#it’s the first top I’ve bought that actually fits me decently in perhaps 9 years

[momocicerone]

the boobs be boobing boobily in this new tank top 💯

[pixelrender]

Top 10 game I missed in 2019

This year was a weird one. Quite a few big indies came out but none of them was a massive hit. Also, Epic paying devs for exclusive rights on their games put several major releases outside of my sightline. I just can’t be bothered with it. On the other hand I got way more invested in Itch.io and the scene around it. I probably expanded my library there more than my steam Library and I was super pedant while keeping track of new releases there. There were many exciting ones! Choosing only ten releases proved to be a difficult task.

Fortunately I posted about many more over the course of 2019 and I plan to post several honorable mentions in their separate posts.

One other thing worth mentioning is that games I was hyped about at the start of the year mostly got released and mostly fell out of my radar. Some of them got enough attention from more important outlets than my lil blog or they got overshadowed by more exciting unsuspected releases.

In comparison with the 2018 list, this contains somehow less unified and probably less alternative selection of games. In other words, there isn’t a single walking sim on the list and most games are focused on gameplay. Let’s start at the bottom of the list (yes, it is ordered this time):

10. Later Alligator

Originally, this game didn’t make it in top 3 noteworthy releases of September. But opposed to at least two games on that list, It’s been popping up on my mind and I think that spending few hours with it must be a pleasant time. Reasons for that are simple. Heaven Will Be Mine, a previous game by Pillowfight, left a lasting impression on me and Later Alligator itself has a charming trailer and premise. The game not taking itself too seriously is another aspect, which makes me more interested in it right now. The graphics remind me of an old animated short or an alternative zine for kids and I like that very much.

9. Fit for a King

And another September release. This stands strong for a variety of reasons. Unique gameplay inspired by Ultima and combined with Ultima inspired graphics creates such an inspiring product, which is both fresh and nostalgic. But it’s something totally different than millions of games with Nintendo inspired graphics and so much better for that alone. Using the whole keyboard for a wide variety of regal commands is another great feature taking this game on this list.

8. Legionary’s Life

To be frank with you, dear reader, I’m not sure why I got so excited about this the moment I read a very short comment on it and watched the trailer. It’s not particularly pretty or fun. It’s about something else. You’re a regular person. It’s a life sim combined with an RPG and somehow very delightfully presented with many things to care about and to manage and it looks like a more interesting version of Paper’s, Please, actually. Now, I probably am overselling it, but that’s how excited this newest life sim made me. Gotta play it.

7.  REDO!

I love metroidvanias and this year’s harvest has been generous. One of the most interesting and different ones releases of 2019 was REDO! Released in early access only to get full release few months later this dark anime (BLAME!) inspired non-linear platformer is dripping with atmosphere and good pixels graphics, which are anime inspired but also decent about it and the result is very charming. It’s not Rain World, but the dev works really well with colours. Environments are detailed and expressive. This will be one of the first games for me to play when I return to computer in 2021.  Honorable metroidvania mentions: Outbuddies, Cathedral, Gato Roboto, Sun Wukong VS Robot, Feudal Alloy

6. Wildermyth

This game looks like a treat and from what I read on RPS, it probably is one. It’s a tactics game with some very stylized hand drawn graphics, which make otherwise somehow generic fantasy feel super unique. The story is narrated in a form of a visual novel with individual panels presenting both the continuation and choices. There’s so much good stuff in it and I’m excited to try it out one day. The game’s still in early access, so there’s no need to hurry.

5. Heaven’s Vault

This probably is the most complicated game on the list. I prefer simple experiences but sometimes something complex and sophisticated manages to capture my heart. The description of this game is one of the cases. You play as a time traveling archeologist, who is trying to figure out a lost civilization by deciphering its language. It sounds more satisfying than some of the drugs I’ve tried! It looks better than many AAA games too.

4. We Met in May

There are very simple reasons I crave this game. It reminds me of life of thing I like experiencing myself. It’s about the most basic of human interactions and yet love and dating is something fading. Like an ancient language, perhaps. Nina Freeman became my favourite dev after playing Kimmy and listening to the Tone Control podcast episode with her, so this shouldn’t be a disappointment. Also, It reminds me that my list includes zero gamer’s games and you can share these with your less violent buds.

3. Tiny Towns

Yes, I put a board game on my list. This whole year I have been following these as well and this is the only game I really wish to play. It’s simple, colorful, chunky and it uses bingo as its core mechanism. I like everything about it from presentation to relatively minimalist gameplay. 

The picture is a courtesy of my favourite board gaming blog Daily Worker Placement, originally used in their article.

2. Knights and Bikes

I wrote so many words about this game and I was genuinely excited to play it asap, when it came out, but then more important life choices happened and I haven’t played it yet and I won’t play it in 2019. I regret it a wee bit and I’m still looking forward this adorable adventure spiced up with some sad tones. There’s so much creativity and joy put into it and I believe that it might be one of the best games to play with or without children right now.

1. Art Sqool

As I mentioned before, this game’s a piece of art, a piece of critical thinking and more than many games aspire to be. It’s not there to tell a story, It present a phenomena and it allows you to use your creativity and shows you how ridiculous art schools can be. I bought this one many months ago hoping that I’d be able to play it soon. Unfortunately, the shaders don’t emulate on Linux and I will have to wait till 2021. I’m really looking forward to this and thinking about it after finishing it. It’s such a good concept and definitely something more related to other medias like art or art theory than traditional video games.

[sportsnewsss]

Alex Ferguson and the first trophy at Man Utd: Recalling the 1990 FA Cup final

Manchester United and Alex Ferguson enjoyed a long and successful relationship, but things did not always run smoothly.

Arriving from Aberdeen, the Scotsman won 38 trophies, knocked Liverpool off their perch – just as he promised – and conquered Europe before retiring as a knight of the realm and a club legend.

However, amid some rocky early years to the Ferguson era, divorce seemed imminent.

Midway through the 1989-90 season – the manager's fourth in charge – United endured an 11-match winless run in the Football League. They would end up finishing the campaign in 13th, their lowest finish in the top flight since suffering relegation in 1974.

Thankfully for the under-pressure boss, the FA Cup eased the growing pressure. Mark Robins clinched a crucial third-round win over Nottingham Forest, triggering a run that would end up with a trip (two, actually) to Wembley in May.

