Manuel Antonio, Costarica

No, there`s not a mistake in the title of this post, the name of this village is really Manuel Antonio! After one night spent in San Jose`, the capitol of Costarica, I moved to this village on the coast of Pacific Ocean because is near to the homonym National Park. Today I hiked into the National Park and it was really worthy to come here as the wildlife seen was stunning: lots of monkeys everywhere, hummingbirds, iguanas, lizards, sloths, crabs and other animals I don`t know what they are... Unfortunately the shitty camera (but mainly is fault of the shitty lens) I use didn`t allow me to take pics as wanted, but anyway some shots taken I guess they`re pretty cool, that`s enough.
By the way, coming from Nicaragua I was thinking how cool was to discover that country: a place which was something like a black hole on the geographical map to me, as I knew almost nothing about Nicaragua before reaching it, it quickly turned into one of my favourite central America spots, for the wild beauty of the almost-tourist-free country and the unbelievably friendly people. Well, Costarica is different, as the influence of United States is really strong (you can see Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald`s spreaded almost everywhere) prices are expensive, villages converted into tourist attractions and, finally, a different less charm as it seems to me more `fake`. But you come to Costarica for his lush nature and incredible wildlife, not for anything else, and nature here - trust me - is unbelievable.
I will greet the new year from the beach just few metres from the hostel where I stay in Manuel Antonio. Happy 2011 to you all.

Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

I'm back to mainland after a couple of days spent on the beautiful Isla de Ometepe, definitely a great place and an interesting experience to live. First, the way to the island from Granada by ferry was really really crazy, it takes about four hours of travel to get there and everything was fine until sunset even if waters were pretty rough. After sunset things went wrong and wrong. It all began with a child puking, she was the one who opened the show: after few minutes for a curious chain reaction everybody started to puke almost everywhere, on the floor, into thrashbins, into bathrooms, directly in lake... After one hour in a such way I blessed the arrival to the island because I was going to be sick as well. Anyway, the morning after, I rented a truly shitty bike and I cycled all around the southern volcano of the island. In Tikal, my head was roaring with stupid Axl Rose's voice and his "welcome to the jungle" song, now was time for Madonna and "la isla bonita". Yeah, because that island was really a sort of paradise on earth, with small gravel roads, no cars at all, colorful small villages isolated from anything, banana's trees, chicken and pigs roaming free... Well, cycling there for - I guess - about 50 km in one day has been challenging (mainly for my ass), as the roads were in an extremely bad condition (as the bicycle itself), but I will never forget the quiet and the peaceful there. I will also remember all those people living isolated from the so-called civilization, into those houses with no floor, no shoes, no electricity, but friendly and (maybe) happier than we are in our rich countries, while welcoming you with big smiles and the children offering you free fruits like it's used to do with a long time friend.
Different perspectives: that's the real value given by any travel.

Granada, Nicaragua

Christmas far from home is weird for definition, but I must admit I wouldn't have find a better place than Granada for it. I've a nice tidy private room with bathroom in the main road for few bucks per day, definitely comfortable and, finally, a little bit of privacy after all these months travelling in youth hostels with no privacy at all. So comfortable that I decided for some rest after the last days' frenziness and Antigua's parties: Christmas' eve I have been sleeping at 8 pm! The weather here is sunny and warm, like in European summertime, and I really enjoyed strolling down the local market eating tons of cheap fruit and drinking the local beer "Tona" or "Victoria", coming in 1 litre bottles for 1,5 dollars each. I also discovered the pleasures of local shacks which are truly different to all the other shacks where I ate during this travel: different to Mexican shacks, different to Guatemaltecan shacks, Chinese or Mongolian ones... Caribbean shacks are weird and charming! I mean, if you think it's charming eating with old caribbean music coming from a jurassic juke box bigger than 3 fridges and full of useless blinking lights while drunken locals select music on it just to show the only foreigner how cool is their music, or like having the tableclothe full of cigarette burns, or like the roof made by straw and the meat roasted directly out on the streets... Well, in few hours I'm gonna sail to Isla de Omotepe, a small island lying in the middle of Lake of Nicaragua with joint volcanoes and small villages along the coast. More news soon to come.

