Laine & Justin

This post is dedicated to Laine & Justin. Without whom my poorly edited blog would have no poorly edited comments.

I miss you two like I miss smoked salmon and maple syrup. (I'm not sure who is which)

And much like the above combination; Laine & Justin are both sweet, enjoyed all year round and provide a truly Canadian experience :)



Thanks boys! Keep up the good work!

I'm alive :)

I WAS NOT on the train that exploded in Italy today. But it IS on my route to Riomaggiorre tomorrow :s

Just wanted to let everyone know in case it was on the news... I hear it travels fast these days.

- Jesse Mah (needs to find a new route to Cinque Terre)

Ps. It was a gas leak... no evil people involved.

Bye Ninimuggers!!!

Nin left me in Florence today. She was the ultimate travel companion... A human Swiss army knife. I will miss many things about travelling with Nin. Mostly, I will miss her long winded readings from Rick Steve's Travel Italy 2008. The book that has now become my Italy survival guide... Tell it like it is Rick.... Tell it like it is...


(Nin crammed on SITA bus in Amalfi)


(Nin covering up for the Churches, while maintaining her charismatic charm)


(Nin stranded at the train station)

Bye for now Nin, see you back in Vancouver!

- Jesse Mah (is most definitely alone)

Roaming

Michael Jackson died !?! What the F... conspiracy theory much? I think MJ and Tupac are now living on the same tropical island somewhere. Semi-kidding.

Nin and I had planned on spending a night on the town, but when we found out about Michael, we ended up eating pizzas and watching MJ music videos on MTV all night.



Since that night, any Michael Jackson song reminds me of Rome. And when Nin leaves me I'm sure I will be singing "you are not alone" to myself while walking through cathedrals.... ALONE.

As for Roma, she's crazy. The city is 99.9% tourists and you have 55.5% chance of getting hit by a moving vehicle. (numbers may have been dramatized.) Still the city is a living museum. It isn't possible to escape the history... you can frolik through the history. Please restrain from mental images of me froliking through history :)

- Jesse Mah (is not alone)

Pompei and Napoli

Sorry no pics this time... I was too scared to bust out my iPhone in Napoli.

That said, Naples is probably one of the most unique cities i've visited in Italy so far. At first we were a little freaked out, as the city has a pretty shady history. But it might even be worth getting mugged in Napoli just to experience it's gritty charm. There are mountains of garbage in the streets and tons of dark alleys full of shifty characters (who I can only assume are part of the mafia.) On the flip side the piazzas are full of children playing soccer, vespas zooming by, people yelling and lots of mom & pop shops. It was grrrrreat.

Pompei is huge, and to be frank quite tiring. We spent 5 hours walking around with handheld audio guides that played really cheesey music. If anyone ends up going I'd suggest paying the full 10 euros for a walking tour and save yourself a blister or two ;)

Bring on the gelato!!

Enough writing.... Here are some pictures of my time on the Amalfi coast. (Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi Town)


(enough said)


(looking down on Positano from our hostel! Denzel W was visiting..... Hi Denzel!! I loved you in that movie were you played a basketball coach for underprivilaged kids aka. Every movie you've been in!! Snap :p)




Purple! Italians weat alot of purple... Literally every local is decked out in purps.


(looking up from the beach. It's a hell of alot of steps to get back up :s)


(Drinking wine at night in Amalfi/ waiting for the mama SITA bus)


(BIMBOS!)


(Amalfi at night)


(Ninianne getting ready for one of the worlds last great "white knuckle rides"... It's a quote from Rick Steve's travel book)

- Jesse Mah (Italian resort destination lover)

24 hours to Sorrento

I am just finishing my first 24 hours of non-stop travel! At this point I feel like a total hippie!



From Dubrovnik, Nin and I took a ferry to Bari Italy. We planned on catching an overnight train to Naples from Bari, but the ferry was 3 hours late and we missed the train. This led to my first time sleeping in a public ferry station! I'm sure my parents are proud :)



We are now on a train to Naples, which is known as the birth place of both pizza and the mafia. I also hear it's the worst place for travelers being scammed by shady locals.



Once we get to Naples, we're off to Sorrento and finally we can sleep in a bed!!

- Jesse Mah (getting ready to sleep and then eat pizza!!)