od·ys·sey ( d -s )
n. pl. od·ys·seys

1. An extended adventurous voyage or trip.
2. An intellectual or spiritual quest: an odyssey of discovery.

Friends,

http://www.mofo-records.com/worldtour/photos/ It has been a while since my last update. Let me start by saying that I am truly thankful for the opportunity to travel the planet. I wake up every single day and am glad that:
1. I am not at work
2. I have the chance to travel
3. I get to experience so many countries, cultures, food and people

I haven't felt like sending an update in the wake of Sept 11th. I still have a hard time coming to terms with the magnitude of the events. Of course it shouldn't take events like this to appreciate life or to come together as family, friends, and allies. However, when tragedy does strike it is a really heart-warming to see the humanity and compassion of people and to know that while some people are capable of such evil, people are also capable of so much love and resilience.

I am with the Dali Lama on this one. Violence is never the answer. I do believe we should give peace a chance. And if that doesn't work, you find the bastards who did it and kill them.

So what the heck have you been up to people keep asking…..print this puppy out, pour a glass of wine and get comfy. This is gonna take a while.

Budapest

After flying back from San Francisco I arrived in Budapest to meet up with my mother who was attending a Harvard Reunion there. Whenever my mother is anywhere I figure out how I can meet her there. US or elsewhere. I always try to visit my mother as much as I can and it always seems like I catch up with her at Harvard related things. In Boston, in Berlin, in Budapest and hopefully in Buenos Aires next year. The Harvard people must think I was in the class at this point! It is always great to see my mother.

I am so lucky that for my business mentoring I don't have to look any further than my own mother. She is my number one role model, hero and is the best! The benefits of travelling with her include staying at the Hyatt Budapest and the Intercontinental Prague. Who says this backpacking thing means roughen it!!

So we had a fantastic time in Budapest with our host Adam who runs the Budapest Ernst and Young. We toured the Parliament buildings, a monastery, art gallery and took a boat down the Danube. I really enjoyed eating Goose Liver, which is a real delicacy. I had it 3 times while in Hungary. On our final night we attended the symphony before heading off to Prague.

Prague

We took the train to Prague and spent one day touring the city. It is a really beautiful city because it was never really bombed during the war. I am always moved by the impact of the war when I visit Europe. Living in America and New Zealand, we have never had to deal with bombings or attacks on our homes and families. It was this day that I was walking by the TV in the hotel and saw the first world trade center building with smoke pouring out. I watched the rest of the events unfold live and we spent the next 3 days in shock. Our first instinct of course was to get in touch with family. My sister was due to join us in Athens Greece and was flying from Columbia South Carolina Via, Washington DC and New York on Sept 13th. Of course, this was not to happen. We were just happy that Rachael was safe and wasn't travelling 2 days earlier.

There is a part of you that wants to just stop what you are doing but we knew we had to press on. We were hugely disappointed that we would not get to see Rachael as all flights were cancelled…..for the best of course. Fortunately we will all be in New Zealand for Christmas. So we decided to go on with our plans to Greece. Writing this now about NY and Washington is making me realize why I have put it off for so long…..so on to happier things.

Greece/Turkey

Naturally in Greece we visited all the sites, the Olympic stadium and the Acropolis. I always love the history. It reminds you how fleeting our lives are in the big picture. I grew up reading Greek Mythology so loved it. We had decided to take a boat for 7 or 8 days to see as much of the Greek Islands as possible so we boarded our boat got settled in our cabin and headed off to Istanbul. Our boat was quite small so was pretty intimate and the cabin was huge which was cool.

I was particularly taken with Turkey. Istanbul is a really impressive city with Mosques dominating the skyline. The food is outstanding and the only downside is that a beer costs $4,000,000 Turkish Lire. (That's only 3 bucks!) One US dollar is around 1.5 million Lire give or take $300,000 Lire depending on the day. We visited one week after the attacks. Turkey is 95% Muslim and of course 99.9% of Muslims are peace loving people. Several Turks came up to me and wanted to tell me how much they were sorry about the events and that they wanted Americans to know that the attack is NOT indicative of the middle east and Muslims. It was quiet touching and very heartfelt. 30,000 Turkish have died in terrorist related events over many years of this type of violence. In fact, a bomb went off in a McDonalds a week or two after we left Istanbul killing 1 person and injuring several.

