Sardinia one day.. Vienna the next

So my days as a 'yachtie' came to an end... quickly! With the season coming to an end, and the promise of work opportunities back in Australia, I decided it was time to move on and make my way home. By providing my employees with a 4 week notice, I believed I was doing the correct and professional thing. This unfortunately was thrown back in my face with my captain essentially ordering me off the boat the following day. Not one word of thanks, not even a good bye was said from my seniors. Sadly, with this process happening all within the space of 24 hours, it meant I had no time to say fairwell to my fellow crew who I had become quite close with over the past 4 months.. It was definitely a surprise for me to come into their cabin to say fairwell as the news of my resignation had only become official in the afternoon. The sour taste left in my mouth of this experience is unfortunate and left me feeling quite upset as it has put a negative spin on a time of my trip that I found very enjoyable. I will certaintly miss all my mates on the boat and all the good times we have had.. However, I wont miss the double standards and unprofessionalism displayed by certain members of staff..


So after being literally kicked off the boat, I had to find somewhere to go! Not sure as to where my mates who are over in Europe were made it very difficult, however I was thankful that I was able to get in touch with an old school mate from Melbourne who as in Vienna!

After flying in yesterday morning to beautiful sunny skies, I had such a sense of freedom and now able to enjoy my time in Europe before I make it back home! Spending the last two days exploring Vienna, although we avoided trips to the many museums was definitely what I needed (a change from the familiar sights of Sardinia!) Tonight we are taking an overnight train to Krakow, Poland!


In order to help with my trip to Poland, I've got a list of phrases that i think will be useful..

Jeden wódki proszę - One vodka please
U nie ma gdzie zaparkować swój samochód - This isnt where I parked my car
Mmm... Polska kuchnia jest cudownym - Mmm... Polish cuisine is delightful

So I could go on.. but I'm thinking I should go to the supermarket to get some food for the train.. Then make the most of the hostel bar before making my way to the station! Guten!!!

sunrise in sardinia...

I miss melbourne coffee

Lovers of coffee who happen to live in Melbourne are extremely spoilt for choice... I could name a dozen quality cafes that can serve an extremely good caffé latte, cappuccino or macchiato if I was asked too! Sadly though, whilst stuck aboard a luxury super yacht in one of the nicest locations in the Med, there is little choice when it comes to coffee! The choice is either: instant, tea (which I have become quite fond of), Nesquick or a Nespresso...

For those who are unfamiliar with the Nespresso brand, it is hugely popular in Europe. The instant espresso capsules are ideal for those wanting their caffeine or decaf fix at home. With retail locations where you can walk in a choose your favourite flavour of coffee on the Champs Elysee's in Paris, it is understandably a success.

However, being a barista and appreciating the art of what it takes to make a good coffee great the old fashioned way. Whilst George may think their is no other alternative, either he is yet to experience a Melbourne coffee, or (and quite obviously) his contract is worth way too many dollars for him to care... Meh!

All in a days work...

Just a good way to cool off... a nice jump into the water!!

19 metres off the sun deck! I unfortunately don't have a video of the 22 metre jump of the satellite dome but it gives you an idea of how big this boat is!!

ok i know, ive been busy...

Well it seems like this blog has really been on the back burner for the past.. let me see.. month! shit! ok enough making excuses, time to rev it back up again and key in some more entries.

So much has happened in the past month, which has included working insanely long hours at odd hours of the night on the boat, partying with mates from home and frenchies from Paris in the amazing south of France and enjoying 8km runs through the rocky terrain of the Sardinia in Italia! Whilst I have no excuse for inibility to update my blog, I guess it would come down to the fact that I'm having a blast and trying my best to maintain my tan that I have held onto since I left Australia back in January!

Working aboard the boat has had its hard times, however the time off spent jet skiing, wakeboarding, trips to the beach and enjoying the beautiful landscape of the Med can make these hard days a little more comforting!

Whilst I have been unfortunate not to be able to catch the great spectical that is Le Tour de France, I have been catching what I can on EurosportUK. Working nights when we have the owner on board has meant my days are meant for sleeping, which means my time for watching the Tour has been eating into my 'sleep' time and I have found myself experiancing a similar lack of sleep pattern that I used to adopt whilst watching it it back home!

