After A long journey from Moscow, I finally arrived in St. Petersburg on August 17^th where I met a new phile named Ksenia. She could see how tired I was from my trip, so she gave me a day off and instead of sightseeing, she showed me her X-Files collection! She had lots of posters, DVDs, autographs, and all sorts of other things. It was quite a collection! Ksenia even showed me the postcards from all over Russia that people have sent in for the Believe in the Future campaign. And they’re one motivated group, I’ll tell you that! Since Ksenia showed me all of her XF stuff, I decided to show her my photos of my trip so far. And after we left the photos at Big Light, she even showed me the Russian X-Files forum. I’m not sure what most of it said…but it was still pretty cool! I was still pretty tired from my trip though, so after a cup of tea, I headed to bed at 10:13…the perfect hour for Phile sleep!

It was a good thing I got an early night too, because the next day we ran all over the city. First off, Ksenia and I met up with some fellow Philes—Nastya and Katrin and also some bears named Maria and Mr. Pit. We even met a Russian empress! After some photos, we decided to get lunch at a sushi bar (the Russian Philes cleverly decided to prepare me for my trip to Japan!). At the restaurant, we met Vera and Marina, more Russian Philes. It kept us out of St. Petersburg’s trademark drizzly weather for a couple hours.

But the weather didn’t deter us for long! We had sightseeing to do! We walked along Nevsky Prospect, Dvortsovaya Square, and we went to Isakovsky cathedral. With stops in between for photos of course! Sadly though, we then had to take Katrin to the train station so she could go home. (But isn’t it awesome that she travelled all that way to see me?!?) We’d had a pretty full day at that point, so Ksenia and I headed back to her place to relax the paws a bit. She even let me watch the movie that the St. Petersburg fan club made! And after that, we listened to the X-Life radio that the Russian fans maintain. They certainly keep busy don’t they?

The next day was my last in Russia before packing up the box and heading to Japan. But my new Phile friends still had plenty of things for me to do! They decided to show me some of the great architecture in St. Petersburg. We even got to go up to a roof to get a great view of the city! We saw the peaks ofPetropavlovskaya, lots of cathedrals, and all these parks from a bird’s eye view! A bear with a bird’s eye view—pretty unique wouldn’t you say?! Anyway, after we climbed down, we said goodbye to Julia and then met up with Nastya, Michael, and Eugeny.

All of us walked down toDvortsovaya Squareagain. Then we finally got to see the Neva River. And I can see why they sometimes call St. Petersburg the Venice of the North. There were so many boats all over the water! It was a pretty cool thing to see! Further up the river was the statue of Peter the First. And he was kind enough to take a few photos with me!

But unfortunately, after a few awesome days in St. Petersburg, it was finally time to say goodbye. So we all shared a big bear hug before they packed me up to head across to Japan. Oh and if you ever need to know, I can say bear in Russian! Just drop me an email and I’ll tell you how!

So after a long trip in my box from Germany, I finally arrived in Moscow! And it was a pretty amazing city—with some awesome Philes, I might add. Irina and Sasha were my tour guides! We went all over the city. Though I was disappointed to see that there aren’t any bears in the streets. I kinda wanted to make some more fuzzy friends, but the Russian Philes were so cool that it didn’t matter.  

Anyway, during our exploration of the city, we met up with Russia’s very own CSM, aka Stalin. He was very nice though. I even got a picture with him! We also checked out the Moscow metro. And it definitely is as beautiful as they say. No offense to any of the other metros I’ve ridden on during my trip, but Moscow’s is pretty amazing. It even has classical music playing. Although, it wasn’t “The Surgery”, so I guess it’s not perfect.

We also headed over to Red Square. It was a pretty big square for such a small bear like me, but it gave me a chance to stretch the paws a bit. Which everyone around me found a bit odd. Apparently they really *don’t* get a lot of bears in Moscow…Anyway, we continued our day by stopping by the Cathedral of Vasilij Blazennij, which has a bit of an X-File behind it, by the way. Kinda *spooky* how I seem to find these things. (Get it? Spooky!)

Speaking of spookiness, there is probably a serious matter I should address. And it involves me not properly reading the label on a bottle of Russian alcohol…well, I’m not sure. I think that’s how it went down. But apparently, I was convinced that I met the love of my life, and well…don’t tell Kai, poor thing, I love her, but I may have kinda accidentally perhaps gone and gotten married.

