Adrian: An Englishman in New York

Martha, Martha

2009-03-31T15:27:00.001-07:00

The intrepid explorer, back on home soil

2009-02-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well, after over a year stateside, this chap sneaked back into the UK last week! It was a discreet arrival and I was a little dazed for it felt like the end of an adventure.

I'll never forget it. One sunny day in September 2007, I found out that my short-lived career was about to expand a little. A little over the transatlantic.

A few months later in early 2008, I was living in Herald Square, right in the middle of Manhattan, New York, with a 10001 zip code. The first city that had visited on my trip around the world, was now, home? Waking up in Manhattan was spectacular, if a little surreal.

After three months, a new life in Chicago beckoned and I didn't really know what to expect. But in many ways, with more time in Chicago I enjoyed it more and got to know the place really well. I was also very lucky to find a place in one of the tallest buildings in Chicago and home was a 63rd floor apartment with some of the best panoramic views of the city.

I truly had the time of my life! So to leave it all behind was hard, especially leaving behind a special girlfriend and some new friends, but it is great to catch up with family and friends again. I just need to work out what's next!

On that note, who knows what is next. When I came back from travelling three years ago, I was dazed even then and I thought that I wouldn't have another adventure for a while. At that time, I posted these famous words on my original blog:

AFTER AN EPIC TRIP AROUND THE WORLD, THE INTREPID EXPLORER FINDS HIMSELF BACK IN THE UK, WHERE WILL HE GO AND WHAT WILL HE DO NEXT? FOLLOW THESE CHRONICLES INTO THE REALM OF THE UNKNOWN... THE TRAVEL OF LIFE RATHER THAN CHARTERED FLIGHT, IT'S HERE, IT'S REAL, IT'S THE INTREPID EXPLORER BACK ON HOME SOIL.

Since then, there have been more adventures, both in terms of a fair few chartered flights (believe me!) and the travel of life - I'm now an uncle and that's a bit of an adventure in itself!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2009-02-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

Last week I managed to fit in a little trip to Mexico with Lindsey. Ever since I arrived in Chicago she's been my special local guide showing me all the best places, taking me to some fantastic concerts (even the opera for five hours!) and we just seem to have a lot of fun. Oh, and she is also a very good cook (though my talents remain undiscovered as I did burn the rice once and was never allowed to cook again!). So, obviously, she was the ideal traveling buddy for a trip to Mexico!We headed to the airport early on Saturday morning, witnessing a beautiful sunrise over the airport and the city of Chicago.Several hours later we were in a small taxi weaving in and out of the Mexican traffic on the hot streets of a town called Puerto Vallarta which is nestled on the coast of the pacific ocean. Boy was it nice to be in a warm place for a change!!!!!The taxi dropped us off at the villa with all its brilliant views over the town and ocean. We headed down to the town and the beach enjoying all the sights as well as some Mexican sweetcorn mixed with poblano peppers - a true delicacy to try at home.Even nicer are the mangos from this region of Mexico (Lindsey loves them dearly!) and on one trip to a surfing beach on the bumpiest bus ever, we came across possibly the best thing - a truck load of them!We even saw this chap again (the so-called Mango Man) the next day at a different beach further down the coast and he greeted us like long lost friends before we bought another dozen of freshly picked mangos to keep up our vitamin C intake, at least for a year.

Coincidently, I did go surfing and although it was a little rocky near the beach, the waves were pretty good and Lindsey even got a rare picture of me in action. Hard to believe I know.After that I was feeling lucky and so I treated myself to a whole red snapper on the way back! It was very nice indeed.
On the trip, we played pool a few times, well, this wasn't just enjoyment as I needed to avenge an earlier defeat, and we found some pool halls to play even when we were the only tourists in sight!
There was one last thing we needed to do and that was tequila tasting which was way more sophisticated than I thought and it was actually quite nice!We had one last brunch in town on a balcony overlooking the ocean before flying back to the Windy City.It was a great trip and such good fun!

More Mexico pictures

2009-02-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Chicago charm

2009-02-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Just before the end of last year I pulled together all my footage of Chicago taken during the late summer. When I look back at this now, the city is so alive and different to what it is in the depths of the harsh winter!!! The long and hot summer really does make up for it, fortunately!

Enjoy!

Chicago Summertime from Adrian Swinbourne on Vimeo.

Wintertime

2009-01-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

Chicago sunset

2009-01-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Martha Anne Swinbourne

2009-01-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

I think one of the most surreal moments for me in 2008 was meeting my little baby niece for the first time. My brother is now a Dad and I am an uncle. Hard to believe I know!The strangest thing is that Martha just looks familiar - perhaps she has Charlie's mouth. I still haven't quite worked it out!

Seattle

2008-11-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

On my travels around the world in 2005, I stopped off in Seattle for a couple of days after visiting Canada. So when I headed out to Seattle with work for a few days in early November, it was good chance to retrace all those steps.Even from Chicago it's a four hour flight to get out to the northwest coast of the USA. And once I had arrived, the whole city seemed familiar from the airport to the famous Pike Market.After spending a bit of time in the midwest it was also nice to sample some fresh seafood from the pacific. I think I ate pacific salmon two nights in a row, perhaps three.

A night in

2008-11-16T15:53:00.001-08:00

The Obama rally

2008-11-07T08:34:00.001-08:00

What a surreal night. Last Tuesday, on a warm evening, thousands upon thousands of hopeful Americans (and international observers like me!) went down to Grant Park for change that we can believe in.
I didn't actually see Obama. That was a bit tricky. But it was great just to be there and experience the drama once he had been elected!

An historical moment indeed.

Sun it rises

2008-11-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Halloween in the US

2008-10-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you will know, Halloween is a big occasion in the US. It's so big in fact, that I had two parties to go to with friends from work, one party was 'hell' and the other 'heaven'.

