Archive for the ‘Blood & Guts’ Category

[WATCH IN HD] To be fair, it’s technically not considered the “World’s Most Dangerous Road” anymore. Due to the construction of a new highway close by, which directs most traffic away from its path, they’ve recently upgraded the trails nickname to a much more simple, passive and inviting moniker… “The Death Road” Okay, so the name and mortality figures didn’t sit well at first, but how could I pass up the opportunity to test out its narelyness first hand? Besides, most of the people who’ve died have done so because of truck, bus and motorcycle accidents… right? Kiersten, my partner in crime for this adventure, was a lot more skeptical about the whole thing. It took some convincing to get her to stop looking at mishap reports and death road death stories, but she eventually, although reluctantly, agreed. The day started at the crack of dawn at the Madness office …

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You could see the smoke billow up from behind the office towers in downtown Vancouver. Helicopters circled as crowds scattered and riot police moved in. I was watching the whole thing unfold from a comfy rooftop terrace high above all the chaos. As the Bruins netted their third of four goals, the game was out of reach for the home Canucks. Along with fellow travel blogger Marc Passion, we bailed on the deflated bar midway through the third period to meet up with some local gals at a little Thai restaurant. From the bar, we all went to an office building where one of the girls worked to checkout the Vancouver skyline and refuel after the tough loss. While we welcomed the change in atmosphere and incredible views, we could see all the action on the streets starting to pick up and curiosity got the best of us. As the …

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I stayed in Vancouver Wednesday night after the TBEX conference to experience game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals live. This was the 3rd time in Vancouver Canucks 41-year history that they’ve reached the Stanley Cup and I wanted to be a part of it. After witnessing the incredible game 5 victory and epic after-party, I knew that if the Canucks could win game 7, it would be one of the greatest parties I’ve ever been apart of. Turns out the Bruins absolutely man-handled the Canucks on their home ice and the city collapsed soon after. Much more on the riots and chaos in Vancouver coming this weekend.

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  As I tucked myself into bed last night with a good book and some warm milk, one of my favorite movies of all times came on the tele - Green Street Hooligans. I sat up to watch Elijah Wood transform into a Green Street Elite and it got me thinking about the football Hooligans here in Argentina. La Barra Brava. Barras Bravas (meaning wild or fierce bar or block) as they’re called, started out as mere football fan clubs here in Argentina in the 50s & 60s. However, these amateur fan clubs have since grown into large, corrupt organizations that extend beyond the football pitch and into all aspects of Argentine life, from media to politics. Over the past few months I’ve read articles, heard stories and even witnessed these crazy bastards first hand at Argentine football stadiums throughout Buenos Aires (Velez, Racing and River) and its wild to think what these …

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For the past week I’ve been in and out of hospitals and doctors offices around Buenos Aires. Nothing major, I just had a cyst on my upper back that had gotten infected and needed to be removed. Gross I know, but I’m all about full disclosure. The whole event has pretty much ruled out any good sleep for the past few days because i’ve gone right from class to the hospital(s) and then to work.  However, throughout the process I’ve asked a million questions about the Health Care System here in Argentina and have learned a lot about how it all works. This post isn’t for everyone, but I figure if I can help save some people the headaches and hassle of what I’ve been through this past week then it’s worth it. DISCLAIMER: It should be noted that that I DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE. I had the STA Insurance …

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Last night I finished up my first week of bartending at Buller Pub in Recoleta. I’m a bit drained but pumped for the connections and Spanish practice I’ll have through this job. I still have a ton of names to remember but I think I came up with a good system. I find characteristics about the person that relate to his or her name and use them as clues. For example, one waitress Pamela, has huge Pomelos (grapefruits). Although I have trouble looking her in the eyes when I call her, I haven’t forgot her name once! Working at Buller has also given me the opportunity to catch up on my early 90s West-Coast Hip-Hop (finally). Turns out, during the week (when their isn’t a in-house DJ) there is a heavy rotation of gangster rap pumping through the walls. I’ve come to find out that one of my bosses really loves the melodic …

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I am trying to figure out what shots I need to go into South America, in particular Argentina. I’m guessing I don’t need anything to wild because Buenos Aires is such a big city, but if I travel elsewhere (which I plan to do) I will need to be on top of my game. Here is a great site that updates the health requirements of Argentina (as well as other countries): http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/argentina.aspx I Just booked an appointment at the Passport Health in Rochester, New York to get my shots next week: http://passporthealthusa.com/locations/

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STA Travel is the ultimate in student travel information and services. I used them a lot when I studied abroad in London and they came through again with affordable travel insurance for my trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although Let’s Go Buenos Aires said all Argentina health care is free (even to tourists) I want to make sure I am covered. So, I bought a 3-month plan to start, which cost me just under $300 bucks after I added the “Adventure Sports Package”. Oooh Yeah! Not bad considering what it includes. Also, with STA travel insurance you can extend the plan anytime as long as you do it before it expires. Even more… they have locations around the world so you can stop in and flirt get good information from the STA staff.

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