TRAVEL BLOG
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Do you know Ricky Ponting?
India is a land of an uncountable amount of Gods. Ricky Ponting (Australian cricket captain) apparently is one of them.
I have had a stream of Indian men approach me to talk cricket. I don't know if it is always like this or if it is because the Cricket World Cup starts this month.
Cricket World Cup Advertisement
Before I came to India I had planned to read up on who's who in the Indian cricket team, which I forgot to do. I need not have bothered as everyone wants to talk to me about the Australian team. So the days on the couch watching cricket in the summer just gone has paid off.
You are usually asked where you are from, and when you say Australia, the gushing praise of Ricky Ponting commences. Here are some Ricky Ponting moments so far.
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. He came to our town and I have a picture of me and Ricky Ponting. It is my favourite picture and I have put it up in my room.
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. Do you like Ricky Ponting?
(me) Yes, of course. He is magnificent.
Do you know Ricky Ponting?
(me) No, sorry.
Ohh... (conversation abruptly ends)
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. I am so happy when Ricky Ponting makes 100 runs. I bet every game that he makes 100 runs.
Indians Watching Cricket
Azad Maidan
I have had a stream of Indian men approach me to talk cricket. I don't know if it is always like this or if it is because the Cricket World Cup starts this month.
Cricket World Cup Advertisement
Before I came to India I had planned to read up on who's who in the Indian cricket team, which I forgot to do. I need not have bothered as everyone wants to talk to me about the Australian team. So the days on the couch watching cricket in the summer just gone has paid off.
You are usually asked where you are from, and when you say Australia, the gushing praise of Ricky Ponting commences. Here are some Ricky Ponting moments so far.
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. He came to our town and I have a picture of me and Ricky Ponting. It is my favourite picture and I have put it up in my room.
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. Do you like Ricky Ponting?
(me) Yes, of course. He is magnificent.
Do you know Ricky Ponting?
(me) No, sorry.
Ohh... (conversation abruptly ends)
- Ricky Ponting is my favourite player. I am so happy when Ricky Ponting makes 100 runs. I bet every game that he makes 100 runs.
Indians Watching Cricket
Azad Maidan
Labels: australia, cricket, india, mumbai, world-cup
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Munich: Australia vs Brazil
Guten Tag everyone
München
I went to Munich knowing I wouldn't see the Australia v Brazil game live, but I wanted to be there in support anyway. Apparently there were over 50,000 Aussies in Munich, with the numbers made up from those that made the trip from Australia and a large contingency of UK based Aussies. It was impossible to tell though who had the biggest support base as both Australia and Brazil have the green and gold as their colours, so the streets of Munich was mostly a sea of yellow.
Being more nomadic than tribal, I don't own any items that align me to a nation. Today was the one day I wanted to wear an Aussie shirt. Of all the shops I searched in Munich, none of them had any Australian gear. You could pick up shirts from Togo or Tunisia but the only green and gold was truckloads of Brazil T-shirts.
The Brazil T-shirt must be the third most popular shirt in the world, coming in behind the Che Guevara and Ramones T-shirt. People who wear these shirts usually have no revolutionary or leftist tendencies, or have listened to a Ramones album, and so too most people wearing the Brazil shirt weren't speaking any Portuguese. I'm all for adopting a team if your country isn't in the finals, but how obvious to choose Brazil!
Business Opportunity of the Week
Most of the Aussies, sensibly, came more prepared than I did. The most popular item of the day was the troop of inflatable kangaroos. They brought joy and merriment to non Australians everywhere they hopped. And why wouldn't they? I would have bought one if they were on sale. I reckon I could have sold a thousand that day. Imagine how good it would have looked on worldwide television to see a stadium full of blow up kangaroos when (if) Australia scores a goal.
Skippy waits for Munich's famous Glockenspiel show
So, here is a business proposition for you. If you can deliver to me 1000 inflatable kangaroos to Stuttgart by thursday in time for the Australia v Croatia game, help me sell them and we can go halvies in the profits. I'm sure I've seen them at $2 shops and you could sell them here easily for €15.
While we have our comical zoo of animals that make us popular around the world, Brazil's appeal most probably lies in its parades of scantily clad carnival girls.
Friends From Brazil
Tschüs
James
München
I went to Munich knowing I wouldn't see the Australia v Brazil game live, but I wanted to be there in support anyway. Apparently there were over 50,000 Aussies in Munich, with the numbers made up from those that made the trip from Australia and a large contingency of UK based Aussies. It was impossible to tell though who had the biggest support base as both Australia and Brazil have the green and gold as their colours, so the streets of Munich was mostly a sea of yellow.
