photo published !!

i got a photo published - albeit online.

schamp have used a shot i took on tamaki drive on nells citizenship celebration night.

just as well i wasnt quite drunk yet.

http://www.schmap.com/auckland/tours_tour1/#p=29675&i=29675_2.jpg

whats the deal with poker

muwahahaha - i am so sad i am laughing at my own puns.
but after spending quite a bit of time waiting around for buses in the last few days, i have found an interesting way to amuse myself. i have become addicted to poker.
before i left home for south america, we played a little at a dinner party at my house. cossie tried to teach us betting and texas holdem.
then when we got to the secret garden at cotopaxi, the guys in our group played a lot. nell got into it too.
in cusco, we met stewart - who after being on his honeymoon for a year was using ladbrokes tournaments as time to get away.
now its me thats hooked ! cossie is teaching me more and more via gmail chat and is going to send me links to videos on youtube.
at least on facebook i am only playing with points. god help me when it becomes real money.

half time score

i cant believe that i am already basically half way through my south america trip.
time seems to fly when you are having fun.
and even on the times when you are not.

i have come to a couple of conclusions (and seeing i am stuck in uyuni, bolivia for an extra day) i thought it was time i wrote them down.

1. it is possible for a week (a day, a month) to be too touristy.
the thing about travelling is that you dont really give yourself a weekend. i try so hard to make each day worth it, and as i find i wish i had more time in each country, i dont really seem to take a rest. thats not good - i have started to take things a little more slowly so that i can appreciate what i am doing each day.

2. travelling 24/7 with a friend IS HARD. dont let anyone tell you any different. dont get me wrong, i love nell to pieces, but spending all day and all night together does get a little strained. i have decided to try and live by the rule - dont sweat the small stuff. sometimes you have to compromise and other times you just have to shut the hell up.

3. what did travellers do before facebook ?
everyone we meet (well just about) - ends a hangout period with the sentence ¨facebook me¨ or ¨i will facebook you¨ and its actually kinda helpful.
you do meet the same people again and again on the gringo trail and getting hints and helps about places to go and not to go is awesome. plus you can read what your travelmates are telling other peeps too.