THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico, the Mexico City metropolitan area population is 21.2 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere. The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325.

3 days is probably a massive ask to even touch the sides of the 16 Boroughs of Mexico City, but why not have a crack. So much to see, sweet places to eat and drink, markets that you could take home by the container load. And if you enjoy your pre-hispanic history then plenty of museum options too.

Hope you enjoy some of the shots from a couple of days hopping on and off the underground in MEX CITY.

Most recognised image on earth..

Street Signs “old vs new”

Getting Told

Aztec Goddess of scariness

Aztec Sun Dial at the Museum De Anthropologico

Street Witch Doctor Dude

Street Art Circa de Cathedral

Good ol Ricos Tacos

Dont want to cross old mate

Back street boy

Another day at the office

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Central Flag

Rad Door

WTF?

See ya in the Snow!

When Renny had the idea of going to Vegas for her 30th we knew that it was a weekend that we would not want to miss… The best idea ever!

We met up on the Friday night at the Lee’s suite and headed to Marquee nightclub for the German duo Cosmic Gate. Table service, private waitress, dancing Vegas girls at a very amazing club was a perfect way to start the weekend and celebrate Renny’s birthday.

Welcome to Las Vegas!

The Excalibur, our hotel – very cool.

New York New York – amazing hotels all along the strip…

The MGM Grand lion.

We knew the event of the weekend was going to be Tiesto at Encore Beach – it was amazing in all ways to say the least. 2,000 people going crazy to one of the world’s best DJs in perfect weather at the beautiful Encore pool – epic!

Encore Beach before the madness.

Tiesto craziness.

The crew.

The boys making friends with some interesting characters.

The ladies.

MGM rapids…

The strip madness.

Farewell dinner after the best weekend ever…

We now find ourselves in Puerto Escondido – Mexico, a very different pace that for sure.

Didnt know what quite to expect when we planned our visit to Korea, admittedly we decided to spend a few days as we had jagged a cheap flight to break up our trip from Bali to Vegas, and Incheon international is one of the few places you can fly direct.

Thanks Ange from work who gave us some invaluable info, its always so much better getting good intel, especially in a city! I think we managed to knock over most of your recommendations.

Its evident the Korean culture is a culture built on pride and respect. I cant recount the times during our trip that we were either, helped with directions, bags, vacated a seat so we could sit together, or just stopped to ask where we were from. (more than likely having a laugh at the weird bearded guy with a snowboard bag that cant understand them!).

She was mad for the Churros!

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Palace Guards

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Stoked to be having his pic taken all day with Gringos

King Sejong

Pinkies

For a city of 10 million centralised, and another 10 million living in outskirts you can barely tell. No rubish, great subway, friendly people getting on. Picturing Sydney with 10 million…hmmmm.

The Uni precinct is alive, loads of small alleys with street bars, Korean BBQ’s, cafes and markets buzzing all night. Our guide on the DMZ tour worded us up that the Koreans are the 3rd biggest drinkers after the Russians and Germans, and the old rice wine is running through their veins.

Over the last year weve figured out the tour bus gig isnt really us, but it would have been tough rocking up to the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone ) minus a guide, so SLR around the neck, and all aboard. The tour was a bit sugar coated, what the guide lacked in fact (hope you all brought your umbrellas, because sometimes the North Koreans spray us with poison) he made up for in humor.

Confronting though thinking about the lives lead North on the other side of a 150 mile long double razor wire fence with CCTV every few kms accross the entire length of the Country.

WTF is a Cat Cafe???

Street Food.

Had to be a Hello Kitty….

Korean War Memorial

Enough rambling…. Korea gets the Magic Fountain thumbs up cool city to visit if you can handle the pace. Now in transit, stretching up at gate 27, en route to a quiet weekend in LAS VEGAS where we get to hook up with 8 of our mates for Renae’s 30th festival.

10 days of fun in the sun and tonight we are off to Korea – its gone so quick! The last week and a bit has just getting back in relax mode, and it hasn’t taken us long at all to get back into the backpacker flow.

Clay, Leisha and Tanae have been here the whole time so its been great to catch up with them over a few beers or cocktails.

Next stop – Seoul…. Should be interesting!

Beautiful Balangan Beach

Big swell

Shacked

Ulu cliffs

Scull clouds

Sunset session

Gorgeous girls

Ulu sunset beers

Bintang anyone…?

