Well I survived London....more than survived actually! I loved it! Soooo going back one day. Did everything my legs could manage, my haves being the markets and Greenwich...pretty little river side town. So expensive though, that's why it's a relief to be....
Finally in Bangkok!!. Plane ride not fun. Sat next to a fat old guy for 10 hours straight who insisted on lying on his side, facing me, it felt like he was staring at me all the time. Very creepy. Watched some good movies though so that made up for the 2 hours sleep! Oddly though, now I don't feel tired at all. I am on like a Bangkok high or something.
Hotel is pretty good. I can tell it used to be not very good but awesome about 10 years ago, and they just haven't refurbished. You know what I mean. The rooms nice, HUGE bed and a lovely view over...erm well a building site. Nice.
Apparently there's a pool here, but this place is so big i can't find it. I feel like a pig in mud though, surrounded by about 5 giant shopping malls (i'm talking at least five storey, as big as a regular Aussie block and piled with stores selling anything you can image), little arcades with heaps cheap rip off brand stuff (if you get a Louise Vuitton purse anyone, of course it's real!), the Bangkok fashion week is on about a block away and there are taxis everywhere. So if i get lost i can just hail a cap, pay my $1 AUD and be where i wanna be.
Counting down the seconds though until Nick joins me. Then the real fun can begin.
Before then though, i have a Thai cooking class tomorrow morning so i can cook you all a big feast when i come home and one day of exploring (the malls that is) on friday before Nick is here on Saturday!! YAY.
The Adventurers
Above: Emma the Scot
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
OXFORD AND RHIANNA!
On Wednesday I traveled down from the Lakes District to Oxford. My third cousin Rhianna, who I have been writing letters to for years, was there to meet me. Immediately we got along and we are so much alike. She loves books and reading and noodles! Hehe. She took me out to the best noodle bar I have ever been to.
Unfortunately she had to leave early this morning as she had a uni excursion to Germany to a book fair or something. So today I am just relaxing, doing some washing and nothing else really! She is so nice though because she is letting me stay in her dorm room..free accommodation, bring it on! Tomorrow the madness starts again when I go to London.
Unfortunately she had to leave early this morning as she had a uni excursion to Germany to a book fair or something. So today I am just relaxing, doing some washing and nothing else really! She is so nice though because she is letting me stay in her dorm room..free accommodation, bring it on! Tomorrow the madness starts again when I go to London.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
BEING SPOILT!!
Okay so on Sunday I sadly left Bex and Katy in Edinburgh to travel down into the heart of England's Lake District. There I had arranged to meet up with my late pop's brother and a side of the Edmondson family that I have had nothing to do with other than a few letters. Well. What a reception I have recieved. I have been doted on and spoilt since I arrived, fed the best food, taken to amazing places and to meet a lot of family members I have never heard of, though have immediatly taken a liking to.
Today Trever and his wife Sheila took me on a lake cruise on one of the famous lakes. It was drizzling and cold but I had a ball. I got taken out for lunch and afternoon tea and have had the best conversations. It's like I've known them my whole life.
I will be sad to leave on Wednesday, but it has to be done because a week today I fly to Thailand!!!!!!!!!!!!
Until next time
Love yas
Today Trever and his wife Sheila took me on a lake cruise on one of the famous lakes. It was drizzling and cold but I had a ball. I got taken out for lunch and afternoon tea and have had the best conversations. It's like I've known them my whole life.
I will be sad to leave on Wednesday, but it has to be done because a week today I fly to Thailand!!!!!!!!!!!!
Until next time
Love yas
Friday, October 5, 2007
DAY OUT IN SCOTLAND!!!
Yesterday Bex had a day off work and we decided to go for a drive to the old town of St. Andrews about an hour and a half away. So we set off in Bex' cute little VW and went for a drive in the country. Scotland countryside looks a lot like Australia's...only a whole lot greener and many more little dams/craigs or whatever they call them here!!
Above: The famous first golf course at St. Andrews. When we got there we found out about a European tournament going on, so we weren't allowed to take photos because of the media coverage or something. Still managed to sneak in one or two. To me, it kinda looked like any other golf course...still cool though to be on such a famous one that holds so many international events.
Above: the old cathedral that got burnt down and never rebuilt. Still looks cool though. It was mega huge!!
Above: me being a total tourist, with my backpack and map at the ready. Like my new tops and free jeans?
Above: Bex, Katie (Bex' housemate) and me at house party.
After St Andrews we got back to Bex' flat and cooked fajitas for tea. So yum. Then headed to my first Scottish/English house party at Bex' boyfriend's flat. So much fun and so nice to be able to understand what's going on!! Met some awesome people and had a bit of a dance.
Above: Katie and I enjoying a dance with 100% Scottish flirt-Gordon.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
SPLITTING UP :(
We met Elise in the airport on Monday night. So great, but kinda weird to suddenly be with someone else from home. We made a sign and almost tackled her to the ground when we saw her. She's still the same bubbly Elise. She had a good time on her tour but is glad to have a bit more of a relaxed schedule for the rest of her trip.
Above: Waiting anxiously for Elise to arrive...
The girls and I soaked up the sun on the Barcelona beach on Tuesday, enjoying our last time together and they took me to the airport that night. A quick goodbye as they had to catch the last train back into the city and I had to go and scope out a good place to sleep for the night.
Above: Beach bums.The sleep at the airport was okay...first night alone a bit daunting though. I sneakily set up camp next to two girls about my age who were already asleep, I was like their third traveller for the night. Got a little sleep but time went so slow. Flight was dull and in such a crappy plane, the airconditioning looked like smoke coming out and there were weird noises the whole flight. I suppose that's what ya get for buying the cheapest flight eh? Main thing is I arrived safe and sound.
Bex was there waiting at the bus stop for me in Edinburgh where my airport shuttle dropped me. So good to see her again. She's still the same and we still get on awesomely. Her flat is gorgeous and it is such a luxury to have a bath, pay tv, free net and everyone speaks English (though sometimes a bit hard to understand). I had a walk around when Bex had to go to work and the city is really gorgeous, old buildings, great shopping (i bought a book about London and food from typically English Tesco's) and it really isn't that cold. Like yeah it's colder than Spain but probably about 15 degrees still and not much rain...yet that is!
Tomorrow Bex has the day off so we'll go see some of the sights, maybe go for a drive to see some stuff out of town and just hang out in general. YAY. I love the UK!!
Above: Bex on her birthday we celebrated together in Africa.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Bonnie has had a baby!!!!! Congatulations to Bonnie and Ash who welcomed little Abby into the world on the weekend.
We want to see photos guys...comeon.
Can't wait to meet her.
We want to see photos guys...comeon.
Can't wait to meet her.
Monday, October 1, 2007
STILL HERE!!
Wow, I am so behind. Sorry everyone!
So we survived Ios (just), lots of swimming, sunbathing and fun. After Ios though it was 36 hours of straight travel from Athens on the train to the coast of Greece, on a ferry to the Italian coast and then another train up to the top of Italy to the Cinque Terra coastline. Not very fun at all.
Reminded me so much of Wilsonś Prom for those of you who went in year 9 on the camp. Just rugged coastline and bush except a few differences. The mountains were sort of graded like steps to hold grapevines and orchards and all that and on the coast are 5 small towns all within hiking distance of each other. One day we did a lot of hiking, walking between the town we stayed and the next one. Just such cute little seaside village kind of things. Met some great people there. One of whom was a girl from Brisbane who just loves Thailand and filled me in on everything I should do while Im there, so now im even more excited to get there than I already was!
Then we trained it to Nice in France. Beautiful glamorous seaside town! By now though, after 4 months of travel, im not feeling so glamorous, a lot of my clothes and shoes have worn out and we definitly look like seasoned travellers. In Nice we stayed in a small apartment above a restaurant run by a lovely old French lady. She knew no English but was so adorable and accommodating.
So we survived Ios (just), lots of swimming, sunbathing and fun. After Ios though it was 36 hours of straight travel from Athens on the train to the coast of Greece, on a ferry to the Italian coast and then another train up to the top of Italy to the Cinque Terra coastline. Not very fun at all.
Reminded me so much of Wilsonś Prom for those of you who went in year 9 on the camp. Just rugged coastline and bush except a few differences. The mountains were sort of graded like steps to hold grapevines and orchards and all that and on the coast are 5 small towns all within hiking distance of each other. One day we did a lot of hiking, walking between the town we stayed and the next one. Just such cute little seaside village kind of things. Met some great people there. One of whom was a girl from Brisbane who just loves Thailand and filled me in on everything I should do while Im there, so now im even more excited to get there than I already was!
Then we trained it to Nice in France. Beautiful glamorous seaside town! By now though, after 4 months of travel, im not feeling so glamorous, a lot of my clothes and shoes have worn out and we definitly look like seasoned travellers. In Nice we stayed in a small apartment above a restaurant run by a lovely old French lady. She knew no English but was so adorable and accommodating.
Above: Two beautiful girls we met in Nice, this was up about a billion steps on top of a hill.Travelled north to Dijon (home of Dijon mustard) but on the way in the train and pretty much for two days straight Ash was very sick and vomity. Didn't get up to much in Dijon.
North again to St Malo, on the North West coast, very close to the UK. A really chilled out holiday spot. Lots of tourists but good still. Has a cute old town centre and forts out on little islands in the water. We did a day trip to Mt St Michel, a huge church out on an island about an hour from St Malo. It was so cold though, windy and rainy and ikky. Had to wait a long time for the bus. Next time i take a car!
South again down to a small town called Blois (B-Wah). This was such a grey haired, oldies paradise...no offence Nan. A small compact town filled with cafes and wine shops and the like. We planned to travel out to the country a little to visit a famous Chateau but instead opted for the one in town as it was too cold to be waiting for busses again. The Chateau of Blois was gorgeous, huge and grand and so old. I could so live there.
Above: a totally great sandcastle/map I made in st malo of my favourite country. I miss my creative moments, away from my sewing/craft room! I have to compensate anyway possible.And then the fun began. South again to the border of France and Spain. We met Ashlea's old exchange student Elsa and stayed with her for nights. In those three days and nights we fitted so much in. So much food, meeting people, partying and I went to see a live Salsa band!! It was awesome. Even though i know the basics of salsa i felt like a fish out of water because everyone was so good! Had lotsa people try to teach me but fail, still great though!
And now we are in Barcelona. Tonight we meet Elise at the airport!! So excited about that. Went shopping and bought some musts for England - Spain is cheap! Got some shoes and some jumpers for the cold and rainy weather.
Hope everything is well in Ballarat. Glad to see a Victorian team take the premiership even though i hate Geelong. Keep your emails coming!!
Love Em
Monday, September 10, 2007
SANTORINI!!!
After a 15 hour ferry ride from Athens we arrived on the volcanic island of Santorini. The first thing that hit us was the huge cliffs pertruding from the ocean, absolutely massive! Perched precariously on top of the cliffs are the many famous white buildings and domed roofs that this part of Greece is famous for. Luckily the guy who runs the place we stayed came to get us from the port, otherwise we would have been so lost and facing a huge hike to the town. The drive up the cliff face was a bit scary, zig-zaggy roads with massive busses and semis coming down is a scary site. But we made it and from the top the views were amazing.