The final against Crystal Palace provided a classic in the first meeting, followed by an unlikely hero in the replay. It was the start of a dynasty for Ferguson, yet things could easily have worked out differently had the Eagles landed the trophy.

Here, with insight from former Palace goalkeeper Nigel Martyn, is a reminder of how Ferguson claimed his maiden honour as United boss exactly 30 years ago.

While United knocked out semi-final foes Oldham at the second attempt, Palace ended Liverpool's hopes of a domestic double in the other last-four tie, recording a thrilling 4-3 victory at Villa Park over the same team who had thrashed them 9-0 earlier that season in the league. In the second period of extra time, Alan Pardew nodded in the winner at a well-worked corner move.

Martyn: Fortunately for me, I hadn't been bought at that time (for the 9-0 defeat), so Perry Suckling was in goal. I'd seen the goals and none of them were his fault!

As for the day of the semi-final, it was hot. Steve Coppell sent us out with a game plan of keeping it as tight to go in at 0-0 at half-time if we could, making the game as small as possible. If we could play them over just 45 minutes, it gave us a better chance. We were not too adventurous in the first half and tried to prevent them from scoring, though obviously Ian Rush broke the offside trap to get a goal. But apart from that, they didn’t cause us too many problems. Nobody expected it to be quite as quick in the second half as it was.

It ebbed and flowed. We went 2-1 up and you start to think, can we? Then you're suddenly 3-2 down and praying for something to happen. Andy Gray pops up and equalises to go into extra time, then Pards scores from a routine we had practiced a lot. It was satisfying that all the hours in the pouring rain at training sessions, when you're desperate to finish, paid off.

To the final itself, then. The Eagles edged in front in the 18th minute through centre-back Gary O'Reilly, the ball looping over United goalkeeper Jim Leighton.

However, the Red Devils levelled before half-time thanks to a Bryan Robson header that found the net with the aid of a deflection off John Pemberton.

Martyn: It was a joyous feeling [to go in front]. Trying to keep a clean sheet then becomes the ultimate goal, but then we conceded fairly quickly after that with a Bryan Robson header that if I could say it was going to be the most comfortable save I could make, that was what it was going to be. However, 'Pembo' had a big swing at it when standing in front of me. It's deflected off him and gone in at the corner. The initial header was tame at best until the touch, but he was trying to do the right thing as he doesn't know where I am.

United benefited from a slice of luck with their second goal, too. A clearance was charged down by the sliding Neil Webb, with the deflection sending the ball scooting across the penalty area into the path of the grateful Mark Hughes, who finished to put Ferguson's side in front just after the hour mark.

Martyn: Mark didn't need a second invitation in front of goal. He buries that and then, at that moment, there's an initial bit of panic that goes through your mind, but there was enough time left in the game.

Palace responded to falling behind by sending on Ian Wright in the 69th minute. The striker had broken his leg on March 20 and missed the semi-final against Liverpool.

Martyn: Ian was busting a gut in training to get back to fitness, training his socks off. The gaffer was very tentative about playing him. He was our most valuable asset at the time, but you have a duty of care to the player. If he's not quite a 100 per cent, the decision was whether to start him and get 60 minutes, or see how things are going and throw him on as an impact. That's what he did – and it worked. He twisted Gary Pallister inside out to get the equaliser.

Wright did indeed level with a superb finish. The teams remained deadlocked through to the end of 90 minutes.

Extra time was required to try and find a winner on the day – and it was Palace who moved ahead again through their talismanic super sub.

Martyn: John (Salako) goes down the wing and puts in a cross that finds Ian there ready to finish it. You get to half-time [in extra time] and you almost think you're there. I can remember making a save from Paul Ince, a fairly decent one where he's hit it and I've managed to get it over the bar. At that point I thought it was going to be our day.

Hughes had other ideas, though. For the second time, the Welshman found a way to beat Martyn. Clean through on goal, he made poor contact with his effort but it still reached the net.

Martyn: As he's played through, I'm coming down the line of where the ball is going to be as he hits it. I'm waiting for a clean contact, definitely. Because he scuffs it, though, the ball goes further away from me and then on the second bounce spins back in. You can't practice for that; it happens from time to time. You get beaten by scuffed shots because you are setting yourself for a clean strike, because that's what you expect at that level. But, because of the scuff, that sends it in.

So 3-3 at the end of extra time. No penalty shoot-outs back then, meaning all back to Wembley on the Thursday for a replay.

Martyn: Who knows what happens with penalties, but I think it was the same for both sets of players at the time to get things done then. It would have been better for penalties, because the whole FA Cup had been around getting to that final. Instead it was an anti-climax, because you couldn't celebrate or drown your sorrows in the evening with another game to go. It was an odd feeling.

Ferguson sprung a surprise for the replay too, dropping Leighton as Les Sealey - signed on loan from Luton Town in December 1989 - started in goal.

Martyn: It was a big thing at the time. Les was a good pro, a good keeper. A bit more vocal perhaps than Jim, perhaps to get the lads going. You could say that it was a masterstroke, because he had a good game on the day and seemed to get them going a bit.

The other issue was over Ian. I can remember speaking to Gary Pallister at an England gathering later that year, I think, not long after when I'd just got into the squad, and he said he was petrified that 'Wrighty' was going to play. However, Steve kept him on the bench again.

After the goal glut in the first meeting, the sequel failed to hit the same heights. A solitary goal settled the matter, scored by Lee Martin just before the hour. The defender's forward run down United's left was picked out by Webb's floated pass, with a touch on the chest teeing up a rising shot into the roof of the net.

Martyn: There could have been three of us in goal and we wouldn't have saved it. On another day, that goes somewhere near row Z, but fortunately for him and United it flew in. There was not a lot I could do. The following season United went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup, because they obviously qualified through the FA Cup, and that really cemented Ferguson in.

[theglobetrottergp-blog]

Planning your South America Itinerary

South America has long been on my bucket list and 9 months ago I found myself putting together my ultimate South America itinerary – determined to cram as many life-changing experiences into a 10 week trip as possible.

I started by listing all my South America must-sees and prioritising those I had lusted after for the longest, namely Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. I knew I wanted a good mix of wildlife, landscapes and culture with a few cities thrown in for good measure. As a keen dancer, the opportunity to dance would be a real bonus so Argentina and Brazil made it onto my bucket list.