Yeah so well that was Moscow. I’m off now, to write about the other stops. It was a fun and certainly interesting time in Moscow. Though I am still bummed that I don’t have one of those cool furry hats (a shapka-ushanka), but I guess it’s best since I was headed to warmer climates!

Well I finally got to Munich on Thursday.

This trip through Germany seemed never-ending didn’t it? But I’ve been doing a lot of train travelling…so it’s a bit more comfortable than my box! I met Lady3Jane and she introduced me to her friends at work. Apparently, I’m a sweet fellow…but hey, you already knew that =P! Anyway, I rested up for two nights with my newest host…watched some Lone Gunmen, stretched the paws, relaxed.

Saturday was our big day to see the city. Of course, first we had to have a nice German breakfast at the "Lotterleben" across from the Viktualienmark . A bear’s gotta keep up his strength you know?  We ate, watched the people walking by, looked at the shops, took some pictures…it was a good time.

Then we headed out to Marienplatz, or Mary’s Square, which is a central area in Munich (see how worldly I am? I’m a knowledgeable bear!) Anyway, while we were there, we got to see city hall and some other sites. I even got to hear the bells ring in city hall. We also went to the Dallmayr coffee house to take some pictures…because only the coolest bears visit coffee houses!

But no trip to Germany would be complete without some good German beer, so the Hobräuhaus (a brewery in Munich) was our next stop! And I must say, I think they need to have bear-sized glasses! Because I couldn’t possibly drink normal human-sized ones…well, not all the time at least ;-). While we were there, we also walked across to the Hard Rock Café. Though I have to say, one of the best parts of the day had to be my awesome Bavarian outfit! When in Rome…or rather Munich! I think I looked rather striking in that hat and scarf! I wonder if Kai will like it. It really doesn’t fit her beachy Hawaiian style, but who can resist me? =P Anyway, this called for another photo shoot outside the Hobräuhaus…because I fit right in with my new look!

More photos were taken when my Munich friends showed me their phile hangout…a Starbucks. (Or was it a Queequeg? Not funny?!? Come on!)

Anyways, on our way to Odeonsplatz (another square in Munich), we went past the opera and saw the Bavarian lions…and for a few minutes, I was a high class, cultured, opera bear! Sadly, it was here that I had to say goodbye to one of my new friends…Moonchild. It was great meeting her! And while we missed her, we still had a bit more of the city to explore.

So we headed over to the English Garden and explored a bit. Took some more pictures. But the day was coming to a close, so while my Lady3Jane and Bienchen2000 wrote a letter to my new hosts in Russia, I had to finish my German tour with some Weißbier and lemonade—a “Russn”! All that time at the brewery made me crave it!

So after a long day of sightseeing, it was finally time for me to hop into my box to head to Russia! I’ll write more about when I got there! I had the best time, plenty of paw space!

After being in Bochum for two days, Kai, my new German friend (I still miss my Hawaiian Kai!), brought me to Cologne. There we met up with Annette, Melanie, Michaela and Yvonne. To start the day, my new friends showed me the 'Kölner Dom'. Wow, that was a huge cathedral, especially considering I’m a rather small bear!

After that we went to a souvenir shop, because a bear’s gotta shop, you know? And because my new friends are so cool (also cause I’m such a cute bear. Admit it!), they told me to choose anything I wanted. After checking out some stuff, I decided on a city guide about Cologne and an ossum button for my shirt!

After our stop in the souvenir store, we headed out to a carnival outfitter. It was hard to find, but after some running around we finally got there and it was pretty cool! There where all kinds of costumes. But unfortunately, not a whole lot in small stuffed bear size. What can you do? The world is cruel!

Since I was bummed out about the costumes, everyone chipped in and bought me a little gun. I got the FBI jacket, an I.D. and now I have a gun. Where are Mulder and Scully? I’m joining the X-Files! And now, when I travel all alone in my cardboard box, I’ll be able to protect myself. These German philes are smart! They also gave me a wristband with the crest of Cologne on it. I put it around my shoe and it think it really adds to my mysterious bear aura. Don’t worry though, it’s only for you Kai! I can’t wait until I can get back to Hawaii to see you!

Anyway, when we left the carnival, we did some more sightseeing and took some photos in front of city hall. It was really hot though, so we went to the Früh Brewhouse, where we had some real good Kölsch. Well Kai and I had some, but the girls drank Coke. Sometimes a bear’s gotta man up though! And it was very worth it! That Kölsch was good!

