About this blog

I am seriously behind on blog posts, and I need to catch up, so expect frequent updates over the following weeks. At the top, you'll (always) find this post - but scroll down, and you'll see the rest.

If you'd like to dig deeper, then navigate in the menu to the right. Search by keyword or date.

Oh, and one more thing: If you want a closer look at one of the pics, just click it. Then it becomes *really* large.

Media hype

This site has been suffering under the massive onslaught of impressions I've been having during the last four months of travelling. As a result, the page lacks more recent material.

Today (Saturday 17th of October), there is an article about me and my program in my local newspaper back in Norway. Let's skip ahead in events, and add the article with the more recent pics (click image for larger version).

More pics in the online version

It's mainly focusing on my TV program that I'm filming during my trip, but the blog you're reading now will focus on the rest of my trip - and then you can read more about my thoroughly documented quest for love in other publications and media channels! Stay tuned, I'll post a few hints here, as well as links to other publications.

Santiago

Arriving in Chile, I almost immediately saw that this place was no good for me. Santiago was too nice and orderly, the South American feeling was almost non-existent. In addition, the Brazilian girls I had gotten so used to being shaped like an hourglass or maybe a Playboy model, they were here more of the shape of a tree trunk or maybe a barrel.

Even so, I managed to scrape together a few dates for my TV series, and also get rejected a few times on the way. Too bad, when each person I approached really *was* one in a million - or so it seemed. Chile was a less than perfect choice for my stay, so I longed for my next country.

Can you then imagine my immense disappointment when I seven days later realized that I had mis-read my itinerary, and had missed my flight out of there by just one day? I had to wait there for another week, bumping my originally planned stay of five days up to sixteen...

To top everything off, I kept fighting off an insistent cold that I got just before leaving Sao Paulo, so I never went to the ski slopes outside of Santiago. I got to get to know my hostel very well, good thing it was one of the best ones I've seen.

The all-you-can-drink pisco sour that came with the rooftop buffét barbecue was a perfect way of burning my sore throat back into life. I later learned that it is in fact Peru that claims credit for inventing this nice little drink. Either way, it's an addictive beverage for the cold season - and for the beach, I guess.

Other than the rooftop barbecue, I spent a lot of time around the pool table, honing my hustler moves. So even if I didn't get to ski in Chile, I spent my time as well as I could while being at the hostel.

I did go to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso though, and over there I met a family of four that I latched on to while visiting the city. I have no shame or inhibition about approaching strangers like that, and that leads to lots of interesting aquaintances!

The fish market and all that was quickly passed by, and same with the docks. They had some type of slanted elevators which were supposed to be the great attraction of the place. Maybe I was just sick and tired of the whole country, but I failed to become significantly impressed by those structures. The best memories of that trip, I had with the family I tagged along with. Nice people!

The architecture of Santiago was neat and boringly orderly, they did however have a Plaza del Armas (the South American cliché name for their main squares) worth visiting. Here and there, you could also see a facade with an unusual twist - most often weirdly slanted walls.

The nightlife was pretty cool too, with an area full of rockish types of joints.

All in all though, I must say that Chile was not like expected, and I was pretty happy getting the Hölle out of there.

Sao Paulo

After having had great beach and party days in Rio, it was good to see a "normal" city once again. However, a city of 15 million people is hardly normal!

I spent my days exploring the bohemian parts of Villa Madalena, visiting the bustling downtown, and making several trips to the huge Ibirapuera park, which is situated near the centre of the town. Lakes and little woods makes for a good refuge from big city life.

I also met a girl there in the park, and we spent most of my time in SP together.

So my impressions of SP can be summed up in three words: Eclectic, massive and romantic. :)

Rio de Janeiro

Starting this whole round the world trip in Rio de Janeiro turned out to be a great idea..! During my three weeks there, I had the chance to get to know lots of new people, of which a few turned into "TV material" for the documentary I'm shooting along the way.

In addition to the classical tourist stuff, like visiting the Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christo Redentor, I got to attend a barbecue party with a date, and also get a sample of local life, going to someone's home for a football game (soccer, that is. This is Brazil!) and some vintage kashasa. Speaking of kashasa (a type of booze) - the caipirinhas of Brazil are dangerously tasty, and dangerously strong! But highly recommended.

