Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Crazy vacations...sept 2008

I had the craziest two weeks ever....

First, i spent a week on a sailing boat down to south of Italy, sailing through Capri, Ischia, Ventotene and Ponza/Palmarola....Then planned a three day vacation to London to see Metallica and visited a few friends (special thanks to Denise and Justin, Claire and Simona)...and then, totally unexpected, flew from London to Gibraltar and spent five days in Tarifa with Marco....(i should write an entire post about this last destination but it's not about time yet....the only thing i can say, thanks Marco, it was fun:)).

Here below you find a few pics...enjoy.

Mixed pics again.....





Mixed pics, mixed places--sept 2008





Sailing + boat people





Procida Island




Capri....



Spectacular Ischia





Ventotene Island




Palmarola island




Ponza island




And Denis and Justin, London

Tangeri, Morocco




Tarifa and Tangeri





More of Tarifa and, Yes TANGERI, Morocco





Let's start with Tarifa




Saturday, April 19, 2008

Last day in Bora Bora...

Maururu and nana Polynesia!!!





This means being filthy rich, Bora!!

LUCKY THEM!!!




MAUPITI, Windward Islands




Last stop, Maupiti, Windward Islands




And.....more of my b'day, Bora!




My b'day again, Bora Bora




Bora Bora, april 8th, my b'day..




Bora Bora.....pics!!!




Bora Bora...more pics




Bora Bora, the pearl of the Pacific...

They called it the Pearl of the Pacific, and yes, the place is beautiful but let me tell u, i have been to places as nice as Bora Bora but 100 times cheaper!!! Prices are absolutely outrageous.
Don't get me wrong though, it's a vulcanic, green, gorgeous island....maybe a bit overestimated.






NICOLAS, such a sweet guy!!

And more....RANGI





"Rangi" again...more pics




Rangiroa, the blue lagoon




Thursday, April 17, 2008

Beautiful RANGIROA, Tuamotu

Rangiroa is the place i liked the most.
It's a huge atol in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it's part of the Tuamotu group.
The lagoon has light blue and green colours and it's rich of soooo many different species of fish..
Peaceful and relaxing, life goes on slowly...
Went snorkling in the Tiputa Pass and saw a huge mantarey..it looked like it was flying...that was pretty exciting. Also while we were coming back from the blue lagoon we ran into a massive dolpin; it was really big; found out later that the dolphins in Rangi are the biggest in the world.






HIVA OA, Marquesas Islands

Hiva Oa is where Paul Gaugin lived his last years...Just to tell you he had a 14 yr old girlfriend and he was over his 50ies..(dirty pig!!).





More pics...UA POU




UA POU, Marquesas Islands

It's in Ua Pou where i had the best fresh squeezed lemon juice.....yummy!!! That was awesome.

I stayed in a family house; the owner, Toni, is soooo funny, the house is beautiful and peaceful; it's situated up on a hill just right in front of a gorgeous bay!!
Thanks Toni for everything!!!

I missed the Aranui here as well..sigh.

The landing on the island was a bit scary; the plane was as big as a bird and the wind was very strong and blowing from three different directions.....it was like being on a rollercoaster, and i did not like it!

Here's some pics.
(sorry if i am not writing much, but i am exhausted today...)







Nuku Hiva , Marquesas Islands...more pics





Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands

Nuku Hiva is spectacular.
It's a bit strange becasue in some parts of the island u can find a type of vegetation like on the Alps and some others look like the gran canyon, but in green:=).
The thing is that in Nuku Hiva there's really nothing to do, that's why i decided to change my flights and leave the Marquesas earlier:).
Tahioe is the biggest town, a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere...i stayed in a pretty little guesthouse, i really enjoyed it.
The only contact with the rest of the world in Nuku Hiva is the famous Aranui....and i missed it only for a day.






Thaiti and "her"islands

U guys expected beautiful beaches, did't u?
Well, i am sorry but there are not many beaches in TAHITI, just one, a black sand one, which is actually really pretty but......the water is a bit greasy...sigh.






Saturday, February 23, 2008

UTube, Nadia for Lars Ulrich

Hey hey, i just posted a video that i made a few months ago for Lars Ulrich, drummer of Metallica.
I doubt he ever saw it but....who knows? I actually sent it to him, but no answer.
:=)

Check it out, it's pretty funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL5jCI_7Rw4


Saturday, November 17, 2007

Cool memories.....Imola june 2006

Hey, remember when i went to Imola for the Metallica show?
Here's a video that was shot at the time; it was actually posted on the Metallica official website for almost a year...now i found it on Utube...

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mggxlK58nK0

(Nadia and James Hetfield)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Nosy Be, Madagascar. The adventure!

I was supposed to fly to Brasil with a special fare (i have discounts through the company i work for) but...guess what? the flight was all booked up so i had to change destination: i flew to Nosy Be, Madagascar, the island of parfumes.
The island is absolutely gorgeous, very green and wild.
I was staying in Ambondrona Beach, at Tsara Loky, beautiful complex of bungalows just right on the beach. The owners, Françoise and Regis also own a restaurant next door and i tell u the food is just AMAZING!!!(Tsara Loky means "good cooking" in local language and that's the truth!!).
I got the chance to visit most of the island and some smaller islands close to it and see some unusual animals: chameleons, lemures, snakes, turtles (marine and earth ones).
What i raccomand:
- Ambondrona Beach: very wild and quiet.
- Ambatoloaka: not very nice! Very turistic and full of old french and italian fellows on sexual turism.
- Darasalama: Small and good for some shopping.
- Hell Ville: Very authentic, that's the biggest city of the island. The market is very interesting and folkloristic. Very good for grocery shopping.
- Natural Reserve of Lokobe (gorgeous).
That was the nicest tour i took. I felt like in "Castaway"...and let me tell u, during this tour be ready for paddling!
- Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely: two beautiful small islands south of Nosy Be.
Nosy Komba is bigger, it has inhabitants as well. The village is small sorrounded by palm trees, banano and ying yang trees..
Nosy Tanikely is a marine park: it is like being in a swimming pool.
- Andilana Beach: beautiful beach and clear light blue water.

Important contacts.

Accomodation:
- Tsara loky: nice and clean bungalows just right on Ambondrona Beach.
Budget: cheap.
- Le Cocotier: http://www.lescocotiers.nemo.it/
Budget: prices on the website mantioned above.

Island Tours:
- http://macacotours.com
They are very professional, they speak good english, italian and french (ask for Philippe).

Special thanks to:
- Françoise and Regis
- Philippe
- The italian Consul on the island, Mr. Uboldi
- Remy
- Sams

AND NOW, CHECK OUT THE PICS POSTED BELOW.


Friday, October 19, 2007

Nosy Be, Sacred tree and more







Thursday, October 18, 2007

Nosy Be, Madagascar Oct,2007 (2)




Lokobe, Nose Be






Hell Ville, Madagascar 07





Philip, Regis&Françoise, Bum Bum, Ambondrona




Nosy Tanikely, Madagascar 07





Nosy Komba, Madagascar, Oct 2007





Madagascar, oct 07- Local people




Madagascar, Africa, Oct 07- Andilana beach




Nosy Be, Madagascar,oct 07 - Cute wild animals




Nosy Be, Madagascar, Oct, 2007-Ambondrona beach and my bungalow




Sunday, September 09, 2007

Egypt 2007 - B. and M. from Jeddah, KSA

Yes, i decided to dedicate an entire post to these two guys from Jedda, South Arabia.