Sadly, I dont have Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwern to keep me company, as the Eurosport commentators are more interesting in answering the emails sent in by first time viewers... (yawn) I'm alot more interesting in hanging out to hear the famous 'Liggett-isms' that Phil is renown for, such as:

(The Peloton passes a field with white cows) "The peloton is passing a field of white cows. This region of France is known for its bovine....(goes off on tangent)....Of course, none of that matters to any of the riders, except that they might like a nice steak at the end of day."

"He's turned himself inside-out!" or "His face has turned inside-out!" In reference to an grimacing rider.

As the tour heads towards the Alps I hope to see Armstrong come through with the overall, however it is definitely still quite hard to pick a winner.. I wish I was able to be at Mount Ventoux for the pinultimate stage, lets hope next year will be for me!

For those of you who happen to be riding at the moment, I am very envious... Not only do I miss riding a bike, somehow I still cant fall in love with running. Yes I have been running frequently, and looking to set the boat record for a course we have near our location but it doesnt start to compare to cycling.. I cannot wait to return to Australia and get back out on the road, get some skinny arms and terrible tan lines.. I guess only those who ride will understand!

For now, I will leave it.. yes I could write alot more however I will endevour to make more of an effort.. Hopefully to include some photos as well! Sadly the internet connection is far from fast.. so I'll do my best!

Hugs and Kisses,

Cam

4 days down 4 to go...

Life at sea... hmmm what to say?

Well I would have to start this story on Wednesday, the day our boat was leaving sunny Bremen in Germany (it easily could have been a Melbourne winters day)... I was feeling excited to be finally leaving Germany for the sunny seas of the Med, even got up a 5:45am to get out for a run on the last bit of land I would be seeing for a while... Make a note, that is the earliest I have woken up in quite a long time!

Day was going along well with all the crew making the final checks to make sure everything was good to go. Given one last task of returning a set of keys to the Lurssen office seemed harmless enough. So I ran onto land dropped off the keys, only to be asked what our plans were regarding the 12 empty slabs of beer sitting on the dock which we had failed to take to recycling in time..

Not entirely sure what was happening on board at this stage as my radio had been switched on the wrong channel didnt help; however I was nice enough to move all these empties around into the carpark behind the office as the Lurssen lady was happy enough to take care of the rest, harmless right?

Well not really... making my way back to the dock, I saw all the Lurssen workers waving at my crew goodbye?? Shit ok well this isnt good.. Once they spotted me they started yelling as to what in the world I was doing.. As I didnt particuarly feel like being left in Bremen by myself, it meant a leap of faith off the lauching ramp onto the boat was undertaked and all I could say is that I was extremely lucky that I made it back on the boat in time... Crisis number one averted, just...

So now as I write this the boat is currently somewhere off the western coast of france, and the plan is to make it to Gibraltar by Monday morning.. land will be a nice change.. After starting out in the North Sea moving the sea changed drimatically from the calm waters of the river I had become accustomed to in Bremen..

With winds at 35 knots, the boat was certaintly moving a fair amount. Now sea sickness I believe is only in the mind, and I managed to put up with the movement for the majority of the day, untill I walked into my room only hear the sounds of someone else vomitting.. not fun.. Determined to push through I made it to dinner, only to take one mouthful and then I had a make a quick bathroom stop.. There went lunch.. But afterwards sat down and finished my meal.. Interesting to say the least, but gladly I think I have got my sea legs by now.. Others aboard are still struggling so I'm happy that I'm ok...

The next drama happened yesterday afternoon.. there I was watching 'Titanic' on Sky (I didnt choose for it to be on, someone left it on the TV and I sat down to watch a bit) Well this is one thing that you dont want to watch when you are out to sea, is a boat taking on water as you end up jinxing the boat... Withing minutes of the sinking part of the movie underway, an emergency call went over the internal radios saying there was a massive amont of water in the main salon..

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, the boat is structurally fine so it wont sink; but somehow the captains bathroom plumbing has burst causing water to run down to the room below.. a bit of panic set in, not because of the potential for us to go under, but for the thousands and thousands of euros worth of carpet that has been ruined.... silk carpets dont really respond to water too well just incase you consider getting some put in your house.. So we did our best to contain the water damage but still I dont think I'm going to watch anymore boat tragedy movies anytime soon!!

