Why I love Rotto - Nico does Rottnest Island

1:  Quokka. Like mini-kangaroos, but cuter. You can pet them.

2:  Snorkeling at three different spots - and that didn't even exhaust all of the options. Back might be a bit burnt though (but not as badly burnt as James was tonight after spitting out the habanero pepper that Ash and I, being real men, were able to conquer).

3:  Spotted a baby stingray hanging out on the ocean floor.  Let me get within a few inches before darting away; that baby can move.

4:  No cars allowed, leaving a beautiful 20K bike ride around the island (with many beach/snorkel breaks included, of course).

5:  White sand and all kinds of calm turquoise water just a half-hour boat ride from Freo - it's like having a resort island in our backyard.

Why I love this city - Nico does Perth

1:  Doesn't matter what the weather report predicts; it's been hot and sunny with clear blue skies every day - perfect for the Camelot outdoor cinema (one of the city's many) two blocks from my villa.  I'll be heading there tomorrow for the premier of the annual Flickerfest International Short Films Festival.

2:  I can bike to work any day I want and there's always time to cool off with a dip in the ocean and jog on the beach when I get home.

3:  There are so many fine white beaches with turquoise water and dolphins diving in and out that there simply aren't enough people to make them crowded. Ever. (except for maybe the Sunday Session at Cottesloe, but that's offset by Tim's comment - see below).

4:  There are a dozen microbreweries just across the bridge in Freo

and dozens more wineries down the highway in Margaret River.

5:  Life is relaxed - nobody works too hard, sleeves are optional, my biggest concern is what kind of surfing to attempt, and the last train home on Friday nights is free for all riders.

Why I loved last weekend - Nico does Melbourne

1:  I'll be on the website of a posh downtown club after my attempt to salsa with my host's friend, a professional albeit out of costume burlesque dancer, got the attention of the photographer.

2:  On my first evening out, I was hosted for a delicious bbq and then sat back for a giant-screen backyard cinema viewing of the classic comedy Police Academy, complete with fresh air, popcorn, and home-made wine (courtesy of my host's Italian parents).

3:  Two nights later I had another unexpected American treat at a fellow couchsurfer's party - old-school S'mores.  A fellow former Jewish summer camp counselor showed the Aussies and Kiwis how it's done.  I ended up carrying some s'mores supplies (for my American-candy-crazed roommate back in

Perth) to a couple of clubs after we left the house; the bouncers thought I had some really weird new drugs.

4:  I got to use my new worldwide network of contacts from my South American travels for the first time to receive top-notch hosting from a former dorm- and party-mate in Colombia, carrying the celebration straight from Medellin to Melbourne.

5:  On the morning that I left there was an attempt about two blocks from the business school where I had been staying by some of the best Italian chefs outside of Italy to create the longest pizza in the world - a fine example of Melbourne's constant, random, and fun celebrations of life.

Why I love my job - Nico does UWA

1:  Less than three weeks into the job I'm being flown out to Melbourne for a few meetings with a long weekend attached, making me a key point-man in the communication with our sister lab there. At my last job, folks were lucky to take a business trip half an hour up I-95.

2:  I design my own hours and have opportunities to pick the work that excites me most. Today I even spent the morning participating in an industry game simulation with one of my profs. When I told him that I play to win, he responded, "Bring it." (It ended up being a complex lego-assembly operation, which Willis and I won consecutive gold medals for in TABC's back-to-back Science Olympiad victories some years ago).

3:  My colleagues are great - I'm treated like an equal by world-renowned professors, get to practice Spanish every day with a friendly Chilena and a fellow American, and one of my fellow research assistants is not only also a professional dancer but also a swimsuit model (and still quite friendly) - Come on!

4:  Our building overlooks the Swan River on two sides and is fifty feet from kite- and wind-surfing mecca Pelican Point on the picturesque Matilda Bay. Talk about a fun lunch break.

5:  To top it all off, the pay beats pretty much any standard backpacker job and it's an incredible experience for both my professional development and my resume, not to mention giving me new access to a worldwide network of smart and helpful individuals.