They were staying at our same hotel and the first day while i was reading my book (Mille splendidi soli....beautiful book about Afghanistan) on the beach they showed up and sat next to us.

At first i did not pay much attention at them bacasue i was all into my reading but then after swimming i started talking to them...

B. is more lively but also M. is a good talker once he gets more confortable.
We made plans to meet up at night for a drink and a chat.

So we all went out, my friend, i and them.

First we walked to Nama Bay which was actually very closed to the hotel and we chose a nice arabic bar where we could sit on the floor on pillows and where everybody was smoking Hashisha (i hope i spelled it right...).
We assisted to a ballydance show....i really like arabic music actually. It reminded me a lot about Kan Zaman where i used to work when i lived in SF.

We had a good talk and a nice time. We switched ideas and information about our culture and their culture.

I never met anybody from South Arabia.
These guys were such getlemen, kind people and very educated.

They basically adopted me for two days and i really felt good with them.

YOU GUYS ROCK.
I WISH U THE BEST AND I HOPE OUR PATHS WILL CROSS AGAIN ONE DAY.



Egypt 2007- Sharm el Sheik

Well, as u all know by now i won this trip through my job last spring.
I finally decided to take it this first week of september.
I invited my friend Noel from SF. I thought it would have been a good experience for her to see such a different country.

I liked Sharm. It is a small Egyptian Vegas...A small oasis in the middle of the desert.
Got very popular towards italians in the last few years....infact the little town is packed with italians.
To tell you the truth it is crowded of Russians as well....they are as many as italians...Gosh, Russians are way to white for me.

We took a couple of very nice trips inside the trip:=))

*One was the hike up on the Mt. Sinai. The place is amazing and very spiritual...
We got on top of the mountin to see the sunrise. The walk was at night, starting around 1 am.

We met a few beduins..they have such a hard life.
They work all day in the heat...walk up and down that mountin sometime twice a day.
Our guide was one of them. He is a 18 yr old boy, grew up in a village 3 kilometers from the mountin. He lived all his life there.
He walks every day from his house to the mountin and climbs it....pretty tiring isn't it? I guess he'll never have heart problems since he works out so much.
These experiences always make me realize how lucky i am. Too many people in the world still suffer from poverty...way too many.

We took a camel for part of the hike...they are huge animals.
Mine was soo aggressive (i liked him though). He would knock over people...i was scared he would hurt someone.
The funny thing is that people would be annoyed at me because my camel would walk them over without knowing i had no control at all over the animal...it was not my fault:=(((((

The sunrise was really amazing.
Those mountins changed colors with the sun coming up 'till becoming reddish...
So you could see the red colour of the mountins touching the blu colour of the sky...and the moon still shining up there!!!

On the way back we took a short cut down until we reached the St. Cathrine monastery (around 9 in the morning).
AT this point i was exhausted so since i have been there before i went to sleep on a chair, waiting for the rest of my group.

*The other short trip inside the trip was Ras Mohammed, a marine park, where i actually went by myself becasue my friend did not want to come.
It was a pretty funny, weird day.
Arrived to Sharm Harbour we got boarded right away on our boat/yaght called Ever Green.

The sad thing is that there were, and i am not kidding, at least 30 big boats there loaded with tourists. I mean this natural park can not take so many people...the barrier reef is probably seriously damaged by now....

We arrived to the first spot where we jumped in the water.
Our guide wore a thick wetsuit. I asked him if the water was cold and he actually said that the water would have been hot...(so why was he wearing such a thick wet suit???).

We jumped in the water. It was dark blue and pretty deep. We swam next to a reef wall.
Corals were nice but not as nice as the ones i saw in AUstralia, and not as big.
We saw a few nice fishes, a napoleon fish as well ( the one i saw in Australia was much bigger).
After twenty minutes it was pretty cold...our boat was really far and the guide told the captain to come and pick us up after 30 minutes...So we had 10 more minutes in the water.

After 40 minutes everybody was cold and the boat wouldn't come back....
At that point we were actually very cold. I was shivering myself.
The guide started waiving at our boat but nothing....finally another boat, a diving boat saw us and came to rescue us.

They brought us to our boat and only then we realized our boat had broken down. The engine was dead.
We were stuck in the middle of Red Sea. The diving boat towed us for a while. Then our boat's engine started working again but at that point we all decided it would have been better to go back to the hotel since we already got really cold.
This last one was not what i expected but i enjoyed it anyway.

SCROLL THE PAGE DOWN TO SEE PICS

Egypt 2007-going to Ras Mohammed



Mt. Sinai and Santa Cathrine Monastery







Egypt, Mt.Sinai





Egypt 2007-sunrise on Mt. Sinai





Sunday, August 05, 2007

Party time - Samba show

I thought to post this pic of mine with a couple of friends.
We took samba classes together for a few years and at the end of the course, this last june, the teacher arranged a samba show (i only watched and did not dance......was too busy to get ready for it in time...sigh).
I love this pic...


Monday, July 09, 2007

Weekend in London, july 6th till july 9th

I just got back to Milan after spending a whole weekend in London..

There were some big events going on this last WE:
-the tour the France was starting
-Live Earth was on 7th july
-Metallica were playing on 8th july
-The Grand Prix was on in England

The city was packed!! The tube hot as hell..
The weather was good, but it was pretty cold compared to Milan (i am glad i am back to summertime...eheheheh:=)). I showed up all dressy and at the end i had to wear the same outfit for three days becasue of the cold.

I stayed at Simona's!! Thank U for everything! U have been very kind and such a sweetypie. We went together to both gigs, Live Earth and Metallica as well....
I saw C.and i was very happy about it!! He is a cool guy. Hope i'll see him soon again (too bad it did not last long).

Claire, my buddy that i met in Aussiland is just hilarious. We went out for lunch yesterday and she cracked me up!! At some point we were walking, kinda of fast (as usual when i walk with her, she always RUNS) and i am like: "hey, can u please not run?" and she goes like: " hey, i am not running, u have short legs"..ahahhahahahah:=))))

This was an intense and pretty exhausting weekend...but i am glad i went!!
It was worthed! That's for sure.


Metallica 07/08/2007, Wembley, London

....and the day after LIVE EARTH, i went back to Wembley Stadium again for the Metallica gig...Simona was with me.
My feet and my back were killing me. Even though we had pitch standing tickets we bagged the security to let us seat...thank God they did.
We actually got seated in a great spot: just on the right side of stage, so we had the chance to watch the show confortably seated and with a great view!
There was a lot of energy in the air, Metallica played a good set list, the show went smooth and was a success.
Robert's solo was really good, actually better than last year.
As usual James remembered Cliff after Orion...we all did and we all, always, will.

Here's a couple of pics... and the setlist:

Creeping Death
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Sad But True
Disposable Heroes
The Unforgiven
...And Justice For All
The Memory Remains
The Four Horsemen
Orion
Fade To Black
Master of Puppets
Battery
- - - -
No Leaf Clover
Nothing Else Matters
One
Enter Sandman
- - - -
Whiplash
Seek and Destroy


LIVE EARTH 07/07/2007, Wembley Stadium, London

Yes, i went to Live Earth, London.
The thing is that honestly if Metallica were not supposed to play at this gig i wouldn't have gone and that would have been such a big mistake.
The whole event was fantastic...
Watch Red hot Chilli Peppers, Block Party, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Spinal Tap, Beasty Boys, Madonnna and many others all together in only one day was pretty exciting to me.
Also the event aim is actually pretty serious...We should really start doing something to save our planet; we do not have much time left.
The polar ice is melting fast, the air is dirtier every day more, wild life is disappearing....human being is distroying the balance of nature and its own home.

