UPDATE

Hey friends...

You're probably wondering why I haven't updated this badboy in awhile. I'm some issues with uploading photos with my camera. It might have a virus or something from using slutty computers. However, what I'm doing is making a movie of my trip and at least the second half will be a suprise.

I'll have lots of good stories for you... but to give you a quick update..

I went to a surf camp for New Years in Agentina.. Volunteered at a Buddhist farm for 2 months near Mendoza.. Meet lots of cool people between earthquakes.. Felt the big Chile one in Mendoza.. my bed was like the Exorcist... ummm.. felt 5 more in Chile waiting for my flight to Mexico.. I'll be home on April 26th after a 3 day Mexican wedding... see you soon

The City of Passion

Well here I in Buenos Aires. At first glance it seems very 'westernized' having Mc Donalds and Burger Kings sandwiching the people together in the streets. But they don't seem to mind getting a little up close and personal here. I appreciate a culture where everyone kisses each other when they meet. Makes me wonder why we got stuck with the hand shake.



The kissing rule down here is: there is no rule. I walk the streets and see couples sucking faces like vampires; the big difference is vampires only suck at night. Not only is this accepted, but it's expected; and I'm all-aboard. I have to say, it's refreshing to see true passion between couples of all ages here. At home I might have cringed to see two 60 year olds making out at a bus stop, but here, it makes one smile. I think there is a lot to be learned from this, so I'm bringing it home.



So the next time you and loverpants are at the movies, a coffee shop, waiting to cross the street, or standing in line at the bakery, grab them 'buns' and make them forget where they are with a nice big juicy kiss. Make them feel like they are the only person in the room for a moment and give them a taste of South America for me, cause that's what happens here.

I'm pretty sure the passion comes from the amazing music and dance they have here. The nightlife here is unreal and things 'start' happening full steam at about 1am. I've stumbled in and out of some really cool bars here. Monday nights they have a drum group named 'La Bomba de Tiempo' that blew the minds of me and a few thousand people. Not my footage, but check them out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncTiB94d4mA&feature=related

Not too often I'm up till 6am on a Monday night.. err Tuesday morning. Straight to the hostel to cash in the complimentary breakfast and then hit the sheets. I think I will have to be here to bring in the New Year.

There was a night where a few friends and I ended up on someone's rooftop where there was a huge party with a band that did a Christmas play. Baby Jesus was played by a 30-something year old hairy fat guy wearing a diaper. The Three Kings poured beer on him and the manger, just like in the bible.

The director for my next volunteer project in Mendoza, Thubten Kundrol http://proyectomonasterio.blogspot.com/, was nice enough to send me VIP to a concert this week. They are still looking for help of any shape or form if you are interested. I saw the Gilberto Gil concert where I met with him after the show. I didn't know who he was before, but he was very friendly and sincere. If you don't know him check him out:

http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/ - Great guitar work.

`

As of right now I'm shipping off to Uruguay to hit a beach for Christmas. There is a place called Cabo Polonio that I'm going to end up at for a few days. My body could use a couple thousand push ups right now, but that's okay. I might not send alot of e-mails from there considering they don't have electricity. http://cabopolonio.com/

Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you in the New Year!

Mat

Habitat Phase Uno

First off.. thanks to everyone that donated to this project. We are building an addition onto an orphanage here to give the kids some more room. It's nice to see that even though they don't have a lot, that the kids are still happy... and 'king of the castle' is played down here too.

The 'king of the castle' champion ponders the equations of life and love and thanks the stars for the Habitat crew for making her hopes and dreams come true...

The Habitat girls are not afraid to get a little dirty.

Can you dig it? Word. I have to say that the work has not been easy; it's gotten up to 45 degrees here while we're digging trenches for the foundation in the smoldering sun. There aren't an abundance of backhoes here and things are done the old fashioned way. However, it's been very rewarding.

The kids decided that I look like Wolverine. It got kinda milked throughout the week and I think I really turned into him. It probably didn't help that after finding this out I shaved my beard back into the Wolverine chops. Unfortunately for me, the kids knew that Wolverine is able to heal any wounds he endures and gave me a bit of a pounding betweem wheel barrow runs.