Getting ready for the night, I began my normal heroics as a zombie which my university friends may recognise, though this time it turned out more joker than zombie, almost a combination between the two. I am not sure if I would recommend it, but hopefully it was mildly effective.

Fleet Foxes

2008-10-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

For a little while, I've been a big fan of Fleet Foxes and luckily enough I managed to get tickets when they came to town. They are awesome!

Fernandes in Chicago

2008-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

In October, Daniel Fernandes was in town. He's an old friend from uni and he was once an arch enemy as one of the rather nasty Greville Road crew. I was one of the lads from the nicer Raleigh Road crew, and we once beat the Greville Road lads during a dramatic game of football 10 goals to 9. The sweet taste of success was that much better as drinks were on them. For the rematch, we lost the game terribly, and the beers didn't taste quite so good.

Luckily the rivalry was always good natured and they weren't really that nasty. Mostly, we could all be found watching football down the pub, out for a few drinks or playing football on the Park Street field in front of the Bristol Cathedral come rain, shine, or even darkness.

So Dan arrived in the Windy City armed with newspapers, Cadbury's chocolates, baked beans, and with the latest football news. We quickly opened a beer and sat at the window catching up with news whilst looking over downtown Chicago.The rest of the week followed with a visit to Wicker Park for mashed potato pizza, a bit of an unusual classic! A visit to Zanies, a comedy venue, where the jokes were on us guys sitting in the front seats - never the best seats to take in a comedy venue.Then, we went to see a few concerts, beginning at the Riveria to see TV On The Radio, before heading to Metro to see Spinto and a few other bands.On Friday morning we headed off to sample a true American brunch - the equivalent of our own English breakfast. But it was a little much for Dan.A couple of times we headed down the beach to... ahem, perfect our football skills. Although the sand was mildly cold on our bare feet, it was enjoyable nonetheless.One evening, we headed to Buddy Legends - a famous blues venue for soul food and lots of good music.We did also play a bit of pool and although Dan won the first 4 games, I managed to turn round my game to equal the score 4-4! But, my success was short lived and Dan picked up his game again, and I could only watch and learn.Sadly, just before Dan left, he got hit hard by a freak gust of wind. In other words, the Chicago wind. It can be ferocious and I reckon Dan's got the scars to prove it.Then just before he left, we got the classic visitor photo in!

Special visitor from the UK

2008-08-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

25 years later, a special someone came to visit me here in Chicago. This someone has been there since the very beginning, since the land before my time.

The thing is that after a few months here, the family didn't really know what I was up to. But they were very suspicious. They didn't know where I live, nor what Chicago is like. All they had heard was that this city was once the home of Al Capone and his mob. This tiny bit of detail didn't really help.

So, to investigate, they sent a person to represent the family (unarmed of course) to check that everything was in place. This little investigator was my Mum, luckily with some harmless English treats in hand (good old Dairy Milk chocolate and a couple of English newspapers!)!It was a nice little visit. We made sure we enjoyed the sights and tastes of Chicago. I even saw things that I had never seen before!On the first night, we went out for some dinner and afterwards we walked along the lakefront pass lots of cyclists, joggers and rollerbladers - a bit of Miami here in Chicago and a bit of an eye opener for my Mum!We even joined in a couple of times renting a bike and cycling down the lakefront which simply goes on for miles!At one point I played up to the camera, much like I had seen other tourists do. It looked fun!However, my Mum wasn't having any of it and thought she was helping, somewhat.Sunrise in this place is pretty spectacular (Mum took this as I was asleep wasn't I!).Even more spectacular was Circe Du Soleil who were in town and what we saw was simply extraordinary!As a treat one night, we headed up to the top of the John Hancock to The Signature Lounge on the 95th floor for sunset.We also managed to check out Sears Tower and the views from the 103rd floor.Now, I am faced with reality, when I return from work there is no dinner waiting for me, nor no chocolate cake.How will I cope!

Boston and New York visit

2008-08-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

In mid-August, a little work trip to Boston and New York beckoned. The great thing was that I had never been to Boston before and it also marked my first return to New York since I left in April.

It was a quick but productive trip!

Barcelona FC in Chicago

2008-08-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

In early August, the mighty Barcelona came to town to play Chivas, a Mexican team, at Soldier Field. Although the maestro Messi wasn't playing, we did see Eto'o, Henry, Gudjohnsen, the new signing Helb and a very talented up and coming 17 year old called Pedro. Barcelona won 5-2!

Chicago Thunderstorms

2008-08-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy. When the weather hits this place, it really does hit it hard!

This chap had no idea. I had only just got back into my apartment for the evening taking a look out the window to check out the rather tranquil evening sky. It all looked so nice. But, at the same time, some rather menacing and significant storm clouds were incoming.The sky changed in a second. The black clouds had already arrived, passing the windows at some mph with such breathtaking force. The apartment was now dark. The building was creaking. We were now at sea again.

I've never seen such fierce winds loaded with water flowing through a whole city. It truly was phenomenal witnessing such a storm.

Well, I say 'was', but actually it looks as though the storm hasn't quite gone yet. The lightning is now overhead, bursting strobe-like lightning across the dark misty clouds and the sound is heavy. It could be a long night...

Check out the video to see this event before your eyes in the comfort of your chair in relative harmony!! If you can, listen out for the eerie piper who returned again to play out the storm.

Professionals in Chicago

2008-07-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

I never would have guessed it.

After playing football Tuesday night, a couple of us went to get a beer. We decided to head to The Globe, a English football pub, never guessing that 4,000 miles away from home - we would have some professionals for company.

I've never had the pleasure of being in a pub with some Premier League stars, but here I was in the company of five Everton professionals and the manager David Moyes!

Everton were on their pre-season tour, with a game the next night against Chicago Fire. We walked in and with an abundance of Everton fans in the pub, I knew something wasn't quite right!