We spent the next week island hopping:

• Ephesus (ancient town which had running water 800BC)
• Patros (Where St. Paul Scribed the Book of Revelations )
• Rhodes
• Crete
• Santorini
• Mykynos

The islands are all very beautiful but all VERY different. I had no idea there was so much diversity on the islands. I would recommend visiting several islands vs. picking one and staying there for a week or so.

Italy

I said goodbye to mom in Athens and headed off on the overnight boat to Bari, Italy. I was extremely excited to go to Italy as I love it so much. Arriving in Italy I took the train over to Napoli. Naples is pretty dirty, noisy and really rough. Not a very nice place to stay…but is central to lots to see. I stayed in a total dump…but hey…you aren't in the room much. Usually when you are travelling you tend to wear flip flops in the shower. Well, this place, you had to wear flip flops in the ROOM! Uhh.

I visited Pompeii the next day which was great. The ruins of Ephesus where cool…but Pompeii is amazing because it is so big. Entire streets, full stadium, amphitheatre and streets lined with shops and expensive villas. The entire Roman Resort town was preserved by the volcanic ash from the eruption of Vesuvius. After Pompeii I hiked up Mount Vesuvio. A funny story - On the bus ride up to where you start walking the bus driver got a phone call on his cell phone. He takes the call, which was a bit surprising. The road up is pretty windy and he is changing gears with one hand and talking with the other and steering with his knee! So he's chatting away. Then he decides to stop the bus. Which is actually fine with the 30 people on board. Safety First in italy. It is also clearly a personal call. After about 5 mins he opens the door and steps off the bus and continues his call outside for a little privacy! The entire bus was in disbelief. 10 mins later he returned and drove us the rest of the way. Pretty funny. Only in Italy.

The Crater is really cool and well worth the couple of kilometre hike up the mountain. The day I went up there were lots of clouds pouring over the peak and it was quite eyrie. It is still active and a few days after I left the whole town had a Volcano Eruption Drill. Peering into the crater you almost expect to see the bottom slide back and reveal the secret lair of Austin Powers Nemesis Dr. Evil!. (Or James Bond's if you are over 30 years of age)

I took a day trip to Capri the following day. AWESOME. So beautiful. Probably my favourite island of all. Capri has a nice blend of no cars, hills sprinkled with villas, fishing marinas, beaches and

breathtaking views. And of course Italian food and wine.
Then it was off to Roma. Rome is so exciting and the energy incredible. I met up with some Canadians who I had met on the boat from Greece to Italy and we all headed out to see the sights. We hit the Coliseum, the Pantheon and St Peters. I was in Rome last year but due to a couple of late nights out clubbing missed some of the sights with my mother……..so got to do some catch up. While in Rome be sure to check out the roman ruins that are inhabited by hundreds of Cats. It's a cat sanctuary for sick and hurt cats. http://www.romancats.com/

Turned out it was one of the Canadian girls birthday so we had some wine in Piazza Novano and all went out for dinner. Happy B-Day April. Also while in Rome I checked out some cools clubs. It was off-season so 2 clubs I wanted to go to weren't going on. Goa and Alien. When you are there…check em out.

One night I went to club called "Loft". There was a velvet rope with two girls wearing sunglasses at night carrying clipboards picking people out of the line. Just go right on past that crap and go to the next club, which was a totally down to earth hip club with cool people, short line, killer DJ and relaxed atmosphere. Life is too short for that nonsense.

Zurich

After taking the overnight train from Rome to Zurich I met up with Sacha and Ingrid. Sacha attended Harvard with my mother and was also in Budapest. Sacha and Ingrid live in a wonderfully contemporary home with a panoramic view overlooking Lake Zurich I spent lots of time checking out Zurich as the weather was excellent. Then I headed down to Lucerne and had dinner with Sacha's oldest daughter Andrea who is quite lovely. Sacha had just found a photo of his two daughters standing atop the world trade towers from one year ago. It's quite remarkable. Andrea spent 3 years in NY so it was really nice to talk to someone who had spent some time there and who loves the city as much as I do.

There is a Harvard Reunion in Buenos Aires in March so it looks like I might catch up with Sacha and Andrea there while visiting my mom. I really don't plan these Harvard things I swear. I just always happen to be in the Neighbourhood!!