An important thing to consider when planning your ultimate South America itinerary is the climate. It varies wildly from country to country and you need to take this into account when planning your route through South America. For example, the Inca Trail is actually closed for part of the rainy season as it’s too slippy and dangerous. When it dry and sunny in Brazil, it’s sub-zero up a mountain in the Andes.

So for me, leaving in October, the route had to start west and work eastwards. This meant I could fit in some Andes mountain trekking before the rainy season hit and also meant that I got my fix of sunshine and caipirinhas on the beach in Rio before my flight home.

How to get around South America

If you’ve travelled in South East Asia or Europe, you are probably used to getting about by train. However, there aren’t many trains in South America so you are better off getting about by bus or plane.

South America by Plane

Whilst South America, in general, is not that cheap, getting about by plane is not as expensive as you may imagine as long as you don’t mind small rickety planes! Booked well in advance, you can get short international flights such as Cuzco to La Paz for $50-70. Airports are pretty straightforward. I booked my flights with trusty Skyscanner – personally, I find this to be the best tool to find the biggest variety of flights at the best prices.

South America on Tour

To save the hassle of finding your own way about, one option is to join a tour. This is possibly the easiest way to pack a LOT of highlights into your South America itinerary in a short time period. You can focus on enjoying the highlights and not having to worry about the practicalities.

I’ve taken a few Gadventures tours in South America and they were great! Brilliant informative tour leaders, well organised and decent transport (mostly air-conditioned minibuses!)

Whilst I haven’t used Intrepid in South America, I have sampled their trips in Africa and South East Asia and again, I was very impressed. Their trips are actually very similar. Check them out and see if any of their South America Itineraries takes your fancy!

South America by Hop on Hop off Bus

Perhaps the best of both worlds, this style of travel will allow you the freedom of doing it your own way with the convenience of jumping on a bus headed straight for the tourist attractions of hot spots in South America. The Bamba Experience is one of the most popular companies that organise hop on hop off trips.

South America by Local Bus

Sometimes it can be tricky finding the right bus and understanding timetables and prices when you don’t speak the local lingo. BusBud has provided a great solution for that – a website where you can search for local bus journeys in almost any country and in multiple currencies.

Planning Your South America Itinerary Budget

Without a doubt, the most expensive place to visit in South America is going to be The Galapagos Islands but boy is it worth it!! Being 1000Km off the mainland and with restricted numbers of visitors allowed on the islands at any given time, a trip to The Galapagos comes with a hefty price tag!

Spending time in Brazil is also pretty pricey with Chile and Argentina not far behind. If you want to make your pennies stretch further, you’ll want to spend more time in Bolivia and Peru. Bolivia particularly is cheap as chips. I would say if you are being careful, you could survive on $20-25/day in Bolivia whereas Brazil will set you back $50-70 per day.

My 9-week trip set me back $14000 which may seem like a lot of money, however, this included a week’s cruise in The Galapagos (which accounted for a whopping $3000) and I took several budget tours in order to pack a lot into a limited amount of time.

If I had the luxury of time, I would have travelled solo and I expect it would have been significantly cheaper! It really depends on what your priorities are! At that particular time, seeing as much as possible in a short time frame was mine.

For more practical tips for your trip to South America, check out my article: 20 Useful Tips for Travel in South America.

Ok so let’s get onto the good bit… What should be on your South America Bucket list?! Let’s get planning your South America Itinerary!

The Great Big South America Bucket List

South America Itinerary 1 – The Galapagos Islands

Best for Wildlife and Scenery

Budget

$200-300 per day if you take a cruise. Remember to factor in tips for your crew!

How Long?

7-10 days. Most trips will start from Quito on the mainland so factor a day or two either side of your boat trip. A week actually exploring The Galapagos Islands is about right. You could easily spend longer but a week will allow you to tick off most of the big wildlife and scenic attractions and will give you a good flavour of the islands. If you cut your trip short, there’s a chance you’ll miss out on the best bits like getting the opportunity to snorkel with sea lions!

Where to stay

Most trips are boat based so your board and food will all be included. So it might be pricey but at least you know exactly how much money you will need.

You will undoubtedly save money by staying on dry land and arranging day trips but be warned, you’ll likely have to deal with bigger crowds and will spend a lot of time on the boats getting to the islands. The cruise ships and stay-onboard boats will sale overnight to maximise your time exploring the islands and get you there before the other tourists arrive!

Since I have been desperate to visit the Galapagos for over 10 years, I really went to town on my research to get the best trip covering the most highlights but at the best price. I settled on a Gadventures boat called The Monserrat – I highly recommend it. I didn’t find any better prices and the trip was fantastic from start to finish! (The food by-the-way was to die for!) Check out their tours here!

Top Tip: If you have plenty of time, you can save money by flying to the Galapagos independently and arranging a last-minute boat when you get there. The risk is there will be none available but if you have plenty of time OR go in the shoulder seasons, you are likely to get lucky!

The Galapagos Eastern Islands

Best for beautiful scenery

Visit Isla Lobos for some close encounters with frigate birds and blue-footed boobies. There are SO many sea lions here. A great place to start your Galapagos adventure! Another eastern highlight is Cerro Brujo – possibly the prettiest beach I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. Unspoilt bright white sand and azure ocean in stark contrast with the black volcanic rock dotted with the occasional marine iguana or sea lion. I think this was one of my biggest ‘Wow’ moments in South America!

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The Galapagos Central Islands

Best for rugged scenery

The scenery in the central islands is more varied and rugged. See the black lava formations at Sullivan Bay on Santiago and whilst you’re there, snorkel off the beach – this is where I spotted my first shark!

Take a hike to the viewpoint on the volcanic islet Bartolome island. The views are beautiful but beware the wind!

If you want to catch sight of the elusive land iguana (much harder to spot than marine iguanas,) head to Cerro Dragon. We were lucky to see two on our nature walk here!

For giant tortoises, head over to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. Here you will find the Charles Darwin Conservation Centre, a great place to start and learn about the tortoises’ history on the island. Then head into the hinterlands to spot some in the wild!

If you are lucky you might spot a pod of wild orcas like we did. They may even put on a show for you like we were lucky to witness. That said, you are more likely to see whales on the western islands which I didn’t get chance to visit.