The artists did such a great job.
I liked Red Hot chilli Peppers a lot, Metallica were very good too...it was a lot of fun when Metallica and others jumped on stage with Spinal Tap (by the way, i am downloading the movie).
Madonna ROCKED!!! She is "the star".

I took some nice pics with my cell....i'll try to download them tomorrow..and post them asap.





Sunday, July 01, 2007

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Fushigi no Umi no Nadia

How funny.....i was thinking just now about my last trip/vacation to AUSTRALIA, where at some point i met this kind girl from Korea. We actually took a walk together up to the light house in Byron Bay and she was all excited about my name.
I remember how her eyes got full of interest when i told her my name.
She then told me that whole story of Nadia, the Japanese Nadia.
Basically, Nadia is the most popular animated series ever done in Japan...i said: "WOW, that is cool".
Searched the net only today about it and i found a couple of pics of my homonymous from Japn:=)




Gods of Metal, June 2007 Milan

Yes, last night i went to this cool heavy metal festival here in Milan...
A few bands played, like Black Label Society, Korn, Megadeath and OZZY...
Yes,Ozzy ruled....even though he did not allow anybody on stage(sigh!)and not even photographers under stage....i have to say he is a pretty funny fellow....showering people and security from the stage with a huge waterhose...:=))) ahahahhahah :=)))
He also showed us his hairy disgusting ass....Ozzy, u coud have kept that for yourself:=))

Here a couple of pics (actually one pic is from the Velvet Revolver gig).


Thursday, May 24, 2007

Champions, il Milan sul tetto d'Europa




Com'è dolce Atene. Per capitan Maldini, che a 39 anni alza un'altra Champions League. Per Inzaghi, che con due gol dei suoi schianta il Liverpool. Per Ancelotti, che dopo un anno difficile si prende la rivincita più bella. Per Kakà, che aggiunge questo trofeo al suo curriculum da Pallone d'Oro. E per tutti i tifosi rossoneri, che oltre alla vittoria festeggiano anche la vendetta contro i Reds due anni dopo la sciagurata finale di Istanbul. Sì, il Milan è ancora sul tetto d'Europa. Due a uno contro il Liverpool e la Coppa più bella finisce per la settima volta nella bacheca rossonera.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Thanks Jeff

:=)
Jeff put me on the Top 20 Metallica friends on www.myspace.com/Metallica
I take it as a b'day present:=))

Check it out.

If u also want to see my page..www.myspace.com/princesanadine

Cheers.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

My Aussie Trip feb/march 07

The red line shows where i travelled in AussieLand....going from north to south.


Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Special thanks (2) to............

.......and to everybody who was on Solway Lass.
That was great fun:=)





Special Thanks to..............

Michele & Rod
Karen and Terry
Bianca and Daphne




Posing in AU :==))))





Byron Bay



Byron, New South Wales-AU



Whitsundays


Whitsunday Islands National Park



Solway Lass Crew

Damo - Andy - Tim - Jessy





Me and Solway Lass



Solway Lass...People2



Solway Lass...People



More of Solway Lass3



More of Solway Lass2



More of Solway Lass



Sailing on gorgeous Solway Lass



Airlie Beach



"....and then we came to some low isles..."Lt. James Cook noted in his journal in 1770



Sailing on Wavedancer, Port Douglas



Beautiful Port Douglas, Qld



Kangaroos-AU


Sweet Creatures- AU



More of Cape Tribulation



Wild Cape Tribulation



Cassowary Cape Tribulation



Cape Tribulation, Queensland



Bush Walk



Bush Walk, Daintree National Park, Qld



Daintree River



Bird Sanctuary, North Queensland



Great Barrier Reef Cairns







Michele and I
Dave and I
Bird Sanctuary, Great Barrier Reef CAIRNS

Aussie Pics 07 - Cairns






Pool in Cairns
Big spider
Mountins around Cairns North of Queensland AU

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Save AUSSIE Aborigens

A few more words about aborigens.....
I was shopping in Cairns last night and kept on running into wasted aborigens in the streets.
These poor souls look just like ghosts...
The scary part of it is that most of people point them out critizing them, saying they are just drunkers..
How stupid that could be? These people were living in perfect balance with nature in their country; they had at least a thousand yr culture and white people came over and imposed their culture. We did impose them to change and become like us.
I feel sooo bad for them. I know there are some remote areas up north where aborigens still live in peace and where they still have their culture....but how long this will last?
Money and capitalism will arrive there as well...it is just a metter of time.
I really hope i am wrong.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Doug, Byron Bay

I finally called Doug today (Michele's friend).
He is from Newport Beach, CA, USA and lived here for the last 28 yrs.
He is a nice man, took me around and showed me his property.
Nice house, beautiful property...soo relaxing. He has this pretty house in the middle of green hills just off of a small town called Bungalow a few kilometers from ByronBay.
A couple of dogs and two cats and that's it!! Very peaceful place.
He said it is quite nice not to have neighbours; i hear u man!!!! :):)

We went for lunch to Bungalow in a pretty cafe' and i had a great meal...some very good gnocchi..yammy..

I packed my backback and i am ready to leave tomorrow morning, back to Cairns for a day..i'll go shopping! yeahhh..

See ya

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Buddha Bar & The Art Factory

Before coming to Byron i wanted to stay at the art factory hostel, but i then changed my mind when it was all booked up.
Claire, Kathrine & I went over to the Buddha Bar and the Art Factory just the other day, to check it out!
The place is out of town, at least 10 minutes walking and there are no lights in the street which makes the whole walk not pleasent, especially at night.
When we arrived the Buddha Bar was still empty..but we got pretty impressed:
the art work on the walls was amazing; big huge pictures hanging on the walls, Andy Warhol style, leather couches and tropical drinks. The prices were very expensive! Nice enviroment and good music.
I liked it a lot, the first very nice bar i have been to since i am in Australia.
Also i found out that the Art Factory is considered a hippy community...(basically it is legal to smoke pot there...etc.hehehehhe. Just kidding:)).
Kinda of interesting place.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

A few more details

Hi everybody, i was reading my blog and realized that i wrote it pretty fast and left behind a few nice details about my trip.

- Cairns: Michele (my friend from SF is Michele too), the receptionist of Tropic Days, was absolutely hilarious and had great time with her.
- Dave from Passions od Paradise - Cairns: met this guy on a boat while we were heading to the great barrier reef off of Cairns: such a sweetie...he showed me the nicest corals and pointed a stingray to me and took care of me for the whole day. Too bad i did not get the chance to see him again:(

- Port Douglas: I forgot to tell u about "fruit batts". They are batts hanging off trees; they are sooo many and make such a loud noise during the day! They are actually kind of scary (even though they are not supposed to be dangerous); they have fury heads and they are quite big).

- Solway Lass: there was this swinging rope on the boat that people would use to jump in the water as Tarzan would do. We had fun with that! Micheal was hilarious; he tried that rope in any possible way.:)

- Byron Bay: Cape Byron, the Easterly part of the Australia maniland. Yesterday Claire, me and Kathrine went up to the light house. Nice view and long walk. Too long!!! lazy ass..
- Byron Bay: i was thinking just today that everybody says Byron Bay is such a beautiful place. Honestly it is very pretty but i have seen better places.
It is a surfer town, small but quite busy; actually too busy and too crowded!!! it reminds me of Calif, San Diego or Venice (LA).
It is a nice place where recharge batteries.