Santorini forms one side of a huge underwater volvano, the othersides being other islands further out to sea. If you could imagine it as a ring of islands forming the sides of the volcano with a mound of hot rocks and dirt in the centre, that being the vent for the volcano and in between is a ring of deep caldera, flooded with water. Clear? Hehe, my description is pretty bad so you'll just have to wait for my photos, trust me its beautiful.
The unique thing about Santorini is its black sandy beaches and beautiful sunsets, both of which we've enjoyed mulitiple times in our four nights here. On Friday we did a full day trip which took us on a ferry out to the volcanic centrepiece (which we climbed!! hehe, so much fun looking back but boy it was hot and very hard work getting up there), around the other side of the mound to swim in some hot springs (so nice but I accidentally got a mouthful of the disgusting tasting water...so gross and we came out smelling like rotten eggs, Ashlea's new bathers got stained with the rusty residue of the sulphuric acid...not happy Jan), to the island forming the opposite side of the volcano's wall where we had genuine Greek souvlakis for lunch and enjoyed the beach before heading back to Santorini for the sunset. An exhausting day.
This afternoon (Monday) we catch the ferry to another Cycladic Island called Ios. It has the reputation of a bit of a party island so it will be nice after being totally relaxed.
Got a bit of news about my returning plans as well. I will be coming home after two weeks in beautiful Thailand with Nick on the night of the 5th of November. So mark it in your diaries!!
Santorini forms one side of a huge underwater volvano, the othersides being other islands further out to sea. If you could imagine it as a ring of islands forming the sides of the volcano with a mound of hot rocks and dirt in the centre, that being the vent for the volcano and in between is a ring of deep caldera, flooded with water. Clear? Hehe, my description is pretty bad so you'll just have to wait for my photos, trust me its beautiful.
The unique thing about Santorini is its black sandy beaches and beautiful sunsets, both of which we've enjoyed mulitiple times in our four nights here. On Friday we did a full day trip which took us on a ferry out to the volcanic centrepiece (which we climbed!! hehe, so much fun looking back but boy it was hot and very hard work getting up there), around the other side of the mound to swim in some hot springs (so nice but I accidentally got a mouthful of the disgusting tasting water...so gross and we came out smelling like rotten eggs, Ashlea's new bathers got stained with the rusty residue of the sulphuric acid...not happy Jan), to the island forming the opposite side of the volcano's wall where we had genuine Greek souvlakis for lunch and enjoyed the beach before heading back to Santorini for the sunset. An exhausting day.
This afternoon (Monday) we catch the ferry to another Cycladic Island called Ios. It has the reputation of a bit of a party island so it will be nice after being totally relaxed.
Got a bit of news about my returning plans as well. I will be coming home after two weeks in beautiful Thailand with Nick on the night of the 5th of November. So mark it in your diaries!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
EEK!!
Okay so I would not recommend sleeping in an airport. Did you know that flights come and go ALL night long and that announcements (LOUD announcements) go ALL night long as well? Yep well apparently they do. Also airports don't have comfy beds or pillows...the floor is very hard! Hehe, it was an experience!!
Our flight from Rome to Athens was only 2 hours but because we got to Athens so late (about 1am) we decided it wasn't worth paying for a bed. So we rolled out our sleeping bags, blew up our pillows and camped on the cold tiled floor outside the entrance to the airport chapel. We definitly weren't alone either...people were asleep in every nook and cranny of the airport! Crazy and cool. The sleep was awkard and harldy adequate and we got a friendly wakeup call (kick) from the security guard at 6am.
So we ended up in Athens the city at about 8am, went to the Acropolis early and also visited the shrine of Zues.
Tonight we will surely have another lovely sleep when we have an overnight ferry to Santorini, go the cheapest seats, or rather the deck and no seat! Wish us luck.
Our flight from Rome to Athens was only 2 hours but because we got to Athens so late (about 1am) we decided it wasn't worth paying for a bed. So we rolled out our sleeping bags, blew up our pillows and camped on the cold tiled floor outside the entrance to the airport chapel. We definitly weren't alone either...people were asleep in every nook and cranny of the airport! Crazy and cool. The sleep was awkard and harldy adequate and we got a friendly wakeup call (kick) from the security guard at 6am.
So we ended up in Athens the city at about 8am, went to the Acropolis early and also visited the shrine of Zues.
Tonight we will surely have another lovely sleep when we have an overnight ferry to Santorini, go the cheapest seats, or rather the deck and no seat! Wish us luck.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Ohhh ITALY!!!
Since my last entry I have been in Italy soaking up the sun!!
First we were in Verona, the setting of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. We went to the balcony of Juliet and I joined the tradition of chewing gum, sticking it on the wall with the other thousand blobs of chewy and writing the initials of my lover N.M of course! We went on a day trip to Venice which was only an hour and a half away and got blissfully lost in the labrynth of streets, canals and bridges. It was such a weird and wonderful place.
After Verona it was Florence and we stayed for two nights in a really cool hostel. It was a very social one with a lot of common areas for meeting people and partying. Met two really nice girls, on from Melbourne called Ashlea who is over here on exchange from her uni, the other from New Zealand called Celia who is in her gap year like us and travelling around by herself (how brave!). Just hung around with them for a few days and went to Pisa together. Pisa is a funny little town with its only attraction being, well, the tower! We did all the funny poses with the tower in the background on the grass until the policeman came and told us to get off the grass..so weird not being allowed on grass!
From Florence we stayed three nights at the cutest little Tuscan guesthouse. It was built in like the 1400s and was just the stereotypical old Italian house-vines up the wall, shutters on the windows, vegetable and herb garden we could help ourselves to...so nice! We spent our days lazing by the pool and wandering through the nearby vineyards. One day we took a trip to a small old town on top of a hill called San Germiniano famed for its award winning gelati. Well we had one of course and the chocolate was amazing!
Rome was next and oh my gosh! So hot! We wandered around on the first day and took in a fair number of the sights, the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, old forum ruins, Trevi Fountain and so on. The following day was Vatican City and a sweltering hot day, especially having to cover up legs and arms. Spent ages in the museum taking in the Sistine Chapel and various other awesome artworks and then we walked around the St Peters Basilica and the funny dressed Swiss guards. I sneaked in a photo of them while they werent looking, apparently they dont like photots. The basilica was sooo gorgeous. High painted ceiling, gold latin verses around the architraves, mosaic floors. The third day was my favourite. We found out about an exhibition of a famous fashion house-Valentino. Their exhibition was to showcase the last 45 years of their fashions, amazing amazing stuff. I took so many photos!
Currently were in Naples, home of the infamous Mafia families and quite a gross, dirty city to be entirely honest. The Mafia apparently owns the rubbish collection services and they wouldnt collect garbage until their demands were ment...so the city is filthy and smelly. We havent really looked around much though for that reason, but took a day trip yesterday instead. We went to the ruined city of Pompeii, devastated after the explosion of nearby Mt Vesuvious in something-or-rather BC. The city was so well developed for that time, it was a surprise to see everything so well preserved as well, including a few bodies...gross.
Today we take the train back to Rome in order to fly to Greece late tonight. We will be in Greece for about a week in a half, island hopping and being beach bums. Dont worry though, we arent anywhere near the fires...we ll be okay!
By the way, if anyone has tried to access VTAC to apply for scholarships for next year, please help me, i cant log in and the applications need to be in by October 12th. Bushy??
First we were in Verona, the setting of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. We went to the balcony of Juliet and I joined the tradition of chewing gum, sticking it on the wall with the other thousand blobs of chewy and writing the initials of my lover N.M of course! We went on a day trip to Venice which was only an hour and a half away and got blissfully lost in the labrynth of streets, canals and bridges. It was such a weird and wonderful place.
After Verona it was Florence and we stayed for two nights in a really cool hostel. It was a very social one with a lot of common areas for meeting people and partying. Met two really nice girls, on from Melbourne called Ashlea who is over here on exchange from her uni, the other from New Zealand called Celia who is in her gap year like us and travelling around by herself (how brave!). Just hung around with them for a few days and went to Pisa together. Pisa is a funny little town with its only attraction being, well, the tower! We did all the funny poses with the tower in the background on the grass until the policeman came and told us to get off the grass..so weird not being allowed on grass!
From Florence we stayed three nights at the cutest little Tuscan guesthouse. It was built in like the 1400s and was just the stereotypical old Italian house-vines up the wall, shutters on the windows, vegetable and herb garden we could help ourselves to...so nice! We spent our days lazing by the pool and wandering through the nearby vineyards. One day we took a trip to a small old town on top of a hill called San Germiniano famed for its award winning gelati. Well we had one of course and the chocolate was amazing!
Rome was next and oh my gosh! So hot! We wandered around on the first day and took in a fair number of the sights, the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, old forum ruins, Trevi Fountain and so on. The following day was Vatican City and a sweltering hot day, especially having to cover up legs and arms. Spent ages in the museum taking in the Sistine Chapel and various other awesome artworks and then we walked around the St Peters Basilica and the funny dressed Swiss guards. I sneaked in a photo of them while they werent looking, apparently they dont like photots. The basilica was sooo gorgeous. High painted ceiling, gold latin verses around the architraves, mosaic floors. The third day was my favourite. We found out about an exhibition of a famous fashion house-Valentino. Their exhibition was to showcase the last 45 years of their fashions, amazing amazing stuff. I took so many photos!
Currently were in Naples, home of the infamous Mafia families and quite a gross, dirty city to be entirely honest. The Mafia apparently owns the rubbish collection services and they wouldnt collect garbage until their demands were ment...so the city is filthy and smelly. We havent really looked around much though for that reason, but took a day trip yesterday instead. We went to the ruined city of Pompeii, devastated after the explosion of nearby Mt Vesuvious in something-or-rather BC. The city was so well developed for that time, it was a surprise to see everything so well preserved as well, including a few bodies...gross.
Today we take the train back to Rome in order to fly to Greece late tonight. We will be in Greece for about a week in a half, island hopping and being beach bums. Dont worry though, we arent anywhere near the fires...we ll be okay!
By the way, if anyone has tried to access VTAC to apply for scholarships for next year, please help me, i cant log in and the applications need to be in by October 12th. Bushy??
Saturday, August 25, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!
Hey mama!
You are 50 today, congratulations on reaching this HUUUGGGEEE milestone. hehe.
Have a ball at your party tonight, make people wait on you all day - dad that is - and just enjoy it.
Wish I could be there to help you celebrate
Love you mum
You are 50 today, congratulations on reaching this HUUUGGGEEE milestone. hehe.
Have a ball at your party tonight, make people wait on you all day - dad that is - and just enjoy it.
Wish I could be there to help you celebrate
Love you mum
Monday, August 20, 2007
NOT DEAD!!
Just letting everyone know that we`re okay and just kicking back in the Swiss Alps for a few days before heading to busy Italy on Tuesday.
Internet here is hidiously expensive and will only get worse.
Just know we`re all good, sunning ourselves and eating lotsa spaghetti and gelati!
Enjoy that last few days of winter back in Ballarat...
Internet here is hidiously expensive and will only get worse.
Just know we`re all good, sunning ourselves and eating lotsa spaghetti and gelati!
Enjoy that last few days of winter back in Ballarat...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY...