As happy as I look.. I was scared shittless.

One of the Axe-Men... Magneto.

The kids helping us all grow stronger.

The National Geographic shot.

The Wolverine Minions.

At the end of the week the kids put on a tradional preformance for us at the school. It was pretty damn good actually.

Break it... beat street style.

The cast and the crew.

R & R weekend. We had a shuttle take us to Agrentina to see ruins and the falls.

Rightside-ways.

The old Jesuit church entrance. What's left of it. The Spanish liked to destroy and conquer.

A lot of it was reconstructed but still looked pretty legit.

It's refreshing when your guide speaks English. The first language here is actually Guaraní; it's the only country down here that has a marriage with Spanish where they are both spoken.

Chasin' waterfalls.

I was able to keep my feet grounded without the current pulling me over. Risk-reward.

Wet smiles.


I don't recommend wearing denim here.

The edge of awesomeness... live it.

The classic candid shot... stay tuned for week 2.

La Paz.. A Thing of La Past

Hey kids!

I wanted to give a quick update so everyone knows that I'm not in a cult and that La Paz actually is a wicked place to hang out despite what my last blog says. I spent another week there and it was quite sensational actually. I moved to the Adventure Brew Hostel which was probably the coolest one I've been to thus far. I may have made a mini 'cribs' episode about it. It was $7 a night and this is what it includes:

-firepit on a terrace overlooking the city
-all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts
-all-you-can-eat nightly dinner buffets for $5
-3 movie rooms with a big DVD collection for the lazy times
-a brewery onsite and you get a free one daily (we call it the mandatory beer)
-when that's tapped you can buy 2 for $1.50 (and it's actually quality.. none of that 25 cent draft crap)
-this can be purchased at the bar on the top floor which has 4 player Mario Cart
-free internet
-kitchen access... and so on... blah blah blah


There were 4 of us that had guitars at the hostel and we would play at the fire almost every night. Travelling with a guitar is easier than it sounds and it's definately worth it. Also if you want cheap electronics.. La Paz is the place.



View from a hike.. Breath it all in.. on the right is the Devil's Mountain. There is a river seperating the two sides. There is a big contrast between the two sides... looks to be good vs evil... maybe this is where it all goes down... or up.


The translation to this abandoned building is 'The House of Democaracy'


The unexpected

Well, I'm in Paraguay right now and I start my Habitat project in a few days. I'll take some pictures and keep you updated. I bought a cheap electric razor as I've decided to become my own barber... I've always wondered what I'd look like with a bic'd head... hmmm..

Also, in case you havent figured it out.. if you click on the pictures they will enlarge...

Hasta Luego

The Shaman

As I was sitting on the rooftop terrace in my hostel in La Paz up came a mysterious person. He had a shaved head with a mini braid off the back.. We started to chat in Spanish.. since that is all he speaks.. after hacking through some of my shitty Spanish he showed me his tattoos he told me how he is a Shaman from Argentina. I found it interesting and I wanted to know more. As the days went by we spent more and more time chatting. We went on a few walks to some cool ruins and viewpoints. He taught me some meditation techniques and he talked alot about the universe. We seem to run into a few coincidences throughtout our walks.

I thought this was a cool way to expand my horizon and inspiration.

After I told him my birth date he told me that I am a Red Dragon. A Red Dragon is to remember information and spread the knowledge.. . He told me that I have been 'sleeping' for a long time and am now starting to 'wake up'. I thought it was kinda cool to hear.

However, the more I hung out with him the more I saw different sides of him. He was not consistant. We would have good talks and we seemed to connect.. but if I started to do anything he didnt appove of it would make him upset. He decided he wanted me to be his apprentice and he would teach me what he knows. He was very connected and knowledgable in Spiritual and historical things from South America.