Besides this its been pretty smooth sailing to say the least.. I'll attempt to get some photos up, but sadly the internet is deadly slow so I'm sure that can last till I make it to Antibes! Cant wait to get back to France and have a beer with all those I left behind!!

Untill then, lets hope I make it there in one peice...

Bremen is guten jah..

No photos unfortunatety at this stage.. but happy to say im living aboard ´Coral Island´a 72m motor yacht! Adjusting to life in Bremen aboard a boat has been interesting, although my role as a glorified cleaner will take a bit of getting used too..

Soon we set sail for Gibralter and then onto Antibes in the south of France! A week long trip at sea will really test my sea legs and hopefully ill make it there in one peice.. The living conditions aboard really are quite comfortable, as it has all the necessities needed including a PS3! I have started challenging all to FIFA but sadly I do not think ill be the best of board... yet!

Been lucky enough to make the most of the daylight savings and been running quite a bit but sadly, not any cycling to be seen... except for the stupid germans who ride their town bikes on the footpath ringing their bell at you for getting in their way... "its called a road!!"

Also, wated a brilliant british comedy called "The inbetweeners"... recommend it to anyone... well, maybe not everyone but definitely funny!

Now i must go and make the most of the day off, somehow i think that will be watching the Super 14 final with the South Africans who are apart of the crew... Sadly no Australian team to support but it should be alright...

Tesla @ Cannes - burn rubber, not oil...

Rudi Tuisk, one of Lincoln Browns cousins, always manages to land himself in bizarre situations. Whether it be opening the Boost Juice franchise in Estonia, or cruising around Sydney harbour on a yacht, I have found the time spent with him to be entertaining...

So, after finding out via facebook that he happened to be in Cannes for the film festival, I was quick to send him a message with my phone number so we could make contact as I knew I was in for something out of the ordinary! Soon after, I had him on the phone and we arranged to meet at the Hotel Carlon (on la causette) for a drink...

From looking at his Facebook, I had soon learned he is now working for a company that many people may still not know about. Tesla motors is a car company that is specialising in electric cars and are revolutioning the way people think about the green solution. Rudi and his collegue, Craig, came to Cannes to meet with some film industry types in order to help spread the word about the car and give some test drives to potential buyers.

To help you understand a little more about the cars, I have copied a short extract from the Tesla motors website...

"The first time you drive the Tesla Roadster, prepare to be surprised. You're at freeway speed in seconds without even thinking about it. There is no clutch pedal to contend with and no race-car driving techniques to perform. Just the touch of your foot and you're off, without any of the sluggishness of an automatic.

How powerful is the acceleration? A quick story to illustrate. A favorite trick here at Tesla Motors is to invite a passenger along and ask him to turn on the radio. At the precise moment we ask, we accelerate. Our passenger simply can't sit forward enough to reach the dials. But who needs music when you're experiencing such a symphony of motion.

Rest assured that this responsiveness works at all speeds, as noticeable when you're inching your way through parking lots as when flying along freeways.

The Tesla Roadster delivers full availability of performance every moment you are in the car, even while at a stoplight. Its peak torque begins at 0 rpm and stays powerful at 14,000 rpm.

This is the precise opposite of what you experience with a gasoline engine, which has very little torque at a low rpm and only reaches peak torque in a narrow rpm range. This forces you to make frequent gear changes to maintain optimal torque. With the Tesla Roadster, you get great acceleration and the highest energy efficiency at the same time. All while requiring no special driving skills to enjoy it. This makes the Tesla Roadster six times as efficient as the best sports cars while producing one-tenth of the pollution."

For the past couple of days, I have been fortunate enough to help Rudi and Craig with the logisitics of getting the Telsa Roadster down the main drag of Cannes (whilst getting more enough photos taken by the crowds), clean the car, rock up to the nightclubs of Cannes and obtain instant entry because the valet love the car and generally enjoy the Cannes Film Festival from a completely different prespective that what I would have done so if Rudi didnt happen to give me a call!

For me, the definite highlights included seeing the reaction of passers by who cant believe the car is electric, including owners of Ferraris, Porsches & McLarens (in case you were not aware already, there was no sign of any global economic crisis in Cannes). Attending lavious parties in villas atop the hills surrounding Cannes, driving an Audi Q7 quattro 4.4lt twin turbo (in all black) through the main drag and enjoying every minute of it, indulging in the insanley priced food and beverages at the Hotel Carlon (€34 hamburgers) - thanks Craig - and being able to pretend I was far more important than I really was...