Ok so everyone will obviously read my awesome entry about Munich, but you need to read the comment at the bottom. Ashlea actually wrote!! Dum Dum Dum Duuuuuuumm.
MUNICH!!!
The last three days have been full on like donkey kong. So much packed in.
First of all we arrived on the 13th in the arvo and poor Ash still felt under the weather so went for a lie down. And...well...what does Emma do when set free in a city? Shop of course! Okay so Munich has this massive outdoor mall with just huge shops, it is located dangerously close to our hostel. Even more dangerous is that Summer is coming to an end and every shop has a sale. Wow, I had to totally restrain myself and you'd all be so proud of me! All I came out with from 3 and a half hours was a pair of really cute €9.99 flat black sandals and a pair of shorty shorts because I cannot handle my flannette pj pants anymore...even though they have cows on them...just too hot. Day one down.
Day two was yesterday and it was a ''dream away and pretend that I'm a princess day''! We took a two hour train south of Munchen to a small town, then a further bus up a hill to Neuschwanstein Castle!! Well everybody at home knows how much I love my Disney movies and i was just in heaven. It was so pretty!! The bad part was the hour wait in line for a ticket to see inside, the half hour climb up the hill and then the two hour wait for our tour of inside to begin. But so worth it! The castle was built in the 1800's by King Ludwig the II of Bavaria and he was apparently a bit of a nutcase. He was obsessed with this other guy Wagner's operas and so every room was based on a different opera, detailed paintings covering the walls, elaborate carvings on furniture and you should have seen the ornate tapestry curtains! At the end of the 17 year construction span, only a third of the castle was actually finished and the King only got to stay there for 6 months before he was deemed mentally unstable and taken away to live in an asylum. Good story huh? So even today the castles interior stands unfinished and so the tour of those 8 rooms or so took only half an hour. But then the drama began. We had only ten minutes to catch the last bus for the day back to town to then catch the last train back to Munich. Now, I don't think I've actually run since PE of year 10 so it was a bit of a struggle, particularly on a downward slope without shoes (as usual mine unsuitable for strenuous activities). Eight minutes and four sore and blackened feet later Ash and I were at the busstop ready to go! Lucky, or we would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere for the night. Nobody told me travel would be so stressful!
That brings us to today. I don't want want to write too much just because there is no way to describe the way I felt but I'll try. We visited Dachau Concentration Camp. It was the most sombre, moving and emotional time I think I have ever had. We spent about 4 hours at the site of over 40,000 murders and countless other brutalities. Just being there, particularly the sites of mass graves of those unknown, the crematorium still covered in a fine ash and the camp's cold damp prison was just indescribable-eery, creepy and weird.
Returning to Munich though was a different scene. It's some public holiday in this state so noone has work and everybody is out about and celebrating. A whole lot of beer drinking going on. We walked to massive Englisher Gardens just to unwind and cool down a bit and it is the coolest park in the whole world i swear! I read somewhere that it is three times as big as New York's Central Park and it has way cooler stuff. Like a water feature on the stream which is a giant wave and there were surfers riding it...just crazy. Apperently it's against the law for anyone to do that and if the police arrive everybody scrams. But how could a surfie resist? Such a hot day and a wave without the hassle of sand or salt water! Other than that it has a nudie sunbaking area, a huge chinese garden and many many beer gardens...only in Germany.
Exactly a month today until Elise leaves Australia for her tour of Europe and then only about 15 days after that until we catch up with her!! So exciting. Everyone wish her luck. Can't wait to see you and party with you Lisey!!!
First of all we arrived on the 13th in the arvo and poor Ash still felt under the weather so went for a lie down. And...well...what does Emma do when set free in a city? Shop of course! Okay so Munich has this massive outdoor mall with just huge shops, it is located dangerously close to our hostel. Even more dangerous is that Summer is coming to an end and every shop has a sale. Wow, I had to totally restrain myself and you'd all be so proud of me! All I came out with from 3 and a half hours was a pair of really cute €9.99 flat black sandals and a pair of shorty shorts because I cannot handle my flannette pj pants anymore...even though they have cows on them...just too hot. Day one down.
Day two was yesterday and it was a ''dream away and pretend that I'm a princess day''! We took a two hour train south of Munchen to a small town, then a further bus up a hill to Neuschwanstein Castle!! Well everybody at home knows how much I love my Disney movies and i was just in heaven. It was so pretty!! The bad part was the hour wait in line for a ticket to see inside, the half hour climb up the hill and then the two hour wait for our tour of inside to begin. But so worth it! The castle was built in the 1800's by King Ludwig the II of Bavaria and he was apparently a bit of a nutcase. He was obsessed with this other guy Wagner's operas and so every room was based on a different opera, detailed paintings covering the walls, elaborate carvings on furniture and you should have seen the ornate tapestry curtains! At the end of the 17 year construction span, only a third of the castle was actually finished and the King only got to stay there for 6 months before he was deemed mentally unstable and taken away to live in an asylum. Good story huh? So even today the castles interior stands unfinished and so the tour of those 8 rooms or so took only half an hour. But then the drama began. We had only ten minutes to catch the last bus for the day back to town to then catch the last train back to Munich. Now, I don't think I've actually run since PE of year 10 so it was a bit of a struggle, particularly on a downward slope without shoes (as usual mine unsuitable for strenuous activities). Eight minutes and four sore and blackened feet later Ash and I were at the busstop ready to go! Lucky, or we would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere for the night. Nobody told me travel would be so stressful!
That brings us to today. I don't want want to write too much just because there is no way to describe the way I felt but I'll try. We visited Dachau Concentration Camp. It was the most sombre, moving and emotional time I think I have ever had. We spent about 4 hours at the site of over 40,000 murders and countless other brutalities. Just being there, particularly the sites of mass graves of those unknown, the crematorium still covered in a fine ash and the camp's cold damp prison was just indescribable-eery, creepy and weird.
Returning to Munich though was a different scene. It's some public holiday in this state so noone has work and everybody is out about and celebrating. A whole lot of beer drinking going on. We walked to massive Englisher Gardens just to unwind and cool down a bit and it is the coolest park in the whole world i swear! I read somewhere that it is three times as big as New York's Central Park and it has way cooler stuff. Like a water feature on the stream which is a giant wave and there were surfers riding it...just crazy. Apperently it's against the law for anyone to do that and if the police arrive everybody scrams. But how could a surfie resist? Such a hot day and a wave without the hassle of sand or salt water! Other than that it has a nudie sunbaking area, a huge chinese garden and many many beer gardens...only in Germany.
Exactly a month today until Elise leaves Australia for her tour of Europe and then only about 15 days after that until we catch up with her!! So exciting. Everyone wish her luck. Can't wait to see you and party with you Lisey!!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
AUSTRIA!!!
Since the 8th of this month we have been in my favourite country by far (so far that is...so many to go) Austria! It is even more beautiful than Prague was and a bit neater and less bums. So many bums in Europe.
Anyway, our first two nights were spent in Vienna and it is just gorgeous. Everyone who keeps up with Sarah's blog will have seen the photos but the photos don't do it any justice at all. Our hostel was a half hour walk from the old town centre and everyday we'd be walking down the shopping strip, modern buildings and shops and then suddenly the old buildings start. They just go on forever, are so huge and ornate and just gorgeous. All museums, concert halls, universities and basically anything that you would imagine in such a cultural area like Austria. I am definitly coming back when i have a higher budget to go to the opera and actually go inside the museums and stuff rather than gawk from the outside. Both nights we tried to go and see an opera at the huge outdoor theatre that they have set up for free, but one night it pelted down rain and we left before it started and the second we didn't even get there because there was a thunderstorm! Such bad luck!
After that we had three nights in Salzburg. Any dedicated Sound of Music fans would have been in absolute heaven. It's where the film was shot and the entire town is full of locations from the movie, Mirabell Gardens, the Convent, just everything. One day we watched the movie and then we did the Sound of Music bus tour which takes you out of town to the lake district, such beautiful big mountains and cute towns and...it was just so cute! We saw the church and the Von Trapp House and all this other stuff. It was funny on the tour though because it was a huge bus of tourists, every nationality imaginable and yet everybody sand along together. ''Doh, a deer a female deer....''
So that was one thing we did in Salzburg another was one night, me and Ash went out with two boys from Vienna who were having a short vacation. WELL they said that they were best friends and one even had a girlfriend but they were so gay! One was a model and just seemed so girly and not even hiding his gayish tendencies. In the bar we went to they were dancing with us one minute and the next they'd be dancing very provokatively with each other. Well it was just the most fun I've had on this trip, I have not laughed that much at one time in the last two months. So much fun. After the clubs, they tried to be all gentlemenly with us, gave us their jackets and we walked arm in arm along the river. And then (this part just made my night) one of them danced the Viennese Waltz with me on the bank of the river. It was so fun! I danced the Viennese Waltz with a guy from Vienna. Well I'm excited even if you aren't.
We're paying for the late night now though. Ash has swollen glands, sore throat and a terrible ear ache and I am just beginning to get the sore throat. Great.
We are in Munich now for four, maybe five nights. So many daytrips and stuff planned...hope we feel better soon!
Anyway, our first two nights were spent in Vienna and it is just gorgeous. Everyone who keeps up with Sarah's blog will have seen the photos but the photos don't do it any justice at all. Our hostel was a half hour walk from the old town centre and everyday we'd be walking down the shopping strip, modern buildings and shops and then suddenly the old buildings start. They just go on forever, are so huge and ornate and just gorgeous. All museums, concert halls, universities and basically anything that you would imagine in such a cultural area like Austria. I am definitly coming back when i have a higher budget to go to the opera and actually go inside the museums and stuff rather than gawk from the outside. Both nights we tried to go and see an opera at the huge outdoor theatre that they have set up for free, but one night it pelted down rain and we left before it started and the second we didn't even get there because there was a thunderstorm! Such bad luck!
After that we had three nights in Salzburg. Any dedicated Sound of Music fans would have been in absolute heaven. It's where the film was shot and the entire town is full of locations from the movie, Mirabell Gardens, the Convent, just everything. One day we watched the movie and then we did the Sound of Music bus tour which takes you out of town to the lake district, such beautiful big mountains and cute towns and...it was just so cute! We saw the church and the Von Trapp House and all this other stuff. It was funny on the tour though because it was a huge bus of tourists, every nationality imaginable and yet everybody sand along together. ''Doh, a deer a female deer....''
So that was one thing we did in Salzburg another was one night, me and Ash went out with two boys from Vienna who were having a short vacation. WELL they said that they were best friends and one even had a girlfriend but they were so gay! One was a model and just seemed so girly and not even hiding his gayish tendencies. In the bar we went to they were dancing with us one minute and the next they'd be dancing very provokatively with each other. Well it was just the most fun I've had on this trip, I have not laughed that much at one time in the last two months. So much fun. After the clubs, they tried to be all gentlemenly with us, gave us their jackets and we walked arm in arm along the river. And then (this part just made my night) one of them danced the Viennese Waltz with me on the bank of the river. It was so fun! I danced the Viennese Waltz with a guy from Vienna. Well I'm excited even if you aren't.
We're paying for the late night now though. Ash has swollen glands, sore throat and a terrible ear ache and I am just beginning to get the sore throat. Great.