Nuts about surfing

Temples

The Magic Fountain is back…

Here are some pics from Morocco – the post that never made it up!
Happily sipping on Bintang’s and enjoying the Bali life at the moment… More pics to come.

x

Riding into the desert

Sahara Desert

Matt from the Berber tribe

My camel

Rugged coast line

Jimmy joined us for a weeks adventure – our Massive hire car

Boiler Point at sunset

Sunset session

Matty surfing Boliers

Local groms

Goat truck

After 8 long years we finally made it to Ireland – Matt’s second home and a place that I have heard so much about. We were greeted with the amazing Irish hospitality from the first minute when Barry picked us up from the airport in Dublin and stayed with him and Vicky for 2 nights. After a catch up over a few beers and a quick visit to the Guinness factory we were on the train heading to Waterford.

First stop Full of Bean’s and Matt found Roberto having a cuppa in the office just like he had left him 8 years earlier. Staying in our pikey camper at the Coffee household we spent the first week catching up and being big kids with Keenan and Saoirse, letting Super Mum Glancy show us how its done and keep us going with her Irish hangover cures. The second week we drove the south and west coasts. And week three we were spoilt rotten by Noel and Nicola with more kid time with Sophie “Blue Steel” Hayes!

Kilkenny Castle.

Kilkenny locals celebrating their All Ireland Hurling win!

An excited "Cats" fan!

Kilkenny is painted all beautiful different bright colours!

Guinness anyone? Guinness factory Dublin.

Celtic crosses at an old cemetery over looking the beach.

Barry leant us his van so we took off for a week to travel the south west coast – some of the most stunning country side that we have seen on our whole trip. We spent the days driving through green hill’s, and a very rugged coast line and the nights parking up in a small country town to hit the local pub’s get drunk and enjoy the diddley ey on offer.

Stormy skies over an old cemetery.

Old Bank Golf Club - $275 for a round and booked out until mid 2012!

Kissing the Blarney Stone and hoping for the gift of eloquence!

The bridge at Mizen Head - Ireland's most SW point.

Most SW point of Ireland.

The wind was so strong it is holding me up as I tried to fall horizontally - 55 knots!

Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsular.

Stunning views on the Ring of Kerry.

Funny looking sheep who roam around on the Ring of Kerry

The Cliffs of Moher - home to the famous surf break Aileen's.

The old fort at the Cliff's of Moher.

The Coffey kids - amazing little humans.

Delicious Thai dinner with our fab hosts Noel and Nicola!

Barry, Vicki, Steven, Coffey’s, Barrett’s, Noel, Nicola, Sophie, Jimmy, Susie, Ron, Prender and team. Thankyou again, we will miss you all, and wish that we were not so far apart, but look forward to the catch ups that are to come in whatever country that is. – Matt & Carls.

New York New York, the city that never sleeps – never a truer word has been spoken! We had the most amazing time in New York staying with Beck and Cory who were the best hosts. They had us entertained every waking moment, from eating at amazing restaurants, drinking cocktails at the best bars, eating the yummiest pizza New York has to offer, listening to Jazz in underground clubs, wandering through Central Park, shopping and eating meatballs in Brooklyn, going to baseball games, visiting museums or pounding the pavement seeing all of the sites that New York has to offer!

Central Park - Strawberry Fields John Lennon Monument .

Empire State Building.

Fat Cat Jazz Bar - Afro Jazz Dancers.

Bleeker Street Pizza - Best Pizza in New York!

We caught up with a good mate Evan who we travelled with for a few days in Panama back in January. We shared a few wines on the roof top of his apartment which had the best views of Manhattan and the Williamsburg Bridge – one of the apartments in his building is owned by the Trump Modelling Agency, no one seemed to complain about the 6′ tall models drinking up there as well!

NY Crew in East Village.

Guns Anyone?

Balcony Views from Becks and Corys Apartment.

Wall Street.

Lady of Liberty - right before the earthquake hit!

New World Trade Center at Ground Zero.

Skater Boys.

Down town Brooklyn!

Brooklyn!

More Brooklyn!

Graf in.... Brookyln.

Aggghhhrrr

Broooooklyn Fun.

We also caught up with Nat who was on her way to Canada – we went to a Yankees game which was realllly close and exciting! Yankees lost by 1 point after being behind for the whole game.