Merry Christmas from Granada, Nicaragua

Backpacking through some countries is an act of faith: faith in people, faith in themselves, faith in the future. Everything could happen, as safety is a word almost non-existant. I crossed El Salvador and Honduras with a night just-for-locals bus, which means squeezed like an animal on the hardest and most unconfortable seat ever. Next to me there was a guy from Nicaragua keeping me informed on his drinking status at every border: "First bottle of rum gone, second one ready to go!". The bus had two long stops for pinched tires. The capital of Nicaragua, Managua, is completely different to Guatemala, as the houses are low and dusty and messy and it really looks like a middle east city with horses used for transportation and an incredible poverty rate. As soon as I arrived in Granada, the colonial gem of Nicaragua, I understood I shifted to the caribbean area when a prostitute moved to me, officialy to offer a 2 hours massage for 5 dollars, in reality asking continously to keep my bags to help me... maybe trying to rip me off? Curse of the first day? Don't know, I only know that the city is colorful, warm, happy and I'm far thousand miles from home or any other place to remind me that today is Christmas.
Stories are gifts to share: stories are the only gifts I can give you for this year.
Merry Christmas to anyone.

Antigua, Guatemala

It's almost 3 days I'm arrived in Antigua, the "antique" capital of Guatemala. I've been to visit the Pocaya volcano and the Lake Atitlan. But before coming to Antigua, I spent 2 days in the jungle of Semuc Champey and Lanquin. Well, it's better I move out quickly from here: definitely too many temptations...

Tikal, Guatemala

I'm in the colorful Guatemala! I left Mexico with sadness as I love that country, but reaching Guatemala has been cool and exciting as well as I had to take one van, then crossing a river by boat and later one bus on a dusty gravel road to Flores, near Tikal. I'm happy now because crossing the border between Mexico and Guatemala is considered an hot spot for the presence of many bandidos robbing people along the road. The landscape has changed and I'm in a tropical paradise, among Maya ruins, screaming monkeys and many many trees... Welcome to the jungle!

Palenque, Mexico

No, the picture hasn't been taken in a local zoo, but at Canyon del Sumidero...

Are you hungry?

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas

I'm in San Cristobal de las Casas, a town settled at 2000 metres high in the middle of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It's cold and rainy. But it's cool. Almost indios only here, it doesn't seems possible to me thinking that just few days ago I was in United States. Crossing the border between US and Mexico is the most impressive, the most dramatic, the strongest ever, as everything change so quickly you really cannot believe there's only a short strip of land to divide such huge differences. Well, I arrived early morning with a night bus from Oaxaca and I've been to visit the mountain town of San Juan de Chamulo, where people believe in a mixture of Catholic religion and Maya traditions, with the result that inside the main church of the town believers go to heal their problems turning on candles, bringing offers or killing chickens as sacrifice to the Saints... What else to say? Charming.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Visiting Mexico at this time is not the safest thing to do as narco trafficants are fighting between themselves and against the army as well. News reported that last night there has been another slaughter with 13 people dead. Where? In the city of Guadalajara. Just read the previous post...
Steve McCurry? No, Matteo Lonelytraveller!

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Yeah, I was right: honeymoon with safety is over. I read from the news that the city of Morelia (exactly where I wished to go...) has been closed because of a huge fight between narcos and the army: what I understood from the papers is that the police caught the boss of "la famiglia" - a gang of narcos from the city - and for that reason the battle started, with shootings among population and 5 policemen dead. I also had my scary moment the first day in Mexico: after a stroll in the centre of Guadalajara (which is the 2nd biggest city in Mexico) I had to reach the bus station in the suburb, I've got the right bus, I've fallen asleep and I missed the right stop... Well, I understood was the wrong way only at the last stop which was in San Pedrito, a fuckin' dangerous suburb on the hills of Guadalajara, something like a favela, something where you don't wanna be at 20 to ten (exactly as the good Sebastian Bach was singing in one of his best hits "freaks come out at nine, and it's 20 to ten") Well, I asked info for a bus to the station and this guy started pushing me saying "I show you the way, follow me, follow me along that dark, empty, long alley...". No way, I got the first taxi available. Then he wanted to follow me as he was saying he was going to the bus station as weel, once arrived he asked me if I wanted his 'company' now or in the future: he was a bitchman.
Anyway, after a one night bus I arrived in Mexico City, just for a short visit to the beautiful Teotihuacan pyramids, and then I've been to the city centre to see the cathedral and the few interesting spots this massive city (15 millions people!) has to offer. Mexico is cool.

