Mantas
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Posts posted by Mantas
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If the Japenese are going to put temselves through all this grief and international condemnation to hunt an endangered species, then why don't they do something useful and send a boat down here and put a few harpoons into some of these Great white Sharks that are rapidly increasing in number around here at this time of year?
This article was from last year. They have almost doubled in number this year. One of them scarred the absolute shit out of me last week out in the surf !
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Not nationalistic at all Plucky. That's why I'll make the following statement.Quote:Originally posted by Plucky:
What in the heck is a paddock Mantas??? Not being all nationalistic and all, but I love American colllege football. Best sport - bar none.
Rugby league is the best sport-bar none.
I do like your American game though, but I'd like it a lot more if they didn't stop the game every 2 minutes to do high fives and have a chat.
I agree with your thoughts.
Criticism about my country I can handle. Generalisations and stereotyping I can't. When someone makes a wholesale insult directed at your country they include you, whether you are guilty as charged or not.
I don't think they do it on purpose. It’s just a bit of clumsiness on their part
P.S. A paddock, just another name for a field. ( sounds suspiciously English )
P.S. Did you surf in Oregan? -
Quote:Originally posted by Plucky:
Okay, now we're going to wathch Ohio State vs Michigan. Teach some Germans what football really is
At least the players that ride thier motorbikes to the game won't need to get changed.
Just kidding Plucky. I played a few games in the park with the boys when I lived in Canada. Hard shit. I reckon the Quarterback is the bravest guy on the paddock. -
Every year over five thousand Humpback Whales migrate North past Boat Harbour. It's an amazing site. I can see them from my house, sometimes they breach (leap) right out of the water. I have been up close to them on my 'tiny' 12 foot kayak.
We have one of the largest whale waching industries in Austrlia. Whales are worth more alive than dead around here. One of the first things you see when you board a whale watching vessel is a petition against the Japanese whale hunt. Ironically, most of the clientele are Japanese.
To put a bit of perspective on things, it's not just whales that are under threat or endangered and every country has contributed to the degradation of these species in some form or other. The fact that the Japanese have a poor track record in this area and they have targeted one of mankinds more 'lovable' species ( when did you last see a Save The Tuna protest march ) doesn't cast them in a good light.
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The long point breaks are not very powerful, even fat, they aren't what I'd call 'world class'. The shorter reef breaks in Northern Chile do however pack some punch.Quote:Originally posted by snosurf:
How powerful are the waves compared to say Indo and Australia?
Ecuador has insane waves. I never surfed there but my mate did. Lots to see around Quito. You can even venture into the Amazon from there.
Your straying a long way from your Santiago base now though. tThe place is like that though. The more you see the more you want to see.
We spent 3 months all up in SA and it was nowhere near enough time. My mate and his wife spent 9 months travelling SA alone and they said it wasn't enough! -
Snosurf- I've posted some stuff on the Surfers thread so we don't bore the pants off all the non-surfing folk here,
http://www.snowjapanforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/8/6205/8.html?
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Snosurf- SA info as promised.
This is me dropping into a nice one at Punta del Lobos.
Nah. Just kidding. I did surf there though at about 4-5 foot. I had no idea it could get that big.
Try this site for a start.
http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/South_America/index.html
In a couple of months I only scratched the surface, but I'll tell you where I went. Going from south to north. All I'm about to tell you is from 10 years ago.
Pichelemu- Pleasant little town 3 hours SW of Santiago. From here you have access to 3 top quality waves. This is a nice part of Chile , lush and green.
Punta del Lobos, Puertacillo and Pichelemu. All long lefts.
The water down here is bloody cold. I don't know wath official temp is but I'd guess about 9-10 deg.C ! From memory I had a 4/3 steamer. boots and hood. The longest surf I had was 2 and a half hours. After which I had blue lips, slurred speach and spastic hands. The price you pay for surfing a top quality long point break all on your own.
Iqueque- A small city in northern Chile in a desert envioronment. Short powerful waves here. The best wave here is El Colegio, (the college). A meaty right that handles 15 feet plus, and rearly gets under 4 feet.Once again I surfed this on my own with loads of people watching. No one surfs there and it is right in the heart of the city. Go figure? Surfing is just a non event down there.
The water is a bit warmer here. Probably more like Perth in winter. Simple steamer would do.
Arica- More short powerful waves. Home of the 'Chilean Pipe'.
Lima - Capitol of Peru, party town, at least it was for us. Loads of surfers here, some agro too. We hooked up with some guys through a friend and were treated like royalty.