Whilst my knowlege of the Telsa was almost inexistent prior to this weekend, I now have a new found appreciation for this car company. Not only are they leading the way in enviromental motoring, they have also developed a very, very fast and good looking car! Now, where did I put that €100 000???

Le nouveau MacBook avec un clavier français!

So i bought myself a present yesterday.. 13" MacBook and its awesome, except being in France I had no choice but to get a french keyboard (I did have an alternative but that would have meant waiting 10 business days, and in France we all know that means about 3 weeks as they would have 2 or 3 public holidays during this time)...

Although it may be a challenge to type initally, im sure i can get used to it?

If anything it will hopefully be more usefull for when I want to type in French...

- Savez-vous où je peux acheter de la bière?
- Le temps est chaud aujourd hui dans la Méditerranée!

And so on and so forth...

Ok, so now ill have more type to update this blog, hopefully make it more insightful and entertaining as I have been told (indirectly of course) that a friends blog is alot more amusing..

All I can do it try...

ps. If you have Skype, add me (cameron.mcdonald31), if you dont you should really get on board!

time to make some euros...

It's been a pretty crazy week! The weather in the south of France is really beginning to warm up and Jono, Matt and I have been really making the most of it! We managed to make to the beach in Cannes (on the public section - 15 euros for a deck chair is just a bit much) and enjoy our first experiance of the med and its water (not warm enough yet!)

In order to help with our employablity we took a trip to San Remo in Italia! Only a couple of hours by train, it was a great breath of fresh air! To be able to enjoy a real coffee and have a lunch off pasta and tiramisu was awseome!!

My luck turned regarding working on superyachts, and i have secured a job as a steward aboard M/Y Coral Island... The owner is unknown and the are very serious about keeping this a secret.. But all I know is that he happens to be very far from being in financial difficulty. An example of this, being the company flew me to Bremen in Germany to the Lurssen shipyard for the interview (as the boat is undertaking a full refit).

Germany was fun, although brief and enabled me to tick off being in three different countries in three days.. Not a bad feat I thought! The weather unfortunately was not as nice as the south of France and I will be relocating to Bremen on the 20th of May to begin my duty! Once the refit is completed then I will be travelling with the boat into the med! Although my time as sea is very very limited I am very excited about the experience it will offer! However, the thought of having sea sickness really doesnt sound too appealing..

The one good thing for me regarding this job is I will start to make an income!! I have really been lucky to survive on my trip so far but my funds are almost gone so I couldnt have perfected my timing any better! Hopefully it will give me a chance to start doing this thing someone I know talked about called 'sav-ing'...

I have to be very grateful for being given the opportunity to work aboard this yacht, as many people in Antibes, Cannes etc are struggling to get any work at all.. So for know it's time to put my head down and work (something I haven't really done much of this year)..

For the next week or so, I hope to make a trip back to Italy again and catch the Giro d'Italia! Fingers crossed I can make it!

french disco tracks...

Well it seems like ive been putting alot of effort into talking about the sights of where i have been, however i think it is worth making note of the music i have listened to along the way!

France, the home of some awesome electronic acts such as 'Daft Punk', 'Justice' (mmm... ok bit overdone) and 'Busy P'... you would think the mainsteam tastes would be alright.. however, the simple answer to this question is no!!

Not to say the music is bad, but sadly it is massively overplayed and if you manage to watch French cable music channels you will by now know each of the top ten tracks off by heart..

Sadly, this has happened to me and since recently moving accomodation into an apartment which does not have the luxury of cable tv, I have found myself wanting to hear these familiar tracks once agin..

So with no further or do, I present my top 5 frenchie club tracks so far! (dont expect too much in terms of quality here...oh and in no particular order)


'Helmut Fritz - ça m'énerve'




'Ocean Drive feat DJ Oriska - Some People'




'Antoine Clamaran - Gold'




'Discobitch -C'est Beau la Bourgeoisie'



And lastly.. a track which has managed to follow me all the way for this trip... Somehow it managed to be the most played track in Thailand and since arriving in Paris it has only been introduced... so fucking sick of it!!