Venetian Night

2008-07-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a couple of friends and I went down to the harbour to watch boats decked out with lights and props sail around the harbour. Quite a few other Chicagoans were there and according to estimates - some 600,000 of them. Well, it didn't seem like that quite that many people but you just never know.

The best part was the flyover of several planes, not quite the Red Arrows legends of the world but they managed to keep in formation nonetheless, quite gladly too. The fireworks were also pretty good and presumably, very expensive, this show went on for about half an hour!

Northerly Island

2008-07-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last night we headed to Northerly Island just outside the city in the newly developed Millennium Park area to watch a couple of bands play. It is one of the best outdoor venues for music in Chicago with the beautiful backdrop of the Chicago skyline.

A couple of bands played including Umphrey's McGee who originally came from Chicago. They played a fair few guitar rifts which was good and they even did a couple of Pink Floyd covers too which was even better!

Apartment 6309

2008-07-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

World's Biggest Block Party

2008-07-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Apparently.

Well, the Americans don't do things by halves, and this certainly was a big party around a block!! We saw Rusted Root and Ben Kweller play before heading to a couple of bars afterwards to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Birthday photos

2008-07-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

Chicago skyscrapers

2008-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

25th birthday!

2008-07-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

As it was my birthday it merited a special boat tour of the city down the river and out onto the lake.

It was a great little voyage with great views of the Chicago skyline from the lake. The buildings along the river are pretty spectacular too, especially the curved building aligned with the bend of the river and a great view of Sears Tower too.

Apple i-phone queue

2008-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's amazing just how far people will go to get the revised i-phone!

View from 63rd

2008-07-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

John Hancock

2008-07-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

After living in my new apartment for nearly two months, I discovered the monthly resident newsletter underneath my door with an article titled "Let's learn about the 'icon' in which we live!". It made rather interesting reading!

When completed in 1969, this not-so-little tower was the tallest building in the world outside New York. And, now it is the twelfth tallest building in the world with 100-storeys. But, when measured at pinnacle height right up the top of its antenna masts, it stands at 1,500 feet (457m) making it the third-tallest building in the world (after Taipei 101 and Sears Tower).

The swimming pool on the 44th floor, with all its magnificent views of the Chicago skyline, is in fact the highest indoor swimming pool in the country!As for me, I live on the 63rd floor which is high enough!!! In fact, the weather has been quite good but from time to time the apartment lies just above the clouds which is quite a surreal experience, day or night!

Oak Street Beach

2008-07-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was the fourth of July, a rather special occasion with lots of celebrations across the country. This was Independence Day.

Here in Chicago, the celebrations began with numerous fireworks across the city on the 3rd July. Although it was quite an American affair, this British chap went along with the celebrations nonetheless and woke up to the morning sun in the John Hancock. This was quite apt as this skyscraper was named after John Hancock, the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The day of the fourth was spent wondering around town, starting with a visit to great brunch cafe near Rush Street. After some shopping, it was time for another visit to Oak Street Beach, just around the corner from where I live. I've never really lived this close to a beach, nor such a vast lake, so it's pretty special!These Chicago guys certainly know how to make the most of the summer months as these palm trees are definitely not native to this city!
Saturday evening was spent at Green Mill, quite an unassuming venue, but the funky jazz music by the Garaj Mahal was pretty good with a very quick and talented guitarist.
The following night was spent at Taste of Chicago in Grant Park where all the best restaurants in the city decend to showcase their food. The event is also mixed in with some musical entertainment and we were able to see Bonnie Raitt, who is very popular on these shores.

There's nothing like a three day weekend to recharge those batteries!

Chicago sunset

2008-06-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Sears Thunderbolt

2008-06-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago one early Sunday morning, the little window I have on the 63rd floor began to open and close with quite a lot of force. Enough to wake this little kid up. I wandered over sleepy eyed, only for an almighty wind to burst through again, opening the window teasingly and then sucking it shut rather abruptly.

This was a proper wind as this is a tough little window.

So I shut the window and locked the catches. I then looked out across the city. On the one side the sun was just coming up over the lake, and on the other, a fierce set of storm clouds were approaching, menacing and fast.

The rain soon hit and the ferocious wind gathered pace. In fact, I began to hear some beautiful music. At first I thought some guy next door was playing his flute, trying in vain to block out the sound of the impending storm. But, it soon became apparent that the wind was making some music of its own. It sounded quite amazing. Mother nature at her eerie best.

Then, scarily, the building began to creak and shudder. Almost like a ship in the middle of a storm. Luckily, doing some calculations, I knew that this probably wasn't the first time this building had been hit by a storm, nor the Chicago wind. And, if the building did fall it wouldn't be the worst death and I wouldn't be the only one.

So, I began to relax a little, sat back and watched as the storm floated over and hit the city. The Sears Tower got a direct hit, and not just once, hence how I managed to capture the scene on a video!!

I don't think our building was hit but then you never know. I did get a small electric shock later on, but that was nothing compared to what those guys in the Sears Tower got!! Check out the video!

The Swell Season

2008-06-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

The good thing about Chicago is that there are lots of concerts and festivals. Luckily, I managed to get some tickets to see The Swell Season. I hadn't heard much of them until the days leading up to the concert but they sounded interesting indeed.The concert was sold out on each night they were playing, so they are pretty popular here. The concert was simply brilliant and a great way to spend a Sunday evening. If you can, check out their music, it's fantastic!

Back in England

2008-06-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

After a quite surreal five months, this young, albeit slightly older looking chap was on his way back to the UK.The last time he had been gone this long was on the intrepid explorer adventure. That final journey back from Hong Kong, after five and a bit months, and so many places, was punctured by this chap falling asleep, only to discover in his dream-like-state that he never had been away. Luckily when he woke up in a cold sweat, he found that it was just a nighmareish dream and after so long, I was finally heading home!

