Pablo's Adventures

October 17, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in Hostel Environment, The Foreigner

As they’re fond of saying in Latin America, mi casa es tu casa; and that’s very much the philosophy of The Galah. (Though not legally mine, when you’ve resided in any hostel for as long as I have it’s only natural that I think of it as mine). It’s your home away from home. Naturally, mi casa es tu casa is more something one says, rather than fact and most people tend to accept that; even so, some habits are best kept to the privacy of the shower cubicle or undercover of darkness once “lights are out” in the dormitory. Pablo will eventually learn this.

Pay It Onwards

September 30, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in The Foreigner, Cultural Differences

When I eventually did leave Pablo’s I was left with that nagging feeling of wanting to repay him. As I munched away on a ¾ Corralisima Todotorreno burger and studied Pablo’s miserably gaunt face and his bony fingers as he ran them around the greasy inside of the empty carton of small fries to extract as much nutrition as he could, it dawned on me: If I couldn’t pay it back to him, what was to stop me paying it onwards to someone else?

Visa Mechanics

April 27, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in Immigration, Hostel Environment

Unbeknownst to me, it’s apparent the Australian visa system has implemented the Rooney Rule and is lowering the bar for non-Anglo applicants. How else to explain why Rafinho has had it so easy since entering the country; that his route to permanent residency is practically served to him on a plate. All while others - who have been in the country for years, struggling away - are told time and again that A-Level qualifications in, say, Art & Design, are insufficient to apply for a Skilled Visa.

On Natural Seleciao

March 07, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in Hostel Environment

I was standing in the hallway of my parent’s home, taking one last look at the photos on the floral wallpapered walls: there was my older brother winning the 100 metres on school sports day; there was my older brother on graduation day; my older brother working for the Red Cross in Kenya, and so on. None of them suggested either of us would go on to achieve anything significant, let alone my unrivalled standing within the backpacking community.

Disease Tacos no Prisoners

February 27, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in Immigration, Hostel Environment, Toilets, Cultural Differences

Probably from a long line of taco makers, Juancho poured his love into each and every one of those corn discs, even taking the time to trim most of the gristle from the pork and beef cuts.

Independent Gypsy

February 19, 2018 by Carlitos de Jeffers in The Foreigner

All the big outdoor apparel companies have borrowed heavily from me, no more so than Kathmandu. The image of a brooding hiker standing atop a mountain or very steep hill is classic Carlitos de Jeffers. It would be a no-brainer, then, to send a photographer out with me the next time I do Bondi to Coogee or similar.