'Kid Cudi vs The Crookers - Day 'n' Nite'



So, yeah... quality music all round... hope you enjoyed...

now go turn on triple j and be greatful!!

au reviour paris

good bye paris...

good bye frenchies who are so much fun!

good bye tour eiffel!!

good bye buskers... there are shitloads of them! this guy was good though..


hello cannes!!

Torture in Lyon

Since being away the ability to excercise consistently has been difficult. Be it too many drinks in Thailand or the intense humity of Vietnam, stringing together more than one session of exercise per week has proved a challenge. However, in Lyon, myself with Gulliame managed to get out and enjoy the nice weather whilst running in the local park...

However, Gulliame lives in the known 'Crosse Rousse' a top of a bloody big hill which means one thing.. What goes down, must come up!

So over the space of a week, whilst at night enjoying most likely one to many glasses of Beaujolais we managed to get out an do some running. But as you will see, the effort to get back to his house was shit.. The worst set of stairs ive ever seen..

This here is the beginning of the stairs... Probably around 300 or so just to warm you up...

But then; upon reaching the top of this flight, you are met with more stairs... By this stage you really feel like throwing up.. but you keep pushing on.. and your body is asking you? Why do you have to drink so much at night and then try to do this?? Surely there is a better solution to feel better about yourself?

Finally, we make it to the top.. my guess is there are close to 600 steps in all.. Kill me now!!

I was happy with the fact that I managed to complete this torture three times during the week, but sadly all I wish I was doing was riding my bike.. it seems so much easier.. bah

"le catch" at l'ESSEC

ok... well forget anything you've heard about the french before because there is no words really to describe my french experience on monday night...

my mate, alexis, on sunday night says to me... (insert french style english accent here)

alexis: "eehheey cam, do you want to come to the uni tomorrow night to see le catch??"

me: "yeah sure, i guess it could be a bit of fun...?"

alexis: "ok cool, it will be awesome!"

--------------------------

so after spending the day crusing around paris, doing the usual tourist things (walk up the eiffel tower) i caught the train out to cergy (my second home since being in the city of light) to go to ESSEC (mates business school)..

ok so upon arrival there was in the middle of the foyer, a massive wrestling ring.. like WWF or E or whatever it is now.. except without the crowds of american white trash yelling "give me a hell yeah!!"

so after a little while, the crowd starts to build and then the show begins..

really quite random to have these "professional" wrestlers at a uni.. but i guess its france and its all part of the experiance!

i think the photos might help explain the rest?

bonjour à paris!!!

So i have arrived in the most beautiful city in the world!!

And whilst i have only been here for a number of hours, i must agree that it is living up to its expectations! You can't beat Paris in the Spring..
Whilst I should be out exploring the city, I am passing time waiting for my frenchie friend Alexis to return from université... And i thought it would be a good chance to annoy those who would probably be in my position than back in Melbourne... C'est la vie!

Au bientot!!

Cam

good bye vietnam...

So as i'm currently in Hanoi airport (not very exciting) and i figured to kill some time i'd update my blog.. twice in the space of a week you say? yeah that's right.. i'm getting good at this thing..

To continue the trend of the last post, i'll refrain from the rambling and verbal nonsense that i tend to end up writing and just let you enjoy a few photos of Halong Bay...

Here i am jumping over a mountain!! (well not really)
Jumping off the roof of our boat.. The captain was too pleased with me but someone had to do it..

An example of the beauty of Halong Bay.. We were very lucky as the weather had been rubbish the day before and it didn't seem like the sun was going to come out but it did so hoorah!

This was taken inside of a cave which was discovered by some Vietnamese fisherman back in 1994.. The cafe is huge and full of stalatites/mites however it is ruined by the fact it is a neon light show with numerous colours lighting up the cafe (asians must love it).. oh and a fact water fountain to help the overall serentity.. shittttest thing ever..

ok so im not about to board my plane to go to Singapore for a short stop then off to Paris via Frankfurt.. so i'll probably get bored in Singapore airport and you'll most likely see some other photos or random thoughts that may have entered my mind at the time!

a few vietnam photos...

So i thought that seeing i'm pretty slack at writing my blog i'd just write a few words of a selection of pictures i've taken on my camera in Vietnam...