I have to admit that I felt a little tipsy after the glass of beer (it was kinda large for a small bear), but we still went down to the Rhine for a picnic. You know, I’m a bear and sometimes I need to get out into the wild...or you know a patch of grass in the city. Anyway, you won't believe who  we met there! Aliens, some furry animals like me and... Mulder and Scully! Yeah, really! It was a great time. And after the picnic we played some ball with the baseball gear we bought in Hamburg.

After all this action I was really hungry. So the Cologne philes took me to a restaurant called 'Mongo's', which I have to say is now one of favourites. They had all sorts of exotic meats. And while I’m an odd bear in that I’m not big on meat, they did have crocodile, ostrich and kangaroo. And now I’ll be able to survive when I head down under to Australia. I’ll be able to fend for myself ;-)! Anyway, we ended up staying at the restaurant for about 3 hours. It was a good time. But the day was coming to a close and we eventually had to head back to the train station.

However, the Cologne philes had one more surprise for me! We went to the top of this skyscraper where you could see all of Cologne. It was an awesome view! And the perfect way to end the day!

Back at the station, I said goodbye to Kai and got onto the train with Annette and Yvonne. It was sad leaving Cologne, but on the way to Eitorf, the girls read 'A Doll's House' to me...brought back some good memories of London...and of course...cuddling with Gillian =P!

When we finally got to Eitorf, Annette and Yvonne let me drive. It was a bit hard to see over the steering wheel...or to reach the pedals...but we worked it out! And the girls helped a bit lol! Eventually Annette and I had to make our way home, so we said goodbye to Yvonne. And I had to finally head to bed. I can’t maintain this cute furry exterior without out a little shut eye...and well, I had to be awake for my trip to Munich!

Oh.. Berlin!

So as some of you may have heard, I was now in Germany. And boy have I been a busy bear! But I’ve just been having so much fun that I’ve neglected my blog a bit. So here goes. I got to Berlin on the 22^nd. Luckily, my host Manuela had to work, so I got to rest until Friday. And after London, Paris, and Disneyland, I was about ready to hibernate!

On Friday we got to go into the city and met up with some other X-Philes: Marina, Sabrina, Antje, Lydia and Katja. We then went and did some sightseeing. I got to look out over the city. Saw Berlin’s City Hall. The next stop of the day was Potsdamer Platz, a well-known square in Berlin. And on the way there, we ran into some of my fellow “bearkind”.Apparently bears are the symbol of Berlin. And really, who can blame them? We are really handsome! I should make it clear though that these new bear friends were only friends—Kai, you’re still the only one for me!

Anyway, our group finally got to Potsdamer Platz by bus. All those Philes on one bus, Berlin was definitely in for some amusing times. We finally got there and went on a small history tour. I like to keep myself and informed bear! I even got to sit against part of the Berlin Wall. *Ahem* “Mr. Gorbachev…” (Don’t you think I’m presidential? Well, maybe with a wardrobe change and a fur trim.)

From there, we all went to see the Sony Center and the famous premiere cinema. By that time we were hungry enough to eat a horse. (In my case only a small Shetland pony, but I have a small stomach. What can I do?). Our group ate at a typical Berlin Currywurst and drank some Caipirinhas. And to end our day, we walked over to the Brandenburg Gate, the former city gate. All in all, it was a pretty great day with some pretty cool Philes.

Then, to Hamburg!

I’m sure some of you think I’ve been lounging around on my big world vacation, but I’ve been making the best of my time in Germany. Sure I may have a few furry, dark circles under my eyes, but we’ve been having the best time! My new Phile friends from Berlin took me to Hamburg to meet some more Philes on July 25th! Luckily, I was able to catch a few winks on the train until we had to change trains in Schwerin. And I couldn’t very well miss any more of the scenery! So I looked out the window for the rest of the trip.

We met up with Jana, Morgana, Monika, and Kai in Hamburg (not my girlfriend Kai. She’s a furry, cute, redhead bear. Germany Kai, while cool, well he’s just not the same.) Anyway, Kai did write some German X-Files books, so we had some cool things to talk about!

The first stop of the day was the “Build-A-Bear Workshop”. Don’t worry, I wasn’t in for any maintenance. We just did a bit of shopping. And my German friends bought me some really cool baseball stuff. I’m telling you, when I get back home to the states, I’m trying out for the major leagues!  Frankenbear, number 1013! Can’t you see it…

Anyways, we wouldn’t be Philes if we didn’t seek out some dangerous adventures right? Well in true Mulder and Scully fashion, we all headed to the Reeperbahn. (That’s Hamburg’s red-light district.) Don’t fret though. I had some good body guards to protect me lol!