The Galapagos Southern Islands

Best for wildlife

For me, the best snorkel trip I took in The Galapagos was off the boat, not far from Espanola island. The most colourful coral I’ve ever seen but the best part was swimming with sea lions. There were so many of them and all fairly young which meant they were super playful. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this was the absolute TOP moment of my South America trip! Between Cerro Brujo and here, The Galapagos were scoring pretty high marks!

Another highlight of the Southern Islands was Floreana. This was absolute wildlife paradise. Here you can see the rarely spotted Galapagos Albatross and you will see so many marine iguanas – they lie on top of each other to keep warm so there will actually be piles of them! Hundreds of iguanas basking in the sun, careful not to step on them! Don’t worry, they are a lot more placid than they look!

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  South America Itinerary 2 – Peru to Bolivia

Best for Scenery Seekers 

Budget

$20-40. You can do it really cheap but this budget will allow you a decent hotel room and the occasional luxury.

How Long?

2-4 weeks. You can cover the main highlights (Inca Trail, Lake Titicaca, Bolivian Altiplano) in a fortnight but you may want to allow yourself longer to travel at a more relaxed pace.

Where to Stay

Since accommodation is cheap as chips here, I’d recommend splashing out on budget hotels and guesthouses. Save the hostels for the more pricey countries!

Top Tip! If you plan to do the Inca Trail, you will need to be super organised! Inca Trail permits need to be bought well in advance – often as early as 6 months! On writing this article in April, the next available permits are for October! If you don’t get yours in time, there are plenty of great alternative treks so don’t panic!

And another Top Tip (I’m good to you like that…) Pack lot’s of layers! The temperature can vary from glorious 25 degrees plus to minus figures within just a matter of hours. This can make it tricky to pack for South America but fear not, I’ve got you covered with my South America Packing Guide!

Cuzco

Previously the capital of the Inca Empire this attractive city is made beautiful by the well preserved Spanish colonial architecture and is well positioned in the stunning Andes Mountains. Beware it is at 3400 metres altitude so take your time climbing the stairs here! There are oodles of beautiful churches and colourful markets to explore but you can also use Cuzco as a great base for getting out into the surrounding mountains and visiting a few Inca sites.

Machu Picchu

Okay, you can’t really miss out this iconic site from your South America Itinerary, let’s face it! The question is not really IF you should visit it, but more HOW.

You could catch a scenic train ride or you could (and should in my humble opinion) take a trek to get there. Why you ask?! Well because the scenery is stunning and you won’t really get the full experience by seeing it from a train window! So providing you are in a reasonable state of fitness, book yourself onto one of the several treks in the area. You won’t regret it!

The Inca Trail is obviously the most well known. Book well ahead and prepare to be one of many of the trail. The scenery is diverse, beautiful and leads you straight to Machu Picchu plus you can say you did the actual Inca Trail which totally gives you street cred!

Another great alternative is the Lares Trek.

The Lares is much quieter, it’ll be just you, your team and the llamas. You may see an occasional farmer but otherwise, you’ll have the trail pretty much to yourself. It goes to a higher altitude 4800 metres so you can brag about that to your Inca trail friends! The scenery is absolutely mind-blowing. I asked my guide which trail he preferred, his answer? The Lares Trek every time!

Read about my Lares experience here.

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Lake Titicaca

Situated at 3800 metres altitude, this lake is really unique and not just because it is the worlds highest lake. What makes it truly unique are the local’s who live by it and even on it! You can take a tour of the local reed villages – yes made ENTIRELY of reed. The local inhabitants make a living by fishing and trading the fish at local markets.

You can easily arrange a homestay at one of the farming villages on the lakeside.  See inside a traditional Peruvian farm, eat with the family and experience traditional cuisine that you won’t get in restaurants and then help out with the farm work the next day.

Don’t be put off by the fact that many won’t speak English. We muddled by using a mixture of English words the children learnt in school, my VERY poor Spanish, lots of miming and showing photos on our phones of our homes, pets and families!

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La Paz

The capital city of Bolivia, La Paz is quite an experience especially if you take a taxi from the airport…

Whilst you’re here, visit the Witches markets – dried llama fetus, anyone?! Also, take a cable car trip and get amazing views of this huge city!

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Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats

Visit the worlds largest salt plane – 11000 sq Km of bright white desert created when a prehistoric lake dried up leaving these vast salt planes dotted with little cacti islands!

Enjoy taking some great perspective photos here. If you visit in the rainy season, you may get beautiful reflection photos.

The Bolivian Altiplano

The scenery here will have you speechless. There’s not a lot to ‘do’ here per se but I personally was entranced by the scenery that the long drive from Salar de Uyuni was actually one of my trip highlights. See the spurting bubbling geysers, find aqua and red lakes filled with flamingos and see desert which stretches for miles. For more inspiration, see my photos to inspire your trip to Bolivia.

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  South America Itinerary 3 – San Pedro to Buenos Aires

Best for wine and dancing

Budget

$30-60. Chile and Argentina are much more expensive than Bolivia but slightly cheaper than Brazil so expect to pay a bit more in some restaurants and for tours. The prices are not dissimilar to western countries so expect to pay similar to what you pay back home (unless home is Bolivia.)

How Long?

This route will take 2-3 weeks to cover properly.

Where to stay

As prices are beginning to rise, this may be the time to consider staying in hostels. Most hostels have private rooms if you like a bit of privacy on a budget. Hostels are also a great way to meet people! I use booking.com to find hostels and hotels and usually find they have a great selection of accommodations and you can easily search for your specification – a swimming pool and a hot tub puh-lease!

San Pedro

Ah, I LOVED this place. From the cute little shops lining the streets to the drinking holes that look like they’ve been taken straight from a western movie, San Pedro certainly has character. I also didn’t have a single bad meal here – the food was Ah-mazing! It’s a great place to arrange trips to Moon Valley and into Bolivia for the Altiplano. There are so many outdoorsy activities to do here, you won’t be short of things to do! The scenery at Moon Valley, in particular, is just stunning! See my San Pedro guide for more info.

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  El Cafayate Wine Tasting

Head to Argentina and get wine tasting in the beautiful countryside. Then go out for a juicy Argentinian steak washed down with some delicious merlot! There are wineries both in the countryside and in town that you can visit. Some trips need to be pre-arranged but often you can just turn up and join the next tour or tasting session.