Yankes Stadium - Ball Game.

Exciting game.

Yaaaaaaankes!

Farewell message after the BEST week!

Its been a busy few weeks since we left Central America for the last time this trip. The first stop being Toronto – or so we thought…. While standing in the immigration queue in Miami en-route to Toronto, the friendly Canadian standing behind us informed us that our airline Spirit Air only flies into the states!?!? The cheeky buggers advertise ‘Toronto Area’ which is really Buffalo USA which is 2 hours from Toronto. Needing to start our Canadian visa’s we did the trek over the dividing bridge between the two countries only to be extremely impressed with the view – Niagara Falls! At least it saved us a day trip from Toronto, and after a few hours bus ride we arrived to where we had planned – a very happening city in which we loved!

Surf in Canada?

USA / Canada

First views.

Post cards!

Small falls.

Big drop.

Horseshoe.

Brewing.

Rainbow.

We spent a few days in Toronto wondering around the city centre which had a great vibe – bands playing the the centre square, great little area’s such as little Cuba and Portugal, plus a very happening strip in little Italy full of bars and restaurants with the fantastic service that Northern America has on offer. A nice change from Central!

Fosters and Dundas - just like home.

Our new mate in the immigration line told us that a must see attraction in Toronto was Canada’s Wonderland – and it did not let us down. It had every type of roller coaster that you can imagine, standing, sitting, backwards, laying head first – you imagine it they had it! Made for a very fun day with lots of screams and laughter!

Canada's Wonderland!!!!

Sky high swings.

Stand up roller coaster!

Diving show at Wonderland.

Craaaaazy roller coaster 'The Behemoth'

Next stop – NEW YORK!!!! A new favourite place of both of us – to say we had a ball would be an understatement! Pic’s to come soon…

After the boat adventure we were in need of finding some waves urgently, so with a good tip off on a little town on the south coast of Costa Rica we set off for the 2 day mission.

The Costa Rican Pacific coast is an amazing spot, with the most abundant wildlife in Central America you are greeted with toucans and monkeys in the tree’s, horses grazing on the beaches and waves in plentiful supply. A place that we will be back to and worthy of a surf road trip over no less than 2 months.

Rancho Canatella run by Joe and Shirley is a jungle escape that caters for 15 people across from one of the longest left handers on the planet. Joe and his wife took this over about 3 years ago, days are taken up with maintenance, surfing, running the lodge and spending time with their little fella Kianoa.

The Ranch

Our Jungle Hut

Fire Sky

The Point

Yeeeewwwww!

Slabs!

Wild Monkeys

Pacific Coast Sunsets

Another Point

After four very fond months we bid farewell to our floating home The Captiva and our jobs with Panama Sailing Adventures, on hold for now the cruising lifestyle will certainly be a new goal for the future.

5 hours in to a very rough trip 5, Jeremy noticed a hair line fracture across the prop shaft. Not wanting to be a casualty of the sea we turned the boat around and headed back to port with 15 disappointed guests and 2 crew who were now in search for a new job. We weren’t sure how long the repairs would take and weren’t too keen on hanging around in the port town of Colon so we decided it was time to move on in search of waves.

We had an amazing last trip with an unreal crew that were so much fun and a great way to finish up our time on the boat. These pics are our last San Blas trip – the most stunning place we have ever seen so if you get a chance to go we would highly recommend it.

Good Bye Cartagena.

Catch of the trip.

Stunning San Blas.

Kuna fishing.

The magic island.

Glowing.

Kite surfing.

She said yes - what a place for a proposal!

Ship wreck skies.

Bon fire party.

Fire dance.

Fuego

Postcards.

Spotted eagle rays and nurse sharks galore.

Girls gone wild.

Very fun group.

Woo hoo.

Wenches.

Crazy kids.

Why!!!?

Slipped.

Where the hairline fracture was.

We are currently in Costa Rica in a small beach town called Pavones which is home to the second longest left hand wave in the world. Been surfing every day and relaxing in the sun with monkeys, tucans and wild horses running about the place.

From here we start our trip home for a summer of weddings – first stop Canada, followed by New York, London, Ireland, Morocco and Bali! So see you all in November. (We are only around for 4-6 months and then heading off again to finish what we started, Canada snow season and Mexico road trip!)