Guadalajara, Mexico

A breath of fresh air. Not just because was a sunny day with an electric blue sky; not because was warm enough to wear only a t-shirt; and even not because I had a dish with 6 tacos for 75 cents: but just because Mexico is cool! And that was the good news, the bad news is the fact that the curse of the first day is back... My plan was to reach the quite cozy town of Morelia (after the overdose of American big cities I wanna only visit towns now), I've bought the ticket, I've waited for the bus and when it was time to board they told me that nobody can go to Morelia, as the city is closed for "safety reasons" (aka, the narco gangs are shooting and people is dying like mosquitos...). Well, after one month and a half, the honeymoon with safety is definitely over.

San Antonio, Texas

I arrived in San Antonio very early this morning and I started exploring the city early as well. I had a stop here mainly to visit the Alamo, the battlefield where in 1836 David Crockett resist to the attack of the Mexican army. I was really close to say that San Antonio is a nice city when I walked down the corner and I faced the usual depressive American poor neighborood with the same ugly, decadent and dirty Traveller`s Hotel. A splatter movie is definitely less disgusting than those places. It`s unbelievable here how things can quickly turn from right to awful just few steps later... A great metaphor of life indeed. That`s the reason why I decided for a such kind of road trip here in US: ugly cheap accomodations, poor quality of services, located far from downtown and extremely difficult to reach, as well as American cities don`t have sights to justify more than a one day visit. Mmmmh, I realize just now it`s one week I don`t sleep in a regular bed and I don`t get a regular shower... My feet has begun an irreversable melting process which is making them smell like something in between rotten tuna and boiled eggs. Maybe should I put some drops of Tabasco upon them?

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis rocks! Nothing else to say for a city with Sun Studios - the `birthplace` of rock`n`roll - the Gibson guitars factory (which I obviously visited! I`ve seen how a piece of wood can turn into a masterpiece guitar! and I also found the prettiest Flying V ever at a very reasonable price: I was really close to quit my travel mission to buy it and going back home to give Overdrive a new life...), then the BB King`s Blues Club and, last but not least - Graceland - Elvis Presley`s villa where he lived and where is actually buried...
Anyway, now I`m in Dallas (Texas) and today I visited the place where JFK has been shooted. I`m tired of this bloody cold wind. Time to chase the sun, time to move South.

Among rednecks...

-Hey man, how you doing?
-Fine, thanks. And you?
-I`m ok. Who you are?
-Who am I??? I`m Lonelytraveller!
-Oh, really?
-Yes, really.
-Cool! And what`s your surname? Lonely or Traveler?
-Traveler. Lonely is just a nickname... my real first name is Vendetta: Traveler Vendetta!
-Ah! Now it`s ok! I knew Lonely wasn`t your real name!
-Yeah, you smart, man... no one can trick you.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is ok. It`s not the quintessence of beauty as all the people usually say, but at least is fine. The French quarter is the main heart of the city and it`s the most charming because of his truly French-Creole taste. The city is literally overwhelmed by bars, pubs and restaurants of all kinds: from one point of view this makes New Orleans a very lively and funny city to live, but from the other side if you`re just looking for a grocery to buy something to eat or drink, there is no way to find it (but this story is the same one for all the big american cities). The city was founded in 1778 by French Mississippi Company and the river played a basic role in the development of the city. But more than the historical facts, which you can read easily on wikipedia, I wanna mention that not too far from New Orleans, on Avery Island, is produced my favourite sauce ever: Tabasco! I`m definitely a Tabasco junkie, I use it really everywhere, I miss only shooting into my veins... Well, pour few drops of Tabasco into a cold pint of lager and I promise you will fall in love with it!

Atlanta, Georgia

Ok, I already know yesterday I didn`t have to party in Nashville... The couple of beers planned, for a mistery multiplicative ratio, became 4: I met many crazy people, I had fun with them and, at the end of the story, I missed my bus. American cities have to be lived, not visited, aesthetically they`re all pretty ugly but just start clubbing and you`ll have the fun of a lifetime. So I`m arrived in Atlanta early in the morning, Atlanta is an urban jungle with almost 6 million people, the birthplace of Coke, of Martin Luther King, headquarter of CNN and the olympic games took place here in 1996. I went to visit the museum of Coke, settled on the same square where was invented in 1886. The museum was the quintessence of the American stuff: full of craps, blinking lights and stupid slogans... By the way I learn that Santa Claus as we know was created in 1931 by Coca Cola Inc. when they decided to change position for their product. So, Santa Claus is, in reality, the shape of Mr. Pemberton, the creator of Coke, and the red clothes comes from the company colours of Coca Cola Inc. In our today`s consumption society sacred and profane go hand in hand. Crazy, no?