After awhile he wanted to hang out all day with me and started to act a bit controlling.. he told me it was my destiny and that he sees something different in my eyes... I said it was because they were blue... he didnt laugh. He started talking pretty heavy how he was both good and evil and how he needed to bring out the good in me. Red flags were flying. Apparently my brain is damaged and needs repair. He sees the devil in me and I need 'a treatment'. He wanted to take me into the mountains for 5 days to drink cactus juice and wash my brain. The more I learned.. from what I know of Spanish.. he was in a cult. He started telling me about his 'community'. That is when things got serious... I was in deep and needed to get out.. I was at the hostel and he had, what I believed to be, other members with us.. it was me and 4 of them... Last night he told me that he can't leave me alone... he sees the dragon in me but he is afraid that if I go to sleep then the devil will take over again. WTF. He tried his hardest to mindfuck me but I guess I am too stubborn.. he told me this would be freedom.. but it seemed like he wanted control.. I played along like everything was cool for that night then went to bed anyways.. he waited outside my door all night.

Today was my escape. I told him that I had to do some stuff for my Paraguay visa and took off and never returned. I checked in with the Canadian embassy and got a different place to stay. I still have my guitar at the hostel.. I gotta go get it sometime....

The weird thing is.. looking in his eyes.. he truely believes everything he said.

I now have my guitar back... still in La Paz though cause a bank machine ate my card.. got wait to get it back.. I think ATMs should always give you the card back before the cash.. here, after getting the cash... it waits for 5 seconds then asks you if you want another transaction... at that time I was gone with my money...

I also have to mention that at my new hostel... I 've run into Barry and Tommy from Grandpa Fight... Barry said that night he felt like he was drugged from the first bar we were at..

The Candle

I
gotta
move this
candle is waxed

look at the time
no time to relax

calender calling

tell me my day

tells me I'm late

and when to
go play
would
it
be
cool
if I took a break?
could use a vaca'
if nothing's at stake
why would you ask?

you're already late

you wanna be poor

or wanna be paid?

then what is my task?

how long will it last?

my body's insane

and my mind
feels the same

I know the date

the minute of the hour
but what if I don't? then I have the power

Back to the start, his hands will unwind

time with no meaning, no reason or rhyme
cause his clock is internal and turning inside

it's randomly clever, all-knowing and wise
he tells when he's ready, but not from a tick, his body will talk to the clock from within

A Song

Hi.. I'm in Bolivia right now in La Paz.. I guess I'm guilty of not updating my blog too often lately. Computers here are slow and annoying... it helps when I am capital city so I can find a really nice hotel and pretend to be a guest so I can use the internet for free... and it's fast. I finally met up with Craig and Jana in Peru and we had a wicked time hanging out at a desert oasis for several days. A wine tour, sand boarding, sand ninjas, sand yoga, late night sand fires, sand hiking, sand drinking, sand getting into my camera, sand in the beds, sand jams, sand dune buggies, and sand... you get the idea....

I got my visa to Paraguay and I will probably stay in La Paz until I got do my habitat build there on the 22nd. Halloween is tomorrow and since I already have ninja costume..

Lost in Profit

V 1
Tactics are in place
with the subject in position
here it's always been
so we just tend to listen
There once was a vision until they pulled it apart
broken but rebuilt now we're wearing the scars

CH 1
The problem that I see
pretending to be free
I still see the reigns
to which we're numb to the pain
Pounded to the ground
yet barely makes a sound
bound by the hands
working someone else's plan

Following distractions makes it take longer to feel
playing along too long and the game becomes real
and we're trapped in the wheel

V 2
When the future sees today
we're gonna seem so unknowing
how we're racing to the top
of a big burning building
There once was a vision until they pulled it apart
broken but rebuilt now we're wearing the scars

CH 2
Awaken in a trap
fighting profit on attack
now a mission of escape
compounding at the gate
Threats are filled of fear
when a revolution's near
cause evolution grows
the more we choose to know

Following distractions makes it take longer to feel
playing along too long and the game becomes real
and we're trapped in the wheel

BD
Pure intentions are lost unconscious
the main idea is lost in profit
this place is in change
so in change I will remain
no longer will I wait for something else to blame...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1176743/Donald-Rumsfelds-controversial-links-drug-company-Tamiflu.html