We are in Munich now for four, maybe five nights. So many daytrips and stuff planned...hope we feel better soon!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A SPECIAL DAY!!
Today is mine and Nick's one whole year together!!
I miss you alot Nick and can't wait to see you in Thailand in 2 months and 12 days (and no I'm not that excited that I'm counting or anything...hehe no way), it's going to be the best fun ever - the beach, sun, shopping and just us.
Hugs and kisses and I wish we were actually together on our anniversary. Kinda sucks being in a whole different hemisphere to you.
LOVE YOU SO MUCH BABE!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
KUTNA HORA!
Okay well as I said yesterday we had planned to catch the train to the small town of Kutna Hora about an hour away from Prague. It's the home of the famous bone church and everything like that.
It started off really well, we met a girl from New York (Sherrie) who wanted to come, so it was nice to have some different company.
We hopped on the crowded bus to get from the hostel to the train station and Ash got sandwiched between two older guys, they got off at the next stop though so there was a bit more room. Then it was our stop and as soon as we got off Ash realised her backpack had been zipped open-her wallet missing! Can you believe people would sink that low? So about 80 Euro, her credit card, debit card, ID...stuff like that. After Ash rang her mum to cancel crads and stuff we decided to go straight to the police to make a report so that insurance could be claimed for the money. Police stations in Prague are so hard to come by! And nobody actually knows where they are, we asked so many people. We went to the police vehicle depot and the immigration police before we found the ordinary police station...crazy. The police even told Ash off for not concealing her valuables...in her backpack...can it get any more concealed than that?! Yeah so that was an interesting detour to our trip!
Anyway, we didn't end our day trip there, we did still go to Kutna Hora. The bone chapel thing was really freaky. Like it wasn't even all that big, considering the remaines of 40,000 people were on display. It was all pretty creative really...in each of the 4 corners was a big stack of bones, like a massive massive stack, in the centre was a huge chandelier of bones and a coat of arms on one of that walls. They even went to the lengths of making crucifixes and urns out of bones as well. It was a really creepy feeling to be in there too...like it was 32 degrees outside but chilly inside. Wait to see that pictures, it really is unbelievable til you see it!
It started off really well, we met a girl from New York (Sherrie) who wanted to come, so it was nice to have some different company.
We hopped on the crowded bus to get from the hostel to the train station and Ash got sandwiched between two older guys, they got off at the next stop though so there was a bit more room. Then it was our stop and as soon as we got off Ash realised her backpack had been zipped open-her wallet missing! Can you believe people would sink that low? So about 80 Euro, her credit card, debit card, ID...stuff like that. After Ash rang her mum to cancel crads and stuff we decided to go straight to the police to make a report so that insurance could be claimed for the money. Police stations in Prague are so hard to come by! And nobody actually knows where they are, we asked so many people. We went to the police vehicle depot and the immigration police before we found the ordinary police station...crazy. The police even told Ash off for not concealing her valuables...in her backpack...can it get any more concealed than that?! Yeah so that was an interesting detour to our trip!
Anyway, we didn't end our day trip there, we did still go to Kutna Hora. The bone chapel thing was really freaky. Like it wasn't even all that big, considering the remaines of 40,000 people were on display. It was all pretty creative really...in each of the 4 corners was a big stack of bones, like a massive massive stack, in the centre was a huge chandelier of bones and a coat of arms on one of that walls. They even went to the lengths of making crucifixes and urns out of bones as well. It was a really creepy feeling to be in there too...like it was 32 degrees outside but chilly inside. Wait to see that pictures, it really is unbelievable til you see it!
Above: The crazy chandeliern of skulls, and femurs, and tibulas, and fibulas...
From there we hiked into the main town centre, chilled out and i got pancakes with chocolate icecream for lunch...yummo. Went up to another massive cathedral on a big hill which was also really cool. It reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, it was so ornate and pretty. The ceilings were so high and the stained glass windows were really detailed. Yeah it was a really good day other than the theft!
Above: here is us with the beautful view of the town behind us. It was so pwetty. See our tans starting to develop?
Well less than a month of crazy winter for you guys in Ballarat..so cheer up! Miss you all a lot!
Monday, August 6, 2007
PRAGUE!!!
Oh my gosh...okay so Prague is absolutely bloody beautiful! This is the most breathtaking city since Paris. Yeah it has all of the ordinary churches, town halls, museums like every other city, and I don't even know what it is but it just has something different. It's just such a cool feeling that I get walking though the streets, like I'm a part of history or something!
We've been here for two nights so far and it theres really no other way to describe the good feeling, 'its just the vibe of the whole thing.' Yesterday we walked the streets of the old part of town, on one side of the river-the massive fort with two huge churches in it and the old palace, which is today an opera hall and museums. This city is very cheap too! Accommodation is only 12 euro so we have a lot spare for chocolate and all the good stuff. We treated ourselves to a museum while at the castle and get this..it was the Toy Museum! So cool. And at the moment it has a special exhibition of Barbie through her life. At home I have this history of the Barbie book, and sounds a bit childish and girly but it was so fun seeing them in the flesh!
We've been here for two nights so far and it theres really no other way to describe the good feeling, 'its just the vibe of the whole thing.' Yesterday we walked the streets of the old part of town, on one side of the river-the massive fort with two huge churches in it and the old palace, which is today an opera hall and museums. This city is very cheap too! Accommodation is only 12 euro so we have a lot spare for chocolate and all the good stuff. We treated ourselves to a museum while at the castle and get this..it was the Toy Museum! So cool. And at the moment it has a special exhibition of Barbie through her life. At home I have this history of the Barbie book, and sounds a bit childish and girly but it was so fun seeing them in the flesh!
Above: this is one of the giant cathedrals inside the palace complex.
Above: as you all know, and i admit it freely, yes i love Michael Jackson and here is his Barbie! how cool.We've only just scratched the surface of the place. A whole other side to do tomorrow but today, we're going on a daytrip to the small town that has a massive church built of bones...creepy but cool.
Friday, August 3, 2007
BERLIN!
This place is very cool! We have just been go go go for the past three days, taking is as much history and culture and awesome Kebabs (Berlin is the second largest centre for Turkish people other than Istanbul) as humanly possible.
Yesterday we did a free walking tour of the city and I totally recommend it to anyone who visits here. The tourguide was so passionate about the city and about the history and the 5 hours of walking around went by so fast. I really had no idea of the history of the Berlin Wall and now that I do it is just remarkable that it happened, and not even that long ago! So we saw the Reichstag (the parliamentary building that Hitler may or may not have burnt down to gain full power in the 30's), Brandenburg's Gate with the famous peace/war lady on top, saw the site where Hitler's bunker (site of his suicide) used to be, a part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing and learnt of the amazing escape efforts of East Berliners at Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
One story that amazed me and kinda made me laugh was about one couple that got separated when the wall went up. The gentleman found a new girlfriend on his side that looked like his wife who was stuck in the East, unable to get out. He convinced his girlfriend to go on a day trip with him to 'the other side' and swapped themover - giving his wife the girlfriend's passport and visa and everything. Very cunning but he got caught and thrown in jail unfortunately.
We went up into the Reichstag building today and the dome from the inside is so cool! All mirrors and glassy and very impressive. A very good view of the city from the top too.
Tomorrow we travel to another German city - Leipzig, stay tuned.
Yesterday we did a free walking tour of the city and I totally recommend it to anyone who visits here. The tourguide was so passionate about the city and about the history and the 5 hours of walking around went by so fast. I really had no idea of the history of the Berlin Wall and now that I do it is just remarkable that it happened, and not even that long ago! So we saw the Reichstag (the parliamentary building that Hitler may or may not have burnt down to gain full power in the 30's), Brandenburg's Gate with the famous peace/war lady on top, saw the site where Hitler's bunker (site of his suicide) used to be, a part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing and learnt of the amazing escape efforts of East Berliners at Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
One story that amazed me and kinda made me laugh was about one couple that got separated when the wall went up. The gentleman found a new girlfriend on his side that looked like his wife who was stuck in the East, unable to get out. He convinced his girlfriend to go on a day trip with him to 'the other side' and swapped themover - giving his wife the girlfriend's passport and visa and everything. Very cunning but he got caught and thrown in jail unfortunately.
We went up into the Reichstag building today and the dome from the inside is so cool! All mirrors and glassy and very impressive. A very good view of the city from the top too.
Tomorrow we travel to another German city - Leipzig, stay tuned.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
HOMELY COMFITS!
Am at the moment relaxing in one of the nicest houses I've ever been to in my life. It's got 2 storeys and a basement, connected by a spiral staircase! It is just so nice to be in a real house again...have a tv right there and not actually have to travel on the next day.
We're staying with Ashlea's old host family who she stayed with for a year way back when. They are just so nice and accommodating. You should see the food! In Germany their main meal is lunch, so it's a huge family affair, everyone meets and eats and eats and eats...then eats some more. Today we had beef strogonoff and strawberries with custard for dessert. I'm in heaven.
To be honest it is my quietest time this whole trip because everyone is speaking German and I really have no idea what's going on most of the time, but it's still cool. I catch onto the occassional word...
Yeah so we're just chilling out here for about 5 nights, doing washing and all the boring stuff. Already in two days we have watched two movies and about a whole season of The OC. More TV to come.
On Tuesday it all begins again when we have a long train ride to Berlin. From now on I don't think I'll get homesick as we'll be on the go constantly. We have two months of our train passes left and still have to do Germany, Prague, Vienna, Switzerland, Italy, Greece..and get to France in good time to see a bit of Spain, visit Elsa (Ashlea's French exchange student) and get to England before time runs out! Wish us luck!!
We're staying with Ashlea's old host family who she stayed with for a year way back when. They are just so nice and accommodating. You should see the food! In Germany their main meal is lunch, so it's a huge family affair, everyone meets and eats and eats and eats...then eats some more. Today we had beef strogonoff and strawberries with custard for dessert. I'm in heaven.
To be honest it is my quietest time this whole trip because everyone is speaking German and I really have no idea what's going on most of the time, but it's still cool. I catch onto the occassional word...
Yeah so we're just chilling out here for about 5 nights, doing washing and all the boring stuff. Already in two days we have watched two movies and about a whole season of The OC. More TV to come.
On Tuesday it all begins again when we have a long train ride to Berlin. From now on I don't think I'll get homesick as we'll be on the go constantly. We have two months of our train passes left and still have to do Germany, Prague, Vienna, Switzerland, Italy, Greece..and get to France in good time to see a bit of Spain, visit Elsa (Ashlea's French exchange student) and get to England before time runs out! Wish us luck!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
AMSTERDAM!!
Amsterdam is cool as. Man this city is so alive and pumping. I so had an idea in my head that it would just be hippies and everyone smoking everywhere and yeah there are a lot of smokers but everyone is so nice and friendly and wanting to chat.
The places we've stayed lately have had a lot of old people and families and people not really wanting to get to know each other and get on but here is different. We met two awesome German girls who are on a push biking holiday through Holland (crazy i think) but they were so nice! We spent ages talking to them and swapped addresses and they were just awesome. It was funny because one was quite loud and talkative (like Ash) and the other was quiet and a bit reserved but really nice (like me) and GET THIS...next year she is studying costume design and loves sewing. Just crazy.