This time the plane set off from Chicago, over the great sea-like Lake Michigan, before flying over the farms of Michigan and then rising above the clouds. Flying overnight, on the sleeper plane, I couldn't really sleep. I think I was excited.Soon enough, the hours ticked by and after several hours, we were finally approaching the motherland. The plane slowly sank through the clouds and there she was, the beautiful green hills of England.We flew over the all familiar Bristol channel and a few moments later at some hundred miles per hour, we were coming into land at Heathrow!

My bro Charlie came to pick me up from nearby Twickenham to take me up to Nottingham. It was great to see him, but he was wearing a cap, which was slightly unusual. Luckily on the trip up to Nottingham he revealed all...It was a little hairdressing accident. Apparently his trimmer broke halfway through cutting his own hair in the late hours of the night before. Luckily, he found another trimmer in the early hours of the morning, but, unfortunately, this too broke (some hair eh?!). So, the hair was partly shaved at the front, but intact at the back! The result was quite a good Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon impression, perhaps somewhat fashionable at a fancy dress party, but not so much in broad daylight!!

After catching up on stories and tales on the motorway we stopped off at a service station. Less of the Wendy's, Taco Bell and Burger King here, this place had an M&S, and a missed M&S at that. I quickly raided the sandwich shelf, going straight for my egg cress sandwich. One wasn't enough, so I had two.

It was a beautiful sunny day and we arrived late morning in Nottingham at the all-familiar family ranch.Much of the day and the rest of the weekend was spent catching up with family and friends as well as eating cakes and supping tea in the garden. Quite the English experience!Sadly though, this wasn't all cakes and tea. It was also a work related visit, so I headed down to HQ in Malmesbury for the week and caught up with a few people from the office. The good thing about Malmesbury is that it is quintessentially English and situated in the Cotswolds, not far from where I grew up.Some were shocked to see me looking so rugged. Apparently I left a boy and returned a man. I am still trying to work that one out! I mean, I didn't look that young did I?!

The final weekend was spent in London near Richmond Hill with my brother Charlie and the now pregnant Jo!It looks like another Swinbourne will be causing some mayhem soon!! And gladly so. I could do with some help.Talking about mayhem, I also caught up with close friends in London for numerous quite epic stories from the past and present! It was great to see them.

Millennium Park, Chicago

2008-05-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

New Apartment

2008-05-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I moved into my new pad. It's a bit of a bachelor pad. Well, the one of the best pads I've ever seen, let alone lived in. It's immense!It was quite a bit of luck mixed with pure perseverance. It was a tricky task finding a furnished place for six months when most buildings in town only accept year long leases. The search took around 3 weeks but each place wasn't quite right or just didn't have the views. Luckily, the new apartment, on the 63rd floor of the landmark John Hancock building has awesome views across the best part of the city!!!

Dallas, Texas

2008-05-22T18:04:00.001-07:00

Hey, long time no speak!Last week I headed down to Dallas for a few days on a special work project. Luckily, the venue was at a very nice hotel indeed. So it was great to spend a couple of days there as a small reward for all the hard work! Especially the infinity pool, my first and hopefully not the last!It was great to see a bit of Dallas too and a few cowboys walking around, incidentally with a gun or two and a wide rimmed hat. I wasn't scared, much.There was even a big ice hockey game on near the hotel, so we joined some of the crowds watching big screens outside the complex. Dallas even won!Heading to the Mississippi river on a camping trip for the bank holiday weekend and then will return to Chicago on Sunday evening ready for a classical concert in Millennium Park. Should be a nice long weekend.

Will be returning to the UK next week for just over a week on a work/ catch up visit.

Looking forward to seeing some of you!

Chicagoland

2008-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It's been a little while since I have updated you all after a crazy few weeks in Peru, New York and then arriving wide eyed in Chicago.

I've now been in Chicago for over a month and it's been really good. It's a beautiful city, with a great buzz and people are a little more relaxed than their New York cousins.

Work is going well too. My role has changed a lot since New York but it's moving in the right direction and I have picked up more responsibility for US online marketing and one or two other projects. It's been busy, but just about manageable!

Enjoy the photos!

John Hancock Observatory

2008-04-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Windy City

2008-04-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

So, after returning back from Peru and having two fantastic weeks back in New York, I am now living in the Windy City.

I haven't really noticed the wind so far(!), but it did feel slightly colder than New York. Luckily though, it has been quite sunny.

The Chicago office is our US headquarters and it is much nicer than our old and now extinct New York office. Although our old office was on Park Avenue in the heart of Manhattan. That's hard to beat!My apartment is located several blocks away from the lake and next to the Magnificent Mile with all its shops and restaurants. The pace of life is slightly calmer and it was actually surreal hearing a plane flying overhead for the first time in ages!

Even shopping for food is that much easier. Less of a frantic chaotic rush, more of a sedate cruise around the store. It takes twice as long, but it's a much better experience!!!

Arrival in Chicago

2008-04-03T20:18:00.001-07:00

Manhattan Mayhem

2008-04-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Manhattan Finale

2008-03-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

After a whirlwind love affair since last October, a week spent here and there, moving into an apartment in early January. It's almost over.

So, after three months spent living in the centre of Manhattan with a 10001 zip code, this guy is moving on.

Chicago beckons. I've heard so many good things about the city and interestingly most people seem to prefer the place over New York. It's just that the thought of moving on is so painful. Real painful.Since returning from Peru I've been retracing my well worn footsteps heading up to Central Park, getting a latte from Café Anglique, going out on Rivington in Lower East Side, going to Union Square and Fifth Avenue as well as sampling the lights of Times Square.It's almost the end of an era, but I'll be back.