`I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.`
(Martin Luther King Jr.)

Nashville, Tennessee (part 2)

-Hey, are you tourist?
-Yeah.
-Where you from?
-Italy.
-Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! Really?!?!? I love Italy! You are the best, you are amazing, you are great!!!
-Thanks, nice to hear it from a pretty chick...
-Oh my God! You are absolutely the best! Italy is the best place in the world and you are great!!! You are great!
-Yeah, I`m from Italy and I`m real... you can touch me!
-Io parla un poco de italiano...
-You are the best! You are cool! You are amazing! Come here, kiss me!
-Hey, don`t touch her! She`s gonna be my wife...
-Great! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! Italy is the best!
-Hey, hey, hey, what you doing?!?!!? Don`t touch my wife!!!
-Right, see you later?
-Sure, see you later!
-Hey man, good luck for your marriage...
-Why are you saying me that?
-Nothing.

Nashville, Tennessee

I`m writing from the public library in Nashville, Tennesse. I arrived early in the morning and, honestly, there is not too much to do or see here, some hours are enough to visit all the (few) main sights. Nashville is so called the music city, as it`s the capital of country music, his studios produced artists like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash and his live music clubs, spreaded almost everywhere along the downtown avenues, attracts musicians from all over the States making the city the heart of american popular music. I came to Nashville as a pilgrim to honour my longtime love to rock`n roll as much as the one to Jack Daniel`s whisky. The distillery is just 75 miles from Nashville, in the town of Lynchburg: I really wished to visit it, as Jack Daniel`s is an American icon, representative of the country like McDonald`s, Coke or Disney. Unfortunately there is no public transportation to Lynchburg: no buses, no trains, nothing, nada de nada... There was just a tour offered by a private company, but now is off season. Hitchiking is obviously illegal in the state of Tennesse (hitchikers can be much more dangerous than deploited uranium according to some recent studies...) and they said me that if the `State troopers` catch you hitchiking you occur into huge fines, at least. Well, honestly I didn`t hitchike to Lynchburg just because is awfully cold and I don`t wanna freeze my (already frozen) ass for a shot of whisky I can get in every bar below the public library itself. So, time for me now to go having a couple of glasses while listening good live country music at downtown, then the bus station to catch a bus for sleeping...

I ♥ NY

Ok, after being upset the last days for the most unfriendly and unhelpful hostel staff ever, the worst guests at all, the rains, the cold frozen wind blowing all day long over my congested throat and no warm clothes to face it, now it`s time to have a step back and saying what I think on New York. New York is not a nice city if considered within the common aestethic standards, the people is pretty unfriendly compared to the rest of US where everybody is amazing, the weather is tough, many areas are crap, but... it`s so damn` charming! You can`t describe the unbelievable melting pot of people and culture here, each area seems to be a different city with its own culture and identity. Just think that today I made my round the world journey once more: from Little Italy to Chinatown and then Manhattan, thousand kilometers resumed in a few minutes walk! New York is one of those cities to live more than visiting, you can easily spend days simply strolling around the city neighbourhoods while takin` tons of pics... and I`m sure this won`t be the last time for me in NY. People knows I`m a country boy, I don`t like big cities and blah blah blah, but I feel to fit perfecly into this society, this lifestyle.
I feel home much more here than Milan.

Ode to star-spangled banner

United States are squeezing me out the last drops of energy, I`m pissed off and sick of it. It`s insane thinking there is no way in New York City to backup a bunch of stupid pictures from my camera to a portable hard disk, but that`s the way it is. It`s almost one day I`m running all over NY trying all the ways to find a working computer but it seems there is no way at all. At the hostel they have vendingmachinelike computers without USB ports (2$/20 minutes). So they said me to go to a lundry shop where I paid 5 bucks for using a broken computer, and no way to do anything on it. I`m at the public library now, but there is no software for my job... But, hey, they say I could go to FedEx where renting a computer comes just 12$per hour: fuck off! Everybody here has his own laptop, so if you don`t have your own this mean you`re a poor bastard, and you gotta pay for that. You gotta pay because you cannot afford a trendy Macbook from fuckin` Apple Store on Fifth fuckin` Avenue. Same as the unbelievably bad public transportation all over the US: everybody owns a car, if you don`t have your own this mean you`re starving, so you don`t even need to move out of your ghetto. They say America is the land of freedom, but for most of the people I see on the streets the only freedom they have is the freedom to die. Is this real democracy?