Anyway this city is so pretty and very cool...we even went to the Sex Museum which was a bit of an experience! The Red Light District is crazy.
This is like the ultimate destination for a stag night! It's crazy
The places we've stayed lately have had a lot of old people and families and people not really wanting to get to know each other and get on but here is different. We met two awesome German girls who are on a push biking holiday through Holland (crazy i think) but they were so nice! We spent ages talking to them and swapped addresses and they were just awesome. It was funny because one was quite loud and talkative (like Ash) and the other was quiet and a bit reserved but really nice (like me) and GET THIS...next year she is studying costume design and loves sewing. Just crazy.
Anyway this city is so pretty and very cool...we even went to the Sex Museum which was a bit of an experience! The Red Light District is crazy.
This is like the ultimate destination for a stag night! It's crazy
Monday, July 23, 2007
FLENSBURG TO DEN HAGUE!!!
We got to Flensburg at 11pm and the youth hostel had run out of beds : (
So we were forced to stay in an awesome luxury hotel for the night! It had real beds with springs...not just foam like we've had for what seems like forrrreeeevvvveerrrr... and I even got to have my first bath since I've been away! It really was luxury.
The day after our wonderful sleep we walked around the cute German town of Flensburg. It had a really nice harbour and we sat for hours in the sun just reading and listening to music while watching the sail boats and catamorans go in and out. Really relaxing. Germany seems to have a really laid back and friendly vibe to it. I found Scandinavia a bit uptight but Germany has a nice feeling about it.
Then late that night we hopped on a night train to Den Hague, The Netherlands which is where I am for tonight and tomorrow night. It is the home to the Dutch Royal family and parliament and is sort of a bit like Canberra. A bit bigger, busier and more exciting mind you!
Just now Ash and I walked to the supermarket to get food and we walked by a huge stage and cool African music. I think it's a cultural festival or something. Holland is beautiful.
So we were forced to stay in an awesome luxury hotel for the night! It had real beds with springs...not just foam like we've had for what seems like forrrreeeevvvveerrrr... and I even got to have my first bath since I've been away! It really was luxury.
The day after our wonderful sleep we walked around the cute German town of Flensburg. It had a really nice harbour and we sat for hours in the sun just reading and listening to music while watching the sail boats and catamorans go in and out. Really relaxing. Germany seems to have a really laid back and friendly vibe to it. I found Scandinavia a bit uptight but Germany has a nice feeling about it.
Then late that night we hopped on a night train to Den Hague, The Netherlands which is where I am for tonight and tomorrow night. It is the home to the Dutch Royal family and parliament and is sort of a bit like Canberra. A bit bigger, busier and more exciting mind you!
Just now Ash and I walked to the supermarket to get food and we walked by a huge stage and cool African music. I think it's a cultural festival or something. Holland is beautiful.
Friday, July 20, 2007
SHAME SHAME SHAME!!
Shame on you people at home thinking too much of my innocent comment about a certain South American backpacker. Shame. Maybe he was cute but guess who I have at home? My Nick is just perfect for me and I love him to bits, if he dances salsa or not.
Anyway! I am in the south of Sweden at the moment in Malmo at a town which we didn't originally plan to go to. There's a story. Well...yesterday we were booked in for two long haul trains, Bergen to Oslo, Oslo to Gothemburg (Sweden). The first train fell an hour behind and so we missed our second. We had two options...1. try and sleep at the train station and catch the earliest train possible (we would have got kicked out of train station at 12) or 2. go on another train, an overnight train to somewhere else. So we took option 2 and ended up in Malmo!
Its a quirky little town on the beach...smelly disgusting beach mind you, but still a beach...its very arty and has lots of second hand shops and stuff...my kind of place.
Our plan from here though is to catch a train tonight to Northern Germany-Flemsbourg it is where Ash spent a month getting used to Germany on her exchange. So there for a night and then train to a place called Den Hague in The Netherlands, its only an hour out of Amsterdam so it will be a quick journey to get there...none of this overnight train crap! You get a bit over sitting on your bum for 12 hours at a time!!
From Amsterdam we have a week of just chilling out in Germany with Ashlea's host family...it will be so nice, home cooked meals and a mum to take care of us again...hehe
Well keep your emails and replies flowing...ur doing well!
Anyway! I am in the south of Sweden at the moment in Malmo at a town which we didn't originally plan to go to. There's a story. Well...yesterday we were booked in for two long haul trains, Bergen to Oslo, Oslo to Gothemburg (Sweden). The first train fell an hour behind and so we missed our second. We had two options...1. try and sleep at the train station and catch the earliest train possible (we would have got kicked out of train station at 12) or 2. go on another train, an overnight train to somewhere else. So we took option 2 and ended up in Malmo!
Its a quirky little town on the beach...smelly disgusting beach mind you, but still a beach...its very arty and has lots of second hand shops and stuff...my kind of place.
Our plan from here though is to catch a train tonight to Northern Germany-Flemsbourg it is where Ash spent a month getting used to Germany on her exchange. So there for a night and then train to a place called Den Hague in The Netherlands, its only an hour out of Amsterdam so it will be a quick journey to get there...none of this overnight train crap! You get a bit over sitting on your bum for 12 hours at a time!!
From Amsterdam we have a week of just chilling out in Germany with Ashlea's host family...it will be so nice, home cooked meals and a mum to take care of us again...hehe
Well keep your emails and replies flowing...ur doing well!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
SWEDEN AND NORWAY!!
Okay so my first impressions of Scandinavia from Copenhagen turned out to be totally wrong. The moment I stepped off the train in Stockholm I just felt like I belonged...so many cool shops, groovy sites and just a really good vibe to the place. My highlight of this trip so far has been our one night stopover at a small town called Ostersund at the top of Sweden on a huge massive lake.
It was the cutest little town, with a small port and cobblestone streets and everything. We hadn't made a booking for a place to stay so we just rocked up and immediately a nice old guy called around places for us. We ended up in a private double room with our own bathroom (very very rare on our budget) and as it was so cheap we could even afford to eat porkchops and have a drink at the pub...rather than our usual breadroll and water. So that was rather cool. Then when it was night we got all dressed up, did our hair nice and everything (also very very rare) to hit the clubs. Well no clubs (even though it was saturday night) so we just walked around in the nice weather until we met some really friendly people, also travelers and went to where they were staying. It was fun, we just talked about travels and they were from everywhere...Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain and even South America (he was a salsa dancer).
And the weather was actually decent!
After that we took a very long train down to Oslo and have been out in Oslo today in mini skirts and singlets...we even SUNBAKED in the park. Unbelievable.
Tomorrow we head to a coastal town called Bergen which has cut in fjords and apparently a lot of rain. It's my buddy Hamish's favourite haunt in Norway so it must be good!
It was the cutest little town, with a small port and cobblestone streets and everything. We hadn't made a booking for a place to stay so we just rocked up and immediately a nice old guy called around places for us. We ended up in a private double room with our own bathroom (very very rare on our budget) and as it was so cheap we could even afford to eat porkchops and have a drink at the pub...rather than our usual breadroll and water. So that was rather cool. Then when it was night we got all dressed up, did our hair nice and everything (also very very rare) to hit the clubs. Well no clubs (even though it was saturday night) so we just walked around in the nice weather until we met some really friendly people, also travelers and went to where they were staying. It was fun, we just talked about travels and they were from everywhere...Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain and even South America (he was a salsa dancer).
And the weather was actually decent!
After that we took a very long train down to Oslo and have been out in Oslo today in mini skirts and singlets...we even SUNBAKED in the park. Unbelievable.
Tomorrow we head to a coastal town called Bergen which has cut in fjords and apparently a lot of rain. It's my buddy Hamish's favourite haunt in Norway so it must be good!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!
Okay so my Dad today is officially an old fart...has turned the big 50 so congratulation Daddy, love you lots and I hope that I can get to a payphone to call you but if not my thoughts are with you and I hope you have a really great day.
Well Ash and I are in Copenhagen in Denmark and to be honest we aren't overly impressed. We were expecting you know, the usual beautiful old buildings, churches, cafes...everything we've had in the other cities we've been to. And well it's a bit ugly and kinda has no personality. There is a lot of 'alternative' people and theres a lot of harbours and that for sailing but if your not into that, there really isn't much.
Our first impression of an overnight train was a bit dodge too. We started in Bruges and got a train to Brussels where the overnight train to Hamburg, Germany began. Got on...very very cramped. In about a 1.5 x 2m little box, there were 6 of us all facing each other. So you had to fight for leg room, the seats didn't recline...yeah so not much sleep on that one. Got to Hamburg to have to wait for hours due to a German rail workers strike! Not much luck that day. When we finally were allowed to board our train to Copenhagen it was about 3 hrs late so we arrived much later in the day. But the people in our carriage were fun and we were all in the same boat...having waited for hours so it was all ok.
The weather is very ordinary. Today while exploring the city we got rained on pretty much the whole time and its wet and a bit miserable. Bearable but a bit like Ballarat weather at the moment. ITS MEANT TO BE SUMMER! lol
Tomorrow we catch the train to Stockholm, Sweden to spend 2 nights there. Hope its a bit more interesting than here.
Love you all and I'd love if you could keep me in touch with some local news and stuff..the only Aussie news I've heard is that a lady in Melbourne almost died due to a bikini wax..how odd.
Well Ash and I are in Copenhagen in Denmark and to be honest we aren't overly impressed. We were expecting you know, the usual beautiful old buildings, churches, cafes...everything we've had in the other cities we've been to. And well it's a bit ugly and kinda has no personality. There is a lot of 'alternative' people and theres a lot of harbours and that for sailing but if your not into that, there really isn't much.
Our first impression of an overnight train was a bit dodge too. We started in Bruges and got a train to Brussels where the overnight train to Hamburg, Germany began. Got on...very very cramped. In about a 1.5 x 2m little box, there were 6 of us all facing each other. So you had to fight for leg room, the seats didn't recline...yeah so not much sleep on that one. Got to Hamburg to have to wait for hours due to a German rail workers strike! Not much luck that day. When we finally were allowed to board our train to Copenhagen it was about 3 hrs late so we arrived much later in the day. But the people in our carriage were fun and we were all in the same boat...having waited for hours so it was all ok.
The weather is very ordinary. Today while exploring the city we got rained on pretty much the whole time and its wet and a bit miserable. Bearable but a bit like Ballarat weather at the moment. ITS MEANT TO BE SUMMER! lol
Tomorrow we catch the train to Stockholm, Sweden to spend 2 nights there. Hope its a bit more interesting than here.
Love you all and I'd love if you could keep me in touch with some local news and stuff..the only Aussie news I've heard is that a lady in Melbourne almost died due to a bikini wax..how odd.
Monday, July 9, 2007
BRUSSELS AND BRUGES IN BELGIUM!!!
Okay...Brussels was so nice...big old churches...huge monument to molecular science called The Atonium (what the)...great kebab shop
Yeah you guys all know I love my kebabs and these were the best I've ever tasted, packed full and so yummy..reasonably priced too which helps...they also gave us free lollipops because we came back the next day.
We trained it to Bruges today which is about an hour out of Brussels and is a young hip town, lots of romantic little canals and parks to sit and ponder...its actually warm and sunny for a change. Haven't been able to wear shorts since Paris so it was really nice today.
