Heading home

Life on the road has been great, but when a close friend is getting married in Sweden where the sun is shining an friends keep on BBQ'ing etc. then I decided to return three weeks earlier. So now it's all about getting up to Mexico from where I fly to Sweden with a stop in NYC for a couple of days to see some friends.

So far I made it to Venezuela so I have quite a few houres on various buses until Ill reach Mexico, gonna have to fly across to panama, but first Ill meet up with a friend in Colombia. Thats the plan so far and if all goes well Ill be back in the very end of this month. See some of you guys then!

Buenos Aires

My stay in Buenos Aires will likely be shorter than I expected, but only because this city has everything and definately rank as one of the very best cities on earth if you ask me. Being that good it offers way to many ways to lose you money and it sure shows on my bank account, therefore the potential earlier departure.

The main reason from most travelers to go here have so far been; the girls. Well on that point I'm not amazed, but I realize I might be spoilt being from Sweden. Still it really doesn't matter, with food this good, I don't need girls, I don't need friend I'm simply gonna eat till I'm fat, ugly and very happy.

But seriously the steaks here are out of this world, and I could never imagine meat tasting that good, its not close to anything I had before. On top of this Buenos Aires seems to be the world capital of good taste. Culture in all forms are appreciated and highly visible throughout the city. No more reggeton, cafes and restaurants plays Janis Joplin and The Smits, buildings are beautiful with 4 meters to the ceiling, interior design are indeed tastefully done and so on... As this is not enough one of the areas offers the best shopping I've seen in this world so far, with great designer shops in amazing quantity and quality as well as price, very much needed since my cloth is literary falling apart at the moment.

This is definitely a place to come back to, now the only problem is to be able to leave before bankruptcy...

Be my lover

Be my lover, wanna be my lover? The deeply profound lyrics of 90s dance music might not go that well together with the astonishing surroundings in the Bolivian salt desert, it's nevertheless the soundtrack we're stuck with for three day doing a jeep trip through the desert. Days are sunny, night are freezing and the nature is totally surreal. No one is really surprised when the driver tells us Salvador Dali actually been painting in the same area, in some places its only the melting clocks that are missing to complete the painting...

Fighting the Coca

Arrived in Cusco after a 20h bus ride and started the next day with a 4 day guided trek towards machu picchu. The first day though begins with 5h downhill mountain biking with a twist. The "twist" is as always random events and lack of organisation that seems to define life in Peru. This time the results are roads blocked by massive rocks falling from above, heavy machinery to cruse between on the way down, and a strike closing the road access to the village where we are to spend the night.

This particular strike concerns the Presidents policy of making coca plantations illegal, arguing they are used for cocaine production. When I and the group of about 15 foreigners are leaving the village, we get applause from the crowd shouting "Gringos" at us. Obviously they have realised the irrationality in making us "the white people", a symbol of Americas heavy monetary, military and political "war on drugs" that could be seen as the reason behind the policy of the President. And simply they are chairing us on, wishing us a safe journey...

To be fair this is the only time in this country (and in many more) I´ve felt some kind of hostility due to the color of my skin or my nationality.

Working on my "Magnum look"!

Where hanging around in a club with my friends a while ago and was lucky to get an offer of a modeling job. Turned out to be a serious one so the whole project lasted two days on a cool location just next to the presidential palace in Lima. Nice pay and a fun experience including clichés as; the semi-hippy photographer and the experienced female model who was calling the shots on the set with a killer attitude.

It went well and I'll probably have a new "job" in may, so that might change my plans here slightly, will still be heading down to Argentina just not sure exactly what date. Will get the pics soon and so if I dare I'll update then...

The light in the end of the tunnel

Well, talking about efficiency in my last post I have to admit that my productivity has been down for a week or to when it comes to the progress of my thesis. Still though I just finished the survey needed and got 240 teenagers in different areas to answer my questions about the use of IT etc. Anyway, with that done and the books for my last two small courses I slowly realize that I could actually finish it all quite soon. That means that freedom in the purest form, also called summer vacation, is coming closer and it feels great! Buenos Aires will be the first stop and then I'll see what will happen...

