Hola Mehico!

Another early morning for the traveling sisters. We flew out of Toronto international airport - bound for Mexico City.

A somewhat eventful morning. I had a little (actually big) vomie going through customs (malaria tablets on an empty stomach is not a wise choice - should have known better). Then we were freaking out about whether we would be allowed to fly to Mexico (on a US airline with a stop over in Miami) as we didn't actually go through immigration when we got to Canada (the guard just waved us through and when we asked if we needed to she said 'No need, unless you want to?'). The issue here is the US has a strict 90 visa waiver - meaning you HAVE to leave the country no later than 90 days after your arrival or you will not be allowed to re-enter. We actually left on day 88 - just to make extra sure we weren't overstaying - but it didn't seem to be a problem at the immigration desk and we were aok to get on the flight to Mexico.

More flying. I have my routine down pat these days. As I'm traveling with my guitar as my hand luggage I approach the desk before boarding to ask if they have closet on board for my guitar. 9 times out of 10 they say - yes we do and you should get on first so you can put it in there. I think we've flown about 5 or 6 times (plus all the extra connecting flights) with me carrying my guitar as hand luggage. So far so good. I just need to play it more. I feel like a fraud as I don't actually know how to play anything (I'm just learning) and I'm carrying the bloody thing across the whole continent.
Central America here we come.
View flying out of Miami.
View flying into Mexico City - Mmmm smog.
Bienvenido a Mexico (plus action shot of me carrying the guitar).
The Big Sissa was so excited to have a placard with her name on it! We booked a nice hotel (got a great deal) that had a transport service as about, oh say 15 people warned us that Mexico and Mexico City in particular are really dangerous and kidnappings from the airport are not uncommon. Eeeek!

Driving through Mexico city with our taxi driver Johnathan (pronounced Yonaton).
The Barry Drive window washer should get some of fire breathing action happening if he wants to spice up his act a bit more. Seriously - WTF? a fire breathing busker/begger at the traffic lights.
The hotel pool. I have plans to do some laps, or just float around in there tomorrow morning.
Our room. The lovely hotel staff upgraded us to a bigger room. They've also been teaching us a bit of spanish which is muoy bien.
Checking out the view of smoggy Mexico City.
Ooops - let me just pose for a quick pic here. Not sure what I'm doing but I think I'm making gun signs with my hands. We are in Mexico after all.
The lovely bell-boy, who we are now very well acquainted with and whose name is Jacob (Yakob) volunteered to take us to Walmart supermarket when we asked him for directions to the closest supermarket. He actually left the hotel and took us on a bus to the supermarket while he was on duty. He pushed our trolley around and taught me spanish words along the way. He asked if I was on Facebook and if he could add me as a friend - hehe what a cutie. We were gone almost an hour and I think he was in a hurry to get back.

Just now, he dropped past our room with brownies and berries for the Big Sissa and I. What a sweetie! I was trying to give up on cake and avoid chocolate for a bit but I managed to inhale both mine and the Big Sissa's brownie (she is coeliac so can't have it anyway). Nom.

Cactus leaves on sale at Walmart. Mmmm delish!
Jacob and the Big Sissa. Note that Jacob has his work walkie talkie and ear piece connected. Yeah well it didn't work outside a 3 block radius of the hotel and we were probably about 20 by the time we got off the bus - which by the way has a woman's entry up the front which is very courteous. It might also be for safety as Jacob handed me a pamphlet on the bus which was warning hotel guests about security in Mexico City. Eeeep!
As we were gone quite a while and Jacob was a little anxious to get back to work - since he just up and left! - we jumped in a taxi to head back to the hotel. Traffic was horrendous and we could have walked faster. It was good to check out a local taxi with someone we trusted though (our new mate J) as it is the taxi's that we have been most warned about. I had a high school buddy who was held up at gunpoint in a taxi and had her passport stolen so the stories aren't too unreal.


The internet connection is soooooper slow going so this post has been a little while in the making. Tomorrow we are going to explore Mexico City and try not to get a) shot or b) kidnapped or c) both - in the process.

In other news - is anyone still out there in blogland? I know I've been on hiatus but not sure if you have been too. x

p.s. Not sure if you noticed but I put some reaction buttons down the bottom. Click a few - I want to see if they work. x

p.p.s. What is happening back home with this crazy election! I'm so glad I'm out of the country. Might not return if Mr Rabbit gets elected p.m.

Give me an 'el', 'oh', 'el, el', 'ay'

Oh my! I absolutely LOVED LOVED the Lollapalooza festival! The venue, the music, the people, the sun, the drinks, the everything - was amazing!

Day 1 started out exploring a tiny bit of Chicago before lining up to have bags checked (totally not thorough like they cautioned on the website!) and get wrist bands. I went to all the effort of finding a resealable bottle of water, carefully peeling off labels and filling said water bottles with Vodka to avoid detection and they didn't even check my bag! Bastards. The lines were HUGE but we moved pretty quickly which was great.