Washington, District of Columbia

I`m in Washington DC at the moment, going to New York City by bus in few hours. I hope to find the way there to have a cheap internet connection to update blog and everything...

Lowell, Massachusetts

Jack Kerouac has been for long time one of my favourite authors. Years ago, I loved to read his books over and over again: On the Road, The Dharma Bums, Desolation’s Angels, Big Sur… His books were pure inspiration to me as I always found his writings close to my personality, close to my feelings, close to my deepest thoughts. For this reason, today I've decided to have a detour (but it’s better saying a death tour…) to visit his grave in Lowell, an industrial town one hour by train North of Boston. The anonymous grave of the “Father of Beat Generation” lies in a big English-like cemetery, lost in decay among other thousands stones. His worldwide fame during life wasn’t enough to escape him from the misery of death. The employer at the cemetery didn’t even know he was buried there together with his wife. Nothing else but the words carved upon his stone remembering us that “He honoured life”, few cigarettes brought as offering by someone else, one small papier-mache bird and one Halloween pumpkin. Nothing else, nobody else but me.
Standing there in a chilly grey November day, among the falling leaves of New England's colorful autumn, has been my own tribute to a great writer, a good person, a friend I never met.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Niagara Falls, Canada

News from Usa

Dear friends, it`s more than one week I`m in Usa. The reason of my silence is easy: I cannot update my blog `cause internet is very expensive everywhere (about 1 dollar per 10 minutes) so I`m writing down all my thoughts on paper and I wish to update it as soon as possible. Well, after partying in LA, I bought a bus pass allow me to travel all over the Us, so I`m living on the road since few days, sleeping on overnight buses and making the stations home... who has been to Usa knows how it`s difficult to travel here without a car. Stay tuned then, if you wanna know how to get on a flight when you`re refused to board, how to hitchike in South Dakota in a snowy day or how to live for 5 days on awful Greyhound buses. Actually, I`m writing from Chicago, Illinois.

The wind of change...

Until now I played the role of Marco Polo, now it`s time to change character and put myself in Cristoforo Colombo`s shoes.

How to get (illegally) into United States

Lonelytraveller breaks the promise to travel overland for crossing the Pacific ocean to United States. He buys an e-ticket for a flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles with Singapore Airlines, then he reaches Narita airport to board it...

- Konnichiwa Sir, passport and ticket please.
- Hello, here is my ticket. And this is my passport.
- Tokyo-Los Angeles, one way only? Where are you from?
- Italy.
- Oh! Do you have a return ticket?
- No, because I'm going to South America, so I'll go back to Italy from there.
- Do you have a ticket to South America?
- No, I haven't. I have a bus ticket allowing me to go everywhere in US and Canada, so I can reach easily Mexico by bus... I think it's enough, isn't it?
- Oh! Sorry but Mexico is not valid. You need a return ticket to Europe or South America!
- Why a ticket to Mexico ain't valid?!?! Is perhaps Mexico one of the 50 States of the federation?!?!
- Oh! No it isn't. But a ticket to Mexico ain't valid for us.
- Listen, why should I buy a ticket to Europe from Usa if I'm going to South America, or maybe Argentina?!?!?
- Do you have a ticket to Argentina?
- Are you kidding me?!? No, I haven't, I'm traveling overland, look at my passport! I reached Japan overland from Italy... But I'm going South, how can I buy a ticket if I'm traveling by bus???
- Oh! If you book now a bus ticket from Usa to Argentina, that should be right!
- I guess the direct bus from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires is fully booked right now, but I could try with the bus from Los Angeles to New Delhi...
- Sorry. No return ticket, no check in. It's the law.
- Hey, it's not the law! I've already been in USA, I know USA pretty well and I'm sure there are no problems if I explain my situation at the officers at the border!
- Oh! Sorry but we cannot board you...
- So are you going to make me miss the flight, eh? Hey, I'm not a thief, I regularly paid for that bloody flight! And listen, if I have a return ticket or not, it's just a problem between me and the officers at the US border, not between me and you stupid airline!
- I'm sorry, Sir, but we cannot check you in.

