Enjoy the journey!
Hey All,
It seemed like the time to add this episode to the blog to make it a complete record of our trip. For me it ranks as one of my favourites given the sheer amount of things we did in such a short time.
For those that have not seen it yet, enjoy!
Mark
Music Guide after the jump.
<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/17336192″>NA Scum(MM) Episode 10: Worlds Most Dangerous Episode</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user4399595″>Jeff Wright</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
The Salt Flats
Hello Friends, relatives , “facebook friends” and disapointed folks who are looking for LCD Soundsystem mp3 files,
After the jump you will find a gallery of one hundred photos. This will take you on a journey through one of the most diverse countries in existance. Bolivia was a rollercoaster ride. We lost a member of NA scum to a broken collar bone. Less important but still notable we lost two iphones, one camera, my travel jourmnal, guide book and all of my insulin supplies to thieves. The latter has been been quite the struggle for me. I am now using insulin that was state of the art in the 80s. It has been my most viseral reminder of how fucking privledged my life is. But enough of this pity party. The highs offered by this Altimeter shattering contry are out of this world. Salt flats that go on for ever, jungles that touch the sky, a giant lake that makes you forget you are landlocked and vibrant local culture that I wish I could understand better. There are huge social problems as it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere competing only with Hati in this regard. The strange thing about Bolivia is that symbols of these problems have becom major tourist draws. San Padro prison, Potosi’s mines and this worlds most dangerous road. The ethics behind these attractions for a traveller are a balencing act to say the least. I will write more on this some other time but I am being given death glares from other travelers for hoggin this shared computer. At least i am not playing farmville like the guy before me for the last hour.
I hope all is well at home
Enjoy the photos,
Mark
PS Argentina is awesome. Steak, wine, bikes, tango, a perfect combination.
Hello Again,
(Two vids in one day can you believe the bandwidth?)
Now for something a little different.
Using mostly unused and recovered footage I recapped our trip up until the departure of Rob.
Hope you enjoy the ride,
Mark
Noting the day and the ongoing sacrifice of human lives in the name of a better world, lest we forget.
Song Used: All my friends by LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver 2007
Hello Internets,
We are currently in Bolivia and we have been running into some serious computer problems so we finally have our new video up. This video features Iguazu falls, the Pantanal, the departure of Jeff and a night that I wish was not captured on video. On time of posting it should take a few hours before it can be viewed.
Enjoy,
Mark
Music after the jump
Sooooo, (Had to use the joke one more time boys), I sit here in Monte Video, Uruguay after 4 days of reflection and contemplation in Punta Del Diablo. It is a place that in Peak season consists of full bars, a plethora of restaurants, hoards of surfers and more tourists that you can count on all your and your friend´s fingers and toes.
I was fortunate to arrive in the ´off-season´. Getting off the bus was an adventure in itself. Not only was I the only one off, but when I stepped foot on the dirt road in front of a closed market there was nothing but the sounds of crashing waves and an eerie silence.
Perfect. (And I mean that with complete sincerity).
There was no hostel booked, not even one in mind. I had only my bag and guitar to keep me company. So I walked around a little before seing a tourist information center. Of course it was attached to some beachside Cabanas and they offered me information on THEIR cabanas.
I was tired after a long day and a measly 6 hour bus ride so I decided to stay. It was 300 uruguaian pesos which translates to $15. And for this, i get a two-story townhouse style cabana complete with balcony, double bed, private bathroom, kitchen with full sized fridge, living room, and a clean towel. One learns of the importance of offered linens. Always accept.
So commenced my 3 night 4 day stay of solitude. I did not have enough money to get me through the whole time if I were to eat every meal. So, I cooked one big fettucini bolognese with hot peppers that lasted me the entire duration. There are no banks or atms at Punta Del Diablo (Wait? am i back in Tyronna?).
I spent my time thinking of the amazing adventure that I had just been on: the lessons learned, the battles endured, the people met, the beauty of it all, and just all those damn good times.
