From flor
fotos! fotos! fotos!
Response: sooooooooooonn
From Will Thompson
Mark, me old mukka.
You have far too much free time on your hands, hope things are going ok out there for you. Still living my life vicariously through you, so please keep up the great writing and photos.
Response: I will have more free time, once I get rid of this job. Anyway, will be replying to your email shortly with more details.
From Nati
Seriously, I think your future is in musicals! Or you might as well start a solo career, between the choripan man and the piqueteros, I can see two top hits!!! f--k FRanz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys, you are the new hot thing coming!
Response: Once again Nati, another sterling recommendation for which I thank you. Next up, I will try write a song or the Cartoneros adapted from Annie's -It's a hard nut life!
From Natalia
Mark, Congratulations on this site. You really made me laugh with "Choripan man" and the mistakes u've made in Argie Spanish. I love what u r doing, devoting your time to get to know a different country (u r a great observer) and having a wonderful time!! I would like to recommend u a book "Atrapa tu sueño" by 2 Argies who travelled from Buenos Aires to Alaska in 1928 car. Great story, u said u were looking 4 one in myspace.com. Hope to hear from u. Good luck!!
Response: thanks very much. I will see if I can find the book. It sounds interesting.
Speak soon
From cagsy
photies are borin as crap and I ate 'em! but putting diver jealousy aside.. you got some pretty good shots...keep it real brother and enjoy...! ;-)
Response: so boring in fact, that one was given feature homepage status!
WOOHOOO! shurup our cagsy, i ate ya!
From Matteo
great pictures my friend!
Response: thanks matteo, I hope sunny London is treating you well. I will mail you shortly. I need an excuse not to do any work!
From Baker
As a temporary crasher in Mark's apartment (again...) AND a professional photographer I can say that I was there first hand when this latest batch of diving photos was edited for posting and that no trick photography whatsoever was used. Mark really is just a badass underwater photographer.
Response: thanks fo not mentioning photoshop!
From Nati
you are crap mark, i didnt even know you were away until amy told me and also, you've been parting with her and have left me out.....really piss off at you right now. At least the Choripan Oda compensates a little for your rudeness. Anyway, the correct word is "chimi churri", and its supposed to come from english "give me curry", which was what they used to say at the begining of last century to the gauchos when they wanted some of that fantastic sause. Keep in touch, even though youre crap...
From Bel
Your photos are amazing! really i love them!
From jean shone
hello a message from your aged aunt and uncle. Sat at the computer with Steve and Fiona. Enjoyed reading your page. Its nice to see that Bono hasnt conned you into thinking hes got the answers. We are all coming to stay next weekend so I hope that the beds are made. We hope that the Spanish is coming on . I presume that Portugese was mastered whilst you were in Brazil. Any way Hywl Fawr from the undermined Welsh stuck in the caves of Leeds.
Response: Bora da Aunt and Uncle,
Glad someone supports my view of Bono.
Hope you are both well? I would wecome a visit from you. Unfortunately, the floor is all I have to offer. It is suppose to be good for your posture to sleep on hard floor.
Speak soon
Markxxx
From Anita
for me, every mispronouned word means arse... and
consolador = viabrator, not counsellor as one would imagine and use in front of their very catholic school friends from corrientes..
embarassada,... i didn't even see that one coming
Response: me neither...just asked my friend if she was pregnant!
She was more than a little confused. I didn't have the nerve to ask the first question. Far too personal for the office.
Have we met?
From Dana
Hey Magic Man!!!
i haven't laughed so much reading something in a long time!!!!
you are a funny funny guy!
i algo miss your magic tricks!
nos vemos pronto??
chico ocupado!
el rio te esta esperando
DANA
Response: Hey Dana,
I have been practicing my newest and most dangerous trick to date - This saturday I will attempt to saw myself in half! How's that for a bit of magic?
Voy llamarte este finde para bailar!
Beso
From Lucy
Ahhh, MARK - those are absolutely HILARIOUS!!! Laughing like I've been sectioned.
You're like the Spanish version of the british policeman in 'Allo 'Allo, but with more charm and less cape. Good moaning, Mr Burton and I hip you are wall.
Thank you for kickstarting my weekend so hilariously.
Lots of love and closed mouth kisses.
Smallwood
XX
Response: Hey Luci,
Gald to have been of service and kick started your weekend, mine will start in 4 hours. Will be working on my pronunciation with my professor on Tuesday.
Miss you
Besos
From Si
Good to see that your posts are getting more regular. U2 sounded cool... I guess its a shame but U2 + there people are still a business deep at heart and thus thats why they havent come sooner.
Keep safe fella
Six
Response: Hey Si,
If I keep them a little shorter it's a bit less of a chore sometimes. I am enjoying your tales of China. Take care and have fun.
Safe travels amigo,
Mark
From Little Lisa
Hi Mark
Its been a while since i was in contact for which im sorry about, as ever your site is a great read whilst im sat at work and of course im very jealous of your adventures -time for me to get off my bum and do some more travelling instead of moaning about it!!