Northern Peru
This is the real Gem in my book.
Huancaco- This little town is believed to be the true home of surfing ( sorry my Hawaiian friends ) They still make the little reed surfboads/cannoes like they did 1000's of years ago. home to a nice left hander as well. Some ancient Mochea indian pyramids near by as well.
Pcasmayo- A long long long left. picks up more swell than Chicama.
Chicama- The longest left in the world. Breaks for 2.2 km in the main section. 4 km from the cape to the pier! If the swell is on hire a taxi for the day. He can pick you up at the pier and drive you back out to the point. I didn't really get it that big. I would of liked to stay longer and wait for a swell but my wife couldn't stand it any more. The town is a shit hole. Much of the Peruian coast is shit. A cross between a rubbish tip and a desert.
Mancora- Near the Ecudorian border. The nicest little coastal town we came across. White sand beaches and a nice long left (something different). Also in striking distance of Cabo Blanco. Perus best wave.
Mate, the waves are one thing but the people and culture are another. There are a few must do's when your in that part of the world.
Cuzco- Anceint Inca capital. This place is alive with music and festivals every day. Amazing place. There are loads of Inca trails to hike besides 'The Inca trail'. But I do recommend doing 'The Inca trail' to Machu Pichu.
The Ferro Carril- A small train that goes from sea level at Arica to 4000m on the Alta Plano in one day. Finishing in La-Paz Bolivia.
English is rarely spoken in most places on the surf trail so a little Espanol goes a long way. The people are generally very friendly and helpful especialy in Chile. Peru does come with it's problems though. So some caution is needed, We were hauled of the buses by gun wielding soldiers many times, only to be questioned and allowed back on the bus.
As for boards, I carted 2 boards everywhere, 6' 10" and 7' 4". I didn't ride the 6' 10" much. It's a pain in the arse, but I like to have my gear with me at all times. I wouldn't count on buying boards in some areas. Brasil sure. The surf scene there is huge. I didn't surf in Brasil or Argentina. Too many surfers!
Like I said this was 10 years ago, so things would have changed a bit, but I'll bet the waves haven't
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Sno surf- I'll post some info for you tomorrow night when I have more time.
Four words. .... Long lonely left handers and I do mean looooooonnnnng. and yes it's bloody cold.
One of the most amazing places you could ever visit.!!
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Snosurf-I spent a few months surfing the coast in Chile and Peru. Might be able to help you with a few spots.
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Well by popular demand I'm back.
I've cooled down and had the appropriate dose of Vegemite so I’m back and ready to defend all that is Yobbish and unsavoury in the Australian culture.
No seriously this will probably be my last post. Mainly due to the time factor more than anything else. I didn’t won’t to leave having been misunderstood. Like I said. I’m a poor wordsmith and communicator with this medium. My Jokes were taken seriously and my serious points were taken as jokes. I know ‘Aussie bashing is a piss-weak phrase and I’ve never used it before, but it was all I could come up with. I’ll have one last go at trying to get my points across.
Spud and Ocean- I’m going to take you both to task. But don’t get your hackles up. I’ll try to do this with great diplomacy and minimal venom.
As I’ve said in another thread, I’ve traveled the world on and off for 12 years and visited 54 countries. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m not trying to big note myself, just airing my credentials in humanolegy. I’ve chose to settle down and raise my family in small town Australia, simply because I think this is the best place to be. I was born in Australia, I’ll raise my family in Australia and I will die in Australia. I am a proud Australian.
Am I a nationalist? Don’t know, not really sure what that means. Do I think Australia is perfect .No far from it. Do I blindly ignore all it’s failures? Absolutely not. And where I can see away to change things I do. Do I think our Prime Minister looks silly preaching to the Japanese about whaling while our own environmental credentials are shot to pieces? Yes. Do I think it was a stupid idea to follow America in Iraq? Yes
Does my heart swell with pride when I see the kids in our local infants school singing the national anthem? Of course. Do I get emotional at the dawn service on ANZAC day? Yes. Do I cheer with great pride when Australia has sporting success against countries with 10 times our population to choose a team from ? Absolutely.
Spud and OC, you may not feel this way about your countries, whatever they are, but I do. I wear my heart on my sleeve, right next to the Aussie flag. That said I’m not ignorant to it’s failings. And I don’t ignore them.
Spud, I see the same shit as you do. I just don’t focus…., magnify….. and dwell on it.