Shout out to the man who made this possible: OB superstar and my favorite Wharton professor, the one and only Dr. Adam Grant

Why I love my villa - Nico, Ash, and James do Mosman Park

1:  It's 3 blocks from Mosman beach and just down the road from world-class Cottesloe (where, as my friend Tim says, there are too many attractive girls)

2:  It's also 3 minutes from Perth's iconic Swan River (and my roommates have an extra fishing rod)

3:  We got a surfboard out front and and a grill out back, weights on the floor and an X-box well, also, on the floor, air conditioning in my room and ice pops always in the freezer

4:  Our neighbor has not only been ducking rent for months and leaving a broken truck blocking the driveway, but also running an illegal wine business out of his garage.

5:  I'm chillin with two British blokes in a villa with nightly beer and plans to suit up Swingers-style for a night out in the casino - come on! (if you don't get the references, click here and here)

Eat Pray Love - Nech, Danny, and Alana do the world

Sometimes I feel like a terrible hedonist.

While I'm going about about steak and wine and pizza and dancing on the beach, Danny is writing sentences like: "On the contrary, one becomes peaceful in all his ways, and able to pursue goals out of genuine generosity, kindness, love, and compassion, rather than out of some subconscious ulterior motive to feel good/better." and Alana begins one post: "I don't know how to describe what I saw tonight.  We walked around the city at night to meet some street kids. These little children come in from the villages around Kathmandu and live on the street. They collect rags for money and beg as well. 1 in 10 of them has AIDS. They form gangs to survive, and are often beaten or raped by the older members. All of these kids are addicted to sniffing glue."

As it turns out, I'm not the only person who's decided to postpone finding a job in order to travel (and write a blog) instead.  Two of my best friends from back home (and original road trip buddies) have set out on their own journeys that seem more than a little bit different from my experience.  As I'm living it up in South America, Danny is sitting still for ten hours a day in Indian Ashrams and Alana is setting aside months to aid poor communities in Nepal.  Danny, in his quest for inner and outer peace, has titled his blog the Hebrew acronym for "Thank God for Being Good" while Alana, hoping to rediscover her world through volunteering, writes about "Waking Up in Nepal." 

Sometimes I feel like a terrible hedonist. 

As I began getting depressed over this, I picked up my friend's copy of the book Eat Pray Love. Author Liz Gilbert goes on her own world travels, winding down from her overstressed New York City life by seeking pure pleasure in Italy, peace in India, and a fusion of the two (love) in Indonesia.  I couldn't help comparing our three experiences to hers. Danny's Ashram is spot on.  Nepal and Indonesia aren't too different, especially considering the amount of focus Alana and Liz put on helping poor children (and who knows, maybe Alana has found a passionate Brazilian hunk of her own).  And, in my case, Liz and I both love eating and learning Spanish and Italian, which are basically the same language anyway.  I took comfort in thinking that my part, the pursuit of pleasure, was just as valid as the other two.

Being honest with myself, though, I had to admit that the comparison does not stand.  If I told any of my roommates that I needed to learn how to be comfortable with pleasure and relaxation, they'd laugh to my face.  Most still believe that I never worked or studied my entire last year of university.  For that matter, Danny is the last one of my friends who needs help finding inner peace and Alana has been a paragon of love, care, and compassion for as long as I've known her.  It's like Kobe taking a season off to learn how to play basketball or Hugh Heffner going on sabbatical to practice his seduction skills.  Bullshit.

So where does that leave me?  Am I in the wrong place?  Should I be cultivating inner peace or developing compassion instead of watching Colombian beauty queens march by in parades?  Is this experience of pleasure and adventure a waste of time or an expression of living life to its fullest?

Been nearly two weeks now since I started writing this post and I still don't have any answers.  I think I'll just have to leave the questions standing for now.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In the meantime, I'll be taking a hiatus from backpacking.  For the next month at least, I'll be hanging out in NY and Philly to catch up with y'all before departing on what will like be a much longer trip next time.  The plan is to get a job to really experience living in a different country as a normal person.  Let's see if you can guess where.

I guess this is the end then.  Thanks for following; I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  As much fun as it's been to make new friends every day, the transitory nature of those relationships has made me really appreciate the old friends and family who've stuck with me in spirit despite having their own very busy lives thousands of miles away. 

Finally, may I add that some of my craziest times on the trip have been the last few weeks in Colombia.  For those stories, you'll have to ask me in person.  Excited to see you soon,

con mucho amor,
Nico