Lonelytraveller understands it's just wasted time trying to have a regular conversation with that girl as she speaks the language of computers, not the one spoken by humans. He understands that all his journey is in danger and it could end soon just because of this stupid bureaucratic matter. So he decides to follow a different strategy...

- Ok, if I need a return ticket, please tell me where's an internet cafè to book it...
- Oh! There's an internet cafè at the upper floor!
- Thanks.

Lonelytraveller reaches the internet cafè. He has 44 minutes left before the departure of his airplane. He opens his email account, he quickly searches for the oldest mails there. He searches and searches among the mails received in 2005. 32 minutes left. He finds the electronic ticket of the flight used 5 years before to fly from Los Angeles to Dublin at the end of his journey from Alaska to Mexico. He opens the mail with the editor and changes all the details of that ticket into a new one. 25 minutes left. He prints the receipt of his "brand new" ticket and runs back to the boarding gate...

- Hello again. Here is the return flight I've just booked online...
- Oh! Aer Lingus to Dublin? Didn't you have to go to South America?
- I've changed my mind. Aer Lingus is a great airline with cheaper fares than yours. And I love Ireland too.
- One minute Sir, we have to check the code of the flight.

Lonelytraveller realizes he made a huge mistake in not checking previously the flight code. He waits and watches all those officers reading, calling, asking, in search of that fake code printed on his fake ticket. He waits for a while then tries the all-out...

- What's the problem now!
- We cannot find the code of your flight, Sir.
- Hey, the plane is taking off within minutes. It's not a problem of mine if you're not able to find the code of the flight I've just booked!
- Okay, Sir. Here is your boarding card...

Made in Japan

Few knows that when I was a young teenager, before getting into the endless tunnel of rock/metal music, I was manga lover, videogame addicted and computer nerd... So Japan represented to me a dream destination, something like the Eldorado on Earth. Well, time as gone but the charme Japan has on me is still high and, now that I've seen it, I must admit that it exceeded my expectations. The people, in particular, they all are absolutely incredible, friendly, kind, extremely polite and respectful. A dream comes true.
The Japanese society seems to me like the electronic devices that they produce and export all over the world. It's efficient, precise and scrupulously programmed to the smallest degree of detail. A perfect oiled machine where all the functions are strictly planned in advance and everybody has one role to play, many times one role only. As I'm Italian, as Italy works the opposite, all this seems to me amazing, a really delight to my eyes and thoughts. Anyway, trying to look the other side of the story, I ask myself which is the price they have to pay for such efficiency and perfection of the society. As we are all humans, not machines, I wonder if in the long term it maybe leads people to frustration as they become slave to rules, or maybe leading to a lack of creativity and freedom. Don't know... As perfection is not of this world, I'm just trying to find something wrong in something apparently too neat to be true.
Usually people has jokes on my addiction to photography. Well, here in Japan it's not only usual to bring cameras in your hand and shoot almost everything, here people even suggests you the right angle for taking a better picture!

Tokyo, Japan

What if I say that I love Japan, and particularly Tokyo? What if I say that it took three months but finally I've found the right city for me? What if I say that I want to apply to get a job here? Tokyo is simply unbelievable. I usually don't like metropolis, but Tokyo is well different than regular big cities: it has 12 millions people but the order, the cleanliness, the politeness make you feel like in a town. It's on a higher step of civilization. Businessmen reading comics or playing pachinko in an addicted mood, manga-style goth ladies walking down the streets, plastic food displayed on windows, music and singing birds broadcasted on subway, electronic toilets and even more... Yeah, Tokyo is much more. Japanese have done their own best to make me feel sad and regretful to leave the country, they've been perfect, that's the right word. It's the first time I'm in Asia, so every day there's something new to learn, something unexpected, something to discover, but honestly I didn't think I would have experienced such a sense of hospitality and kindness... Tokyo, in my memories, will also have the name and the face of a girl met previously in Turkey, she hosted me and her company made my stay even more pleasant.
Everything goes quick when you're on the road, so many feelings you don't even have time to realize what is going on. The past is gone and the future uncertain: present is the only thing that really matters.