My favourite place downunder: Port Douglas!!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Last stop: Byron Bay, New South Wales - AU

Finally arried in Byron Bay yesterday (there is an hour difference with Queensland).
Peter and Julian gave ma and Claire a ride with their camper. Nice and realxing trip.
I am very tired after all this travelling in Queensland so i am trying to take it easy and chill out properly before returning to Italy.
Byron has a nice beach. It is possible to swim without the stinger suit...yeah...even though yesterday i was told they had been 4 shark attacks in the last few weeks.
It is a backpacker little town. Everybody is very young, i would say between 25 and 35 yrs old.
Very green area and beautiful landscapes.
This morning i slept in....so nice!! Finally nothing to do. I have been so busy in these last couple of weeks....busier than when i am at home actually!!!
This last week will be my vacation to relax from the previous two week vacation..hehehehehhe :)
I'll cook lunch in a bit and then meet Claire to go up to Joanne and John's house (they were on Solway Lass)/
Last night we all went out together...did not stay much, i was exhausted.
See ya.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Brisbane

U need to hear this...
Woke up this morning and got a bus to Mackay (a small ugly town in the middle of nowhere) and get on a plane to Brisbane.
The plan was: arrive to Brisbane, get a room, go to the Steve Irwin's zoo tomorrow and then Byron Bay (where i was supposed to meet Claire) but things have actually changed.
Flew into Brisbane quite late, got a train into town and couldn't find an hotel room...shit!!!! Apparently a huge music festival is on these days in Brisbane that's why is all packed.
I ran into Claire in one of the hostels ( it was full as well). The receptionist, a cool english guy, started calling all the hostels of the city and finally we found a bed for me for tonight!! Gosh, i was starting being worried about it.
Actually in the same hostel where i am staying there are also two guys (english and scottish) that were on the Solway Lass and tomorrow are heading to Byron Bay with a caravan.
They offered me and Claire a lift all the way to Byron. Cool. THANKS GUYS!!:)
We all went out for dinner and had a fun chat.
It is only 9pm but since i had a pretty long day i am going to bed....
Good night.

Sailing on Solway Lass, Whitsunday Islands

The adventure began last tuesday.
Got picked up in Airlie Beach and we headed to the Marina.
Andy, came and took us to the boat!
I was exhausted after all day in Airlie under the sun...

The crew met and greeted us...nice guys. The captain (skipper) TIM, was my favourite!!
Very nice and polite guy.
First thing they told us: "not more than 2 minute shower each"....:) we had not much water on board.

Ok.... we left the marina at 7.30pm, heading north east. We passed between Hook Island and Whitsunday Island. The morning after we headed to Whitehaven Beach: unbilievable place....we reached the beach after a short bush walk and we stayed there for a couple of hours, maybe a bit more!!! The sun was incredibly strong; got burnt with sunblock number 30!!
The sand was soo white and soft. Never touched a sand so soft in my life, almost unreal.

Back to the boat and sailed all the way up to Mantarey Bay where we spent the night! After dinner a dolphin was hanging around the boat!! So pretty!
We spent at least an hour watching the dolphin...heheheh such kids! :)

The day after we went snorkling and diving in the nearest beaches. Corals were amazing. So many bright colours (blue, purple, torquaise). I saw a huge fish (don't remember the name in english); it is a blue huge fish (in italian is called "pesce napoleone"). I was a bit scared at first but then i got used to it.

Around 4 pm we headed to Hayman Island and we stopped at Longford Reef.

At night we were all exhausted, i was nackerd. A few sharks were hanging around the boat; we threw some food at them to see them closer....not too big but for sure not small either.
Sharks hunt at night; there were hungry....very hungry i would say..scary!!!

The crew was nice. Tim (the captain), Andy, Tim, Damo, Jesse were great...
Damo was really funny...i loved his sense of humor (cute dude as well).

The other passengers were absolutely fantastic!! We had a blast together..
We were from all over the world:
Irish, Belga, Swiss, Americans, Italian (only me), Canadian, France, Scottish, British....Cool folks.
I was in a cabin with an english girl (Claire) and an hilarious irish guy (Andrew); funny roomates, both of them. We got along well.

Hope we'll keep in touch and eventually meet again::))))))
Yesterday we headed back to the marina....there was no wind at all, that's why we couldn't sail...gosh, it was soooo hot and humid, i felt like i was in a huge swamp!!! Thank God there were no mosquitos.

The boat, Solway Lass was absolutely gorgeous...a hundred yr old boat, remodeled a few times, "she" sailed the world and she keeps on doing it.

www.solwaylass.com

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Airlie Beach

Finally arrived on Airlie beach after an awful,long trip on a greyhound bus.
The driver was absolutely a prick.
Driving like crazy and kept the radio on most of the time (we travelled during the night). We had to tell him to turn that monster off!

Airlie beach seems nice. Did not walk around too much because it is hot like hell and i am pretty exhausted.
I am looking forward to sailing on the big boat! I already checked in and they gave me the usual stinger suit...(i look like cat woman...u'll see me on the pics).
They'll pick me up at 6.40pm tonight to board me...yeah!!

The ocean is beautiful; turquaise and calm.
Gotta go now.

ciao

Monday, March 05, 2007

Heading South...

...back to Cairns today.

I finally figured out where to go next!!
Ok, i'll get on a greyhound bus tonight, heading to Airlie Beach (i'll arrive tomorrow morning around noon). Tomorrow afternoon i'll start my sailing trip....yeahhhh!! Three days and three nights on a huge sailboat named Solway Lass sailing through the Whitsunday islands.
It is a 100 yrs old boat. It is a vassel.
So beautiful.

I'll get back on the mainland on friday and the day after i'll fly to Brisbane, heading to Byron Bay where i spend 5 days, to relax after all this travelling!
Flying back to Cairns sat 17th, and to Italy sun 18th.
Of course i'll update my blog during the way.....:)
I am pretty excited about the sailing trip...
Check out the boat on this site:

http://www.seethewhitsundays.com/opp/tours/solwaylass/index.html

Today i spent big bucks....when i am back i'll be broke for a few months..:( but i think it is pretty worthed.

See ya

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Low Isles (Port Douglas); sailing on Wavedancer, QuickSilver

I am in Port Douglas, supercool place. i love it here....i would love to stay here three weeks at least if i could:(.

Arrived a couple of days ago!! Sweet little neat place!
Yesterday i saw Kangaroos and Koalas. Cuties!! U'll see the pics.

Tried to go to Batt Reef but apparently there is no cruise that goes there.

Met a marin bioligist yesterday, John, who got me on a sail boat for 20 dollars!!! :) great!!! So today i went on a sailing trip, went to Low Isles (approx 8 miles from Batt Reef) where Steve Irwin was brought after he got stung by a bull ray at Batt Reef and where the helicopter came to pick him up to take him to the hospital. He was pronunced dead on that beach!
Took hips of pics.

Saw many sea turtles and a small shark!!
The marin biologist was cool and nice...i liked him! He is from Redondo Beach, CA but lived here for 9 yrs!!! Thanks JOHN!!! Hope i'll see u again one day.

Had a great time.

Going back to Cairns tomorrow and then heading south. Not sure how and where yet :)

...oh yeah, actually....there is a cyclon in the ocean and apparently it is going south...hope i won't meet it.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Port Douglas, QNL, AU

Just a couple of words more about Cape Tribulation.
First of all the other day i finally met the cassowary....scary huge turkey:)
Took pics and i'll post them once i am back.

A couple of nights ago i took a night walk with a guide in Cape Trib, that turned out to be a "bug walk". So annoying!!! I hate spiders, cockroaches and all that stuff..why should i spend two hours in the middle of the rainforrest looking for them? That was pretty disappointing!