We have decided to go from here straight to Denmark to do the top Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway) and then back down to Holland and down again through Germany to the cheap, hot and lovely Greece, Italy and Spain!! Can't wait for the sun and the beach. Very yummy.
Hopefully everyone should recieve their postcards soon...if not something is wrong with African post.
Well keep emailing me, wanna keep up with all the news and goss.
Love Em
Yeah you guys all know I love my kebabs and these were the best I've ever tasted, packed full and so yummy..reasonably priced too which helps...they also gave us free lollipops because we came back the next day.
We trained it to Bruges today which is about an hour out of Brussels and is a young hip town, lots of romantic little canals and parks to sit and ponder...its actually warm and sunny for a change. Haven't been able to wear shorts since Paris so it was really nice today.
We have decided to go from here straight to Denmark to do the top Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway) and then back down to Holland and down again through Germany to the cheap, hot and lovely Greece, Italy and Spain!! Can't wait for the sun and the beach. Very yummy.
Hopefully everyone should recieve their postcards soon...if not something is wrong with African post.
Well keep emailing me, wanna keep up with all the news and goss.
Love Em
Thursday, July 5, 2007
LUXENBOURG!!
Our Eurail passes give us free rides all over Europe in the countries that we chose. The train ride yesterday from Paris to here was so luxurious and comfy..may have nodded off a few times, thats how nice it was.
We walked three kms to our youth hostel from the station. Took ages and was very tiring and hard, up and hown hills and stairs, you name it. The hostel is very big and new. Kinda lacking in people our age to talk to though as most people are actually old or part of a primary school camp group. So yeah, hostel good, but no atmosphere.
Ash is having a good birthday today and thanks everyone for the well wishes and virtual hugs emailed to her. We're trying to scrimp on our budgets today to be able to afford tea and a cocktail out somewhere nice. Luxembourg food is just as expensive as Paris with even a simple pasta costing around 25AUD..drinks even more. Oh my gosh, I had a quarter pounder meal the other day and it was 8 EURO, u need to double that to get to aussie, unbeleiveable.
A phtot through a window of some beautiful European diamond jewellery. Hint hint everyone, heheSo I have worked out the photo thing and hope to add a few to previous posts each time I come on, so keep looking down the pageat previous posts.
Still having a great time, missing everyone.
PARIS
OMG Paris is absolutely amazingly beautiful! Had a fabulous 4 days exploring the many sites and just chilling out in the City of luuuuuurve.
Saw all the touristy things...climbed the Eiffel Tower, did the Louvre, sunbaked in Versaille, walked around and round the sex district looking for Moulin Rouge (eventually found it), Sacre Couer everything! Am trying very hard to put a photo of me on here but computers here are kinda in German or something and I don`t understand them! We`ll see how I go.
I also ate a snail the night Ashes family took us out for tea for her birthday...see photo. It was very chewy, only tasted like the garlic sauce it was in, but i did get a crunchy bit which was very very offputting!!
Today Ash and I caught the train to Luxembourg and have only arrived about 30minutes ago. First impressions are very good, the hostel is very huge and modern, internet still expensive. Its Ashleas bday tomorrow so we`re going to do something special.
Also a big shout out to my Daddy back in Ballarat who turns the big 50 on the 12th of this month. Love you Daddy...wish I was there to give you a big hug.
Ok Î`ll post again soon.
Love yas
Sunday, July 1, 2007
A DELAY
Okay...so for those of you who haven't heard, I may have been a bit of a ditz and lost my passport temporarily in Africa. Yep, stuck in Tanzania, having to leave the tour group and making Ash come along with me (of course).
It was so scary at the beginning when I realised it was missing...just packing for the final day's driving to the Kenya border and it wasn't where I left it. After a massive panic and maybe a bit of a cry (being stuck in Africa not my ideal lifestyle choice) we sort of sat down and went back over where I'd last had it out and everything. Our awesome tourguide Sami called the place that I thought to ask if they'd found anything-no luck. This was quite late at night and we were to be leaving early in the morning. We were thinking up plans to sneak me over the border to the Australian Embassy but then decided to take the safer option and report it missing to the police. Early in the morning the next day Sharon (Ashlea's Mum), Sami and I went to the police station to make a report but Sami thought he'd try the place one more time. This time they found it...totally unknown why they couldn't find it the night before.
They lady was really nice and helpful, being an Aussie helped as well I think. She organised for it to be flown up with an African postal service that afternoon. We said our goodbyes to everyone on the truck and were for the first time alone without anyone to guide us. We had to cancel our flights that were supposed to be for that night, book accommodation and find cheap food. African time being African time the passport's departure was delayed to the night, then to the morning and then later in the morning. Eventually (about 15 minutes before Ash and I were going to give up and cancel our flights once again) it arrived and we were on our way.
SO at this present moment I am sitting in an internet cafe below my apartment (yep APARTMENT) in Paris. I am so tired as it is 9.27pm now and I have been awake since 7am yesterday...planes are so uncomfy to sleep in!
Today we went to the Eiffel Tower, up on the lift and down on the stairs, to Arc de Triumph, to some famous shopping strip um...Elyees Mt Parness or something....WOW GUYS, round and round and round and round on the underground rail networks and yeah, can't wait for bed. But this city is so beautiful and romantic, it really is...couples everywhere.
What an adventure!
It was so scary at the beginning when I realised it was missing...just packing for the final day's driving to the Kenya border and it wasn't where I left it. After a massive panic and maybe a bit of a cry (being stuck in Africa not my ideal lifestyle choice) we sort of sat down and went back over where I'd last had it out and everything. Our awesome tourguide Sami called the place that I thought to ask if they'd found anything-no luck. This was quite late at night and we were to be leaving early in the morning. We were thinking up plans to sneak me over the border to the Australian Embassy but then decided to take the safer option and report it missing to the police. Early in the morning the next day Sharon (Ashlea's Mum), Sami and I went to the police station to make a report but Sami thought he'd try the place one more time. This time they found it...totally unknown why they couldn't find it the night before.
They lady was really nice and helpful, being an Aussie helped as well I think. She organised for it to be flown up with an African postal service that afternoon. We said our goodbyes to everyone on the truck and were for the first time alone without anyone to guide us. We had to cancel our flights that were supposed to be for that night, book accommodation and find cheap food. African time being African time the passport's departure was delayed to the night, then to the morning and then later in the morning. Eventually (about 15 minutes before Ash and I were going to give up and cancel our flights once again) it arrived and we were on our way.
SO at this present moment I am sitting in an internet cafe below my apartment (yep APARTMENT) in Paris. I am so tired as it is 9.27pm now and I have been awake since 7am yesterday...planes are so uncomfy to sleep in!
Today we went to the Eiffel Tower, up on the lift and down on the stairs, to Arc de Triumph, to some famous shopping strip um...Elyees Mt Parness or something....WOW GUYS, round and round and round and round on the underground rail networks and yeah, can't wait for bed. But this city is so beautiful and romantic, it really is...couples everywhere.
What an adventure!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
AFRICA ALMOST OVER
My African trip draws to a close tomorrow with my final drive to Nairobi. Then it's Paris!!!!!!! I am just a tad excited to go back into civilisation and eat some Maccas...am craving a Quarter Pounder for some reason, hmmm.
Africa has been everything I imagined, dusty, dirty an smelly but so much has happened that I didn't expect. Have made many new friends on the truck, 5 of which live in England and have kindly offered us free accommodation...YAY. So that as well as Rhianna (my very distant cousin in Northern England) means a lot of free sleeps in an expensive country. So awesome.
My last three days I have been on safari in the Serengeti and sleeping out in a tiny little tent with the lions, water buffalo, warthogs, elephants...you get the picture. It was nuts but so much fun. We spotted the big five plus many more and I may now be obsessed with zebras instead of cows, I sense a black and white theme.
Anyway, in a few days I will be adding photos and calling people and yeah...can't wait.
Africa has been everything I imagined, dusty, dirty an smelly but so much has happened that I didn't expect. Have made many new friends on the truck, 5 of which live in England and have kindly offered us free accommodation...YAY. So that as well as Rhianna (my very distant cousin in Northern England) means a lot of free sleeps in an expensive country. So awesome.
My last three days I have been on safari in the Serengeti and sleeping out in a tiny little tent with the lions, water buffalo, warthogs, elephants...you get the picture. It was nuts but so much fun. We spotted the big five plus many more and I may now be obsessed with zebras instead of cows, I sense a black and white theme.
Anyway, in a few days I will be adding photos and calling people and yeah...can't wait.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
SEAFOOD...BIT IFFY
After my last post and a lot of cheap seafood as well as fresh fruit and cocktails, have come to the conclusion that my stomach doesn't appreciate changes that dramatic! Since Monday I have had "toilet issues" and haven't felt very well at all. I'm better now though but yeah, not very nice at the time!!
Other than that Zanzibar was aload of fun. My tan is coming along nicely and I even almost went scuba diving...long story.
On Wednesday a group of 8 of us booked in with PADI to complete a try dive on the reef about an hour off the island. Well...so excited about it but still a little ill (as mentioned previously) I took a load of pills to stop my sickness from the sea and from 'the other end.' WELL..it was so rough that day, windy and in an open sided dodgy looking boat, I was a little sceptical. We had to wade out to the boat from the shore which drenched us right up to our necks, then endure the hour and a half cruise out, wind howling, no dry clothes, so cold. When there it wasn't really a shallow reef, just a slightly less deep part of ocean, a bit scary really. The waves were huge and Bex (a cool English girl from my tour) and I were in the second group to go out so we had to wait in the boat for them to finish. I started feeling a little sick and then very sick and with no toilet on board I was kinda scrunched in a ball wanting to spew or poop and not being able to do either due to the drugs. Obviously I didn't dive and just felt horrible for the boat ride back as well as all afternoon. As a further kick in the guts the dive company made me pay US$80 still! I was so annoyed but too ill to argue. Yeah...not nice. So sorry Ben, I did try but I'm afraid I am now put off for life.
On a more positive note I am absolutely fine now and tomorrow I'm off the the Serengeti! Cute lions and cheeters and giraffes here I come! I have to wait until Europe to be able to add photos as the computers here are very slow...but you will see them eventually.
Love you all
Keep posted
Other than that Zanzibar was aload of fun. My tan is coming along nicely and I even almost went scuba diving...long story.
On Wednesday a group of 8 of us booked in with PADI to complete a try dive on the reef about an hour off the island. Well...so excited about it but still a little ill (as mentioned previously) I took a load of pills to stop my sickness from the sea and from 'the other end.' WELL..it was so rough that day, windy and in an open sided dodgy looking boat, I was a little sceptical. We had to wade out to the boat from the shore which drenched us right up to our necks, then endure the hour and a half cruise out, wind howling, no dry clothes, so cold. When there it wasn't really a shallow reef, just a slightly less deep part of ocean, a bit scary really. The waves were huge and Bex (a cool English girl from my tour) and I were in the second group to go out so we had to wait in the boat for them to finish. I started feeling a little sick and then very sick and with no toilet on board I was kinda scrunched in a ball wanting to spew or poop and not being able to do either due to the drugs. Obviously I didn't dive and just felt horrible for the boat ride back as well as all afternoon. As a further kick in the guts the dive company made me pay US$80 still! I was so annoyed but too ill to argue. Yeah...not nice. So sorry Ben, I did try but I'm afraid I am now put off for life.