Then we RAN to see B.O.B. perform. The Big Sissa was so cranky with me that I hadn't put him down on my line up list after she mentioned him in passing the day before and therefore we were late and going to miss it and it was the only thing she wanted to see and...blah blah blah.
Ahhh - she caught the end of his set so she was now a happy camper! He played Airplanes and to finish off he covered 'one of his favourite songs', Kids by MGMT. It was so rad.
We caught a bit of the Wavves at the other end of the festival. The Wavves front man was pretty funny, he pointed into the crowd and said 'I wanna thank you guy. You guy right there'. We then came back to where b.o.b. played at the other end of the park to watch the Walkmen. 'The Rat' was amazing performed live (I need to find some new adjectives - amazing and awesome have been used all too frequently. Suggestions welcome).

The festival was set up over 6 city blocks where streets were blocked off and stages were set up across 1 mile from east to west throughout Millennium Park and set against the Chicago skyline and bordered by the river.

There were so many freebies offered at the festival - America is BIG on it's marketing and advertising budgets (more on that in another post) - but we chilled out in some hammocks in 'Hammock Haven' sponsored by a local radio station before heading over to see The Black Keys (gush!).

The Big Sissa borrowed a Sony Bloggie at the festival (More interactive marketing ploys at work here) and filmed the day away.




We stopped by the GIANT shoe box to have adidas photos (more free stuff and marketing magic at its best!)


Black Keys crowd. Yay. We were up the front and had an awesome view of the stage. We were on the fence right behind the 'Hard of Hearing' section for deaf people and people with hearing difficulties. This meant that at the corner of the stage there was a sign language translator, signing the music to this section of the crowd. It was awesome and hilarious. A lot of air guitar and drum beats were belted out by tattooed signers who looked like they were having the time of their lives. I've got a few pics and videos' will see if I can post them later.

Right after the Strokes. Oh my. That was an absolutely amazing concert - the vibe of the crowd was electric. Playing at the same time was Lady Gaga right down the other end of the park, so she drew the biggest crowd. The Big Sissa was down that end - she said it was awesome although pretty much the same as her concert that we saw in the Berra. She did say that Gaga mentioned last time she was at Lolla she was on a tiny stage and what an honour it was to be headlining at this one.

Day 2. Day 1 was a little large so we chilled a bit on the morning of Day 2.

Look what we stumbled across on the walk to the festival!? Giant statues of animals. Rar!

We arrived to catch The Stars song introduce a song which was 'about fucking someone so so so hard'. Hmmm. Awesome.

We pretty much did an about face to catch The XX at the next stage over. The crowd was HUGE but the band was just a little bit 'softly spoken' and their songs a little too mellow for a festival crowd. Someone dressed up in a promotional Giant TV costume was having trouble getting through the crowd so he was picked up and crowd surfed to the front. Hilar.

The crowd at the festival was full of people carrying 'crowd locators'. These were mostly pool noodles or broom handles with things stuck to the end (like flags, a kite, dolls heads etc) so you could find your buddies in the crowd.

The Metric was up next and I love the lead singer. She rocks. Literally. Satellite Mind was fantastic live.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros played at quite a small stage and the crowd was so so tightly packed. It was pretty hard to see, but wow - they sounded amazing. Listening to 'Home' and '40 Day Dream' was such a magical feeling.

Watermelon coctails - nom!

Adidas shot day 2!

We finished off Day 2 with The Phoenix. What an top way to finish a day. They played so well and the lead singer came out into the crowd for about 3 songs. The band was just so (genuinely) overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and very modest about their popularity. The vibe was electric. I want to have their french babies!


Day 3. I started out the day skyping a newly engaged buddy in the UK. So good to hear her voice. Then we ventured out to Harpo Studios (only about a 4 block walk from our hotel, coincidentally). It was windy and wet.

Action shot of the Big Sissa just as the wind blew her skirt over her head! Hehe.

We trekked downtown to find gumboots. The first shop I asked looked at me so strangely when I asked if they sold gumboots. We asked someone on the street what they were called - they said 'Galoshes'. So we tried that in the next store. Blank looks again. Ok, what about 'Wellingtons'. Nope, blank again. Apparently they are called 'RAIN BOOTS!' who would have thought!

Just as we bought the rain boots and stepped outside the rain stopped and the skys cleared. Mmmm. Steamy weather and gumboots make a great combo!

Me showing my line up on my arm. Oh, and my newly purchased 'Rain boots'.

So many people were awed by the line up on my arm and said (in big american drawl) 'Wooow. That. is. suuuuch. a greaaat. ideeea!'. Others thought I tattooed my arm - wtf? In any case it was super handy to check out where we were headed next, particularly as the day got hazier and happier, and happier and hazier.

First up we caught Mumford and Sons - swooon!

Followed by Yeasayer - Yay!
Adidas shot day 3 - running out of poses - but loving free stuff!

The Big Sissa had borrowed the Sony Bloggie again and by this stage I was pretty wasted so I thought it was a great idea to interview everyone on the Bloggie. I told them it was for my film studies class. I even interviewed a music writer - ha! She was impressed. Wow.