This was taken from my hotel room in Hue.. It was the first lightening storm i've seen in ages but this was pretty cool as the storm passed right over our hotel! Also it brought a cool change from the intense heat we have had almost everyday!

I just like this picture as it has a cool selection of colours.. It is of incense sticks.. i tried my luck at making some myself however i sucked so i thought against posting those photos.. most likely they'll appear on facebook sometime soon..
Beach in Nah Trang.. this was taken after arriving on the night train from Ho Chi Minh City.. We arrived in NT around 6ish.. so seeing we were near the beach i took a couple of photos.. Considered going for a run, really wish i did but lack of sleep really didn't motivate my body to get out the running shoes.. bummer

A fish we had for lunch in the Mekhong delta.. he was pretty mean... but tasted good when put into rice paper rolls with cucumer and chilli sauce!!

A this final picture is me drinking skorpian and snake wine.. I guess i'm on holidays to try new things so this would be one of them.. Didn't really taste alot like much but still it was good as i'll probably never do it again!

Hope you enjoy the photos.. i promise from now on to do my best to keep this blog updated!!! Next stop.. Paris!

Au bientot!

Cam

cambodian roads....

so.. i dont have a picture for the post but i feel it really would be appriopriate..

today travelling on the main road from our homestay in a rural part of cambodia (really nice and so much fun helping the young children with their english) towards the beaches town of sihanoukville, i was unfortunate to witness a car crash.. well the result of one

with many people gathered around the crash site and the sight of a truck and tuk-tuk both flipped on their sides i knew it could be good.. luckily for many they didn't manage to see what i saw and i'm not entirely sure why im writing about this but i guess it made me think about the importance of road safety. through the crowd i was devostated to see a man lying on the ground - and he was definitely not moving..

so in light of this, please take care whilst driving on the roads.. as accidents can happen - wherever you may be..

----------------

i promise my next post to be alot more cheerful..

cam

ok so i've been really slack... whoops

well now im back in bangkok for a day after spending the last 5 weeks travelling around thailand and laos... whilst i should have spent a little bit of time to make a post here or there about the highlights of my trip, the beach was always a better alternative, or the internet was too slow... or maybe it was lunch time - something like that! i could keep making excuses however it was probably the fact that i was having such a good time that i didn't want to make everyone jealous.. good enough?

so this afternoon i begin the next leg of my trip - cambodia and then vietnam. surely it will be exciting to see what each country has to offer but the prospect of going solo is a little daunting.. i've been fortunate enough to be enjoying the past five weeks with lilli who enjoyed as much as i did lying on the beach, partying it up at full moon party, zipplinning through the forests of laos and tubing down the mehkong river (hardly)!! sadly she has returned home for university and now its me, myself and i! maybe this will mean more time to blog updates? lets wait and see...

ko tao vs bangkok... easy winner

Well ladies and gentlemen, i bring you tonight's match up!! In the red corner, coming straight from the plane and into the smog and pollution is Bangkok.. with approximately a billion people (slight exaggeration) and way to many cars/tuk-tuks to poke a stick out, this will be a hard battle against its competitor Ko Tao...


Arriving via overnight bus and boat with a hardly any sleep, this beach driven beauty is clear to be a winner in anyone's eyes.. Not only does it promote dirt cheap accomodation, but the blue skies and crystal clear beaches are by far too much for the dirt of Bangkok.. Sure Bangkok may have ping-pong shows and cheap immiation clothes etc, the lure of the sand and ensuring my tan keeps topped up with Chang beer at sunetdoes not even come close!! Therefore I declare the winner so far to be.. Ko Tao!!!

one day to go...

I can't wait for this to be me, touching down in Bangkok... I'm positive that people are jealous that I'm heading overseas, but I can't help but feel that I have been the jealous person so many times before.

As you can tell, this is my first blog entry, to what I hope is the first of many.. Facebook may be great for contact, but this will hopefully give you a better insight into what I get up to amongst my time abroad, rather than just the photos..

Here is hoping that I manage to keep this page updated frequently. Obviously, internet access will not always be possible however I'll be keeping notes and taking photos so I'll be sure to do my best to keep this up to date.. assuming the hangover from the nights before isn't too big! Wish me luck!