Fond Farewell

2008-03-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

New York in Pictures

2008-03-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Peruvian Life

2008-03-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

Peruvian Life on Lake Titicaca

2008-03-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Amazonian Antics

2008-03-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Amazon

2008-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the Peru trip was a two night expedition into the Amazon rainforest. Aside from the trees and the classic muddy rivers, the main scenery was the creatures. And boy, there were quite a few!We started off by taking a flight from the high altitude city of Cuzco down to the Amazon basin where it was humid and warm. Actually, being at altitude wasn't so bad!From there, the tour group jumped onto a motorised canoe boat and burned it up the muddy waters of the Amazon delta. Along the way we had some lunch and what better than a serving of rice and vegetables in a banana leaf!As everything was pretty much disposable we threw off the remainder off the side of the boat. Probably for the piranhas to chew or something.After a couple of hours burning it up the muddy river and tackling a heavy rainstorm along the way we finally arrived at our destination and hopped off the boat.From there we walked through the jungle and came across our lodge. It even had a bar.But the entire lodge didn't have any glass windows. None whatsoever. This was just an open plan lodge. And pretty though it was, we were in the jungle and so seeing a tropical creature of some sort was evidently likely.

And so indeed as I walked quite at ease from my jungle lodge room along the raised platform towards the dining area something began slipping down my trousers. At first I thought it was my wallet, but then... this was the Amazon... I immediately froze in my tracks and nervously shined my torch down to discover a placid looking Amazonian frog staring at me sheepishly next to my shoe. Whoa boy.

Even our room with its lovely hammock faced the amphitheatre of the jungle like a giant speaker attached to our room. The monkey squeals weren't so bad, but the insects... well lets just say there is around 30 million. Chop down the Amazon I say.Luckily there was a mozzie net and so I doubly made sure that this was securely fastened around the entire bed. I wasn’t scared at all. I was just taking precautions. I even checked for any miscellaneous creatures lurking in the bed just before tucking myself in for the night to the sound of the droning hum and energetic buzzing of the jungle, followed by a reassuring squealing crescendo.

The following day in the safety of the daylight we did a bit of macaw and toucan spotting and sampled lots of different types of perfectly ripe fruit. This was washed down with some sugar cane and sugary it was! We also checked out termites. They tasted peppery.After doing a spot of piranha fishing in the late afternoon, we had the option to check out some caimans (a small type of alligator) at night on the river. So we headed back through the jungle down to the boat armed with just our torches. I wasn't sure whether the spectacle was the caimans or all the creatures we saw along the way. Either way most of the creatures were clearly nocturnal!

Visiting the Amazon is something that I have always wanted to do and it lived up to all my expectations. The creatures weren't all that bad!

It was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.

Razor Blade

2008-03-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

The intrepid explorer of yesteryear was back for a two week period only. And this time, he grew a beard.

After undergoing the daily rigour of shaving for a few years now, with a few painful nicks here and there along the way. I wanted a change. I didn't want this mindless pain, day after day.

Buying a razor blade has never been more complicated. Just take your pick... Mach3, Mach3Turbo, Quattro, cut-throat, electric, dry, wet... complicatedMachQuattro indeed.

Lazer surgery and waxing was obviously out of the question too. However, ditching the razor altogether was justifiable. It was time for a shaving break of freedom.To begin with, stubble appeared and then slowly but surely, the beard began to grow like never before. The beard was beginning to make the most its new found freedom in the absence of the not-so humble razor blade.But no matter how much I laughed I knew I wasn't going to win the tour group beard competition for there was one outstanding competitor who just couldn't be beaten on this two week trip!Maybe next time eh.

Meanwhile back in New York, a two-blade razor lingers patiently in the bathroom. It'll be used when I can pluck up the courage to undo two weeks of hard work. I just don't know when, but one thing is for sure, work should be interesting on Monday!

Peru Panorama

2008-03-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am now back in Cuzco having just completed the awesome, demanding and quite magnificent Inca Trail yesterday!

The four day trek in the footsteps of the Incas towards The Lost City of the Incas began from the Sacred Valley floor in quite glorious sunshine.It was amazing to see the porters dashing up the mountains just after the first checkpoint, running ahead either to prepare lunch or set up our tents for the night. They were carrying heavy camping equipment and our camping bags while we merely carried our lightweight daypacks.Interestingly, whilst we all wore the latest hiking equipment, they had some simple sandals, shorts and t-shirts. Methinks we travellers overdo it somehow! So, I simply watched the porters in awe while I ate another snack.To end the first day and don´t ask me why(!), we played football against some of the porters on a earthy pitch some 3,000 metres up the mountains. Boy, what a place to play football and feel out of breath!

While the porters had all the energy, us travellers just about matched them and eventually ran out convincing winners after several games. The extra weight we packed in the bags they carried might have had something to do with it!

The second day was described as "intense" and intense it was! We hiked up from our campsite at 7am on the long steep path to Dead Woman’s Pass located 4,198 m (13,769 ft) above sea level. This was a massive lung-bursting effort!As we descended down the other side of the mountain the weather changed as a wet mist came in and our plastic ponchos promptly came out. It was very wet indeed.

The third day was another early start and the longest hike of the trail.We walked through some beautiful cloud forest with beautiful views of the Urubamba Valley below towards the highest point at 3,700 m (12,136 ft). The tour group were seemingly so focused.We eventually reached the ruins of Phuyupatamarca, or the 'Town above the Clouds' before walking down the mountain (some 3,000 steps!) towards another archeological site before camping just a short hike from Machu Picchu.
Before going for a few celebratory drinks in the campsite bar after the third day, we were strictly told by the tour guide not to tell any of the other tour groups that we were leaving at 4am to Machu Picchu the following morning. This would help ensure that we went through the checkpoint first and get to the Sun Gate for sunrise.

Thus, after several drinks with the other tour groups that evening we expressed our 'surprise' that they were leaving so early in the morning. After all, we weren't leaving until 5am... apparently! So the following morning and probably at the sacrifice of all our new found friendships they were all surprised to see us ahead of them at the checkpoint, first in line!