The voice in my head had never been so prominent, and my mind now has never been so clear. Its like the hum from your fridge or computer that acted as a white noise just shut off.
My fingers hurt from a constant strumming of guitar, and my forehead is riddled by bug bites as I was able to hide the rest of my body from the attack. But this was worth it for the beauty of Punta Del Diablo. Did I meantion I was there (at Devils Beach) for Halloween? Fitting, no?
The place was amazing, expansive blue skys one day and ominous black clouds with pouring rains on another (Halloween no less, again, fitting?). The long sandy beaches and windblown waves created an atmosphere perfect for runs down the beach or spots to sit and read, write, sketch and reflect.
Thank you Uruguay, for your Tranquility.
Thank you South America, for your relentless adventure.
and
Thank you North American Scum, for making it unforgettable.
See you in 4 days Vancouver.
-J
(sorry, no pics after the jump. All I have is a disposible)
Oh yeah,
Thank you Venezuela, For your Military corruption. 
....catch me at the border I got visas in my name.....
Hello all those at home,
Photos of Iguazu falls after the jump!
We are now in Santa Cruz Bolivia, the most economically prosperous part of the country. Today we visited the central square that is anchored by a brick cathedral. Very pretty. Bolivia as one may know is the most easy on the wallet of all South American countries. It is kind of mind-blowing how little things cost here. When a bowl of hearty soup costs 15 cents CND or a 3o min cab ride costs under 3 dollars you start to feel a bit light headed with buying power. I am going to save my “deeper” reflections for a later date as right now I have bigger fish to fry…
Soooooo when Matt and I were in Campo Grande Brazil we decided to complete our new media tri-force by recording a podcast. Rejoice! Listen! Tell your friends.
Use the link if the embed fails.
I hope it is informative.
Keep on rockin in the free world,
Mark
New Scum Group Photo
Hello all those at home,
Photos of Rio and Ilha Grande after the jump.
The time has come to give North American Scum a sendoff the only way I know how.
Enjoy,
Mark
Ode to North American Scum
This is the space where the author would normally self-deprecate but in the spirit of NAS…
I wrote a poem/eulogy. Deal with it.
Born of a childhood dream and a thirst for adventure North American Scum was set loose upon the world. Four unique men of mettle forged together by alchemy to become an adiamentine alloy no hardship could break.
Rob the honourable stoic. He kept them sharp with battles of wits, wisdom and wild ass antics.
Jeff the fearless leader (because they let him). His disarming smile and charm ensured no harm would come to them.
Matt the SA Brad Pit. He kept them focused on the “endgame”and reminded them that his constant quotes were, “thoughts, just thoughts.”
Mark the PC politico. His logic dictated that NAS needed poetry.
Colombia
The fated four began their journey wide eyed and green on the mean streets of Bogota. Here they cut their travel teeth on sardine can taxi rides and white knuckle bus trips.
Then to Medellin. Greeted by a festival of flowers they danced themselves clean in shower of Aguadente and street party sweat.
Cartgena, where they learned the true meaning of heat on their first beach, then venturing out at twilight to walk the ramparts of the walled city.
Santa Marta, where they learned the perils of a hostel bar tab and freaky chat roulette
Taganga, where they devised how to counter contras when the lights went out
On to Tyrona, a park with beauty so great, they barley escaped.
Venezuela
They didn’t give a damn about is reputation,
They ventured forth without trepidation
Gringos armed with green-back
Doing more in one day than others do in months
Flying high and water fallin
Black market Bolivars kept them ballin
In the company of caimans, capybaras
Ant-bears and anacondas
Set against wetlands with limitless sky
What a fucking life high
When it came time to leave
Like good socialists they shared the wealth
At the point of a gun, Oh, what fun!
(Abuse of power sucks more than a black hole of a dying star)
(,which is a lot of sucking, when one thinks about it)
Brazil (crack a beer)
Oh they didn’t know where to begin…. It was South AMERICAN
And for those of you who still think they’re Indian
They’re like…..No.