Being more nomadic than tribal, I don't own any items that align me to a nation. Today was the one day I wanted to wear an Aussie shirt. Of all the shops I searched in Munich, none of them had any Australian gear. You could pick up shirts from Togo or Tunisia but the only green and gold was truckloads of Brazil T-shirts.
The Brazil T-shirt must be the third most popular shirt in the world, coming in behind the Che Guevara and Ramones T-shirt. People who wear these shirts usually have no revolutionary or leftist tendencies, or have listened to a Ramones album, and so too most people wearing the Brazil shirt weren't speaking any Portuguese. I'm all for adopting a team if your country isn't in the finals, but how obvious to choose Brazil!
Business Opportunity of the Week
Most of the Aussies, sensibly, came more prepared than I did. The most popular item of the day was the troop of inflatable kangaroos. They brought joy and merriment to non Australians everywhere they hopped. And why wouldn't they? I would have bought one if they were on sale. I reckon I could have sold a thousand that day. Imagine how good it would have looked on worldwide television to see a stadium full of blow up kangaroos when (if) Australia scores a goal.
Skippy waits for Munich's famous Glockenspiel show
So, here is a business proposition for you. If you can deliver to me 1000 inflatable kangaroos to Stuttgart by thursday in time for the Australia v Croatia game, help me sell them and we can go halvies in the profits. I'm sure I've seen them at $2 shops and you could sell them here easily for €15.
While we have our comical zoo of animals that make us popular around the world, Brazil's appeal most probably lies in its parades of scantily clad carnival girls.
Friends From Brazil
Tschüs
James
Labels: australia, germany, kangaroo, munich, world-cup
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Monday, June 12, 2006
FIFA = Thiefa?
I expressed my interest for a ticket for the Australia v Brazil match in Munich on The official FIFA World Cup site. You are placed on a reserve list in case tickets become available and you have to pay upfront the price of the most expensive ticket (105 euro).
2 weeks before the game FIFA emailed to say that I was unlikely to get a ticket and my deposit would be refunded within a month after the game. What a rort! I only reserved a month before the game, but many people would have reserved since January. I would be interested to know how many reserve tickets FIFA have been sitting on and making interest on during this time.
2 weeks before the game FIFA emailed to say that I was unlikely to get a ticket and my deposit would be refunded within a month after the game. What a rort! I only reserved a month before the game, but many people would have reserved since January. I would be interested to know how many reserve tickets FIFA have been sitting on and making interest on during this time.
Labels: world-cup
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Saturday, June 10, 2006
Come on England - A time to make friends
I have been in London for the week leading up to the world cup. The dominating news story has been Wayne Rooneys broken foot. 8 page lift out supplements in most newspapers analysing the recovery of his metatarsal.
The World Cup being in Germany of course will mean a month of war pun headlines in the tabloid papers.
Sure enough the very first match, Germany 4 Costa Rica 2, produced this headline from the Sun:
First World Four
First World Four
By the way, you can read trashy newspapers like the Sun, or most other newspapers without ever having to buy a copy just by riding the tube every day. Doing this when I first came to London I worked out my favourite newspapers are The Independent and The Guardian. Last time I was here The FT ran an ad campaign saying you never see The FT left behind on the train. I have found this to be true.
While the tabloids are having a German punfest, the broadsheets have been encouraging readers to not mention the war.
At the UK airports there are signs warning football fans travelling over there that war paraphernalia like Wehrmacht helmets and inflatable spitfires should be surrendered at the departure gate. There is also a reminder that performing Nazi salutes in Germany is a criminal offence.
Gatwick Advisory Warning
Like the official World Cup slogan says, it's "A time to make friends".
The World Cup being in Germany of course will mean a month of war pun headlines in the tabloid papers.
Sure enough the very first match, Germany 4 Costa Rica 2, produced this headline from the Sun:
First World Four
First World Four
By the way, you can read trashy newspapers like the Sun, or most other newspapers without ever having to buy a copy just by riding the tube every day. Doing this when I first came to London I worked out my favourite newspapers are The Independent and The Guardian. Last time I was here The FT ran an ad campaign saying you never see The FT left behind on the train. I have found this to be true.
While the tabloids are having a German punfest, the broadsheets have been encouraging readers to not mention the war.
At the UK airports there are signs warning football fans travelling over there that war paraphernalia like Wehrmacht helmets and inflatable spitfires should be surrendered at the departure gate. There is also a reminder that performing Nazi salutes in Germany is a criminal offence.
Gatwick Advisory Warning
Like the official World Cup slogan says, it's "A time to make friends".
Labels: england, germany, sport, world-cup
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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