Did not make it to Cooktown: the streets are closed for flooding :-(

Yesterday we left Cape Trib and headed to Port Douglas.
On the way here we stopped at Mossman and we went to Mosman Gorge, a nice river that runs through the forest. The water is sooo clear and torquaise. Very pretty spot!
We passed by a Aborigen Community where aborigens live and perform didjeridoo shows. I am not interested in it!! I wanted to see real aborigens that still live like hundreds years ago. They actually told me that on the way to Cooktown there are some lands where white people are not allowed to go because they are aborigen lands, protected by the government.

As soon as i arrived in Port Douglas i walked downtown (the city is very small and it is on a bay, sorrounded by water).
Such a nice little town to relax a bit! I'll take a day off here.

Went to ask righ away if there is a chance to go to Batt Reef where Steve Irwin got stung by a stingray and passed away, and apparently Batt Reef is a preserved area and u need permit to actually go there.
Found a sail boat that goes to the next reef, Tongue Reef (today they are out of the water so i have to wait until tomorrow).
Today i'll also try to figure out where to go next. I'll try to head south but i am not sure how further i can go (i have two weeks left).

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Cape Tribulation, Queensland. AU




Hey guys, do u know which is the most dangerous bird of Australia? It is a Cassowary and guess what??? As soon as we arrived in Cape Tribulation beach house, the first thing they told us is that there is a cassowary hanging around here and that it is pretty cranky (great!!) and can be dangerous (Cassowaries killed people already, two in Cape Trib). Also if we meet him, actually her (it is a female) we are not supposed to run away because it will chase us and attack us. The best thing to do is stick our arms in the air (so that we would look bigger) and make a lot of noise, hoping that it will go away!!...Interesting, isn't it? Also this guy i met, ran into the cassowary just yesterday and said it is bigger than him ....scary!!!
Last night i took a nap at 6 pm and when i woke up i was in the room all by myself and i was scared to go to the toilet and to have dinner as well....so i just went back to sleep 'till this morning...hehehheheheh
Today my friends were like: where the hell have u been last night?? :)
Woke up at 6.00am, went to the toilet and guess....a huge spider as big as my hand was there..gosh...while i was doing what i needed to do :) i kept on looking at the spider that slowely was getting close to the floor (it was hanging from its web)!!!

Cape Tribulation is very wild..i would say the wildest place i ever been to.
The rainforest gets right in the ocean!! It is so aggressive and dense.

Yesterday we walked all the way to the Cape, the view is amazing!
I wonder if it is much different from those days when Captain Cook arrived here....
Gotta go now, i have to figure out how to get to Cooktown tomorrow..Apparently the roads are flooded and it is not easy to get there.

I attach a pic of a cassowary...u might not know what it looks like.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Down Under, Cairns, Feb 26th 2007

I am just a bit confused after a two day trip to arrive to Cairns, AU (4 flights total).
Arrived yesterday, very tired and jetlegged. The bed and breakfast i am staying at is just gorgeous; this little colourful house, sorrounded by green palm trees.
Cairns is a small, laid back town ...everybody is slow here; no rush and no worries!
I was travelling by myself on the way here and met Michele and Rod in Cairns; It is quite amazing to meet them here in AU and not in Calif.
Last night we had a crocodile and a kangaroo barbeque...interesting!! the kangaroo really sucked!!! it was sooooo hard...
The croc was a bit better but i am not looking forward to eating it again soon:).
Today it was a gorgeous day and we went out to the great barrier reef; awesome!
We also went to a bird sanctuary in the middle of the ocean...i felt like i was in that Hitchcock movie, "birds"...i'll show u pics once i am back.
Tomorrow we are heading to Cape Tribulation! Apparently one of the last places on earth where the rainforest gets right on the beach...wow!
Talk to u laterrrrr...

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Steve Irwin death, sept 4th 2006, Batt Reef, Queensland


I am about to travel all the way to Australia and i had to give a bit of attantion to this man...
I am really sorry he died, i respected his work, his enthusiasm and how he always fight to protect thretened species.

I read a lot about his death.
He was shooting a ducmentary in Batt Reef, a stretch of the Great Barrier a few miles away fromPort Douglas, about sea life with his crew when apparently he boxed in a giant stingray which, startled,whipped its barbed tail upwards into his chest.

He died in a few minutes, maybe less.

Outside the hospital in Port Douglas, his longtime friend and producer John Stainton said, "He died doing what he loves best, and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, Crocs rule."

I hope he is wrestling crocs up there in heaven!!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

UN ISTANTE DELLA MIA PUREZZA VALE TUTTA LA TUA VITA DI BUGIE!

Mickey, Natural Born killers

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Vendo la mitika Ford KA....annuncio spettacolare!

VENDO FORD KA del 98 colore viola melanzana:

- KM 110.000 cca

- motore molto buono
- carrozzeria un po' provata / portiera dx e retro incidentati
- riscaldamento rotto
- serrature inagibili, da cambiare tranne quella della portiera dx (io la uso tranquillamente così)
- LA MACCHINA FUNZIONA BENISSSSIMO

Valore commerciale su quattroruote 2.300 euro

La vendo a 800 euro NON TRATTABILI…macchina da vedere.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

The city of Angels or the city of Ghosts?

Ne avrei dai scrivere ma al momento sono ancora un po' stanca dal viaggio i rientro che è durato cca 36 ore.

LA? Mai visti tanti pazzi insieme...Autisti di autobus che parlano da soli, donne isteriche che vagano per le strade, homeless a go go; senza parlare degli uomini...

Vi racconto solo questa: un giorno vado a Malibu a fare un giro e mi passa davanti un figaccione incredibile; biondo, capelli lunghi e selvaggi, fisico da urlo...
Mi nota e si avvicina per chiaccherare...Nel momento stesso in cui apre bocca capisco che ha dei porblemi....scambiamo due parole, come t chiami, che fai, dove abiti...e poi mi invita a cena..peccato che aggiunge anche: i pay mine, u pay yours!!! No, ma un gentleman!!! Non ci potevo credere..A quel punto mi ha lasciato il suo numero di telefono e gli ho detto che lo avrei chiamato asap!!! Completamente fuori di zucca!!


Venice Beach e Santa Monica sono sicuramente il meglio della città...le zone piu' vivibili..forse anche per la vicinanza del mare...del vento che soffia e rinfresca un po' l'ambiente!
Qui sono tutti piu' rilassati e tranquilli!

Hollywood e Beverly Hills; sì, belli....ma che caldo fa!!!
Sembra di stare nel deserto; non si respira!

Downtown and the Skid Row....better stay away from that!

Purtroppo in questa città piu' che in altre emergono i problemi che il governo americano non riesce a risolvere....ci sono homeless ovunque!!! Questi fantasmi che camminano per strada con questi carrelli della spesa pieni dei loro fardelli...Una tristezza immonda soprattutto quando si tratta di anziani...

Poi pero' vai a Bel Air e per entrare devi passare un cancello dove vieni fotografato....le vie sono pulitissime...ordinatissime, senza un minimo di spazzatura....la multa per littering raggiunge i 2000 dollari! Sfrecciano Porche, Mustang, BMW e così via...è qui che il sultano dei Brunei ha la sua megavillona che usa forse una settimana all'anno!

Insomma The City Of Angels è dove molti sogni diventano realta' e dove molti altri si tramutano in incubi!!!! OKKIO a non far parte della seconda categoria!

What LA needs: more nuts!