After our journey into the Darkness (it finds us, but let it try ;-), we walked to the port of Hamburg. Looked at the ships, took some photos, and got caught in a sudden rain storm. But my FBI jacket kept my fur dry. To think, without it, my fur would have gotten all matted.

Following that, we went to a fairground. I even went on a few coasters. One wasn’t too much fun for my stomach, but one was a scary themed one and I met a Zombie!!! Mulder had taught me how to fight him off though, so we escaped with our lives. What was really cool though, was the music playing outside the ride...get ready for it…the X-Files theme!!! I had such a fanboy moment!

Anyway…aside from my embarrassing fanboy moment, Hamburg was a lot of fun. From there I headed out on a train to Bochum with Kai. And he helped get me to Cologne. It was sad to say goodbye to all my Berlin and Hamburg friends, but I’m off to more adventures! The rest of the German story in a bit!

Some photos of me with philes in England have been updated, but let me tell you about my little trip to Donmar and Belgium. 

So I flew from Hawaii to London with Rika, and it took almost a whole day… a six-hour flight to L.A. and a ten-hour flight from L.A. to London. And when we got to London, the tube was on strike.  Great, this is exactly what we needed after long flights. 

Anyways, the next day was the big day for me.  We went to see A Doll’s House at Donmar!  Rika and her Japanese phile friends were seated in the first row in stall, yay!  So yes, I did see Gillian play!  Unbelievable, simply unbelievable!! I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, but let me tell you it was definitely worth the trip.  Well, so we did wait for Gillian after the play, but there was a little complication. 

We saw the play during the day, and the day we went to see the play, the night showing was private So the theatre didn’t really prepare for fans to meet Gillian she did come out, but she was in a hurry to leave, and I didn’t actually get a chance to greet her in person.  But we were content enough to see her play anyway, so asking more would be too greedy. 

After seeing her play in person, I renewed my admiration for her.  She is an incredible actress! The day after the play, we went to Belgium for a day trip. We took Eurostar to Brussels.  Although it was only a couple hours of train ride, I felt exhausted because I barely got any sleep the night before! I was jetlagged and too excited to see Gillian, so I couldn’t sleep at all! 

From Brussels, we went to Bruge, Venice of the North, they call it.  I don’t have many photos from Belgium actually.  To tell you the truth, I fell asleep in Rika’s backpack!  Man, I was simply too tired…you know a bear has to sleep every once in a while.

The day after Belgium, I said bye to Rika and her husband. They took me to a bar right next to Donmar and handed me over to Jo.

Like Melissa says in Christmas Carol, what’s important in life is people you meet along the way.  Although I move on to a new place, I will never forget the people I've during my little trip from Hawaii to Europe.

More in a bit! If you want to see the pics, check out my Facebook or my Big Light profile in a few minutes, I'm uploading!

-FB

It was a long journey from Ecuador to Hawaii, but I was safe and sound!  As soon as I got out of the box, a bunch of bears from around the world welcomed me.  I didn’t know Rika was a sucker for teddy bears.  I had a feeling that she would take good care of me during my stay in Hawaii!  I was so tired from the trip, but we all watched Redux together as soon as I got there.  I was told that next day was going to be a busy day, so I will hit the bed with other bears...

May 31^st, 2009

Rika wasn’t kidding when she said it was going to be a busy day!  First, she told me to change cloths since I am a tourist.  Well, I know the rules on attire that specifically instructs not to take off my cloths unless I intend to wash them, but you know, what the heck?  I am a visitor, and all tourists have to wear an Aloha shirt at least once.  Plus, Rika was afraid that my cloths could get filthy from playing outside.  I think it was good that I changed cloths after all since I did play hard that day.

First, we went to the lookout in Hawaii Kai.  Don’t I look sharp with the sunglasses? Hehehe. After the lookout, we hit Bellows Beach Park in Waimanalo. I heard that this beach was excellent for body boarding.  Rika’s in-laws were visiting the island, so they all built a sandcastle together.  Rika encouraged her husband to build a UFO sandcastle like the one in the Sixth Extinction, but it ended up looking nothing like it, albeit it still looked nice. So I was forced to sit on top of the fortress, and people on the beach thought I was so cute that they just had to take pictures of me. I took a walk down the beach and then suddenly something caught my eye ... she was wearing a pineapple leaves skirt... and she had this faint smell of pineapples... she was a bear at the beach, and so was I... it was perfect. we chatted for a while before I had to go back to Rika.