Stay on a Ranch or Estancia in rural Argentina

Experience the real rural Argentina on an estancia stay. Several estancias (or cattle ranches) offer accommodation and activities such as horse riding and wildlife watching. Learn to swing a lasso like a real cowgirl or indulge in an Argentinian BBQ. I stayed at Estancia Los Potreros and had an absolute ball! In addition to the activities above, we also had more wine tasting and a music session with some local cowboys. Read about it here.

Get your Tango on in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a brilliant city! Colourful and diverse, traditional yet cosmopolitan, this city has a lot to offer travellers.

La Boca

This super colourful neighbourhood is popular with tourists so it can get busy – go early in the morning to escape the crowds. Visit markets, enjoy street tango performances and enjoy the colourful buildings and street art. But make sure you go home before dark as it can be a little unsafe here at night time.

San Telmo Market

Visit San Telmo Market on a Sunday. This huge street bazaar meets flea market sells everything from traditional tourist souvenirs to clothes, records, books and antiques. You can easily get lost here and potentially spend a fortune. I expected that bargaining would be expected but was surprised to find that most prices here are fixed! No harm in trying though…

Learn Argentine tango

There is no better place to learn to Tango than Buenos Aires! Watch a street show, attend a formal show or take a lesson. But if you want to see the real tango, find a milonga. These are like afternoon tea dances where everyone will be dancing for fun – not for the tourists.

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South America Itinerary 4 – Brazil

Best for eco-tourism

Budget

$50-100 Brazil is pretty pricey so unless you are happy to rough it, expect to spend a bit of money here!

How long?

2-3 weeks should be enough to cover most of the highlights in South Brazil but of course, there are plenty more places to explore in Brazil if you have time.

Where to stay

To keep costs low, I’d recommend staying in hostels or even camping. I stayed at a few campsites in Brazil which were great and the weather is nice and warm.

Foz do Igauzu Falls

The largest waterfall system in the WORLD, this will surely be a highlight of your South America itinerary! Bordering both Argentina and Brazil, it’s worth visiting from both sides. From The Argentina side, you can get close to the falls to appreciate their power. From the Brazil side, there are some great opportunities to see it from afar and appreciate the overall beauty! I’ve written a detailed guide to Igauzu falls, see it here.

Also on the Brazil side, there is a great tropical bird park Parque das Aves where you can get up close to some beautiful birds including the colourful macaws and toucans!

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Bonito

Did you know Bonito is the eco-tourism capital of Brazil? And rightly so! There are so many amazing places to see in this area!

Rio da Prata

One of the best places worldwide to try freshwater snorkelling with an average visibility of 50 metres. You will drift for 90 minutes along with the current enjoying the underwater garden seeing colourful fish and if you’re lucky a caiman or anaconda! Read more about it in my Bonito Guide.

Buraco Das Araras

This limestone sinkhole is a meeting place for hundreds of brightly coloured and NOISY macaws!

Grotto de Azur

Visit this beautiful bright blue lake within a cave. The light beaming into the cave bounces off the limestone giving its incredible blue colour. Sadly there’s no swimming here so you’ll have to head to an estancia for some waterfall swimming to cool off afterwards!

South Pantanal

If you are a big fan of wildlife, head over to The South Pantanal, Brazilian wetlands where you stand a reasonable chance of seeing one of the big cats, possibly even a jaguar! You will undoubtedly see plenty of caiman crocs and birdlife and there are plenty of chances to see capybara, anteaters and even cute little river otters which apparently are not so cute after all! Did you know river otters are territorial so they are actually more dangerous than the caimans or anacondas if you were to fall in the river! Explore by 4WD safari vehicle, on foot, by boat or on horseback. I highly recommend a night safari for your best chance of seeing a jaguar!

Paraty

Paraty is a really lovely well preserved Portuguese colonial coastal town with cobbled streets and only horse and cart for transport. Spend time exploring the shops and cafe and take a day trip in one of the colourful wooden boats stopping at beaches and islands.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of the fastest paced, diverse, colourful, lively cities you could visit.  There are so many iconic viewpoints you will want to visit such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and The Christ Redeemer statue. Visit the colourful Escadaria Selarón steps and then have a caipirinha on Copacabana or Ipanema beach.

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  Other Places you might want to put on your South America Itinerary

There are still so many places on my South America bucket list that I need to go back and tick off at some point! I would love to see more of Chile and I didn’t even step foot in Colombia and I’ve heard so many great things about it. Here are a few places that will be on my next South America itinerary!

Guatapé, Colombia.

I seem drawn to any colourful town – Cinque de Terre in Italy, by the way, is awesome! Guatape in Colombia is possibly the most colourful of them all. Not only that but it overlooks Penol-Guatape a beautiful man-made reservoir and a great place for water sports.

The W trek, Torres del Paine,  Patagonia

Landscapes don’t get more dramatic than this – think snow-capped mountains and bright blue glacial lakes. This is a challenging 5-day trek but surely worth the effort for views like this?!

Ushuaia, Argentina

In the South of Argentina, is Ushuaia, the starting point for many cruises to the Antarctic. But you don’t have to go that far to see penguins!

The Amazon Jungle

Head deep into the Amazon in Peru, Equador or Brazil to get close to the wildlife and creepie crawlies. Take night walks and river safaris but perhaps not if you are an arachnophobe…

So there we have it, your ultimate South America Itinerary with all the practical information you need and the photographic inspiration to fuel your wanderlust! What is on YOUR South America bucket list? Have I missed any South American gems? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Psssst, I’d love it if you can share this article and spread the word how amazing South America is! Please use the share buttons below or pin to Pinterest for later! Thanks a million!

                                                          The Ultimate South America Itinerary Planning your South America Itinerary South America has long been on my bucket list and 9 months ago I found myself putting together my ultimate South America itinerary - determined to cram as many life-changing experiences into a 10 week trip as possible.

[rueur]

Morning Pages #20 (26.01.2017)

Thursday 26th Jan - 9:30 a.m.