Other activities included hanggliding from Piedra Bonita (just a few days before it got shut down due to somone falling down and breaking both arms and a rib), seeing the stairs of Lapa (and buying a painting of the same artist that made these tiles all along the stairs), obviously visiting Lapa at night for the street party, and seeing a funk party or two. The Brazilian funk (baile funk) is crazily addictive, at least to me. The girls make it a point to dance so seductively that you'd think you've wound up in a lapdance party, and the guys aren't any worse.








The hitch of the fabulous Rio de Janeiro is the crime, of course. Walking at night is asking for trouble, and I did just that. Even though I was walking with someone else, no later than nine, and in a "safe" area (Ipanema), I managed to get robbed by knife point. It cost me a phone and some cash to learn how it feels to have a crazed favela kid staring at you while pressing the point of a huge dagger to your jugular vein. I tried not to cough.

At daytime, and by joining an organized tour, it's perfectly possible to visit the favela and have a close up impression of how it is to be dirt poor in a fantastic city. I had one of these tours, and felt safe with my video camera in there. There is some kind of gangster order there that makes it possible for tourists to get through untouched.

However, the highlight of Rio are the bitc.. sorry, beaches! Ipanema beach and Copacabana beach were both visited on a regular basis, and I also found myself a date there.

Being in Rio without dating is like being there without ever setting foot on the beaches. And for my part, shooting the TV program, I "had" to go through a number of these dates. That's what really made Rio worth while, but more about that in the program itself!

London

First stop, London.

It appeared exactly as I had imagined it - Big Ben, Buckingham, London Eye and all. And apart from that, red buses and familiar names. Only new impression was that everything seemed a little ... filthy.

I didn't regret that I never got there until now, and I don't really feel an urge to return any time soon. But the city was nice enough. Even better was one of the locals, Charmaine. I guess she will be the reason to why I kinda look forward to returning to London one year from now. ;)

My travel kit budget

For accounting reasons, I'll be listing my entire budget for the trip. I don't think I'll be posting it here, but at least I'll post all my expenses prior to departure. That's probably what's most handy to read about anyway.


This is my complete shopping list (RED items not complete, BLUE to follow up):

Tickets, visa and more: NOK 18.000,- (approx) Round the world tickets, 16 flights (w/paper printout) (not yet bought) India visa (at embassy along the way) NOK 1.180,- (DKK 800 + NOK 154,90 i porto) Vietnam visa, Laos visa (at border), Cambodia visa (online shortly before arrival), China visa (from Hong Kong) NOK 13.000,- Traveller's insurance [Gouda] NOK 850,- Electronics insurance NOK 2.871,- Vaccines w/documentation NOK 1.575,- Malaria pills (NOK 504,-) Plane ticket to London Room in London and Rio de Janeiro - and so on ... Computer w/accessories: NOK 3.032,- + taxes: Asus Eee PC 1000HE NOK 792.- + taxes: Harddrive, Western Digital My Passport, 500GB NOK 79,- + taxes: Case logic carrying case NOK 416,- + taxes: Slim Line Samsung DVD burner, SE-SO84B/RSBN NOK 80,- + taxes: Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse NOK 1.100,- in taxes NOK 249,- Kingston Memory stick, 16 GB NOK 1.197,- DVD+R DL (8,5GB x 75) NOK 149,- Kensington lock Main still camera w/accessories: NOK 4.295,- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3E-K, Silver NOK 1.248,- Wide angle, lens adapter NOK 299,- Lowepro bag NOK 199,- Gorillapod tripod Backup still camera + HD video camera w/accessories: $ 400 - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Digital Camera (waterproof and dirt cool) $ 989 - Canon VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory HD Camcorder (NOK 394,- extra postage; returned for PAL version) $ 199 - Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact Shotgun Microphone $ 50 - Camera light and adapter for proprietary socket $ 125 - 5x 8GB PRO Secure Digital Memory Cards (for the HD camera) $ 160 - 2x additional BP-819 Li-Ion Batteries $ 70 - Canon CG-800 Charger Adapter $ 50 - Impact DVS-WA45-58 High Grade Wide Angle Converter Lens w/Macro (.45x) $ 77 - Shipping $ 2,119 / NOK 14.241,66 in all. Ouch! NOK 399,- Camera bag [Lowepro] NOK 11.098,- Canon LEGRIA HF S100 Flash Memory HD Camcorder NOK 199,- Gorillapod tripod NOK 95,- 3m mini jack (3,5 mm) extention cord [RØDE VC1] NOK 499,- HDMI cable [Hama] NOK 499,- Additional 8GB memory cards (2) [Tachyon] Various: NOK 350,- (approx) Spanish class CD Food: Cookies, trail mix, water bottles (already own) Passport NOK 120,- Extra passport photos US$ as backup (not yet ordered) One year mail forwarding (not yet bought) Various vaccines / medication w/prescriptions NOK 262,- Renew driver's license (free) Extra credit card (in addition to my Visa card) [American Express] (already own) Press card (renew) (already own) Cell phone, radio, mp3 player, 2nd backup for stills camera [SonyEricsson K810i] Notepad