After Bellows, we went to do some touristy stuff. We did the ATV tour in Kualoa Ranch, and it was unbelievable!  I got to ride with Rika on her back.  At first, it was bumpy and a little scary, but once I got used to that, it was all good.  We stopped at some sights where some famous movies had been shot.  I know they are not as cool as the X-Files, but hey, since we were there, why not?  Rika’s hands were dirty from the ride, so she made me stay in the backpack most of the time, which was a bummer.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the ride!  She let me out once to take a picture on the rock. And that’s when I noticed my shoes were untied… hmmm….

Rika and I were almost done packing for the European trip.  That’s right, it’s was time to leave Hawaii already.  We had a good time going to different places on the island.  I went to visit Rika’s friend, Mitzy.  Of course she thought I was irresistible.   I also went to Hickam Air Force Base where Rika’s husband works.  Unfortunately, the battery for the camera died when we went to the base, so we have few pictures.  The next day we went to Byodoin Temple.  Rika told me that it was a replica of the famous temple in Kyoto, Japan.  Maybe if I behave, Toshiko will take me to the original one in Japan…?  And finally, I got to go to Honolulu and Waikiki.  I took some touristy photos in front of the Iolani Palace and the Kamahameha statue.  Although it was cloudy when we went to Waikiki beach, the place was packed with tourists!  There was a parade in Waikiki, so we sat and watched people dance and sing for an hour and half.

So that was my Hawaiian vacation, check out more pictures at my facebook and Big Light profile... I'm always adding stuff there so thats a good way to keep in touch.  Now I am in the UK with Rika and her husband and we got to see Gillian’s play!I've already uploaded some of my pictures with the IC girls... by the way, I'm digging Kabat's Kosher style, I might even try more whenever I visit her at NYC later in the year!

I will add more soon, I just have to gather all of my thoughts... oh and yes, I'm in a complicated relationship with my pineapple bear... Her name is Kia, Kia Aloha.... She's going to write me, perhaps, I'll show you a picture later... maybe...

FB out...

Continuing my trip on the lower regions of the world, I went to Concepcion, Chile! on my first day in this awesome town, I went to check out the lagoon at the "Laguna Grande en San Pedro de la Paz" Park. That's about 30 minutes from Concepcion. The freshair and great outdoors were amazing. I took some pictures, checked the San Pedro Theater, some swans that were quite taken of my hat, andchilled while reading some Jose Chung!

The next day, We travelled to the heart of the city, to go to the "Pinacoteca", an arts showrooms with lots of paintings and a mural that represents the history of Latin America during the colony. We also went to the main courtrooms, and the weapons plaza, to then stroll to the university campus from Concepcion. There you can see the Campanil, or the bell tower. I took some pictures at some sculpture called: "Enrique Molina" (a big black one that you can see in the pictures in facebook), And then took my photoshoot off to the whale skeleton!

The next day, we went all together to this food fair! it had every kind of food from the chilean aboriginal culture "Mapuche", there of course more pictures were in order! and LOTS OF EATING!

I then metthe Tome Beach, thats about an hour from Concepcion, and there, I Gotz some serious pimping donez! hahahaha They made me an FBI Jacket, JUST FOR ME!!!

In my last day in the city, we went to Minero Lota: Isidora Cousiño Park, where I enjoyed some very good sculptures, the old copper mines in some very cool nature enviroment that sort of made me yearn my childhood.

Next I took my way to Ecuador, but customs here are fierce! They even took me back all the way to Chile because I was missing a number! This made me take much more time than I had expected to I had to reschedule my tour! Now, after I leave Ecuador, I'll go to Hawaii, leaving Japan for later on my trip. I sure hope I can make it!

Thank you Chileansfor the wonderful time they shared with me, you guys are amazing! and they are so enthusiast it just makes me a litle choked when I think about it... Will come back anytime, for more Pizco Sour of course! hahaha!

- FB ... will blog more soon!

I know, blogging is delayed!

in any case... Chile continued to be an awesome time for me! When I got to Talca on te 23rd, Mabel was awesome enough to just give me an awesome day on the city. I met her mom and friends and even went with her to her workplace.

On friday we got together  with friends and went to stroll around the city :) You can feel that this is so much different than the states, it almost feels european. We went to the regional theater, the square, the township downtown, etc. All so very nice and pleasant, that gave me time to ponder about how life is so different outside of what we know. Mabel was an amazing host. 