Mount Fuji, Japan

The art of motion

I had a very long way from Italy to here. Seems unbelievable thinking that I'm in Tokyo right now, and I reached it with a train ticket to Venice as first step. Overland, no flights, that was the promise, the challenge. It's almost 3 months I'm on the road, but they worth like years: all the memories I'm collecting will be tattoed forever in my mind, all the experiences I'm living, all the great people met till now. This travel is one of the coolest things I've ever done. Anyone who thinks traveling is just a waste of money and time has understood nothing from life. Traveling is an investment to life, well different stuff to simple holidays.
I'm enjoying each euro I'm paying, each day I'm living, each person met on my way. I don't give a fuck to what people thinks about me, or what society is expecting from me. This is my life, I live it my own way.
I'm doing what I always wished to do. I'm happy.

Where to go next?

Im in Tokyo, the city is really amazing and Im having great times here. But what to do next? I dont know which way taking after Tokyo, not really sure where to go... So, please, my dear trusty readers, help me in deciding the next stop submitting the poll on the right side of the page! You can decide my journey. I will definitely take the result in consideration to plan my next moves.

What the hell is a manga cafe`???

I`m just arrived in Tokyo by Shinkansen after a nice day spent in Kyoto visiting some very remarkable sights, and I`m already deep into the capitol`s lifestyle going overnighting into a manga cafe... A manga cafe` is similar to a regular internet cafe` but you have showers, toilets, free drinks and small private box where you can use internet, watching tv or reading in absolute freedom all the comix you want from the library (manga=japanese comic book). The price is usually low for Japanese standards, about 13 euros for 6-8 hours, and the small room clean and comfortable. In all honesty, the feeling I had as soon as I got inside it was that officially that place is made for manga readers but, in reality, is something closer to love hotel for lonely teenagers... Time to sleep for me now: you pay per hour and after the six hours' package the price dramatically increase! Oyasumi nasai!

We are but falling leaves

Si sta come d`autunno, sugli alberi, le foglie.

(G. Ungaretti)

Kyoto, Japan

I`m pissed off. Why? Because it`s raining since 3 days, maybe more.
I`m starving. Why? Because prices are out of my budget and I`m eating just a little every day.
I`m freezing my ass. Why? Because to save money I`m in a shitty place without heater.
I`m in a temple-overdose. Why? Because of the too many temples visited the last few weeks.
I`m scratchy. Why? Because an adorable bed bug decided to make my backpack home, and now each day the little bastard bites my arms without way to find him.
I`m drinking loads of sake. Why? Just read above.

Osaka, Japan

What doing in a gray rainy day if you are in Osaka? Easy, just squeeze your railpass as much as you can and have a trip to Takayama, in the middle of Japanese mountains! The town was ok, but honestly it didnt impress me too much, as impressed me - for instance - the crazy speed the train was flying through the cities on the way back: more than 330 km/h!

Hiroshima, Japan

Now I know why they are so called bullet trains, they are so freaking fast you really cannot imagine what it means until you have placed your ass on one of them.　And you cannot even understand how they are　crazily expensive: just think that if I hadn't a pass (which I had to buy out of Japan only) today's trip was around 160 euros! Well, I went to Hiroshima, the first city targeted by an atomic bomb in the history of human kind in 1945, two days before Nagasaki. No need to say anything else about it but sadness, for this kind of tragedies words are empty. Then I headed to the beautiful and traffic free Miyajima island, home of one of the most famous and photographic temples of Japan. I met there a photographer from Usa, one of those professionals who sells pictures to Getty Images and big companies like that. He is going to spend 6 weeks in Japan and plans to get at least 25.000 pictures, After all, it will take about 8 months the whole post-production process... Well, after this story, are you still thinking I am photo addicted???

Nagasaki, Japan

I`ve finally got my Japan Railway pass which allow me to travel for 7 days without limitations on the whole Japanese network, even on the bullet trains `Shinkansen`, the world ranking high speed trains reaching almost 300 km/h. The price of the pass has been very expensive but, as the whole transports here are hyper-expensive, still remains a good deal. Well, this means for the next week I will be extremely busy in a sort of marathon to squeeze as much as I can the pass to the main shrines of Japan... Anyway, after last days` fun I thought was a good idea to jump back to reality with a depressive trip to Nagasaki, the city targeted by Us army with the atomic bomb during the 2nd world war: 75.000 people died for the explosion that hit the city the morning of 9th August 1945, while other 75.000 were seriously injuried or died just few months later. The same people responsible for that tragedy nowadays talks about fight against terror or exporting democracy to foreign countries... Bah!