On a more positive note I am absolutely fine now and tomorrow I'm off the the Serengeti! Cute lions and cheeters and giraffes here I come! I have to wait until Europe to be able to add photos as the computers here are very slow...but you will see them eventually.
Love you all
Keep posted
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
TANZANIA AND ZANZIBAR!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELISE AND SARAH...no computer so sorry you didn't get a birthday message.
Paradise central everybody...basically the Whitsundays with much cheaper food, drinks and heaps of cheap souvenirs!
I'm on Zanzibar at the moment which is an island off the coast and it is amazing. White sand, crystal water and really nice food. Mum you're going to be so jealous...fish market last night...you stand at a table in front of fresh fish and say ''I want some kingfish, 5 prawns, calamari....blah blah blah'' they cook it in front of you and it costs about a dollar. I went a bit nuts. I now have a craze for banana and chocolate filled pancakes...wow.
My tan is sort of coming along in patches and I got a tattoo today. Well okay it's a henna one but is sweet as, a little flower on my wrist.
Not much time really as we're booked in for tea in about 5 mins at The Big Fish. Literally built on the beach, the waves lap the balcony.
Am missing everyone terribly and really want some hugs and kisses and my own bed. But unno...cheap seafood, funky african music and ''happy times''
Love you all and miss you
Paradise central everybody...basically the Whitsundays with much cheaper food, drinks and heaps of cheap souvenirs!
I'm on Zanzibar at the moment which is an island off the coast and it is amazing. White sand, crystal water and really nice food. Mum you're going to be so jealous...fish market last night...you stand at a table in front of fresh fish and say ''I want some kingfish, 5 prawns, calamari....blah blah blah'' they cook it in front of you and it costs about a dollar. I went a bit nuts. I now have a craze for banana and chocolate filled pancakes...wow.
My tan is sort of coming along in patches and I got a tattoo today. Well okay it's a henna one but is sweet as, a little flower on my wrist.
Not much time really as we're booked in for tea in about 5 mins at The Big Fish. Literally built on the beach, the waves lap the balcony.
Am missing everyone terribly and really want some hugs and kisses and my own bed. But unno...cheap seafood, funky african music and ''happy times''
Love you all and miss you
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
MALAWI...mmmm
Ok so after 3 days of 600 km drives on bumpy, windy, hilly roads with thousands of people with donkeys or on bikes in the way I have finally arrived at somewhere I feel at home. Lake Malawi is where I am at this huge tourist resort on Kande Beach. I feel a lot better today 'cos over the past few I have felt slightly awkward as in groups I can get a little shy..but today I made some good friends.
Lake Malawi is absolutely massive! Where I am looks like a giant bay a bit similar to Queenscliffe, sand, waves it's crazy! The only different thing is that it's fresh water not salty. This morning a group of four of us took two canoes out to a small island about an hour's paddle away. It was great because me and Jodie (one of my new buds) were sitting in the fronts while the boys Tony (an Aussie shearer dude) and Paul (a British schoolie) paddled us out. At the island we snorkled and it was so beautiful under the water there..colourful fish everywhere!! I think I might have mild sunstroke though cos I have a really bad headache and I am burnt all over! Hehe
Also when I get home someone needs to remind me to go to the doctor for a bloodtest for these worms that can get into your blood stream and eat all your insides and grow and grow and grow (gross). If anyone saw All Saints when they caught one in a guy's leg and had to pull it out...yeah thats them...so I have to get a bloodtest to see if I have them and if I do i have to have a tablet. So worth going in the water though!! It is about 35 degrees and the sand is hot so the water is very inviting.
Yesterday was a terrible traveling day. We crossed the border from Zambia into Malawi and had to do the whole visa stamp out and stamp into the next country. Well something happened and the driver didn't get the right stamp to ok the truck...so at the first police check (so many road blocks in Malawi) the police man sent us back to the border to get the right stamp...its crazy. So that added an hour in a hot bus to the 10 hour journey!
Also at one of our many toilet stops on the side of the road (yes i have to pee in the bush and sometimes there are little black children pointing at my white bottom and laughing...not nice) I thought I'd be smart and go behind a large tree rather than a small bush...well I disturbed a group of wasps and one stung me on the underarm-through my clothes! It swelled up straight away and I thought automatically ''I'm going to die alone in the African wilderness!'' So I ran so fast back out of the bushes to the road without even peeing cos I didn't want to die and I showed the Kenyan tour host Sammy. And yeah...he laughed at me and patted me on the back and said I wasn't gonna die. One of my nine lives gone. So for the following 2 hours until the next stop I had my legs crossed busting to go! Another funny thing..this time it was Ash not me (hehe), at the same toilet stop she must have squatted over the wrong type of bush cos when she came out she was itching like crazy and got a big rash on her bum, back and legs. That made me feel better about my wasp sting!
The trip is still going well and it's been almost a week and I'm not homesick yet. Good sign. We have another 2 nights here at Kande and then we drive onto the resort island on Zanzibar which sounds amazing but very expensive...and yep I am running out of money.
BY THE WAY (nick you're gonna be so jealous) US$0.50c Cokes all the way..in glass bottles. So cool.
Anyway...I am running out of money because I am buying a lot of Cokes and the visas are expensive and I am scared to draw out any money from the ATM because...ok another story. Joel (an american guy) withdrew the minimum he could in Zimbabwe to buy a drink. It was the equivilent to US$4.00 aznd with the corrupt government controlling the exchange rate, when he checked his bank balance later it said US$400 down! Thats just scary so I'll try to scrimp in Zanzibar, where we have to pay our own accomodation and food. Wish me luck.
My love to everyone and home and Sarah in Canada.
Keep posted
Lake Malawi is absolutely massive! Where I am looks like a giant bay a bit similar to Queenscliffe, sand, waves it's crazy! The only different thing is that it's fresh water not salty. This morning a group of four of us took two canoes out to a small island about an hour's paddle away. It was great because me and Jodie (one of my new buds) were sitting in the fronts while the boys Tony (an Aussie shearer dude) and Paul (a British schoolie) paddled us out. At the island we snorkled and it was so beautiful under the water there..colourful fish everywhere!! I think I might have mild sunstroke though cos I have a really bad headache and I am burnt all over! Hehe
Also when I get home someone needs to remind me to go to the doctor for a bloodtest for these worms that can get into your blood stream and eat all your insides and grow and grow and grow (gross). If anyone saw All Saints when they caught one in a guy's leg and had to pull it out...yeah thats them...so I have to get a bloodtest to see if I have them and if I do i have to have a tablet. So worth going in the water though!! It is about 35 degrees and the sand is hot so the water is very inviting.
Yesterday was a terrible traveling day. We crossed the border from Zambia into Malawi and had to do the whole visa stamp out and stamp into the next country. Well something happened and the driver didn't get the right stamp to ok the truck...so at the first police check (so many road blocks in Malawi) the police man sent us back to the border to get the right stamp...its crazy. So that added an hour in a hot bus to the 10 hour journey!
Also at one of our many toilet stops on the side of the road (yes i have to pee in the bush and sometimes there are little black children pointing at my white bottom and laughing...not nice) I thought I'd be smart and go behind a large tree rather than a small bush...well I disturbed a group of wasps and one stung me on the underarm-through my clothes! It swelled up straight away and I thought automatically ''I'm going to die alone in the African wilderness!'' So I ran so fast back out of the bushes to the road without even peeing cos I didn't want to die and I showed the Kenyan tour host Sammy. And yeah...he laughed at me and patted me on the back and said I wasn't gonna die. One of my nine lives gone. So for the following 2 hours until the next stop I had my legs crossed busting to go! Another funny thing..this time it was Ash not me (hehe), at the same toilet stop she must have squatted over the wrong type of bush cos when she came out she was itching like crazy and got a big rash on her bum, back and legs. That made me feel better about my wasp sting!
The trip is still going well and it's been almost a week and I'm not homesick yet. Good sign. We have another 2 nights here at Kande and then we drive onto the resort island on Zanzibar which sounds amazing but very expensive...and yep I am running out of money.
BY THE WAY (nick you're gonna be so jealous) US$0.50c Cokes all the way..in glass bottles. So cool.
Anyway...I am running out of money because I am buying a lot of Cokes and the visas are expensive and I am scared to draw out any money from the ATM because...ok another story. Joel (an american guy) withdrew the minimum he could in Zimbabwe to buy a drink. It was the equivilent to US$4.00 aznd with the corrupt government controlling the exchange rate, when he checked his bank balance later it said US$400 down! Thats just scary so I'll try to scrimp in Zanzibar, where we have to pay our own accomodation and food. Wish me luck.
My love to everyone and home and Sarah in Canada.
Keep posted
Saturday, June 9, 2007
AFRICA AFRICA AFRICA
Hey everyone!!!
OMG Africa is totally crazy. It is so different and scary and amazing all at the same time. this is the first time I've been able to find a computer let alone the internet, so I'm sorry for anyone (MUM AND DAD) who may have been pulling their hair out and biting their nails waiting for some news for me.
Right at this very moment I am sitting in the upper level of a thatched roof house above the bar and restaurant at The Water Front Lodge. It is on, literally on the Zambezi River which forms the border from Zambia (the side I'm on) to Zimbabwe and various other countries.
I have so far been at this lodge for one night adjusting to life in a tent (albeit a pre-errected luxury tent with beds, a light and extra blankets and a fluffy pillow) and tonight is the first night of ruffing it in the same tents and mattresses we use for the next 21 nights. So much to tell you that I'm doing but I'm not sure about how much time I can afford to pay for but I'll try my best. Its a bit hard too 'cos the keyboards are a bit different to Aus. I'll start at the best place...the start
Saying goodbye at the airport to my boy Nick was very difficult, I thought I'd already cried out all of my tears the previous night, but I was wrong. So yeah, sad and yeah..miss you baby.
But the next thing I was on the plane and thinking 'my adventure has started' so I got a bit happier and the flight to Sydney was okay. THEN I got really happy when I got on my plane for the 14 hour flight to Johannesburg and read my interactive plane entertainment. Oh my god...ok so a great selection of movies at the cinema now, all genres, like heaps, heaps of them...as well as classic movies and a lot of great TV shows and CDs and just everything on this screen in front of me...so remote in hand I just went nuts.
From then on everything has been smooth sailing, no more tears Nick, I'm having a blast. Hope you're okay
The airport at Jo'burg was an eye opener. Took about an hour to get through customs...so dodgy, a lot different to Australian. And then the second we stepped out into the main part the culture just hit us. Straight away a tall dark dude grabbed our bags and whisked us off to the buses for transfers to hotels. Then he asked for $50 Australian for doing so. We only had US$ plus there was a giant sign at the airport saying to not pay porters in foreign currency as it's a federal offence. So we all crapped ourselves and are like we have none, then he got a bit angry so we crapped ourselves further...Sharon gave him AUS$5 and he seemed disappointed but thankfully left. So in our first five minutes we broke the law! whoops.
The Grand Airport Hotel sure was grand. It was huge, our room luxurious and we stayed for one night. With an early transfer back to the airport we were met by a massive buffet breakfast. Everything you could ever imagine for breakfast plus more was on offer. I stuffed myself silly.