Just when I was about to reach the pinnacle of my ponderisms... LOL yeah that sounded deep right?, well I got news that were somewhat confussing for me...

You know my next stop was supposed to be Peru. The guys over there had these great times planned for me and I was just so excited, until, we learned that mean thugs were waiting for me too! Only that for real they wanted to poke me with knives and that was just out of line!

See in this day and age where drugs are everywhere, they use even something as harmless as me to hide bad stuff like that...  not even if I played the puss-in-boots face would had stopped them to open me up to dig inside me and search me... apparently stripsearch is not enough in my case.

So, with all the sadness in the world, we decided not to go to Peru :(

I've been sad over that, because you would think that travelling for a good cause would open the kindness of hearts... Either way, I talked to Avi and Francisca about it and the Peruvians are still so cool that even though I won't be visiting, they will still help the cause and send me some keep sakes from them. I wish I could hug them!

Any ways... My stories from Concepción to come soon, and Francisca... I saw that picture! How did I end up without my shirt and so drunk I would never know! Got to control my liquor!

Peace out...

-FB 

At last I have the time to tell you about Santiago! I’m already in Talca, my host is Santiago. I’ll tell you more about him in my next post but I should tell you first about Fran, my host in the capital city of Santiago. She even ran to get me to the post office in time! She’s so busy! At least she had me to help her with her breathing exercises.

When I arrived on Monday to her place, she welcomed me with Pancho and Rodrigo, two of the philes that organized the big fan event last year, the Expo The X Files Chile. Inmediately, they checked out everything about me! They even turned me upside down and digged in my backpack! I even told them a few times to get their hands off me but they didn’t listen... naturally, they were too excited to care!

Quickly, we left Fran’s place, that has a freaking awesome view of Santiago, and walked to this place a few blocks away called “Liguria” where a Group of philes were waiting to hug the air out of me! According to Fran, Liguria is one of the most famous bars in the capital city, always filled with people, very good food and the best Pisco Sours! They had told me so much about this cometed drink, that I know from a good source that Chris and Frank drank a Lumber of them when they were around here, that I could not resist the temptation andi t was the first thing I ordered. I also wanted to taste a good Chilean wine, so I checked out the menu and sipped a glass while taking pictures with all of them! Then another Pisco Sour, is so good… and a tirad one won’t hurt anyone right?  Then I remember laughs, conversations about how the Xphiles are the most faithful and organized fans in the world, and some “cuecas” in the background. That’s the Chile national dance, for you that don’t know this… and then… I don’t remember anything else… I fell asleep! I think they took some embarrasing pictures of me, I sure hope she doesn’t post them on Facebook. God knows EVERYTHING gets loose over there!

I hid under her blouse, I was terrified! I’d be damned if I let that dentist touch me! Fran eventually calmed me down, she was the only one being subjected to the wirring sounds and the poking. I didn’t escape the curiosity of the doctor though, ‘cause Fran insisted she wanted me to have a good denture for the remaining of my trip… make sure I don’t have a toothache. By the end of the consultation, everything went well, my teeth are crest perfect and I have a winner smile. Those scarry things in that office are way worse than any X-File!

Our next stop was at Fran’s editors, she had to deliver some documents. When you’re a writer people waves at you respectfully, and since I hung with her, I was treated with the same respect. Its awesome being famous!I’m thinking on writing a book about the experiences on this tour, and since the philes are so numerous, I have lots of potential readers... mmmm.... fame is tempting... so who knows?? 

Then we finally hit the chow. Even though I tried to protest, Fran ordered me a Vegan menu just like hers. Where did the meat eaters end up, I have no clue! I think they may be the next extinted species by the looks of it... I shall put some resistance.

We ate fast, admired the Andes and the San Cristobal mountain. It has a big statue of the Virgin Mary, like the Christ in Rio de Janeiro. Then we took the bus to get to a new phile gathering at the Telefonica tower, where the Expo was held last year. There we met with Rita, she’s an English teacher and was going through some quizzes. She was so happy to see us! We sat in the park, and the two of them told me in retail the great time they had at that event, the crowds that supported them and the experience of sharing 4 days with Chris and Frank in Chile. They miss them so much! They’re already thinking of a new thing, more International, since, well XF3 is almost a given... and if not... I’ll make sure of it! I just browsed through the frontpage and already saw that the girls are taking matters into her own hands... plus I chatted a lil’ bit with Avi and OMG if I could tell you the plans... you would die!