Travelpack w/accessories: (already own) Multi tool (already own) Retractable cord w/pen for backpack mount (already own) Pillow, inflatable (already own) Universal power adapter (already own) Rain poncho, white fabric (already own) Light rain poncho, transparent blue plastic (already own) Small sewing kit Deo, toothbrush w/case, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, nail clippers, tweezers and more Malaria medicine, sunscreen, Lip salve w/sun screen, Compeed, Zyrtec, Idoform, Immodium, oil and more Bought at Handysize Byporten, Oslo: NOK 119,- Watertight (10 m) money pouch [CooLock] NOK 169,- Pocket First Aid [Lifesystems] NOK 499,- Silk sleeping bag [Lifeventure] NOK 349,-Micro Mosquito Net (210 x 100 x 160 cm) [Lifesystems] NOK 119,- Bite relief for mosquito bites [Design GO] NOK 159,- Universal power adapter (extra) [Travelon] NOK 199,- Meal kit [Light My Fire] Bought at Clas Ohlson, Oslo: NOK 149,- Combination lockpads, TSA (x3) NOK 89,- Travel alarm (for tripwiring the room, locker or bag) 5x NOK 89,- Travel alarms (tripwire for room, locker, bag, beach gear, daypack or storage) NOK 49,- LED lighting "smart touch" (x2) [North Light] NOK 32,- Batteries (x3) 4x NOK 39,- LED key ring (mini flashlight) [Flatlight] NOK 69,- Micro fibre towel, 60x120 cm [Asaklitt] NOK 24,- Gym bag, black NOK 29,- Gym bag, orange NOK 119,- Canteen/thermos, 0,5 litres [Thermos] (not brought) NOK 49,- Umbrella, compact NOK 69,- Neck pillow, inflatable [Hot Brands Business] NOK 19,- Cotton string (20 m, 65 kg pull) NOK 12,- Rubber bands NOK 59,- Headset NOK 98,- Small radio Bought at Nomaden, Oslo: NOK 2.299,- Travelpack [Osprey Waypoint 80] NOK 99,- Mosquito spray, 20 DEET NOK 149,- Padlock w/65 cm wire and code [Lifeventure] NOK 229,- Money and passport belt, silk w/plastic pocket [Eagle Creek] NOK 199,- Undersheet, bug repelling [Lifesystems] NOK 229,- Compressing bags, L+M (not brought) 4x NOK 109,- Cube organizing bags [Eagle Creek] NOK 169,- 2-sided half cube organizing bag [Eagle Creek] NOK 49,- Waterproof bag, small [Four Seasons] NOK 149,- Anti-mosquito for fabrics, Ex4, 350 ml [Lifesystems] NOK 69,- All-purpose disinfecting wash, 100 ml [Lifeventure] NOK 299,- Wash bag [Lowe Alpine] (not brought) NOK 59,- Duct tape [Lifeventure] NOK 69,- Universal sink plug NOK 369,- South American Handbook 2009 [Footprint] NOK 269,- Southeast Asia Handbook 2009 [Footprint] NOK 89,- Spanish phrasebook [Lonely Planet] NOK 89,- Japanese phrasebook [The Rough Guide] Clothing: (already own) Hiking shoes (already own) Good sandals (already own) Sneakers (buy along the way if needed) Black shoes, black cotton pants, white shirt (already own) Boardshorts [Quiksilver, Billabong, Reef, Rusty, O'Neill] (already own) T-shirts (3x black, 3x white) (already own) Shirt, short sleeve, black (already own) Boxers, black (x8) (already own) Socks, black (x8) (already own) Thick socks (x2) (already own) Polo (black) (already own) High neck jumper w/zip (already own) Super undergarment; pullover (already own) Pants w/shorts zip (khaki) (already own) Jeans (already own) Belt (buy along the way) Flip flops