Fukuoka, Japan

I`m finally in Fukuoka, Japan, the destination of the original plan of my trip. In my original plans there was also the idea to reach Vladivostok through Siberia and then Japan, but I`m definitely glad to had a detour through Mongolia, China and South Korea as the cultures and things seen are really hard to describe. After all, plans are made to be changed, no?
I`ve reached the coast of Japan sailing with a night ferry from Pusan and, as usual, each time I leave a country it`s sadness time for me. The days spent in Korea have been really stunning, like Koreans are. I love them all. People is so respectful, polite, kind and friendly that seems to me impossible to be true: they call it Korea, I better call it Paradise.
Japan now! I quickly understood to be in Japan when the bus out of the ferry terminal was driven by a driver in white gloves while the engine was turning automatically off each red light and, even if the bus was pretty busy, the silence in there was surreal, that kind of loud silence previously experienced at funerals only. I`m sure will be a lot of fun to discover this country... Japan, here I am!

Pusan, South Korea

Quality is much more important than quantity: two days, two days only in Pusan, but simply perfect. I reached Pusan by bus from Gyeonju, and it`s the 2nd biggest city in South Korea, a very active port and party town. I like this city, his colours, his flavours. But mainly I have such good feelings just because of the great times had there. I wanna spend few words saying how cool it was to meet Penelope Cruz again, and visiting Yonggungssa temple first - a beautiful Buddhist temple settled on the seashore - and then hitchiking the way back to the city for fireworks show, and looking to all the people squeezed on the streets and deciding to see the show illegally from the roof of a skyscraper, and trying to open his door with hair pins, and finally be allowed to see the unbelievable show from up there, before drinking booze on the beach and moving to a tasty Korean barbecue session...
Once more, people makes your travel more than the place itself.
The real meaning of travels is listening to anybody has a story to tell.

Gyeongju, South Korea

Gyeongju: the ancient capital of Shilla Empire, nowadays a quiet medium-sized city settled in the middle of the gentle Korean countryside. The area around Gyeongju is spreaded with world ranking shrines, like the Unesco`s world heritage temple of Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto, as for Yangdong ancient folk village. A totally different charme to big cities, simply lovely. I`ve travelled this sights with the company of a Penelope Cruz-like French lady met at the hostel, mixing cultural trips to heavy party sessions and, finally 5 years later, back to hitchike! Yeah!

Seoul, South Korea

I`m in Seoul since few days right now, reached by a freighter ferry from Weihai, China. Seems unbelievable how few hours sail can brings you to such a different culture than the one you left. South Korea is completely different to China, so close but so far. And it`s also amazing to consider how these countries I`m crossing, which were previously just names on the map for me, now they`re quickly turning into voices, faces, memories. Anyway, I feel an irrational simpathy for Koreans. Don`t misunderstand me, I`m not saying that just because the girls are hot, but because they are so polite and kind that I`m totally astonished for it. Seoul is a very modern city mixing Asian and Western charme, I could easily live here or at least spending some months, who knows... why not?
Among the remarkable things I`m experiencing here is: enjoying a traditional Korean barbecue and cold noodles with friends met in Mongolia in bustling Seoul`s Saturday night; eating silk worms while sipping Soju, the national firewater; hiking to the top of Mt. Bukhansan; walking the streets in search of mistery food and much more. Nice!

The soul of Seoul

The Past...

...the Present...

...the Future

Goodbye China

I already knew that I`d have had just a little taste of China, it`s such a big country you need more than a bunch of days to discover it. I leave China with many memories in my mind. No, I won`t remember the Great Wall, the Forbidden City or the Terracotta Army, but I will definitely keep in my mind all the perfumes, the smell, the lights and the crowd of the streets, the delicious cuisine, the people - sometimes rude but also able to reward you with the biggest smiles I`ve ever seen. I will miss China, I`m sure. As I`m sure I will come back here again in the very near future, maybe to visit the villages in the west side of the country.
This time I`ve been to China`s heart, next time I will try to touch his soul.