After that I went with Fran to Paseo Las Palmas, a mall for DVDs and toys for us, the nerdtastic fans. Her Mulder figurine, that she has had since FTF opened its very worn, since it went through the hands of her yourger siblings. Its quite impossible to explain to a child that those are collectibles. We couldn’t really find the same one in the stores, but since she’s a Trekkie, yes, no shame in that, I suggested she could buy a replica of the Enterpise. She was delighted with her new purchase! She even let me play a little with it when we got back to the apartment, always under her watchful eye LOL while we watched one of her favorite episodes... Post Modern Prometheus. We managed to laugh at the same jokes, and of course clapped at the end! I love the end dance! We even toasted to Chris’ genius, this time with apple juice, and then she changed into her gym clothes... that had these sparkly things hanging from her hips... cause the girl does Belly dancing!

Every guy should go to these classes… wow… the way that these girls moved… well latin girls have a gift at this, I wasn’t even able to do half the moves, though the music was catchy and entertaining... at the end, I went from one girl to another, like my very own harem... I can’t really complain about that!

When we got back home I got to snooze in front of the poster that Frank and Chris autographed for her, while she typed away in her macbook. She told me she’s writing her first graphic novel, I wish for her to have the greatest of lucks with that.

The next day, the day planner was even worse. After travelling in an overcrowded subway, we got the paper, some “cuchuflíes” that are wafer bars filled with manjar which is a sweet milk cream and covered in chocolate... I swear if I’m any heavier its all because of the chocolate I fail to resist to.Then we went to her mom’s where I met all of her family! They’re just like the Weasleys from Harry Potter! They’re all redheads! Her brother Juan Jose is the most lovable kid! He has Down syndrome, but I don’t know if you have met one of these kids, but they are the most Amazing people, their hugs are the best! So we went with him to his therapy and I even got to help his therapist in some of the exercises. These kids are beautiful.

The rest of the day was intense! She literally had to run to drop me off at the post office. I had to leave for Talca as soon as possible. When we huged goodbye, she pinned this Chilean button to my shirt and put the patch of the fan club in my backpack. She explained that the capital city has the most activity of her country, so she decided to change that and give the opportunity to the philes from other regions of the country to share some valuable time with the peeps from Talca and Concepcion. Well thought.

My adventures in Talca... I shall share soon!

 -FB

Remember when I told you I was going to be busy? I think I had no idea of how busy I would be!

The minute we arrived to Caracas everything seemed to explode! Avi was waiting for us with Rebecca & Alejandro, with a sign! We waited at the airport for a bit because Traci and Katie from the US were also going to come visit and travel with us for a few days. 

Avi’s mom made me a backpack so now I get to carry around all of my stuff in my new XFN backpack, I LOVE it!

When we got home, I swear I just flopped on Avi’s bed and snored my way into slumber while Perla and Avi catched up and giggled until they joined me in dreamland LOL. I think we did so much in this week that its easier for me to go day by day... I swear I have no clue how we did so many things! Oh, and I heard from Zellie... She got me a picture with Mrs. Sheila and Mr. Goodwin... BEST PICTURE EVER!

Sunday 05: We got up and joined Luisa, Alejandro & Rebecca at this “Arepera” for brunch. I had a masive Arepa with fish... I cannot tell you how good that was! And good that I grabbed a good bite cause then we started our road trip to the east side of the country. The road trip was fantastic and just in time ‘cause and hour after we had left the city, there was an EARTHQUAKE! Nothing bad happened but people were pretty scared. We stopped to buy souvenirs, and fruit, I even threatened to hitchhike up the road because the girls were taking sooo long but we finally got back on the car. The sights and the sunset were amazing, so many clouds and blue skies, for real amazing. You would go from jungle to an African sort of scenary in a blink of an eye, for real such a great drive. We arrived at our hotel at Lecheria around 7 pm and did we looove it! 5 stars all I’m going to say.

Monday 06: El Faro Beach... you have no clue how clear that water is. Is this tiny island in the Mochima National Park out in the coast front of Puerto La Cruz. We had some great seafood and I started working on my tan.

Tuesday 07: That day we went to Pedro’s Beach house... great pool, great beach, even some 7 yr. Olds fell in love with the girls and gave Perla a mango and a serenade LOL. Pedro gave me some cold and fruity sangria... I think I like wine more than I should. The food was great and we stayed until the sunset. Awesome time... until the drive back!