Happy Invasion Day! It’s interesting to see which of my white-Australian friends refer to today as ‘Australia Day’ and which refer to it as it’s perhaps rightful term. I am a little ashamed though, I have to admit, because the City of Whittlesea has the most fantastic fireworks show every Australia Day, and my family have always attended it. Actually, I haven’t attended it for the past two or three years now, because this time last year I was camping in Robinvale with Ikaros, and the year before that I was in Sri Lanka. And the year before that I was in high school, starting year twelve and I was depressed as all hell and rarely left the house. If I were to go this year, it would be the end of that streak, but I would also be rewarded by a superb fireworks display. Ah, I think I might boycott the display today.

Marcus is also hosting Inkblot’s Housewarming for the opening of their new creative space in Coburg. That starts at 2 p.m., and I honestly don’t know if I’ll go yet. I think I might, but it’s 9:34 a.m. now and I am yet to wash, brush, eat, or clean the apartment or anything. And considering that this is my last day off before my show runs, I desperately need today to get Emily’s place in order for her before she gets back. It’s honestly all looking a pretty decent shape right now, really. I just need to vac again, clean the litter boxes, maybe scrub down the bathtub and remove all my drain hair. Maybe mop the kitchen a little. And I should strip the bed down and put my towel and my used sheets in a hamper for her. I just don’t think I’ll have time to wash them on my own, I hope she doesn’t mind. To make up for that, I think I might buy her a bottle of wine and those affogato ice creams I saw in the freezer when I moved in. Okay, there was one affogato ice cream and I ate it! Because there was only one! Actually, just the wine should be fine, right?

I was supposed to go out last night too. See, I started this year saying that I would seize all opportunities, but this week alone I didn’t go to the writer’s meetup in Brunswick, dinner with my family and Hashini akka’s family in the city, and now I might even bail on Marcus. To be honest with you, I think I might still be a little shaken from the sexual assault. It was nearly two weeks ago now, but I don’t know, I’m still sick and I’ve been exhausted lately. And my period is still late. That’s another thing I need to tell you about: yesterday I did my first ever home pregnancy test. I called Ikaros up a little after five, after my rehearsal, and told him I felt weird all of yesterday and that I think it would be best to do a pregnancy test. He agreed, and said he would be right over. I met him at Northcote station at 6:30 p.m. on the dot (he had just come back from the gym so he wanted to shower and stuff first, which is understandable because he works out very hard), and then we went to Chemist’s Warehouse and bought two different tests. We ran back to the apartment (briskly walked) because I really needed to pee (in preparation for the tests), and I immediately sat on the toilet and held that little stick midstream. We then waited for three minutes, talking about the possibility of us potentially having kids someday.

A couple of months back, we agreed that despite not liking the idea of procreating in general, the idea of procreating with EACH OTHER was somewhat more desirable. We thought the combination of our genes would be ace. And we still do. We made up this fictional future where I end up marrying a gay Spanish poet named Carlos for my parents’ sake, and then end up living with Carlos and Ikaros and some other people. Carlos never screws me and I spend all my sexual energy on Ikaros and end up carrying his babies, and we pass the babies off as Carlos’ babies to my parents. THAT IS until one of the little things comes out with a head full of ginger hair (Ikaros hopes), and gives Ikaros away as the real baby daddy. And my parents just grow to accept that I love him. I don’t know, he might be my real love. He might not be. But I’m open to whatever the universe has in store for me, and for us. And for Carlos.

I took another pregnancy test this morning, at around 6:30 a.m., and that one also came back negative like the first one. They both came back negative right away, really. The rectangle had a purple line through it, but the circle had no pink line. Verdict: not pregnant.

It was an interesting experience, though. The anxiety I felt the hours before was almost debilitating. I realised my fears during the tech run we had yesterday afternoon. It was four hours long and I had to pee twice and I thought that was odd. Then I spent most of my time backstage, which was very dusty and cold and triggered a few coughing fits in me. Then I started to feel light-headed and dizzy, very scarily out of it, and that’s when I started looking back on all my weird symptoms these past two weeks, and realised that I was very afraid. The way home from the chemist, I was telling Ikaros that I wasn’t ready to have an abortion. It’s not like I’m ready to have a baby either, but funnily enough, I felt more terrified at the prospect of getting an abortion than I was about getting pregnant. I think it’s because once you see a positive test at my age, your only responsible next step IS an abortion, and preparation for that procedure becomes your reality. Thankfully, it did not become my reality yesterday.

It’s 9:56 a.m.. I took a little break from writing to clean my ears out. They tend to get blocked up during a cold, and during humidity, and because it’s summer and I’m sick they have been rather blocked up lately. At least I’m not making it worse by listening to music, because my earphones were totalled on Tuesday! But I will say that I’ve been speeding through these pages lately, like the first couple of weeks it took me a good hour or so to get all three pages down, and here I am now at the bottom of page two in just a half hour. I think I know why too.

Despite the fact that I both love and miss him immensely right now, I think breaking up with Ikaros was the best thing for both of us. I think it’s actually even opened me up a little more, creatively speaking. I said this before, but before the break up I had to write hard truths about him and it was tricky to put myself in that kind of state of mind first thing every morning, because I hadn’t been honest with him. And what good is it being honest with myself about some other person, when I’m not addressing that other person and thus that honesty travels nowhere? These next couple of months are going to be difficult, I recognise that now. In fact, I recognised that in late October of last year. But I have to bear in mind, that it could’ve been a lot more difficult. We are essentially taking the healthiest steps we can take here. We are being incredibly smart about this breakup, to the point that it only feels like a breakup because we’ve called it that. If anything, it feels less like a breakup and more like making a new lifelong friend. We’re going to Gong De Lin on Sunday, and he also said he wanted to go and see the new M. Night Shyamalan film, ‘Split’. I’m a little iffy about Split, to be honest with you, because it seems to trivialise a real mental illness (multiple personality disorder) and then demonises it, turns it into a malevolent disease. Ikaros said he’d pay though.

I need a job! I am going to keep looking the SECOND I’m back in Mill Park. I’m going to print out a whole bunch of resumes on Sunday or Monday morning, head into the city and walk up and down Faraday Street as I’ve been meaning to do. If I can get a hospitality gig that close to uni, it would honestly make my year already. And I’m graduating this year! OH SHIT ANOTHER THING. I totally forgot to mention this and I find it ludicrous (great rapper) that I did, because it was such a big deal for me when I read about it on Tuesday.