Flight to Livingstone (Zambia) on a tiny plane and ikky food, but it was ok cos my stomach was totally full already. Got off the plane and a completely different scene to South Africa met us. A teeny airport, relaxed customs, easy. Except...at the front of the line Ash and I found out that our application to get our Visas waived 'didn't arrive' (even though Tristan and Sharon applied on same form and did get them waived) so we had to pay : (
Nothing to report on the first night, other than what i said before, luxury tent but it was located near the pool. We were a bit paranoid about all of the mosquitos around so we smothered in Ridd and settled in for an early night...so tired.
Next day (today) you would never believe it but we went and interaction with some giant lions....not only that but we crossed to Zimbabwe (bit scary). We had to get up extremely early, pack our giant bags which didn't work too successfully for me because I am terrible at it. Just finished in time to be picked up for a transfer to the border. At the border we found out that 'cos Ash and I had only a single entry visa we had to pay not only to get into Zimbabwe but also to get back into Zambia. The border was spooky. Lots of people trying to sell stuff, people begging for money (a lady in a Tshirt saying 'help for aids' and the kids hit me hard), lots of giant baboons and heaps of huge semi trailers lined up ready to cross the border and waiting to be custom checked. The semis were taking up almost a whole side of an already skinny and dodgy road so going around corners...very fast might i add, the drivers are usually in a hurry here...not being able to see if there's one coming the other way was very daunting. Shut my eyes...total wuss.
The lions were worth all of it. They were so cute and docile and although I felt a bit sorry for them in the first place, they are part of a breeding program to put them back in the wild, so i figure...good cause. The poachers are nuts here so the animals need all the help they can get. Last night at the rhino walk one rhino was poached and the other maimed so he won't live : ( and they (I think) were the only ones on the whole of Zambia. So anyway...the lions were 18 months old and sooooooo gorgeous. We walked a bit track through the bush with them, patting them, holding their tails and watching them play. I got lotsa cool shots, which I'll add when internet is cheaper.
Tomorrow once again we must get up early to visit the Victoria Falls, which we have already seen from a distance, hear at night time and see the spray at the river. So cool. Can't wait. So the falls in the morning and then our tour officially begins.
There are 23 people on our tour, lotsa Aussies, some British, and an Iceland couple. The Iceland dude is actually a doctor so I feel pretty safe and an Aussie chick is a nurse. The guides seem really cool and funny. They're Kenyan and yeah they're just cool. The truck is cool. Everythings cool.
My neck is beginning to burn sitting here cos it was hot today and I sat by the pool sunbaking....SUNBAKING. Haha you guys in your Ballarat, rainy, crappy, cold winter. HaHaHa. Nah, I hope everything's ok. I want updates in my inbox from you all about what's going on. Want to here everything. If anyone doesn't alreayd have me email its water_baby24@hotmail.com so write away. Also, i know that a few of you might be worried that I could run out of money and be stranded...fear not as I haven't even bought anything to keep yet, only food and drinks and now internet.
I may not be able to be updating this for the tour cos i really don't know how often i can get on but just know i am in very safe hands, eating well, getting a tan and having a ball.
Love you all
MWA
OMG Africa is totally crazy. It is so different and scary and amazing all at the same time. this is the first time I've been able to find a computer let alone the internet, so I'm sorry for anyone (MUM AND DAD) who may have been pulling their hair out and biting their nails waiting for some news for me.
Right at this very moment I am sitting in the upper level of a thatched roof house above the bar and restaurant at The Water Front Lodge. It is on, literally on the Zambezi River which forms the border from Zambia (the side I'm on) to Zimbabwe and various other countries.
I have so far been at this lodge for one night adjusting to life in a tent (albeit a pre-errected luxury tent with beds, a light and extra blankets and a fluffy pillow) and tonight is the first night of ruffing it in the same tents and mattresses we use for the next 21 nights. So much to tell you that I'm doing but I'm not sure about how much time I can afford to pay for but I'll try my best. Its a bit hard too 'cos the keyboards are a bit different to Aus. I'll start at the best place...the start
Saying goodbye at the airport to my boy Nick was very difficult, I thought I'd already cried out all of my tears the previous night, but I was wrong. So yeah, sad and yeah..miss you baby.
But the next thing I was on the plane and thinking 'my adventure has started' so I got a bit happier and the flight to Sydney was okay. THEN I got really happy when I got on my plane for the 14 hour flight to Johannesburg and read my interactive plane entertainment. Oh my god...ok so a great selection of movies at the cinema now, all genres, like heaps, heaps of them...as well as classic movies and a lot of great TV shows and CDs and just everything on this screen in front of me...so remote in hand I just went nuts.
From then on everything has been smooth sailing, no more tears Nick, I'm having a blast. Hope you're okay
The airport at Jo'burg was an eye opener. Took about an hour to get through customs...so dodgy, a lot different to Australian. And then the second we stepped out into the main part the culture just hit us. Straight away a tall dark dude grabbed our bags and whisked us off to the buses for transfers to hotels. Then he asked for $50 Australian for doing so. We only had US$ plus there was a giant sign at the airport saying to not pay porters in foreign currency as it's a federal offence. So we all crapped ourselves and are like we have none, then he got a bit angry so we crapped ourselves further...Sharon gave him AUS$5 and he seemed disappointed but thankfully left. So in our first five minutes we broke the law! whoops.
The Grand Airport Hotel sure was grand. It was huge, our room luxurious and we stayed for one night. With an early transfer back to the airport we were met by a massive buffet breakfast. Everything you could ever imagine for breakfast plus more was on offer. I stuffed myself silly.
Flight to Livingstone (Zambia) on a tiny plane and ikky food, but it was ok cos my stomach was totally full already. Got off the plane and a completely different scene to South Africa met us. A teeny airport, relaxed customs, easy. Except...at the front of the line Ash and I found out that our application to get our Visas waived 'didn't arrive' (even though Tristan and Sharon applied on same form and did get them waived) so we had to pay : (
Nothing to report on the first night, other than what i said before, luxury tent but it was located near the pool. We were a bit paranoid about all of the mosquitos around so we smothered in Ridd and settled in for an early night...so tired.
Next day (today) you would never believe it but we went and interaction with some giant lions....not only that but we crossed to Zimbabwe (bit scary). We had to get up extremely early, pack our giant bags which didn't work too successfully for me because I am terrible at it. Just finished in time to be picked up for a transfer to the border. At the border we found out that 'cos Ash and I had only a single entry visa we had to pay not only to get into Zimbabwe but also to get back into Zambia. The border was spooky. Lots of people trying to sell stuff, people begging for money (a lady in a Tshirt saying 'help for aids' and the kids hit me hard), lots of giant baboons and heaps of huge semi trailers lined up ready to cross the border and waiting to be custom checked. The semis were taking up almost a whole side of an already skinny and dodgy road so going around corners...very fast might i add, the drivers are usually in a hurry here...not being able to see if there's one coming the other way was very daunting. Shut my eyes...total wuss.
The lions were worth all of it. They were so cute and docile and although I felt a bit sorry for them in the first place, they are part of a breeding program to put them back in the wild, so i figure...good cause. The poachers are nuts here so the animals need all the help they can get. Last night at the rhino walk one rhino was poached and the other maimed so he won't live : ( and they (I think) were the only ones on the whole of Zambia. So anyway...the lions were 18 months old and sooooooo gorgeous. We walked a bit track through the bush with them, patting them, holding their tails and watching them play. I got lotsa cool shots, which I'll add when internet is cheaper.
Tomorrow once again we must get up early to visit the Victoria Falls, which we have already seen from a distance, hear at night time and see the spray at the river. So cool. Can't wait. So the falls in the morning and then our tour officially begins.
There are 23 people on our tour, lotsa Aussies, some British, and an Iceland couple. The Iceland dude is actually a doctor so I feel pretty safe and an Aussie chick is a nurse. The guides seem really cool and funny. They're Kenyan and yeah they're just cool. The truck is cool. Everythings cool.
My neck is beginning to burn sitting here cos it was hot today and I sat by the pool sunbaking....SUNBAKING. Haha you guys in your Ballarat, rainy, crappy, cold winter. HaHaHa. Nah, I hope everything's ok. I want updates in my inbox from you all about what's going on. Want to here everything. If anyone doesn't alreayd have me email its water_baby24@hotmail.com so write away. Also, i know that a few of you might be worried that I could run out of money and be stranded...fear not as I haven't even bought anything to keep yet, only food and drinks and now internet.
I may not be able to be updating this for the tour cos i really don't know how often i can get on but just know i am in very safe hands, eating well, getting a tan and having a ball.
Love you all
MWA
Monday, June 4, 2007
Some Photos
Here's the photos you wanted Elise.
Just click on one and you're linked to a page where it comes out as full size and then you can save it from there. I had to do it this way because sending through hotmail takes ages and ages.
Hope these are the ones you wanted..
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Saying Goodbye
Last night all the girls went out for tea at our favourite local restaurant Sebastians (we're there a lot). Tea was yummy but saying goodbye was a little sad.
Afterwards, we met up with the boys and went out on the town. I piked way too early and had to go home to bed. : (
Can't wait to hop on that plane on Wednesday morning!!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
This is my Mum Julie...it's mother's day so i thought it would be nice to put her on here. Happy Mother's Day!!
And this is my Dad Ian. No he's not my mother but I didn't want to leave him out of this huge occassion - being published on the internet for the first time, how exciting!
Only 24 sleeps until me and Ashlea leave...woohoo
Friday, May 4, 2007
Spiderman 3
Went to see Spiderman 3 last night...very very good...highly recommended.
Just over a month until I leave. I bought myself a digital camera so you can expect some good photos on here from now on. It's a cool as camera, got a great deal!
Have been buying a lot of things for my trip lately. Thermals, travel pillows, khaki shirts...the list goes on and on really.
I am so excited but scared about running out of money at the same time. I'm also going to miss all my family, friends and even (shock horror) work. I love my job...how many people can say that they seriously enjoy work and love what they do? Not many I reakon.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Hmm...
Okay so I'm an idiot..I have the countdown wrong!!! So today is 52 sleeps to go rather than what I thought, 56.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
59 sleeps...
Getting real excited now...just can't wait to get on that plane!!
Money saving going pretty well but the bank gave me a credit card-such a big mistake.
Just working a lot at the moment and trying to fit in as many small sewing jobs as possible for some extra dosh.
Money saving going pretty well but the bank gave me a credit card-such a big mistake.
Just working a lot at the moment and trying to fit in as many small sewing jobs as possible for some extra dosh.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Only 66 Sleeps
Yes I know that I only told you yesterday about the amount of sleeps left, and you could have easily worked out that it's one less today.
The truth is that I thought my other post looked a little lonely all by itself up there. So please...add some comments.
Love yas all
The truth is that I thought my other post looked a little lonely all by itself up there. So please...add some comments.
Love yas all
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
The Lead Up
Hi everybody
My name is Em and that's my photo up there. The other weirdo is my stalker Nick-follows me everywhere.
67 sleeps until me and my besty Ash jump on the plane and go on a huge trek... Africa, Europe, Asia and back home to Oz by Christmas.
This blog is to keep everyone at home up to date with what we're up to.
Stay tuned
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