You don’t think it irks me when a car full of boguns from ****-knows where turn up at beautiful Boat Harbour, get out of the car with 4 mongrel dogs and a case of VB, and when they leave there’s dog shit, beer bottles and cigarette buts everywhere. But they are not your average Australian. This is where I take issue with you. You don’t differentiate in your attacks, as long as you’re an Aussie your fair game.
There is a lot to be proud of being an Australian. We have the largest number of volunteer organizations per capita in the world. People helping people, mateship.
Australia has one of the most tolerant societies in the world, it is home to the worlds biggest gay festival. The Sydney Mardi Gras ( I’m not particularly proud of that one) but it does again highlight the Tolerance factor in the Aussie culture.
Spud you said you needed to pass a language test in order to stay in Germany. Something was suggested like that in the Australian parliament not long ago. It was howled down as racist and discriminatory. Anyone can come and live in Australia, you don’t need to speak English, The government will provide you with an interpreter free of charge. Hell, you can come and join Australia’s economic prosperity and never have to speak to one single Austrailian! You can bring your religion and all that it entails, up until 6 months ago you could even preach hatred, and learn how kill the infidels at Abduls School of Bomb Making, and no-one could do a damm thing about it. Some European counties have banned Moslem women from wearing the Berkha. We had one school that tried to ban it. Once again there were howls of discrimination and racism.
Take the Cronulla riots for example. Now I’m not for one minute condoning what those morons did that day. It was embarrassing and shameful. But you have to look at the bigger picture. Those dickheads didn’t just wake up one day and decide to organise a ‘Bash a wog’ day.
There were Lebanese gangs going around systematically gang raping white Anglo-Saxon girls. That’s someone’s daughter and someone’s sister. Out of the few that were reported, some of them were arrested and convicted. The court transcripts show that they were targeting these women because they were Australian!
Where were the Headlines of ‘Race Rapes ‘? No. Racism doesn’t work back that way. It’s a one way street! The gangs were taking over parts of the beaches not allowing access to ‘Skips’. The breaking point came when they violently bashed 2 volunteer Life Guards. People can only take so much. And for some reason us Aussies are supposed to take more than the rest. Maybe it’s because they don’t think we have a culture, therefore there’s nothing to defend. I don’t know.
Spud- you’ve also made a few references to a certain Tradesman ‘have not’ resentful attitude that exists in Australia. How long since you’ve lived in Australia mate? The skills shortage has tradesmen’s wages leapfrogging many other professions, in fact the only resentment I’ve come across is from people in office jobs (you know those suit wearing nobs)
who can’t believe I earn more than them.And the comments about small town thinking I don’t really understand. It’s like the IQ drops with every km you drive away from the CBD?
Too many generalisations.
I chose to live in a small town because I found the level of honesty to be higher than in the city. You can’t behave like an Arsehole in a small town and get away with it. You are not anonymous like you are in the city. Therefore the smaller the town the lesser number of Arseholes, simple formula really. (Unless the whole town is full of Arseholes?)
So am I a nationalist? I don’t know, you decide. I’m a proud Australian, and you know exactly where I stand. And knowing exactly where I stand makes me an easy target. Where do you stand Spud? What national anthem will your kids be singing at school? What about you Ocean? I know you have a kid, I know you are British but have lived in Japan for 14 years, but that’s about it. Are you one of those blokes with one foot in Japan and One foot in England and your cods dangling in yak shit somewhere in the Mongolian steppes?
I’m curious to know. **** Me if that’s not the longest thing I’ve ever typed!
Now if you excuse me I’m going to make some Vegemite on toast, and I might even rub some on my nuts just so I can feel all extra Aussie!
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Last post for me;
I don’t belong in here. I never did. I’ve wasted far too much time on this computer trying to communicate with all you nameless faceless people. Time that could be better spent with my family or on my business. I appreciate all the help and advice I got from you all.
It would be no surprise to tell you that this is my first forum. I am a terrible wordsmith (and typist) and I really struggled to get my point across at times. My fault entirely. Judging by some of the reactions I got I must have ruffled a few feathers, it wasn’t my intention to do so believe me. What can I say? I can’t say it has been a positive experience for overall. Dealing with people through a computer is not my style and I find an element of cowardice in the anonymity of it all. But hey that’s just me. You guys seem to have a good thing going and I wish you all the best. Even you Spud. I’m sure we would have more in common than not, but we will never know!
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Whilst I like Australia very much as my natural home
Arhh see that didn't hurt did it !
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Spook Doesn't irk you when derogatory things are said about Australia? Am I alone here ?