Efficiency at it's best

Big up to my great parents that have not forsaken me in this country where premium dark chocolate is as rare as irony or as I'm about to experience; efficiency. Finally I'll be able to fully enjoy my read wine from Argentina together with the delicious chocolates in a neat package on my doorstep. This treasure is not alone on the doorstep since another pet on the back goes to Alex, who in a heroic manner, swiftly sent me not only books crucial form my studies, but also more chocolates!

The last mentioned package tough, is so far only manifested by an invoice, hence I'm of to the post office to find this is my lucky day, almost no queue at all, lovely! Luckily though I mastered patiente during my time here and the next two hours sure let's me make use of it. After the first queue comes the second, then numbers that just before my number changes series from A to P (eh?). Then it's time to walk to the counter just to see my package ripped open for security reasons (eh?) just to be brought out of site again, sit down please, new queue and finally I'm actually got it in my hands. And I sure won't let go of it...

Great Party

Saturday and the house is filling up quickly. Suddenly BBQ is on, music is on and the party is on. Jonatan is on as well, on the blanket under the stars accompanied by a cuba libre and my three newly found darlings from Finland and Colombia. And with them I get to match my skills in irony and sarcasms and it turns out to be like riding a bike, I'm soon up to full speed and I'm having the best time ever bitching with them as the hours goes by.

Waking up the next day is indeed easier when our house offers green grass under the shining sun, and our German wonder woman is preparing pancakes. Life is good.

Train to heaven, or hell...

Destination; Huancayo, Means of transportation; the worlds highest train route. Well at leas it was before the Chinese started the mad project of a train rout to Tibet. Anyway the second highest is still very high, a little to high for a Jonatan that has been sick in fewer for two days and only slept 2h because of an exam in Microeconomics the night before. Hence the overdramatic headline, since the trip that where supposed to be a great scenic ride, rather ended up draining my energy with height sickness and some more fewer following. Still it was great getting away over the weekend and after a good night sleep we explored the local silver market. Returned by a comfortable bus where we all had to play a round of bingo. Got me thinking of the excelent movie "Torsk på Tallin" that got me into a great mood.

Mad Max

No thunder dome, but at least slightly post apocalyptic looking dune buggy’s, and that turned out to be more than enough for a great weekend! Last I traveled through the dessert, it was on the back of a camel for a few days in India. This time I even had a few meters of air as the buggy jumped the dunes. With sand in my; shoes, hair, ears, mouth and so on... it was nice to go back to the oasis where we where lodging for the night. With; meat on the grill, tacky music in the speakers and happy people around the pool, it was set for a great party! Lots of fun and great people but I also got to appreciate the tranquility I'de been longing for quite some time.

Knowing I've been very lazy updating this blog, I'll try to compensate by serving of a few updates in a row...

Big waves and stereotypes

I’m thrown of the board as Mother Nature slaps me in the face with a wave that hits me like a speeding train. Tumbling in the water I find myself far from the surfer stereotype of a surfer striking a cool pose when riding the big wave in the sunset. Still I’m really enjoying my first attempt to surf, much due to the feeling of being very, very close to the astonishing nature that surrounds me.

When catching my breath on the beach afterwards, a feeling of great calmness takes me over.

At home life goes on, and talking about stereotypes, the French keeps on smoking, the Germans has just organized the fridge in the most efficient way possible, and I as a Swede enjoy some spare time sunbathing half naked.

The girl I’m seeing refers to me as “Loco”. Haven’t really figured out what that could mean but I sure it something very sweet. Have been very good with my studies and have finished half this term in three weeks. Although when it comes to Spanish I got a very long way to go.

Gonna finish my coffee and head to the beach…