I wasn't so sure if the joke was on us or them as although we were first in line, we had got there an hour before anyone else and it was way too early in the morning!

The final hike began in total darkness from the checkpoint and as we walked towards the Sun Gate, the morning light began to appear through the heavy mist. However, once we arrived the mist was still thick and so we waited for mist to rise off the mountains with the rising sun, unveiling the first views of Machu Picchu in all its spectacular glory!Once Machu Picchu appeared bit by bit, it was truly amazing. The four day hike was worth it.Tomorrow we fly from Cuzco, high in the Andes, to Puerto Maldonado, deep in the lowlands of the Amazon jungle on another epic adventure!

Puno Lightning Strike

2008-03-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Peru, South America

2008-03-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Early on Friday morning, I flew out of New York at sunrise to Lima, Peru, on my first visit to South America.

The plane stopped off on the way at Bogota in Columbia and I managed to get a window seat for the second half of the journey, gladly so, as this bit was over the Amazon with views across the dense rainforest and muddy rivers.

Amazingly so, I arrived in Lima seven minutes after my friends had arrived from Heathrow! Great timing indeed! We got our transfer to our Lima hotel and the journey from the airport took us through the dusty, busy and colourful streets of Lima as well as the along Peru coastline whilst the sun set beautifully over the Pacific Ocean.It was great looking across the ocean in the direction of Fiji, one of the best places I have ever been to. So near, yet so far!At the hotel we met our tour group and had an introduction from the tour leader, then sampled some Peruvian beer over a nice meal in the main square of Lima.The next morning we had some time free so we checked out a bit more of Lima and then joined our tour group to fly across Peru to Juliaca in the south west near Bolivia.So our flight took us from sea level in Lima to a place 3,825 metres above sea level. This is the highest I´ve ever been and air is certainly thinner here! Moreover, we are going to stay at this altitude for the next week!

Our real destination here was Lake Titicaca so we headed to Puno for the night, a city next to the one of the highest lakes in the world and the largest in South America. We boarded a boat early on Sunday morning after being wizzed through Puno down to the port on taxi-tricycles!Our boat took us to a few islands and one of which we spent the night at with no cars, limited electricity and any of the modern pleasures all of us have taken for granted. This is certainly not New York. Talk about one extreme to the other!

If that wasn´t enough, we also dressed up in traditional Peruvian dress (me with a poncho!) and had a bit of a party with the locals in the village hall!In all my life I have never seen a night sky as good as last night, we saw stars that we had never seen before and even the clearly outlined milky way, which is a bit more distinctive in the remote parts of the world!

This morning we returned back to Puno via the floating islands of Lake Titicaca where a whole community live on islands made of floating reeds. This has to be one of the most amazing things I have seen and it was great spending part of this morning on one of the islands with the inhabitants and their colourful clothing.Tomorrow we head for Cusco, just before we head on the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu, one of the new seven modern wonders of the world.

Read all about it here!

Guest article: Charlie's report of New York!

2008-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

What can I say of New York. They call it the big apple. I say it's the big pineapple, banana and melon, all rolled into one. Massive, and fruity.

A virgin to America, I travelled with hope, a tear in my eye, and luckily, a passport. Otherwise I'd never have got in. I was also lucky on the way over, because I managed to pick up an attractive blonde lady on the flight. My, this trip was turning out well.

The taxi driver who picked us up from the airport insisted on talking about Mido, the Egyptian footballer. This was because the driver was Egyptian himself. He then suggested that I pay him 60 pounds rather than 60 dollars. I wasn't falling for that one. I considered docking him his tip, but decided I didn't want to start my holiday with a fight in the street, and hey, since this was America he might even have a handgun. So I paid him a few dollars for his time. Big tipping culture. I was going to have to get used to this.

Adriano, my newly 'made' brother, has a mafia funded apartment near Times Square. He said it was paid for by the 'company' but I know what he really means. Gangsters. My suspicions were confirmed on the first night, when he took us to a Mafia-owned Jazz venue. Amazingly, we were given a table in the front row, even though the venue was packed. I didn't see a secret handshake, but I saw the grin on Adriano's face. We drank like gangsters too, whiskey on the rocks and Hayride cocktails. And a big bloody steak to beef us up. This was the high life.

During the days we hit the streets, walking through the neighbourhoods as Adriano picked up protection money. We hung out in 'Angelique', - his favourite mafia-owned cafe - for strong coffees and even had cupcakes at 'Magnolia Bakery.' Bleeker Street saw guitarists who weren't quite as good as Bruce Springteen try to impress us. Adriano lifted his hand to his jacket pocket as if he might have a gun, and suddenly they improved. King of New York.

Times Square at night was a mixture of dark and very very light. Dazzling. Adverts for new films that weren't coming out until we left. So we saw stand-up comedy, some two bit jokers who loved New York but didn't have much money to show for their toils. One guy who had been voted smartest man in America by Readers Digest, but walked off stage after five minutes without a single tittle, giggle or smirk from the audience. The rest made us laugh, some more than others.

By then, the blonde had left, caught an early flight back to the Queens land, olde England and it's greenery, in stark contrast to the monolithic skyscrapers which were causing me serious awe. I'd romanced her in Central Park, a small little place called Tavern on the Green with chandaliers and fussy waiters, and most importantly, king prawns. Better than that was the diner we went to on the second day, Eggs Benedict and Pancakes with Maple Syrup. I'm drooling now just thinking about it.

Chinatown on the final night, and we just about managed to avoid the Triads. The air was cold but the king prawns in black bean sauce was hot, and the dumplings were steaming. I hadn't had a chinese like this since I was in, well, China.