So we start the road to our hotel, since the beach house was in the outskirts of Puerto La Cruz & Lecheria, and Avi’s car goes into full electrical failure!!! Good thing she’s a very experienced driver and kept her cool because the car even went out of brakes! We finally found a clearing and parked the car and waited for “Pedro, the hero” as the girls named him (LOL) and for the tow truck to arrive. Perla kept us entertained with this story out of a Saw movie, Traci was the girl in distress of the story and Avi promised to write it, so hopefully, you will read that in the future. I was so glad to go back safe and sound and get some rest after some dinner. The poor girls were exhausted and just collapsed in their beds while I watched some TV.

Wednesday 08: Avi got her car fixed early in the morning so I spend some time with the other girls having  some relaxing time at the hotel. I got to meet Avi’s brother I forgot to say, very into cars, good guy, very funny. So after lunch, we drove back to Caracas, to beat the masses that were driving to the beach because of the Easter week or “Semana Santa” break. 

Thursday 09: We drove and walked around Caracas. The city is great, so many buildings, and the weather is the nicest. We went to this chocolate store where I got some hot cocoa, and the girls bought TONS of bomboms. Afterwards we went to El Hatillo, and there we had dinner and did some shopping. So, I don’t know if you know, but since its easter, they don’t eat nothing but seafood right? I had the best seafood pasta and white wine ever! Then at the stores I ran into so many interesting peeps. The highlight were the rag dolls, such a bunch of cuties, wait til you see those pictures... there was a red headed nurse that gave me the eye LOL

Friday 10: This day we went to El Ávila. From the top of this mountain that circles the city you can see the sea and the city entirely, and we got to go into this 1950’s hotel that reminded me of the glamour of the time, it was awesome. Long lines to get in though! Just to get in the cable car we waited like 3 hours, and Avi and Traci got a funky sun burn!

Today, Perla left, I miss her already :( but we crammed so many things in this week that I’m looking forward to a nap soon. Avi has been dozzing off right beside me while I write and check all of your messages in Facebook and Twitter, and oh the emails I’ve gotten! 

I got to say that Venezuela has great sea food, the fish has been so fresh and the people so warm, every where I go, I only got smiles and smirks at me being carried around everywhere! I guess that they’re not used to see a bear doing tourism!

I’ll leave for Santiago de Chile in a few days, Francisca will be receiving me, I can’t wait. I’ve heard so much of these philes from all the stories from the Chile EXPO last year that I can’t wait to meet them!

Will blog a little when I leave for Chile, on the mean time, there’s a gentle breeze and a fluffy pillow that’s got my name all over it! I’ll make Avi post some pictures later!

ZZZ monster is calling me, byeeee

-FB

Anyhow, man this girl rocks, I can't say the same for her brother, but the minute I got there she challenged me to a round of Guitar Hero which I, of course, passed with flying colors, 'cause well you know me... I rock, and roll. Actually, she was about to pass me but heh, came around with some AC/DC and that put me where I belong... on the top ... shelf? LOL Actually it was on top of the bed since I ended up exhausted.

Then, after we had some dinner, by the way if ever stopping by West Palm Beach, come to Moxy's and ask her mom for some food, mmm hmmm, awesome cook! Well, after we were finished, we took some time to quiet down and this gal has some fine reads, like Bleak House!! I know, reading it is not the same as watching superb Gillian act her heart out on those rainy landscapes and the dark rooms, but a bear can imagine. I spent the evening on her bed... her mom raises dogs! Dogs with pointy teeth, so I made sure to stay my way off the floor just in case another furry being decided I was going to be the next chew toy.

Oh I opened a twitter account, that way I can do short updates... follow me (and I'm not saying this in a XF creepy way like with red laser and cloth hearts!) but go to http://www.twitter.com/frankenbear and get my quick updates, links, pictures, and some streaming video. I did some updating last night, I see I'm already part of the banter and that some of my secrets are out (I do not snore! that's a dirty lie!!)

So right now, I'm almost off, we had some eggs and french toast with some sugar that was delish, and well aparently I have to help Moxed be a good civilian and go to Jury Duty... how about that? All the way from St. Louis to West Palm Beach to go to... Jury Duty... tkch tkch tkch. 

I have to convince Moxed into some outdoors activity that doesn't involve aligators or swamps. Maybe a quick stroll by the beach? Well... we're off to be good citizens. I'll be twittering if I get bored!

-FB