Muscles Beach




People, LA




Venice




The city of Angels 2006





Saturday, August 05, 2006

Jericoacoara Video- Brasil 2005. it lasts 20 minutes- o video dura 20 minutos

Last october i was in Jericoacoara for a month a half and i met this couple from San Francisco who where on their honey moon, Amie and Jordan. We got along really well right away! They are awsome people. They took a video In Jeri and they sent me the link that is here underneath their pic. It is absolutely amazing. So many memories came up to me! I left a piece of my heart there. I love Jeri and i love the people who live there. I miss u all!!! :=)

Take a look at the video!!! It lasts 20 min.
Here's Amie and Jordan in the pic!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2096950405819809179&q=goldpants+productions

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Point Break 1991



Watched this movie years ago.
Was nice to see it again.

I love the ocean; i wish i had more time to spend close to it!
It makes me feel free, powerfull and totally in balance with nature and earth.
And the sound of it is just soo awsome; listen to waves breaking on the beach or just the water movement is amazing....i remember when i lived in Maui for a couple of months..we used to go every single day to the beach, hang out, play. There was so much peace, and so many stars in the sky.. It was great to look outside my room window and see a banano tree...

Saturday, July 22, 2006

I love the seventies....(jan 2006)


So now that i am stuck home after the car accident, i actually have more time to update this blog..
I really wanted to post this pic because i think it is very funny! It was Jonnhy's and Frank's b'day and they decided to have this huge party where everybody was supposed to dress like in the seventies!!! We had a blast!....thanks Jonnhy!!!:=) thanks Frank!! :=)
Such great outfits..hahahha

Can u tell i had a car accident?? Who's sexier? Me or my giraffe? I guess my giraffe :=)


Yes! I had a car accident, just a couple of days ago!!
I stoppped at a red traffic light and an idiot, who was reading a newspaper while driving, just smashed my car from behind..
Got hurt on my back, went to the hospital....nothing really serious, but still a pain in the a..!
So now, i am stuck home for a few weeks, with this cast around my neck....so annoying!!! :=(
Of course i'll sue the guy...jerk.


This cast around my neck reminds me of Padaung women from Myanmar. They place large golden rings around their necks.
Now i know why those women can never take those rings off otherwise the would die...
They wear those rings since they are 5yrs old. Their neck is stretched all the time for years and years + they do not develop any neck muscles; what happens if they take the rings off?: they break their neck!!!!

So basically my cast as the aim to relax my neck muscles that are all tight from the accident but at the same time i shouldn't wear it too much not to loose neck muscle tone.

Monday, June 19, 2006

If u want a day off you better come in a day early - Met crew- Imola 06









MET on tour- The band- Imola 06






Escape from the studio '06- Imola 17 giugno 06

Bene, e' arrivato anche il 17 giugno...sembrava così lontano ed invece...il tempo vola inesorabile.
Ebbene sì, sono due mesi circa che chiamo tutti i miei contatti relativi il mondo dei concerti per aver un pass backstage per rivedere i Metallica..ma Nulla!!!! Nemmeno un segno!
Alla fine, tra una telefonata e l'altra mi sono trovata il 16 giugno senza avere nulla in mano...Anche quel giorno ho chiamato C che mi ha confermato di non essere riuscito a fare nulla!! Ok, ho pensato:" faro' da sola!"
Ormai rassegnata a comprarmi il biglietto e vedere il concerto come le altre 25 mila presone ricevo una telefonata da C che mi dice:
"Nadietta, sei veramente fortunata, dimenticavo che un amico è in tour proprio con i Metallica; ti lascio il suo numero, chiamalo subito!!!"
Cosaaaaaaaaaa??? In tour con i Metallica??
Subito chiamo questo G che gentilissimo mi dice che mi aiutera' ad entrare, anzi aggiunge che se voglio posso andare subito allo Sheraton di Bologna dove si trova con il resto della crew!!
Ok, così faccio, venerdì 16 giugno ore 21 parto con la mitica KA alla volta di Bologna! Arrivo allo Sheraton alle 23.30 cca e G mi presenta subito l'intero stuff dei Met!! Ci beviamo qualche drink e poi nanna (se così si puo' chiamare...3 ore di sonno).
Al mattino infatti sveglia alle 6.20...chiedo a G.: "Posso venire sul tour bus con voi?"
E lui: "certo!!"...Figata! Quindi eccomi sul tour bus con tutto lo stage crew...
Arrivati ad Imola abbiamo parcheggiato il bus nel backstage a circa 50 metri dal palco; i ragazzi sono corsi per procedere con i lavori mentre io sono stata sul bus ad aspettare il mio pass che è arrivato dopo circa due ore.
Non esaltata! Di piu'!!!
Mi faccio quindi un giro per capire dove sono gli spot fondamentali........da individuare assolutamente:
- palco (facile da trovare)
- production office
- dressing rooms
- catering
Nel pomeriggio dopo aver fatto un breve tour del backstage per curiosare un po' in giro ed aver assistito a qualche pezzetto di concerto di altre band mi reco quindi nel production office e chiedo a Lee se posso partecipare al m&g! Mi presenta Jeff che mi conferma che non c'è problema!! Ok per il m&g!!
Appuntamento al production office ore 20.

Nel frattempo, continuo a godermi la situazione..
Vado a cena con Coz, due chiacchere...veramente un tipo interessante, di Nyc...anche molto carino!

Arrivano finalmente le 2o, incontro Jeff e mi dice che la band è in ritardo...vabbe' manca comunque poco...inizio ad avere mal di stomaco dall'agitazione e le mani sudatissime (cazzo!!!).

Finalmente per le 21 circa ci dirigiamo nella zona camerini, ci mettiamo tutti in fila ed aspettiamo pazienti la comparsa della band..
Momento di gloria assoluta!!! Tutti muti, basiti!

Arriva poi Steven, Lars personal assistant, con cui siamo usciti a SF un paio di mesi fa! Mi riconosce e viene subito a salutarmi....anche con lui una veloce conversazione..devo dire moltoo gentile....piu' di quanto mi aspettassi.

Una mezz'oretta ed il m&g termina (fatte foto con tutta la band ovviamente)...

Corro sul palco da Coz il quale mi aveva promesso che avrei potuto vedere il concerto dal palco!! ...e così è stato!
Momento piu' bello dello show?? Dopo l'assolo di Rob in Master of Puppets, James presenta Rob e dice:
Robert Trujillo, our bass player and God bless Cliff Burton (mi sono venuti i brividi).

Insomma, conclusione del week end: il risultato ha superato di gran lunga le aspettative!! Bellissimo!

Rientro con il tour bus a Bologna dove abbiamo dormito altre tre ore. Poi ho accompagnato Coz in stazione a Bologna e sono tornata a casa stravooolta!!! Direi un week end piuttosto intenso (sono partita venerdì alle 21 e sono rientrata domenica alle 15 cca e mi è sembrato di essere stata via una settiamana).

What a blast!!
Special thanks to:
- C
- G
- Coz
- Lee
- Jeff
- Steven

Thursday, May 18, 2006

TERRAS INDIGENAS NO BRASIL

No Brasil, das 554 áreas indígenas, 34% estão aguardando a identificação; 16% foram apenas identificadas, mas não demarcadas; 11,2% já foram demarcadas, mas aguardam a homologação pelo presidente da República. Somente 38,45 foram homologadas pelo presidente e registradas em cartório. Porém, segundo dados da própria FUNAI, 80% das terras indígenas estão invadidas pelo grande capital nacional e internacional, isto é, 443 áreas.