I woke up and saw New York in the snow. Slush at my feet, salt being scattered by shopkeepers onto the sidewalk. Statues that looked like they had mohican style haircuts because of how the white flakes had landed. My last day. Teenagers who worked in a surf shop built a snowman and attracted the congratulations of passers by. I sheltered in the cinema and watched a film about a pregnant 16 year old which ended up winning no Oscars at all.

Then I flew home, already missing the city and it's Brooklyn Bridge, the majestic view from the Rock, the Empire State, the top of it disappearing into a cloud. The old woman who fed the birds in Greenwich Village. The Irish barmen and their Long Island Iced Tea cocktail which was a little too strong. Adriano's amazing apartment with wooden floor and two flat screen tellys. I missed it all.

I arrived with a tear in my eye, and I left knowing that one day I'd be back to enjoy it all over again.

By Charlie Swinbourne

Charlie's photos

2008-02-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

Cocktails, Capers & Glee

2008-02-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

Late a week last Friday night, Swinbourne senior and girlfriend Jo, arrived in the US for a week. It was senior's first steps on the American continent. He was excited, enthusiastically gleeful, and just couldn't help but skip his first steps down the sidewalk!We went about New York in style, going straight to Greenwich Village for a Saturday morning coffee at Cafe Angelique, my coffee house of choice. It's New York exquisite.Continuing on that theme, we checked out Magnolia Cafe a few doors down for some rather divine cupcakes as seen on Sex in the City! After that, we strolled (while Charlie continued to skip!) through Soho, down to the Financial District and Ground Zero before walking over the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn. Quite the tour!Later that night, we splashed out and went to the Jazz Standard for food, jazz and drinks. After a couple of drinks, we couldn’t really believe we were there, or anywhere!As the drinks dried up, things began to make slightly more sense. We were back to our normal sensical selves. But it wasn't even half as much fun.In fact, Charlie seemed confused, with everything. He was now Robert DeNiro and quite the convincing Taxi Driver.The rest of New York followed thereafter, with the two exploring New York for themselves while yours truly went back to the day job!We did however manage to fit in more entertainment, a comedy night, a visit to Chinatown as well digging into some Ethiopian food, quite literally with hands and all! Quite an experience!!!

It was great to see them both.

The real McCoy

2008-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

The visit of Mr. B. Knighton was the perfect opportunity to check out and uncover the real New York. The type of places that a true New Yorker would be seen. We were in search of the genuine article, even if slightly rough on the edges, the very real and rustic McCoy.We began by covering some of the unmissable tourist spots and we had the fortune of a clear night sky and an beautifully lit Empire State Building to see from the Top of the Rock.After that, we began to take a more credible bite out of the Big Apple, sampling some Manhattan jazz, Brooklyn ale and some more awesome sand-shrewn shuffleboard in Greenwich Village.On Friday evening after work I met Knighton at the very cool Shake Shack, an outdoor cafe in Madison Square Park, warmed by some gas burners and a clear view of the ever present Empire State Building.This was followed by a visit to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks in full flow only to lose to San Antonio Spurs after the away opponents went level in the dying Hollywood-style seconds of the game to force extra time, and go on to win the match.Scribbled local tips from a colleague were followed up throughout the weekend with a lunchtime visit to Grimaldi in Brooklyn to sample the best pizza in New York, if not the whole continent. You can always tell that a place is good when there is a sizeable queue outside just before opening time!We had a coffee stop in Brooklyn before having a leisurely walk back to Manhattan over Brooklyn Bridge.The now trusted scribbles were followed up with an evening visit to East Village for some Latin American food and cocktails at Paladar.Sunday began with lunch at a typical American diner in Union Square and the rest of the day was thereafter punctuated with coffee stops, more clothes browsing around Mulberry and even some snow!It was the real McCoy.

Chinatown Football Tournament

2008-02-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Having not played the beautiful game for a few weeks I was in need of some action and so I signed up with Brooklyn Union for a seven-a-side football tournament last Sunday.We played on an artificial grass pitch down in Chinatown in lower east side Manhattan. I played in two games, and scored two goals. It was good to have a run out and get some goals again!!!

But we got knocked out in the semi final just when it was beginning to get serious.

Later that evening I watched my first Super Bowl with a colleague and friends and watched the New York Giants win in what has been described as possibly one of the best finals ever!

It was a great comeback. The stuff of legend.

New York Life II

2008-01-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

It's been four weeks I left the UK still realing from a 2007 hangover of farewells, lots of tucker and of course one of several gins! Christmas and New Year was the perfect send off.

In early January I arrived to a very cold New York. Though since then, the weather has been nothing short of remarkable. It's been cold, but it's been mightily sunny.

A bit of the true New York has been uncovered. But there are so many more little nuggets to discover. In February the exploration will continue along with some of the visitors. Looking forward to seeing you guys!

Then in late February, Peru awaits. Methinks it will be less of the urban jungle, more of the true jungle, the Amazon.

Should be quite an experience.

Washington DC

2008-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

With no real plans for the weekend I sent an email on Friday to another friend of a friend who lives in Washington DC to see if I could take up the offer of a visit to DC. The visit was on.

I packed my bag like the intrepid explorer once did and early on Saturday morning I was heading down to the capital. The last time I had taken an Amtrak train was on my round the world trip from New York to Toronto. That journey was 12 hours all in all and at that time I was a travelling novice. I suffered from a distinct lack of entertainment and even water.

This time, I came prepared, I even had an apple.

Three hours later I arrived at Union Station, arguably one of the nicest train stations I have ever been to. Walking outside I could see the domed Capitol where the US Senate and Congress meet, and of course where presidents are inaugurated. I headed straight to the building and even managed to go inside on a free tour!

The weather was really nice for a couple of hours and later I walked all the way to the Washington Monument before heading to the nearby White House. It was pretty amazing to see the actual building after seeing it so many times on the news and in many films.

