"* Just another rolling stone *" Marpessa's Profile

Capuchin Monkey in Manuel Antonio NP

After being at home in Australia (from Sweden) for two and a half years I decided it was time to go see a new corner of the world.

So, at the end of February 2011 I packed my things and moved to Costa Rica. I took a TEFL course (Teach English as a Foreign Language) and am now certified to teach! Scary and exciting! I also spent some of my time in Peru last year taking Spanish lessons and volunteering with kids at orphanages.

My travel plans are not mapped out exactly... I'm deciding from day to day or week to week what I will be doing (thus how I ended up at home right now - only temporarily) and I am loving this kind of travel. I am pegged down by nothing but my own travel desires... this is definitely my style of travel, much more freedom and the ability to just go with the flow and enjoy life! Pura Vida!

My Travels in 2011:
February - April
Costa Rica: Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Monteverde (Santa Elana), Jaco & San Jose.

April - July
Peru: Lima, Cusco, Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Huacarpay, Aguas Caliente and Machu Picchu.

July - August
Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Rurrenabaque, La Paz, Death Road and Sucre.

August
Peru: Arequipa, Lima, Máncora and Los Organos.

September
Peru: Máncora y Los Organos.

October
Peru: Máncora y Los Organos.
Ecuador: Quito.
USA:
Utah: Salt Lake City, Park City, Moab and Arches National Park.
Idaho: Boise.
Washington: Seattle, Kent and Wallace Falls.

November
USA:
Oregon: Portland and Eugene.
California: San Francisco, Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe.

December
USA:
California: Sacramento and Kings Beach.
Nevada: Crystal Bay and Incline Village.

December - January
Australia - home for the holidays!

Upcoming... February or March
Hong Kong

One of the Triplet Falls, Cape Otway Ranges

I have spent most of my time in Geelong in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is a great place to live as the city is not too large, it sits right on a bay and it's close to the bush and some great beaches (found further south).

I don't think that I could live anywhere that was too far away from the beach (or a really large lake or something). I love the water. I love walking on the sand, rock pools, waves, beach cricket... the beach is just fun! Even in winter when you can have it all to yourself.

Besides travelling around my own state, I have spent some time further up on the East Coast (Sydney, Blue Mountains, Cairns, Fitzroy Island) and also through central Australia (Alice Springs, Uluru, Kings Canyon) and even managed a trip to Adelaide as well! :-) It seems only after spending time in Europe that I have finally started to see more of my own country - partly from going to visit other Aussies I met overseas in their respective home towns and partly to show foreign friends my home country. I'm very proud of my country, it is a beautiful and eclectic place.

Boise, ID - USA.

Reading!

I love books :). I am a huge fan of Stieg Larsson and the 'Millenium' series. What an amazing trilogy! One of the most original female protagonists I've read in a very long time! Loved it!! I also loved the films and found them to be very loyal to the book. Although I am not so excited about the English remake - why bother when Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist and Daniel Alfredson nailed it!

'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck is probably my favourite novella.

Last year I think the book that had the greatest effect on me was 'Shades of Grey' by Jasper Fforde. A great writer and a book you can either take the surface of the story and enjoy... or read it and see a lot of political musings.

I am also a fan of Harry Potter (and the films, although I like the books better) and The Lord of the Rings (even though I found it hard to get into at first, I love the mythology, history and depth of it). I also like Christopher Pike, Tony Hawk (English comedian - not American pro-skater), Robert Harris (brilliant and scary mix of history and fiction), Brian Thacker, George Bernard Shaw and specifically 'Hamlet' by Shakespeare.

I have a BA in literature and history, and went to Sweden to do a masters in Scandinavian history (however my thesis is yet to be completed). Living and studying in Sweden for a year was definitely a memorable experience.

Hong Kong.

Music!
Friedrich Nietzsche once said "without music, life would be a mistake" and I agree. I have an eclectic taste in music which suites my eclectic moods. I love rock, pop, country, jazz, heavy metal, soul... old stuff, new stuff (although not too much of a fan of people just remixing old songs with new beats). I constantly have my iPod with me, whether it's for a 15 minute bus ride or an 8 hour train ride, I never go anywhere without it. I don't always have it on, I can appreciate the sound of silence, the sounds of nature or the sounds of the hustle and bustle around me... but it is nice to have my own personal soundtrack selection with me.

Groups/artists I like:
The Music, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Gotye, Dishwalla, Beatles, Metallica, Sheryl Crow, Robyn, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Die Happy, Guns N' Roses, HIM, Muse, Tool, Kings Of Leon, Pearl Jam, Linkin Park, Coldplay, Dixie Chicks, Snow Patrol, Foo Fighters, Tracy Chapman, Bon Jovi, America, Pink Floyd, Sarah McLachlan, John Butler Trio, U2, The Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, Kent (på svenska inte engelska), Rage Against The Machine, Led Zeppelin, Motion City Soundtrack, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Jebediah, Grinspoon, Motor Ace, The Superjesus, Killing Heidi, The Butterfly Effect.... and many more.