The real reason I started interviewing people (I believe) was so I could warm up the crowd around me and then push in front of them to make my way down the front for Temper Trap.


Mission = successful - that is me on the front line! I pretty much interviewed all the people in these pics. Ha.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the Aussie boys. They were lack lustre and their songs all had the same tempo and the same sound. Sweet Disposition was an amazing end to their set, but otherwise not my favourite. Not sure the weasling my way to the front was worth it.

Then over to Arcade Fire for the festival closer. We made some awesome crowd buddies with a guy from Chicago (Chicago man) (whom incidentally my sister 'married' in a traditional indian feather swapping ceremony performed by Whitney- hilar), Whitney and David (the birthday boy who we sang to and got the crowd involved. I would love 5000 people singing to me on my birthday!) and the boys from Demoine (the Demoine boys) who were the biggest potheads I think I've ever met. Anyway, it was a rocking way to finish off the three days of bliss!!

The crowds preparing for home time - or party on time?

The Rain Boots! We took them off earlier in the day, I dropped them at lost and found saying I found them (so we didn't have to carry them) then we cruised past to collect them at the end of the day.


When we got on the bus home, I told the Big Sissa I wasn't keen to keep the Rain Boots as they were too heavy, impractical and would be of no real use in our travels. She agreed. I turned to the girl next to me on the bus, asked what size her foot was and if she wanted the boots. She was stoked. Her boyfriend thought I was the biggest random in the world. Well at least she has stories to tell about how she got them from some random on the bus! The Big Sissa donated hers to the sweetest little old african american lady who we chatted to on the bus the night before also. She was finishing up work and was so so happy with her gift.

It was a day of giving for us! I had bought 2 bus passes that morning (and the Sissa also went ahead and bought her own) so we had 1 excess. I asked a guy and his family if they caught buses and wanted a free 24 pass - he was so so so so stoked. He couldn't believe it. Then the next aisle over he said 'Lady, thank you so much again. My kids say you is from England, is that right?.' Ha. You should have seen his face when I told him I was from Australia!

She-caa-go

Chicago was bracing itself for the influx of 260,000 people for the 3 day Lollapalooza festival. No wonder it was a sh*tfight to find accommodation! The place we ended up booking was pretty good and across the road from one of the best supermarket's I've found in the US yet (second to Wholefoods - omg - orgasmic). Yeah - it's small things when your traveling, like access to good groceries!

We arrived on Thursday after getting up at 3am to fly from Miami to Chicago. I was sitting next to William the Pro-Golfer on the plane. He was incredibly intense and asked me what my ambitions were in life and what I was doing to get them. He also asked if I wanted to be Partner in a law firm and told me I should aim for that. I told him my ambition in life was to be happy - he paused for a minute and then said 'hmmmm... well... I suppose that is a very good ambition'. Thanks Mr Pro-Golfer. Then he proceeded to hassle me to hang out in Chicago and gave me free drink vouchers for the airport lounge. I closed my eyes to get some sleep. When I woke up he said 'You slept for a long time there'. Intense with a capital I, I tell you! Meanwhile Big Sissa was across the aisle getting squashed by the fattest man in the world.

We basically had Thursday afternoon and a few hours each morning before the festival started to check out Chicago. Thursday afternoon we lined ourselves up for the $25 H&M challenge. The Big Sissa and I wanted to pick each other some festival outfits from H&M for max $25. For those who don't know, H&M is like a huge Sportsgirl but a lot cooler and cheaper. It was a challenge I tell you what - I couldn't even find a skirt for less than $25! So after all that excitement we canceled the challenge and just got the bits and pieces we needed.

Friday morning we sorted out our supplies for the festival and caught the bus doooown towwwn. This is what we saw.
Smiling face pre-cartwheel. Check out the amazing outdoor stage behind me.
Thoughts: 'here we go'!
Thoughts: 'Hmm, maybe a bad idea getting this caught on camera and letting the world see my unmentionables' - Meh - whatever, you only live once and you'd have to be a mega perve to see anything anyway.
Thoughts: 'Holy shit - I'm not 12 anymore and I think I need to stretch before attempting any more cartwheels. But wow that was fun'.
The Big Jelly Bean - not sure if its official name.
Reflection of me and 1 million grimey fingerprints in the big jelly bean.
Naw - sisters.
On the morning of day 3 of the festival we thought we'd try and find Harpo Studios. We started out in skirts and singlets, stepped outside and returned to change into warmer gear as it was quite possibly the windiest day in history and it was also raining.
Starbucks to warm up!
Check out the wind blowing my fashionable rain poncho off! It really is 'the windy city'.
Windblown inside Oprah's store. Still wearing my poncho. Hot.
So kids - that is about all we saw of Chicago during our 4 days there. That and the AMAZING Millennium Park where the festival was held (down town in the middle of the sky scrapers). Oh and a little bit of the set of the new Transformers movie set from the bus to the festival.