car
The subway lines that don't work and lead to a stampede every time the doors open
KL by Night
Transport/food stall rickshaw
Last real mean in SE Asia... Soup served sizzling with a cracked egg on top.
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