From outside you can hear the band and the crowd chanting the worlds to ‘Sweet Carolyn’, as you enter the smell of thousands of slowly cooking chickens smacks you across the face. The Shear quantity of people stretching out, all with large beers swinging from their hands, is amazing.

Oktoberfest is something else altogether.

The festival is massive, the tents beautiful, the food delicious, and the amount of beer absurd. After making it to Munich, and picking up the new member of the Camper-of-Cool Neil, we were eager to hit the tents. Luckily for us our neighbours at the campsite were a couple of friendly New Zealanders, Isaac and Carina, who were also keen to hit the beerfest so as a group we headed to the festival of beer worship.

Upon entering the show grounds it is clear this is more than just the world largest beer drinking festival. over the back the roller coasters, and carnival rides flash and spin. Along the large central walkway booth after booth are filled with foods ranging from traditional to not-so-traditional.

Now what happens at Oktoberfest, STAYS at Oktoberfest but I will say it was a mind blowing and expensive experience – not only for us. Our fellow campsites guests (not including our NZ neighbours) left their marks in/on/around the toilets and showers. The campsite itself was a mix of badly erected tents, drunken English guys, loud Germans and the normal mix of angry local residents.

After three days our livers, and wallets, were felling a little worse for wear and the Camper-of-Cool set out on the road. Our next destination Berlin!

Not including the brilliant nights sleep, and I mean that, in a roadside service station car-park, we arrived at what can only be described as the complete opposite to the campsite we had in Munich – quiet, clean and brilliantly located.

Berlin is a strange place. Our first exploration around some of the museums and main sites was enjoyable but a little cold. The weather during the trip up had slowly deteriorated and we now faced non-stop rain, wind and that growing feeling of irritation that comes with being stuck in a small space where everything smells of damp.

We made plans to do the walking tour – as advices by Issac in Munch, and the following day awoke early, to more rain I will add, to make the trip into Berlin’s heart.

I wont go through everything we saw but I will say the Original English Walking tour, that costs 9 Euro, takes you to all the places you could want, the guides are ridiculously over educated (ours held a doctorate in archaeology!), and the walking not that strenuous. The highlight for me was the wall & checkpoint charlie. Although hearing about the origins of Berlin, the rises and falls or its leaders and the continuing struggle to shed itself of the past without destroying its history, where also enthralling.

The 20th century has not been kind to the city. It has been the front in two world wars and a cold war, seen segregation, suppression, and also been the place that many world changing events have occurred. It has had its share of the crazy and the smart leading its government and has, more recently, become a world leader in green technology and economic reforms.

While the weather was horrible, it truly was depressing, the city itself, with its mix of bullet riddled-semirestored buildings and modern monstrosities is a wonder to explore. The Rich history of the place makes it a Must-DO if you’re in Europe.

So from behind the now crumbling and chipped wall

GK Out.

The cocktail and prawns are laid in-front of me by two waiters both dressed in near full three piece suits even thought the temperature is pushing forty seven centigrade. For a split second someone looking over may have mistaken me for some rich celebrity playboy spending his millions on seafood and wine in the playground of the middle east, then they would have noticed the $3 thongs, twelve day growth and general unclean look, quickly realising I’m just another bum backpacker.

Welcome to the Dubai, United Arab Emirates

As I leave Dubai international Terminal 3, possibly the nicest airport in the world, I’m whisked away on the metro. The view outside is of Dubai, a town unlike many others.The city scape looks like the scene from some futuristic thriller where global warming has reduced the earth to Read the rest of this entry →

The rain is so heavy you can barely see 10m. The humidity is in the mid to high 90%, and I’m happy as a fat kid on free cake day. Coming to Goa in the off season was one of the best ideas I’ve had to date, even if it did take 46hours of travel.

I was told three things.

1. It would be raining
2. It would be dead
3. It would be a waste of time.

Non of these things is true…. ok maybe Read the rest of this entry →