I checked my student email after months of inactivity, because we’re getting closer to the start of the semester and I wanted to be at least a little bit on top of my timetabling. I received an email from the head of The University of Melbourne’s School of Geography, encouraging me to do my honours or my masters within the school! THEY WANT ME. I can most definitely do my masters in Environments or even Environmental Science if I want! I DON’T HAVE TO DO JOURNALISM! I CAN DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE. This is what I’ve been hoping for for the past two years now. Of course, I still think I should head in to Stop 1 at some point and talk to a student advisor about my options. I have a 72 GPA, so...wait, is it called GPA here? I’ve logged onto my.unimelb, and have just found out that class registration for third years is on the 31st of January at 10 a.m.. Should I write my morning pages before or after this? Probably after, right? Okay, sorted. I’m just checking my results page now, to see exactly what my ‘GPA’ is. It’s loading, it always takes ages. Anyway, as long as I do fairly well in all my subjects this year and not fail anything, I’ll most definitely be eligible for honours in the School of Geography. Considering a good portion of my subjects this year are also taught by the School of Geography, this is certainly looking to be an entirely open avenue for me to follow. Actually, maybe I should take MORE geography subjects this year, just to put myself in an even more favourable position as an honours candidate. I know I have at least two, and they’re both in first semester. And maybe one in second. I could drop ancient greek and take up another geography class. We’ll see when this page loads!

[lightandmatter]

The glowing LEDs of the main straps can be seen here.

The Udee Backpack

Though not strictly a camera bag, the Udee backpack may appeal to photographers who want to carry a minimal camera kit and still have plenty of space to use as a day pack. Along with a padded lower compartment to hold camera gear, the pack boasts a 25 liter volume and a long list of 18 additional features. The pack is launching on Kickstarter right now with an early bird price of $109 and a retail price listed as $229.

Is it worth it? I’ve spent a few weeks playing with the bag’s features and giving it a rough test, and my findings are below[1.I received a review copy of this backpack, free of charge. I always strive to be honest and unbiased in my reviews, but as usual, take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt. I’ve tried to not let the price affect my review.].

Appearance & Volume

If nothing else can be said for the Udee backpack, it’s pretty sharp looking. The main panels are dark grey with the texture of denim, with highlights of silvery reflective material. For contrast, the top handle is a bright orange that is matched by an orange front zipper and nameplate logo. And if that’s not enough for you, you can click on the front strap switches and the LED lights turn on, giving you a matching bright orange glow. And of course, the straps and back padding are black (which goes with anything). It’s a snazzy combination.

The shape of the bag is a bit on the boxy side, as the material and padding makes it rather rigid. The bottom compartment is rectangular, while diagonal seams in the top of the bag make for an angular, structured shape overall.

The interior of the main compartment.

The interior pockets of the main compartment.

The camera compartment of this backpack is large enough to hold a DSLR and large lens, or a couple of small lenses.

In the upper compartment you’ll find a large open area with no dividers, although there are two padded flaps that can be used to secure books or a tablet. The interior houses a variety of pockets, some with mesh fronts and zippers, and others that are open. Below the main compartment is a padded section with two dividers that is intended for camera and lens storage, though it can double as a soft-sided cooler.  It’s large enough for a full sized DSLR with a large 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and perhaps a flash, or a more compact SLR and two or three lenses.

Behind both of these compartments is a laptop computer sleeve with three pockets, making it great for a laptop and a tablet.

Features

This image and list of the backpack’s features was provided to me by the manufacturer.

The main selling point of this bag is ostensibly its long list of features; nineteen of them to be exact. Upon closer inspection, though, many of these features are just statements of the obvious and common (e.g., 1. photography  bag, 2. phone pocket, 3. notebook pocket, 4. pen pocket, 5. passport/cards pocket 6. power bank pocket). These are pretty common with any school kid’s backpack, and some of these pockets are just pockets.

Others features are a little less common, but are still not very exciting ( 7. lightweight, 8. safety reflective stripe, 9. large 25 liter capacity). A couple of the features are pretty questionable (9. expandable volume: this actually only means that there’s a zippered divider between the two compartments, but OK, and 10. portable cooler: this just means that the padding in the lower section of the pack doubles as insulation. This is true of any padded camera bag.)

One feature doesn’t appear to exist at all (11. carabiner). I looked all over for a carabiner, but didn’t find one. Perhaps they mean the keychain clip.

This still leaves us with a list of seven features that are worth exploring a little further.

Charging port

Earphone port

Anti-theft

Safety LED light

Water proof

Security pocket

Luggage belt

Ports

The headphone port is this circular grommet.

An earphone port is a handy feature, especially for sports oriented backpacks. These allow you to keep your phone or iPod in your pack, where it’s protected, and string the earphones out the side. If you have a pair of smart earphones that allow you to adjust volume, and skip tracks from buttons on the cable, you’re all set.

The downward facing USB port for charging.

The external charging port is also a cool (if somewhat less practical) feature for those of us who are slaves to battery powered devices. If your phone is not in your pack but the battery is running low, you can simply plug your USB charging cable into the port on the outside of the bag. I say impractical because this is supposed to save you the step of unzipping your backpack to either get out your charger (and put it in your pocket, for example) or to plug your charging cord directly into the power-pack, but of course, unless you walk around with a USB cable dangling from your phone, you’re going to have to open your backpack to get one out anyway… and if you’re doing that, you might as well just run it out between the zippers of the top compartment. But nevermind that, it’s cool to have a USB port on the side of your backpack, in a nerdy sort of way.

Anti-Theft

The security cable is about 3 feet long, but coils easily and fits inside the computer compartment when not in use.

This is an interesting feature for travelers, or even those who frequent mass-transit. If you’d like to put your camera bag on the overhead rack on the bus or train, but you’re afraid that someone might run by and snatch it and hop off, this backpack includes a small, built-in combination lock and steel cable that will keep your pack safely attached to the rack.

Of course, the lock can also be used on some of the pack’s zippers, which is also handy. Either way, this is a great idea.

Safety LED Lights

As I mentioned in the “Appearance” section above, the LEDs in the front straps are snazzy looking and actually serve a practical purpose for those who walk along roadsides at night. With a click of a button on each strap, the LED strips with either blink slowly, blink quickly, or will stay continuously on. Each LED module can be removed from the strap and can be plugged in to a standard micro-USB charger, so there are no batteries to replace. I wish that they’d taken this idea a step further and included an LED stripe somewhere on the back of the backpack (to warn those who are coming up behind you and are harder to see), but the reflective stripe around the main compartment zipper will have to do. Another good idea, for those who are willing to use it.