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He doesn't have a country ? What Spudzonia ?Quote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
I don't think db will be stopping anytime soon. He probably still has lots to say about his country, and your whimpering won't make any difference. -
Quote:Originally posted by Ocean11:
If you don't stop it, I'll start spreading rumours that Vegemite actually contains wombat shit, that's why it was banned. Good one.
That's the trouble with the WWW. You have to put up with annoying people that you disagree with.
I'll stop it if he does
P.S. My stupid country ay? Nice insult yourself! Surely a word smith of your calibre can do better than that. Why don't you borrow Spuds club and have a real good swing. Would you be saying that to me if we were standing face to face ?.
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Spud- Only you would see it as baiting. I actually hoped you wouldn't even look at this thred.Quote:Originally posted by db le spud:
Mantas - No, you are too blinkered to understand much of what goes on. Go and read what I wrote, my first post in this thread. After that post I responded to the baiting about Australian border policies being a function of vegemite appreciation -
.Quote:Originally posted by db le spud:
But what is this new term? The only people ever bashed, and the only official labelling thereof, has been American-bashing. WTF is Aussie Bashing? Its a sad day when Australians start whimpering like that.
You mean you don't know ? Go back and look at you posts. You go out of your way to put the boot into Australia on loads of unrelated threads. And don't tell me I bait you, I'm not even involved in half of them.
Talking the piss I can handle. but you should know the difference.
So why did you need to explain to me again about the diverse people on this forum? Do you think I'm too stupid to know what the WWW on the browser stands for?
You talk as if you stand shoulder to shoulder with the 4175 members of the forum. Please don't assume you are talking on behalf of everybody. This is about YOU and ME. And that's it!!
You've made your choice in life and I respect that, now you need to respect mine. It must be nice to have no country, no loyalties, and no accountability.By your own admission you said you didn't fit in and were "wondering around the world looking for somewhere to fit in."
Don't you think it might have something more to do with yourself rather than the other countless millions of people?
Every time you start weilding your clumbsy 'Aussie bashing club around'(and that's all it is) you can expect to see my avitar pop up in defense. And that's all I'm doing here, defending.
Apoliges to all French people. I used a bad example . -
You've done it again Spud..Turned a light hearted thread about vegemite into a Aussie bashing exercise. Jeez man... read what you write. Once again, your attacking, and I'm defending.
I hope this form of therapy helps you. Why don't you just start a thread called 'What I hate about Aussies' and get it out of your system?
And what was that dribble about Australia being a Uranium country?
In the same breath you've bagged Australia about it's Uranium policies ( which we haven't even started debating yet, let alone acting on ) And sung the praises of the French!
The french have carried out over 160 Nuclear tests since the 60's In the South Pacific. The consecqences of which will still don't know. They sent goverment sanctioned murders down to NZ in 1985 to blow up a boat belonging to people that disagreed with their ideals.
And you think they are a culture to aspire to because they have good wine and cheese!
And in answer to you nasty question. Yes my wife knows exactly what I do. She even helps me with the spelling. Oh...and we have plenty of bread already thanks.
Stay in your little town if you can't handle people speaking openly about things that don't meet your own views.
Are you speaking again on behalf of the whole forum or just you?
Don't you just hate it when people climb back out of the pigeon holes you stuff them into?
So unless you something funny to say about vegemite I'm not interested.
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Have you burnt that passport yet Spud?
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I'd go one step further Indo . It should apply to tourists as well. I'd have some Vegemite on toast samples on the Immigration counter at arrivals. The immigration officer should then decide wheather to grant entry based on their reaction to the taste test!Quote:Originally posted by Indosnm:
Jhonny Howards going to put a taste test in the new immigration test so if you don't ike it then ya fail, piss off and go back home!
I mean who wants a wierdo that doesn't like Vegemite wondering around willy nilly in your country. They would be worse than a terrorist ! -
They forgot about the Fat Lady.Quote:Originally posted by farquah:
NZ were ontop right until the final few.
Lockyer said in his prematch amdle "No matter how bad things get out there. I've never thought. Can't Win!"
NZ seems to have the same mental problem as the Pomms, Both good strong talented teams, but as you say, it gets snatch away from them. -
SerreChe- i think you may be right, 170+, I rode a 170 at Whistler this year and must say I enjoyed the extra length.
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What an outrage!I think we should recall our ambassedor.
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Me too I'm a Mac driver.
I really like Japan BUT........
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
Mantas-Just get one of your Australian personalities killed by one and am sure the public would do the rest!!
I reckon we humans could almost put every animal on earth into three categories
1) Scenery
2) Food
3) Vermin.
And their right to life is about in that order as well.