In 3 wks im in Florida to meet up with Dave Fouche for his wedding -i cant wait, it'll be mad seeing him after all this time and reliving those shark diving and Sydney drinking days!
Take care my love and i look forward to the next entry
Loadsa Love
Lis xxx
Response: hey lisa,
say hi to David when you see him and wsh him all the best with the wedding. Ask him is he ever got the video footage of the shark trip.
Take care and speak soon
Mark
From Nati
Hi Mr Mark
Cool diary and superb pictures. You know what you should do to spicy it up a bit. Even the Luis XIV anecdote would do....
Lots of love, yo
Response: thanks for your inspirational words. will try to spice things up next time.
your lucky this got through the firewall!
From Rebekka
A little delayed, but anyway:
HAPPY birthday!
Still in argentina and working?
Take care, have fun and
again, I will try and write an email soon...:-)
Response: Thanks for the birthday wishes. Hope all is well with you. Not long to go...
Take are
Markxx
From Russ
Dude, as always very well written and enjoyable to read. Keep well mate oh and you might consider the use a spell-checker....
Response: I have this incredinle ability to just leave words out. When you have read something twenty times your minds just fills in the blanks. It looks like i'm not the only one, Russ!
From Baker
I met Mark on my 3rd day of travelling after 2 months of Spanish school in Guatemala- last March. I feel every bit of pain, sadness, and exuberation that he has so eloquently described in this tome on learning Español. I only wonder why he insists on going on "learning Spanish the hard way" (real estate agents... the homeless??!) and why he has not had the realization that I had 8 months into my trip when I arrived in Panama: The `most effective, most fun, most entertaining, and possibly ONLY way to learn Spanish (or possibly any tongue) is to get a girlfriend (or as I prefer to call them- una noviasita). For a month, a week, or even just a night. What better way to engage in a Romance Language than through pillow talk?!
Don't worry Mark, I´ll see you in BsAs in a month or so- with a little help from a competant Wingman you will be well on your way to full immersion- linguistically I mean of course...
Response: I will be looking forward to it...Mavrick!
Dude, if you can crack the hard nosed Portena's then you are a better man than me!
From
Hello!
Just to send you a big kiss!
Response: Why thank you!
Toda Bong?
Besote
From Elisa
Hi Mark,
I stumbled across you diaires whilst I was looking for inspiration for my own pages. I'm off to Mexico city in a a few weeks, (well its actually 18 days, yipee) and will be going overland to Costa Rica.
Reading what you got up to really made me laugh in places and take notes too. Lake atalan is now a must do.
Its a shame my ear exploded in Dahab otherwise I would have loved to dive in Honduras + belize, but my local sea life centre's underwater walk through tunnel is as close as I will get. :o(
You had an awesome adventure, I just hope I do to.
Thanks for inspiring me, i was feeling a tad scared, but now I just cnat wait to leave grey London far behind.
Cheers
Elisa x
Response: Thanks for the mail. I hope you have as much fun in Central America as I did. The best thing about being on the road is that the adventure never stops, and the worst is I never have enough time to write about it! happy travels - buen viaja.
From Rebekka
hey mark
merry xmas to you, wherever you are. where are you? really sorry for not having written to you in such a long time, but being pregnant, working, finding a new apartment a.s.o ist keeping me very busy. hope you're doing fine?
will try and write to you soon.
take care,
rebekka
Response: Hey everythings cool. Still in Argentina. I managed to find a spot of work and will be staying for a little longer.
From Vixxta
Querido Hemingway
Estoy muy contenta que estas tan feliz en tus viajes.
Me parece fantastico que puedes viajar al otro lado de mundo y todavia es posible comprar vestidos de Gap. Viva la globalizacion!
Escribo en castellano para que el resto de nuestros amigos no tengan celos de que tu hayas recibido un email de mi y ellos no.
Tu sabes quien soy...
un abrazo muy fuerte
Vixen xx
ps. Hola a Esther! Un beso x
Response: Si, yo se quien estas. Que tal?
Gracias por la mensaje. Podes hablar todavia en espanol. Buenisimo. Tal vez, si hablemos en espanol, vas a escribir mas frecuentemente.
besos
Mark
ps Beso a Esther tambien
From Gustavo
seguís en Río? Hoy es el cumpleaños de un amigo. Va a haber asado en una quinta (una casa de campo) y después vamos a jugar un partido de futbol. Yo voy a ser el número 8...con la camiseta de Inglaterra!!
Espero que no me peguen demasiado...
Saludos
Response: me voy a rio en una semana y vuelvo BsAs.
tengo que apprender mas espanol, porque portugese es muy estrano y no entiendo nada!
Te llamo cuando llego
Saludos
From Camila
Hi baby, very beautiful the photos of Ecuador, when are you coming home ( Bs As)
kiss
Cam
Response: Hola Camila,
Yo vuelvo a BsAs en dos semanas. Espero que encontramos pronto.
Chau y besos