I took the train up to the Yungfroujoch, which is truly majestic. It was a five hour trip each way on the train but is totally worth it and every minute is breathtaking through the Swiss alps. My last night in Zurich I attended a big Television Trade show and party. Ingrid works for Publisuisse. The party afterwards was really fun with great food and lots to drink. I think I left at like 4:20.

Monaco

Feeling pretty hung over I boarded the train for Monaco to visit my friend Brandon. Brandon and I are old buddies from University of Georgia. I have spent the last 8 years telling Brandon he needs to stop getting more degrees in Computer Science and Physics and get out into the "Real World" and get a freakin job! So about 3 months ago the guy fly's to Europe for his first job interview in Monaco and gets the job. IN MONACO. Damn. And now I am a travel bum. Brandon. You are the Man!

Jenny and Brandon pick me up from the train station and took me to their "deluxe apartment in the skyyyy!" (you have to sing it like the Jefferson's) The view is of the entire town of Monte Carlo and 280 degree view of the ocean. Totally insane. We just sat on the balcony for the whole weekend laughing about old times and eating cheese and drinking wine. Every time I would turn and look out at that view I would just look at Brandon and say. "Damn Dude". It was great! I even took a quick swim in the ocean as the weather was superb.

I was thinking about heading north to Amsterdam…..but called a friend I had met in LA who just moved back to Barcelona. I only met Coco once and very briefly on my way to burning man when Terry and I stopped in at a club in Hollywood called Vinyl on Sunday. After speaking to Coco and having her assurances that I had NOT seen Barcelona I decided to go see what she was talking about. I had been there in July and am not real big on going to places twice but figured you should always go somewhere with a local.

Barcelona (Again!)

Coco met me at the train station after I took the overnighter from Monaco. I shared a cabin with a boat captain of a private yacht moored in Nice, France. He had a couple of bottles of vino and some brie so we had a fun ride.

Coco had just returned to Barcelona from 11 years in the US and was happy to be back. I was happy to have a friend who knew all of my friends in LA and SD. Sounds like the trip to San Felipe Mexico was a blast! We headed to her friend Carmen's apt which is in the heart of the city. Carmen's apt is killer 4 or 5 bedroom place with the most amazing view of the Gothic Cathedral. It is on the 5th floor so you can see the city as most buildings in Barcelona are only 4 stories. Carmen and her boyfriend Loic (from France) live there and had several extra rooms. They also had some friends show up for the weekend from France so there was always lots of activity and partying going on. Which I love!. I planned on staying 1 or 2 days and ended up staying 1 week! Thanks Carmen and Loic!

Coco and I embarked on a series of amazing meals, tapas, wine bars, clubs, lounges, museums, parks and parties. It was great. We went to the Gothic Cathedral and Parc Guell. At a little lounge we found just off the Ramblas I met a DJ named Steve who just finished a month in Paris and moved to Barcelona for a few months. We headed to a few clubs with Steve that night which was fun and ended up having a late night back at Carmens. Another night we found a really small club with awesome house music. It was just a metal door in a deserted alley…but you go inside and it was going off. Really fun. While in Spain I had been wanting to try a green drink called Absinthe. This is a drink which I had heard a lot about and is about 70% alcohol and is illegal in most countries. Some say it has psychedelic properties. Anyway, while at a friend's house for a little pre partying I asked for a drink and the guy had no beer or wine. I thought this strange. He responded that he only had Absinthe in the freezer. Cool! Here was my chance. It is quite good but very strong and needs to be very cold or it burns quite a bit. I wonder if that is a bad sign. Regarding the psychedelic properties. I am still testing that.

Friday Carmen put on a lunchtime spread of seafood the likes of which I had never seen. Great wine and food and cheese. They really now how to do it in Spain. Then it was over to the couches and the bar came out. Unfortunately Loic had to go back to work but we kept the party going! At night the Cathedral is all lit up and is the view is even more amazing. An excellent place for dinner is La Vinateria Dell Call in the Barri Gothic.
http://www.lavinateria.com/
It is tough to find and is really small but is AWESOME!
Another night we attended a birthday party for a friend of Carmen's which had good sangria and then headed out to a Club called "La Terrazza". This club is outdoors and is in a very cool old building/castle type of place. Great music! Scraped together enough pesetas for only half the bus fare home at 7am but the driver took us anyway! The last night at Carmens we had a good time sitting around and polished off 7 or 8 bottles of wine, had really outstanding cheeses. The following day headed over the Coco's parents for dinner. Her father cooked good Paella and we just hung out on the beach. I love Spain and really can't get enough of the food, wine, bread, cheese, and people. And Coco, was right. I had not seen all of Barcelona. Having stayed much longer than planned…..Then it was off to Amsterdam!