Declaração Solene dos Povos Indígenas, escrita em 1975 na cidade de Porto Albertini:
Quando a terra-mãe era nosso alimento
Quando a noite escura formava o nosso teto,
Quando o céu e a lua eram nossos pais,
Quando todos éramos irmãos e irmãs,
Quando nossos caciques e anciãos eram grande líderes,
Quando a justiça dirigia a lei e sua execução,
Aí outras civilizações chegaram!
Com fome de sangue, de ouro, de terra e de todas as riquezas,
Trazendo numa mão a cruz e na outra a espada, sem conhecer
Ou querer aprender os costumes de nossos povos, nos classificaram abaixo dos animais, roubaram nossas terras e nos levaram para longe delas;
Transformando em escravos os filhos do sol.
Entretanto não puderam nos eliminar e nem fazer esquecer o que somos...
E mesmo que nosso universo inteiro seja destruído
Nós sobreviveremos por mais tempo que o império da morte!



Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Cantando todos juntos....Beija Flor 2005

Clareou, anunciando um novo dia,
clereou, abençoada estrela-guia
traz do céu a luz-menino,
em mensagem do Divino:
unir as raças pelo amor, fraternizar

....................
........................
...................
Na liberdade dos campos e de aldeias,
em lua cheia,
canta e dança o Guarani,
com Tubicha',
e o feitiço de Cruè,
na Yvy Maraey, aiè, pove de fè

.............................
........................
.................................

Em nome do Pai,
do filho, a Beija Flor è Guarani,
sete povos na fè e na dor,
sete missoes de amor

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Beija Flor
















Mi sembra strano parlare di Beija Flor proprio in questa settimana, parallelamente ai forti disordini che ci sono stati in tutto il Brasile, specialmente a San Paolo, in questi stessi giorni. Lo faro' comunque per ricordare a chiunque legga queste parole quanto questo paese sia stupendo e ricco di cultura, nonostante abbia anche gravi problemi.
Beija Flor, in portoghese, significa Colibrì...Questo sostantivo è mooolto famoso in Brasile, ma non per il nome di questo uccellino delizioso, ma perche' Beija Flor è anche il nome di una delle piu' famose scuole di samba di Rio de Janeiro.
Ebbene sì, prove su prove, danza e passione, costumi coloratissimi, donne, uomini e bambini che si muovono a ritmo di samba, gioiosi ed orgogliosi del loro paese e della loro cultura; musica dalle forti pecussioni con quel tocco di Africa che non possiamo certo dimenticare......tutto cio' è Beija Flor!!!!
Sicuramene non dimentichero' il Carnevale di Rio de Janeiro 2005; c'ero anche io, sulle "arquibancadas", nel Sambodromo......e danzavo con la musica di Beija Flor, di fronte ad un'alba meravigliosa!!!!!

Monday, May 01, 2006

....Michael Beck....or Swan..






















The Warriors!
1979. Ve lo ricordate questo film?
Bellissimo; ancora adesso tutte le volte che mi capita di guardarlo mi vengono i brividi.
Mi tornano in mente gli anni piu' belli della mia adolescenza....la cosa strana?? Quando ho visto questo film per la prima volta ricordo di aver pensato: "chissa' quando potro' andare a NYC...." e "questi ragazzi sono così adulti". Oggi quando l'ho rivisto ho pensato:" ma che ragazzini, quasi bimbi direi.....(dei bei bimbi, eh)!!!".
Mi era talmente piaciuto che quando sono stata a NYC per la prima volta nel lontano 1991, mi sono immediatamente recata a Coney Island. Che emozione!!! Ero veramente emozionatissima!!! Ho persino fatto una foto alla stazione della metropolitano davanti al cartello Stillwell Avenue...
Ma Swan che bello era?

Sunday, April 30, 2006

I guess Rob really loves playing shuffle board.

Friday, April 21, 2006

A lenda da Vitória-régia















Numa tribo dos Tupis-Guaranis, vivia uma índia, muito moça e muito bonita, a quem haviam contado que a lua era um guerreiro forte e poderoso. A moça apaixonou-se por esse guerreiro e não quis casar-se com nenhum dos índios da tribo. Não fazia outra coisa sendo esperar que a lua surgisse. Aí, então, punha os olhos no céu e não via mais nada. Só o poderoso guerreiro. Muitas vezes, ela saía correndo pela floresta, os braços erguidos, procurando agarrar a lua.
Todos da tribo tinham pena da índia, pena de vê-la dominada por um sonho tão louco.
E o tempo foi passando... Contudo, o sonho não deixava a pobre moça em paz. Queria ir para o céu. Queria transformar-se numa estrela, numa estrela tão bonita, que fosse admirada pela lua. Mas a lua continuava distante e indiferente, desprezando o desejo da moça.
Quando não havia luar, a jovem permanecia aborrecida em sua oca, sem falar com ninguém. Eram inúteis os esforços dos amigos e parentes para que ela ficasse com as outras moças. Continuava recolhida, silenciosa, até a lua aparecer novamente.

Uma noite em que o luar estava mais bonito do que nunca, transformando em prata a paisagem da floresta, a moça repetiu sua tentativa. Chegando à beira da lagoa, viu a lua refletida no meio das águas tranqüilas e acreditou que ela havia descido do céu para se banhar ali. Finalmente, ia conhecer o famoso e poderoso guerreiro.
Sem hesitar, a moça mergulhou na agua e nunca voltou.
A lua, que era, como eu disse, um guerreiro forte e poderoso, uma espécie de deus, viu o que havia acontecido e ficou compadecida. Sentiu remorso por não ter transformado a formosa índia em uma estrela do céu. Agora era tarde. A moça ia pertencer, para sempre, às águas profundas da lagoa. Porém, já que não era possível torná-la uma estrela do céu, como ela tanto desejava, podia transformá-la numa estrela das águas. Uma flor que seria a rainha das flores aquáticas.

E, assim, a formosa índia foi transformada na vitória-régia. À noite, essa maravilhosa flor se abre, permitindo que a lua a ilumine e revele sua impressionante beleza.

Help YANOMAMI..





























L'immensa Amazzonia ha una disgrazia: è una regione troppo piena di ricchezze nascoste per poter sopravvivere impunemente fra il Brasile e la Bolivia, il Perù, l'Equador, la Colombia, il Venezuela e le Guyane.

Oggi, comunque, a trarre profitto dalla distruzione del più grande polmone della Terra non è il governo di Brasilia, bensì un pugno di latifondisti (152 imprese da sole possiedono 40 milioni di ettari di terra) e multinazionali, giapponesi, europee. Ecco dunque quali sono le sette piaghe dell'Amazzonia:

1 Incendio: I dati sono controversi, ma sarebbe già stata distrutta dal fuoco dei fazendeiros e di migliaia di piccoli contadini attirati dalla speranza di entrare in possesso di un pezzo di terra coltivabile, una ampia superficie di foresta vergine.

2 Traffico di legname: Una parte consistente, benchè secondaria, della distruzione della foresta vergine è collegata al traffico di legname pregiato come il mogano e alti fusti secolari di cui è impossibile la riproduzione.

3 Grandi dighe

4 Miniere: L'estrazione di ferro.

5 Corsa all'oro: Decine di migliaia sono anche i garimpeiros, cioè i cercatori d'oro e di pietre preziose, disperati e violenti, che si sparpagliano per tutta l'Amazzonia fino al suo estremo Nord, lo Stato del Roraima. Pochissimi di loro si arricchiscono davvero, ma intanto l'oro si disperde in mille rivoli innalzando ulteriormente il tasso di criminalità e l'invasione dei territori indios.