They met a jive talking panda on the streets of Manaus
With kung-fu so strong, they followed him long, up the river
To do battle with face hugging spiders and flesh eating fish
Staying with amazing Amazonians, families warmer than the weather
And before they could settle
They boarded a booze cruise to Belem
A trip, all told, that was sweaty, squished and surreal
Their livers may never heal
On to the North Coast
And the neglected pieces of paradise there
Towering sand dunes, crystal blue lagoons
Cobble stone streets, bumpin dance beats
And there was Pipa
Oh Pipa,
Sweet as Sugarcane
Spent a spell of seven days
Riding the surf and jagged cliffs
Perfecting the hostel takeover
Before racing to Salvador
Where Real-ity set in
Basking in the Baiha heat
Catching the Green tidal wave
On sprawling favala streets
They Rocked on to Rio
Keepin it cosmopolitan in the company of new companions
Hit the city so hard they made it shake
Sugar Loaf, Christ Redeemer
and
Caprihina fueled, bass-quakes
Pity bout the weather
The only thing that could have made it better
(not true, but what could they do?)
They Boated to Ilha Grande
The last piece of beach before the end
Swam with weird fishes
Gazed stars and set fires
Before the four retired
Separate Ways
But the end, is not so
For the story will live on
In a brotherhood, that is battle tested
In drunken stories, told then retold
In messages home, read then reread
In browser caches, and online servers
On Blu-ray for purchase (pre-order now)
And most importantly
In all those who travel these places thereafter
Whose decision to come, was made in anyway easier by these words and images
Thank you South America
North American Scum is dead
Long live North American ScuMMM
North American Scum Episode 7 is live!
This is the first episode with Marcel and the last episode with the whole group all together. Soon pictures will be up, assuming that our computer situation remain stable. This is not a guarantee however.
Hope all is well at home,
Music guide after the jump,
Mark
Mmmm.... sacralishious
Hello internets, long time no blog.
Since we last talked things have changed in the world of North American Scum. We have become older, wiser, more sophisticated and prone to nuance….. Yeah, that sounds like us right? Truth be told we have grown though. Our two months on the road have made us battle tested vagabonds that scoff at any bus ride less than 12 hours, consider the floor a valid sleeping arrangment and treat hostels as more than just a place to sleep. Hostels to us represent an oppertunity to transform a space with the sheer force of our awesomness. If the hostel is advertised as quiet, clean and “if a bit sterile” by the time we are through the hostel owner is drunk by our hand and surprised that we did not burn the place to the ground (true story, ask Rob).
It is also true that we have been blessed to stay at hostels with owners that put up with antics like improvised beer-pong in a common kitchen or trusting us to cook their BBQ, mix the drinks at their bar and have stories that have screenplay in their DNA. As Rob said yesterday, it seems like this sort of thing does not happen every week at these hostels but we seem to bring out the best/worst in people. Soon after we arrive its our music on the stereo, the staff starts making innapropriate jokes and the prospect of a large unplanned gathering becomes almost certain.
At a hostel we always try to identify the moment when we have truly taken over. In Rio it took under 5 hrs, we are like the freaking marines. The beer fridges are unlocked and a BBQ is planned with NAS at the helm. I wonder if any hostel will be able to push back against the tidal wave of five boisterous close knit guys arriving at their door with designs to overclock their vibe for a couple of days.
Thanks to all those who have put up with us when we inexorably take things too far.
Pete of the Sugarcane Hostel in Pipa, you are a legend. Open a hostel in Vancouver damn it.
The times they are ‘a’ changing in NAS-land. Some of us are in the twilight of our trip… wow.
I can’t wait for what is to come and I can’t belive what has already come to pass.
Hope all is awesome at home,
Mark
Pictures after the jump.
And the shadows they cast
Episode Six: The East Coast of Brazil
From now we will post the music when we post the videos.
We are now in Rio, a city beautiful beyond most available measures.
Hope all is awesome at home,
Mark
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