Amsterdam

If you go you need to book a room in Amsterdam. I mean you REALLY need to book a room. The weekends are unbelievably busy. Fortunately I got a room in Amsterdam a cool little place called the "The Green House effect". It was recommended to me by Steve the DJ from Barcelona. He stayed there a couple of weeks prior. I stayed a room called the Egyptian Tomb and was decked out with an Egyptian theme. Green House Effect

Turns out the coffee shops don't just sell coffee. In fact, noone is drinking coffee. Hmm. What is up with that. And what is that cake everyone keeps eating.

Met up with a friend of a friend from San Diego Doug who has a store in town and we all went to dinner for one of his friends birthday. Coco decided to fly to Amsterdam and joined me. She had been such a good tour guide in Barcelona, it was my turn to show her Amsterdam. She arrived and we headed to dinner at a place called "Blauw". It was pretty funny. We watched the waitress get completely drunk. Which explained our messed up reservations. Luckily I had made her write the reservation time and day on the back of the card from the restaurant because I forget these things. While waiting for our table Coco saw her take a shot of wine. Drinking wine in a restaurant is not a biggie…but have a glass. You don't do shots? Then I saw her do a shot 10 minutes later. Again no biggie. Next thing at dinner she started breaking stuff and knocking over wine bottles and glasses and making huge crashes. She didn't even look drunk…..which I guess is the problem. Finally we left as the food sucked and never came. I think they are in the back eating space cake and drinking?

After that we were in a little lounge and the DJ's girlfriend strikes up a conversation with us. She says that she is a witch from England. I tell her I think that is cool and I would love to learn more about witches and would she please tell me more. She says that she doesn't actually know anything about it and just started out. Then she gets really mad at me and "banishes us from her table". Actually she just said, "leave my $*&!-ing table. Turns out she was not a witch. Just a bitch..

Welcome to Amsterdam!

Sat night we attended a little party for a guy named Roland. Doug brought his decks over and a DJ named Remko busted out an excellent set till 7am. It was a very intimate little party and was a lot of fun. We got a totally private session from Remko which I totally appreciated.

The week was spent going to the Van Gogh Museum, Anne FrankHuis and some other cultural activities! The weather was perfect and it was fun just walking around Amsterdam. Fall is such a beautiful time of year there. It's great cause there are coffee shops everywhere so you can enjoy coffee all day. Coffee in the morning. Coffee in the afternoon and coffee well into the evening.

The next Friday we went out and had sushi at a pretty good restaurant called Zento http://www.zento.nl/sushibar.htm The Conveyor belt was cool but I have had better sushi.

Then it was off to the Leidesplein to meet Remko and his friend for drinks. We tried to go to a club called MelkWeg (milky way) but the line was insane and we couldn't even buy our way in. What's up with that? Got into Paradiso and was treated to 3 floors with 3 DJ's who were all good.

Sat night (After a long week) we found a little lounge called BoomBar that was local.. In the back there is a big area like something out of Austin Powers for lounging with lots of pillows and was the perfect spot to chill the night away listening to phat beats from the DJ.(Natasha)

While there is a very liberal attitude towards drugs there, I have never seen so many security cameras in every club, store and restaurant. Bartenders are treated like criminals and beers are counted out and paid for one beer at a time. No running tabs. Do people run out or just walk away stoned. I am not sure. Regardless, there are clearly some downsides to that type of environment.

All in all Amsterdam was fantastic.

Coco headed back to Barcelona and I headed off to London Sunday. With some delays in the Chunnel I have arrived safely at my mothers friend's ( Lynda and John's) place out in the beautiful English countryside in Tring near London. I am planning on staying here for a week or so then I am off to India, Nepal and Thailand!

The next month should be really interesting!

Peace.

Maitland