My netbook of choice is on its (her?) way

So I decided on the sleek looking (if slightly feminine) white edition of the Asus Eee PC 1000 HE. I love the fact that the six cell battery can last for up to nine hours, and also the pure portability of the cutie, of course.

I also added a passport-sized harddrive of 500 Gb (remember when that kind of archiving power was reserved for huge corporations, no more than a few years ago?). It will serve as a backup for all my pictures and documents, as well as store my first 100+ hours of HD footage.

To backup my HD footage (and backup my backups of my pics and docs), I added an ultra compact DVD-burner, since netbooks don't normally have that kind of luxury installed. I'll be sending lots of DVDs back home over the year.

I've paid for my tickets, finally

The going rate for my ticket is £2,550 (around NOK 25.000). Even so, I paid £1.830 (around NOK 18.000) for the exact same ticket.

More than £700 (around $1,000 / NOK 7000) saved, just by showing some ingenuity. That's dirt cheap for visiting 16 exotic destinations all around the world..!

I also added a website to serve as my "favorites" folder when I surf from different computers along the way, and I've decided what laptop and spare camera (launched later this month) to buy. Still considering a couple of different handycams, though.

Preparations

Now it's Easter, and departure is less than two months away!

I'm starting to see that a trip like this is a major undertaking. What might seem like putting a backpack on your back and leaving the door, is actually a whole campaign in itself. Here are a few of my current un-checked boxes on my to do-list

BUY (covered more closely in later post)
• ultra-portable laptop: Consider size vs. power vs. software vs. storage (see next items)
• ultra-portable harddisk (USB)
• ultra-portable optical drive (DVD, USB)
• HD camcorder, semi pro. AVCHD; consider next to laptop specs.
• Water/shock proof camera.
• Backpack: "Travelpack"; consider straps, storage, functionality.
• Travel gear: A whole load! Micro fibre towels, 20 DEET repellant, organizer bags, and so on.
• Traveller's insurance.
• Vaccines
• Pay for OneWorld tickets (and print tickets)
• Book additional flight Oslo-London
• Visas: India, Cambodia (max 30 days, apply online within 3 months before exit), China at entry (not Hong Kong and Macau), Laos at entry, Nepal at entry, Thailand (over 30 days), Vietnam. Singapore and Malaysia at entry. Web register for USA.
• Forward mailing address.
• US dollars

ORGANIZE (Still un-checked items are marked in RED, follow-up in BLUE)
• Sub-let my apartment: Remove valuables and small items, ready apartment for people to see, set up a contract, arrange for someone to follow things up as I leave, and so on.
• Extra credit cards
• Renew press card
• Consider new phone carrier (according to global coverage)
• Someone to take care of bills and other administration while I'm gone / forward mail.
• Arrange with my accountant: Postpone the VAT and tax returns for next year.
• Set up 50 GB online backup for files.
• Digital backup of documents (pin codes, visa, passport)
• Rent out my HDV camera and sound kit for a full year, fixed rate
• Pitch article series for magazines and newspapers (series of 24-26)
• Pitch short articles for websites (series of 80)
• Create and pitch other concepts for PR agencies and companies (skipped).
• Follow-up on pitch for TV, make pilot
• Create and pitch new concept for TV, young demography.
• Learn some Spanish
• Set up: laptop (CD-roms: pictures, wide cam, dive cam, handycam), wash bag, backpack.

DONE
• Check vaccines (first batch done)
• Buy portable, but great camera (Panasonic LX3 w/converter, best compact out there)
• Plan and book route (OneWorld; itinerary, large)
• Create and pitch series (started, follow up)
• Buy Spanish class

Not much done yet, so I'd better get started..!

Welcome

This will be my travel blog (once my trip gets started). Watch this space for updates, starting early june 2009.