6 Progetto militare: Il dispendiosissimo progetto Calhan Norte, messo a punto dall'esercito brasiliano (che mantiene un peso politico decisivo negli equilibri del paese) sta dando vita a una fitta rete di basi militari, cittadelle, strade e aeroporti lungo tutta la fascia Nord dell'Amazzonia, ai confini, con le Guyane, il Venezuela e la Colombia.

7 Genocidio indios: Militari, latifondisti, piccoli contadini, garimpeiros e avventurieri di ogni risma sono uniti di fatto in una guerra senza quartiere con le popolazioni indios, di cui vengono espropriate le riserve. Vittime di assassini, o delle malattie dei bianchi contro cui non sviluppano anticorpi, gli indios sono ormai ridotti a poche decine di migliaia di unità, e quasi certamente destinati all'estinzione.



Le foto che trovate in questo post non sono state scattate da me.


YANOMAMI- Il popolo della foresta

Se pensiamo che il nostro obiettivo qui, in questo nostro rapido passaggio sulla terra, sia di accumulare ricchezze
allora non abbiamo niente da imparare dagli Indios. Ma se crediamo che l'ideale sia l'equilibrio dell'uomo all'interno della sua famiglia e della sua comunità allora gli Indios hanno lezioni straordinarie da darci.

(Orlando Villas Boas)


Capoeira














Capoeira was used by brasilian slaves to fight against their owners...changed through this last century and became a sport, a way to communicate to others....
I still feel emotional everytime i am in the "roda" and the guys sing all together those songs about old capoeira and slavery; those songs that they learnt by their fathers, who learnt them by their fathers.....and so on...

by Nadia


La capoeira è un mezzo di difesa e di attacco che possiede grandi risorse, grazie alla forza muscolare, flessibilità delle articolazioni e straordinaria rapidità dei movimenti. Tanto nella difesa, come nell'attacco, impiega le mani, i piedi e la testa. I colpi pericolosi sono sferrati con i piedi e possono essere mortali.
Nelle dimostrazioni, la capoeira assomiglia a una graziosa danza, dove il dondolamento malizioso mostra la straordinaria flessibilità dei capoeristi.

Ben diversa è la situazione attuale del capoerista e della capoeira. Bisogna arrivare al 1930, anno in cui la capoeira venne liberalizzata ed entrò a far parte del folclore nazionale.
Il capoerista non è più un provocatore, ma come uno sportivo

I canti della capoeira, attingendo alla tradizione popolare, forniscono validi elementi per lo studio della vita brasiliana e sue manifestazioni, i quali possono essere visti esaminati dal punto linguistico, folclorico, etnografico e socio-storico.

www.danzadance.com




This pic above was taken in Jeri.

Jericoacoara- Ce-Brazil










































Did i ever talk to u about Jericoacoara???My favourite place in Brasil.

Jeri is a small village situated in the north-east part of Brasil, in the state of Ceara'.
It was, up to 15 yrs ago, just a fishing village (unfortunately i haven't seen it like that)....now it developed a lot; it is still a community, even though it is now very famous for windsurfing, among americans and europeans Yes, the wind is just wayyyyy too strong!

The place has a special energy. The roads are made of sand! No cement to walk on.
Animals like cows, dunkies, sheeps, dogs just walk around freely...it is common to run into a big cow in a small little street and not have enough room for both of us (they are huge...maybe tame, but i tell you...kinda of scary).

The village is tiny...surrounded by dunes of sand and of course the ocean...and nothing else.
It is just wonderful to be in contact with nature and to live such a simple life.
Native people don't have much but they are soooo much happier than us! They have such a innocent and pure attitude towards life; qualities that are very hard to find in the western countries.

In Jeri, people live in perfect balance with nature.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Pictures...My pictures...

I just wanted to tell u that i took all the sightseeing pictures that you see in this blog!!!
In case i publish someonelse's pic, i'll say who took it or where i got it from!
I am kinda of proud of my work with my camera....
I'll blow some up....

Very tired
Still jetleged
I go to bed

My ex land lady, LORETTA....and our house:=)



..and how couldn't i spend a word on Lo!!!
she was my land lady in the old days and she is still a good friend, a good advicer, such a nice person to hang out with.
Creative, cheerfull, beautiful and with such a great sense of humor, Lo rents her house mostly to foreigners (she loves foreigners)....she went through so much in her life! She always has some story to tell u...
The last thing she wanted to do ??? Be a private investigator!!! Don't laugh! She was serious...
Actually, i really hope she got the job!!

NO COMMENT - SF IS JUST AWESOME


















Alamo sq, Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge; just a few of the coolest spots....the view is just amazing
is just nicer to look outside the window in SF..
If i look outside my window, here in Milan, i can see my neighbour's living room ....rsrsrrsrs:-)

San Francisco



...And of course i have to write something about this wonderful city...
Beautiful, clean, cultured, colorfull and alive..

My favourite area?? The Castro and Noe Valley; it is just so different from anywhere else...u guys can not even imagine what Castro looks like on Halloween..I wish i took pics that time.

And certanly i love the haight...actually "upper haight"...just a mix of cultures, music, food from all over the world...this is where the hippies made the history in the sixties...

KAN ZAMAN - 1793 Haight St. 94117 SF, CA

How couldn't i talk about Kan Zaman, where i definetely left a piece of my heart a few years ago...
I worked at KZ for a while. I totally loved the owners; they are a palestinian family...they are all really close to each other, sometimes a little too much, but they are just great! I love them!

Anyway.......back to my Bday party!
Here's the cake.. It was good!
It was fun!
Eat a lot and drank wayyy too much...me and my friends all got together and enjoyed it.
It was amazing to see u all again like back in the old days. Missed Joe!!!!! Too bad! But i'll see u again.
Do u want to see us smoking a hooka?????
All right!!
Wait for the next post!!

I would like to show u what a real park looks like...
















here i am guys!! :-) just read John's comment on my blog and reminded me a funny thing i said while walking with him through The Golden Gate Park....
I kept on taking pictures to show all my friends back in Milan what a real park should look like..
Well, here are a couple of those pics..baffalos, different kind of plants all together..hills...lakes..
Golden Gate Park is artificial; it has been built up but it totally looks natural...it's not flat and full of the same kind of trees...it is like a little small forest in the heart of the city!
Ah, i nearly forget. That one is John, my ex roommate. Hi John!!!! very nice to see u again! It was fun hanging out with u.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Here's Rob and i 13 yrs ago

How cool this could ever be?
I actually saw Rob 13 years ago!!! Ages passed by!!!

At this time he was playing with Suicidal Tendencies!
Modena 1993

Met Robert

Well a good thing about this trip was also that i ran into Robert Trujillo.
I thought it was such a coincidence to see him at Chicago airport...my flight from Italy was 4 hours late, i ran to go fast through immigration...
I recognized him right away; i always liked Rob since he was playing with Suicidal Tendencies...guess what? i had another picture with him taken 13 yrs ago in Modena.
He is such a gentleman; he seems to be very genuine and a very very nice person.
Cool Rob! Hope i'll see u soon.

Words....

Dear All,

i am creating my first blog:-)
I am kind of exited....i love talking about myself and what i do..i guess i am a little egocentric..:-)
..so what is better than create a blog, just for me, myself and i...

You might start liking to read all about my life experiences and crazy things i do...:-)...or about my friends and the cool people i know!!! (All my friends are cool!)

I think that can be pretty interesting sometime and funny as well! I like it!

So...let's have fun.