Later on I caught up with my friend and we headed out to a gig at the 9:30 Club. It’s quite a small but famous venue with Nirvana and others having played there. The music was fantastic and I even came away with a CD of one of the band’s who played. I actually managed to speak to the lead singer afterwards but forgot to get the CD signed... doh!!

Sunday was spent checking out the last of the major sights with a visit to the National Gallery of Art before heading back to New York.

All in all, it was a spontaneously great weekend.

2008-01-24T20:05:00.001-08:00

Family visit

2008-01-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday night my p's and my bro arrived in New York for their first visit to the US. It was a fantastic clear night and so we headed up the quintessential Empire State Building to check out the evening lights and the high-rise forest of Manhattan.

I managed to prolong their jetlagged night by dragging them up to Times Square for some photos and a visit to shrimp-palace, the lovely Bubba Gump.

We've had a busy Saturday and Sunday too! Check out the photos.

The week in pictures

2008-01-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

Bohemian Manhattan

2008-01-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I caught up with another friend of a friend in the ultra-trendy, very bohemian Greenwich Village area of Manhattan. Again, I had not met this person before which is pretty crazy, but how far wrong can you go!!! It turned out to be a fantastic night.

I met up with her and two friends in Arthurs Tavern, a very rustic American blues and jazz place. This was a true American experience, there were hardly any tourists in sight (apart from me, but undercover of course!). We had a fair beers and then we went underground...Lurking underground was a hidden gem. The very cool Fat Cat Billiards bar. A true wonderland of activity with live jazz, pool tables, chess tables and then there's shuffleboard. Shuffleboard, where have you been all my life?

It basically consists of so-called shuckles, or pucks, which you push down the sandy shuffleboard table, narrowly avoiding the beer-shrewn sandy drop on either side. It is quite possibly the best bar game ever invented.

This game is epicsome!!

Midwest Flying Visit

2008-01-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

No sooner had I arrived in New York, I was already on a two hour flight early Monday morning to Chicago for a couple of days. After spending the day in the Chicago office catching up with familar faces I arrived at the rather nice Chicago hotel, The James.

I checked in at the front desk, and the receptionist said that I had been upgraded to a studio suite. Well, after being upgraded on the flight from Heathrow to New York last week to Upper Class I needed to find out why everyone was upgrading me all of a sudden! I don't remember this happening on the long hard solitary road around the world as the intrepid explorer...

So, I actually asked the receptionist why she upgraded me!? I think she was quite bemused. At least I think so anyway. She just said that there was no particular reason but that the suite had been allocated to me! I didn't complain!

Later that evening I caught up with a couple of fellow Brits from the office when we headed out to sample some of Chicago's famous cuisine. From what I've seen and heard about Chicago, it seems like a fantastic place.

After all, there's a beach to look forward to!

Slideshow

2008-01-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

New York Life

2008-01-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hey, hey, hey!

The first weekend of life in Manhattan began with the almost desperate need to find a decent grocery store and buy some food essentials!! Luckily I came across a rather suitable store called the Garden of Eden on the way back from work. It's now my store of choice.It's a bit surreal being here for the weekend, but sure enough I kept myself busy! I did a fair bit of walking on Saturday, strolling all the way up Broadway to Central Park and then I checked out a bit of Times Square on the way back. Admittedly I did check out Macy's too and I bought a new watch. Not quite the intrepid explorer anymore eh!Saturday night was definitely a bit surreal as a friend of a friend came round with his girlfriend. I had never met him before but he's pretty similar to our mutual friend from Bristol and so of course the main topic of conversation was all about football!! We became true wine connoisseurs too, checking out a few nice reds down in East Village!Today was epic, it was sunny and relatively warm! I walked all the way from 33rd up through Central Park to the ice rink and the famous lake towards the Metropolian Museum of Art on 82nd.Checked out some legendary pieces of art from my art idols Cezanne, Warhol and Van Goff. True legends (I took a sneaky picture of Hirst's piece too!).As I walked back the evening sun slowly faded away behind all the high-rise buildings only to be replaced by mass of neon lights. It is definitely the city that never sleeps. I do though.Tomorrow I'm back on the road to Chicago for a couple of days.

Catch ya'll when I get back.

888 Sixth Avenue

2008-01-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

The outside of my apartment building 888 (bottom-right) with the Empire State Building in the background. It's close!

Herald Square: the apartment building is the right-face of the central block where Broadway cuts across Sixth Avenue.

Macy's on the other side of Herald Square with Times Square a few blocks down in the background.

Arrival in Manhattan

2008-01-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello!

After a few hectic weeks getting everything ready, saying my goodbyes and enjoying the Christmas holidays I'm now at last in New York!

The journey over here began with a final farewell to Charlie and Jo in Twickenham. On the way to Heathrow the taxi passed the same hotel where two and a bit years ago, the family stayed the night before my six month trip around the world. Deju vu eh!

This time though, it's quite a different adventure, less of the intrepid explorer (in some ways), but more the ex-patriot! It's almost embarrassing to mention it, but on the flight over to New York I got upgraded to upper class!! And of course, I enjoyed it, especially the Gruner Veltliner wine, it's good, but don't have too much at altitude!

It was pretty amazing to arrive in the apartment and to think that it's my place for the next few months! What an experience! The location is fantastic as I'm right in the centre of Manhattan surrounded by the Empire State building, Macy's, Madison Square Garden and Times Square.

Living the dream.

Manhattan Apartment

2008-01-04T05:19:00.001-08:00

New York, New York

2007-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well, in just under a week I'm going stateside, flying west across the northern hemisphere and over Atlantic ocean towards the evening sun. I will begin 2008 as an Englishman in New York!

Follow the jovial commentary of life in the heart of Manhattan here, for what waits is a 3 month stint in New York. During this period I'll also be heading down to Peru for a couple of weeks in early March on a long-planned trip.

Then in around April, I'll then be moving further west to the windy city, so good they named it just once... it's the lovely Chicago.

Read all about it here!