la vache est morte! an secours! j'ai perdu mon poisson jaune.

AndrewT Posted: 1 April 2003, 6:24 PM   Bonjour from Paris!! Just a qucik note to let all me old orienteering chums know how im doing on my world tour. Basically - Had a stop over in Tokyo for a night (instead of pnuemonia ridden Hong Kong) and boy that was nuts. my first overseas experience, while as safe as anywhere, was just culture shock city. got a cheap ass mini disc player though and also got some cool neoprint pictures taken. Oh and we were interegated by airport police for going back there in the middle of the night to sleep there. We then flew to Florence, Italy via Frankfurt, Germany. It was pretty intense to see hardcore attack dogs and machine guns all around the airport in frankfurt due to bombs going off at the same time in bagdad. Italy was the next major culture shock. Dirty, Vespas and Small european cars driving madly at you on bumpy roads, dodgey looking people everywhere and well, loads of people everywhere. Plus no toilets, I took for granted all the alleys/bushes with no people around in wellington when a piss was needed, a constant state of mild dehydration was the par for the course the next one and a half weeks. Got robbed on my first day there too, well robbed in the sense that I bought a knife/lighter off a street merchant for 5euros (i didnt remember my pocket knife)and the cops chased him away before he could give me my change, then the cop told me off and took the purchase off me!! Im sure they were in cahoots....but Im definatly not buying off the street again (and i bargined him down from 10 too oh well) But got into it from then, the food, the churches, the palaces, the museams, the cool people in the hostel....it was awesome. Oh and the cheap wine, and its fucken qual too.... Since the 5 days in Florence we checked out Siena (definatly recommend this place), La Spazia, The Cinque Terre, Genova, Turin and Milan; about a day in each. Now Jenny and I are in Paris, having spent 2 days here already. Its an awesome city, and have done all the usual tourist things. Effiel Tower, arc de triumph, notre dame, a day in the louvre (its huge i tells ya). Well, obvioiusly this post will not comment on all the shit that I see and do, and will not capture the experiences I am experiencing completely, but its a good summary. Hope your all keeping well, and will update you all soon with my trip. (from here is through the south of france, then spain; then MORROCO!!) Au revoir, Andrew.   lapun Posted: 2 April 2003, 12:02 AM   A bientot, Andrew. I'm sure you're too skilled an orienteer to get lost BUT I'm wondering if Morocco might be hazardous terrain or out of bounds?   mark Posted: 2 April 2003, 2:07 AM   what cow?   AndrewT Posted: 24 April 2003, 11:42 PM   erm, yeah marocco was pretty hazerdous, but definatly not out of bounds. I would recommend anyone with a good knowledge of french or arabic and a strong character to go there. Its cool, just gotta be weary and on top of things or they will drain you for everything you are worth. They just love that tourist dollar/euro.