This is one of the LED strips that slides into each of the shoulder straps. Note the micro-USB charging port on the red-orange section.

Water Proof

Since a camera bag’s job is to protect our expensive electronic equipment from the elements (and most of us have thousands of dollars worth of cameras, lenses, phones, tablets, etc), this is a very important consideration.

I’ve long since learned to take any claims of waterproofing with a grain of salt[2. When I got my first pair of Gore-Tex ski gloves when I was 13 years old, I immediately put them on and dunked my hands in water, and of course, I started feeling the water seeping in at the seams after several seconds. More recently, I bought a tent with a waterproof rain-fly and got drenched during a downpour in Florida.]. When I poured a bit of water onto the fabric of this backpack, I found that it did a decent job of keeping water out, though the interior did start to feel a little damp.

But the backpack has much bigger problems than that. Although the cloth sides of the bag may be water resistant, the zippers are not… and they’re not protected. There are no flaps of cloth to cover the zippers, and what’s worse, the design of the upper bag acts as a funnel to direct rainwater directly into the phone-pocket zipper, where it can then soak into the rest of the bag. Take a look:

This is a pretty dismal failure, and the laptop and camera compartment zippers are just as bad. This bag is not waterproof. This bag should ship with a rain-fly, like ThinkTank bags do.

Security Pocket & Luggage Belt

On the back of the backpack (that is, the surface that would rest against your back while you’re wearing the pack), there are two handy features. First, there’s a luggage belt, which allows you to slide the backpack over the handle of your rolling luggage while you’re in the airport (or otherwise rolling along). The designers have included a patch of Velcro in the middle to help keep the backpack from twisting and falling to the side. Nice.

To the left and right of the bottom back pad are the zippers for the security pockets, and above it is the luggage strap.

Also on the back of the pack are two small pockets with zippers. Since these pockets will normally be flat against your back, they’re particularly difficult for thieves and pickpockets to access, making them ideal for carrying your cash, passports, tickets, and other important small items.

Laptop Pocket

Though it’s not mentioned in the extensive list above (maybe THAT’s what they meant by “notebook pocket”?), there’s also a laptop pocket and tablet pocket behind the two main compartments. It will easily hold a 15″ computer, plus a standard iPad or other tablet. The computer sleeve is padded for a little extra protection.

Quality & Comfort

For a brand that I’d never heard of before (Udee?), the quality of construction of this backpack appears to be pretty good… it doesn’t feel like cheap junk, though it’s hard to really evaluate something like this in a couple of weeks. The materials feel sturdy, the padding on the back of the pack is thick and soft, and I see none of the telltale signs of shoddy workmanship (hanging threads, uneven seams, etc).

The shoulder straps are wide and comfortably padded, the strap webbing is sturdy and smooth, and even the orange neoprene around the top handle is soft and easy on the hands.

On the other hand, the D-rings on the straps are plastic rather than metal. I’d much rather carry the extra gram or two of weight to know that they’re not going to break if needed.

My main concern about the quality of the pack comes with the zippers. Although the zipper pulls are marked as “YKK” brand, they do not all have the smooth operation that I’d expect. Actually, all of the zippers feel fine except for the main compartment zipper, which is not smooth at all and makes a sound like ripping cloth when I zip it up. It hasn’t actually failed yet, but it makes me nervous. I’ll keep my eye on it.

Design Concerns

I’ve already mentioned the problem that the front-pocket zipper presents in the rain; it funnels water directly into the interior of the pack, which is a serious hazard.

Almost as troubling to me, though, is the accessibility of the lower compartment… the part of the backpack that counts as the camera bag. The problem here is this: the laptop compartment, which is about two inches thick, runs from top to bottom of the backpack. However, this part of the backpack should be a hinge between the two compartments, lowering the bottom section away from the main compartment so you can easily access your equipment. As is, in order to get into the lower portion of the pack, you have the bend the two-inch thick side-walls of that compartment, which is not easy… and that’s if it’s empty. If you have a laptop in there, it doesn’t hinge at all. In that case, the only way to get at the equipment there is to try to grab the compartment front and stretch the opening wide. It’s a pain.

With the lower compartment unzipped completely, you can see that the entire laptop sleeve will need to be bent to open the lower compartment.

Now, it is possible to access that compartment from the interior of the backpack, since the divider has a zipper around it. However, that’s not practical if the upper compartment is also full of stuff.

Value

We’ve been told that the retail price for this backpack will be $229, which seems a bit high, considering the bag’s feature set. Yes, they’ve added a couple of ports, and for those, I’d reasonably expect a $10 price hike. For the LEDs, perhaps another $10 (LED-lit shoes cost about $30, these days).  But $60 more than the Pelican U100 truly waterproof backpack? Or as much as the Pelican Sport Elite or ThinkTank ShapeShifter? Hard to justify.

However, we’ve been told that the Kickstarter pre-sale price for this bag will be $109 (or $99 for a version without the LEDs), which is a much more reasonable price for this pack. It’s still a little high, considering the problems with their waterproofing claims and the camera compartment accessibility, but if those things don’t bother you, it could be worth a shot.

Conclusion & Rating

The Udee backpack is a snazzy looking backpack of generally good build quality. Its list of features includes some cool hits and some serious misses, and the poorly designed lower-compartment access is troubling. All in all, the retail price of $229 seems exorbitant, but the Kickstarter price is low enough that it might be worth a shot if you’re looking for a hybrid backpack/camera-bag and you rarely get caught out in the rain.

[infobox maintitle=”Overall Score: 5.7 out of 10″ subtitle=”Snazzy looking. Packed with good ideas, poorly executed.” bg=”red” color=”white” opacity=”off” space=”30″ link=”no link”]

Questions? Comments?

As usual, I’m interested to hear any questions or comments that you may have about this review or this backpack. Just let me know in the comments section below!

Review: Udee Camera Backpack The Udee Backpack Though not strictly a camera bag, the Udee backpack may appeal to photographers who want to carry a minimal camera kit and still have plenty of space to use as a day pack.