Now my touristy crap is done for the day and I can't wait to get back into Melbourne. I think I'm finally over the awful jetlag, and I don't have any plans tomorrow, which means I can actually party tonight. I had a blast yesterday in Essendon, was the first real, functional squat I've ever seen and it was pretty rad. Totally have a boner for one of the dudes there too, the cute guy from New Zealand I met at a party on Saturday, hmmmmm. Wonder what tonight will bring :D Tomorrow he and I and D are running around the sewers all day apparently, ninja turtle eyewear and all. This should be hilarious. We were going to do it yesterday but it started to pour rain, and obv the sewers wouldn't be a smart idea in the rain. the grampians tour, then Thursday I'm flying over to the west coast to see Lisa, whom I haven't seen in about 8 or 9 years! That's exciting. Might also meet up with M, a dude I went to high school with. Cause you know, it's totally normal to see someone from high school for the first time in 13 years down here in Australia.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Great Ocean Road
Currently in a tourist van on the way back to Melbourne after a day driving down the Great Ocean Road. Last night at the squat in Essendon everyone made fun of me for joining a tourist group, but as I don't drive and there was noone with a car to drive me, it really was my only option. As far as tourist trips goes, this wasn't bad at all: we stopped at Bells Beach (was I ever disappointed to discover that the final scene in Point Break was only pretending to be Bells Beach but was really shot in Oregan), did a little nature walk through some rainforest, stopped to see koalas, then went to see the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard gorge, and London Bridge.
Now my touristy crap is done for the day and I can't wait to get back into Melbourne. I think I'm finally over the awful jetlag, and I don't have any plans tomorrow, which means I can actually party tonight. I had a blast yesterday in Essendon, was the first real, functional squat I've ever seen and it was pretty rad. Totally have a boner for one of the dudes there too, the cute guy from New Zealand I met at a party on Saturday, hmmmmm. Wonder what tonight will bring :D Tomorrow he and I and D are running around the sewers all day apparently, ninja turtle eyewear and all. This should be hilarious. We were going to do it yesterday but it started to pour rain, and obv the sewers wouldn't be a smart idea in the rain. the grampians tour, then Thursday I'm flying over to the west coast to see Lisa, whom I haven't seen in about 8 or 9 years! That's exciting. Might also meet up with M, a dude I went to high school with. Cause you know, it's totally normal to see someone from high school for the first time in 13 years down here in Australia.
Now my touristy crap is done for the day and I can't wait to get back into Melbourne. I think I'm finally over the awful jetlag, and I don't have any plans tomorrow, which means I can actually party tonight. I had a blast yesterday in Essendon, was the first real, functional squat I've ever seen and it was pretty rad. Totally have a boner for one of the dudes there too, the cute guy from New Zealand I met at a party on Saturday, hmmmmm. Wonder what tonight will bring :D Tomorrow he and I and D are running around the sewers all day apparently, ninja turtle eyewear and all. This should be hilarious. We were going to do it yesterday but it started to pour rain, and obv the sewers wouldn't be a smart idea in the rain. the grampians tour, then Thursday I'm flying over to the west coast to see Lisa, whom I haven't seen in about 8 or 9 years! That's exciting. Might also meet up with M, a dude I went to high school with. Cause you know, it's totally normal to see someone from high school for the first time in 13 years down here in Australia.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Small differences
I think the differences stand out so much here because everything basically LOOKS the same, but then it's like, what???
When I got here on Friday I went up to a coffee shop and asked for a coffee. 'What kind of coffee?' she asked. I was like, um, a small one? She said 'Yes but a latte, a cappucino, a mocha...'. I said 'just a regular coffee, a black one?'. She looked at me like I was nuts, and proceeded to make me a very watery espresso-based black coffee drink. There is NO percolated coffee over here! So even at the 7-11 (the cheapest place to get a coffee by the way, it's only $2, everywhere else it's 3 or 4 dollars!), the counter guy has to go and brew you a fresh espresso drink while the other customers wait in line. So odd!
Also there is barely any wi-fi around. It's in every McDonalds (where I am now, so I could finally come online), but yesterday I walked past a million coffee shops and there was no wi-fi anywhere.
The prices on everything here are just insane too. My sausage mcmuffin breakfast (with extra hashbrown, I'm not ashamed!) just came to $8.
All of you back home would lose your minds to see the beer prices! If you buy two 24s of a certain beer, you can get a deal and get them both for $70. Otherwise they're $40 each. At a bar/restaurant, a bottle of beer is $8. But you don't have to tip - the people serving you are probably making at least $22 an hour, and it's only standard to tip about 5-10% if you receive exemplary service. Not tipping will take a while to get used to.
The weather here is incredibly gorgeous. And the sun is up from about 7am til 8 or 9pm. It's wonderful. I'm still crazy jetlagged though, which is annoying. Last night M and D brought me to a party that seemed pretty awesome, there was a really cute new zealand guy there who I recognized from Montreal that I was talking to, but by 10:30pm I could barely keep my eyes open. Granted I'd been up and out in the sun since 8am...but still. Big fucking FAIL on my part! Went home and slept right til 8:30 today. Lame lame lame. Was probably my only real party night here in Melbourne and I failed. Dammit.
When I got here on Friday I went up to a coffee shop and asked for a coffee. 'What kind of coffee?' she asked. I was like, um, a small one? She said 'Yes but a latte, a cappucino, a mocha...'. I said 'just a regular coffee, a black one?'. She looked at me like I was nuts, and proceeded to make me a very watery espresso-based black coffee drink. There is NO percolated coffee over here! So even at the 7-11 (the cheapest place to get a coffee by the way, it's only $2, everywhere else it's 3 or 4 dollars!), the counter guy has to go and brew you a fresh espresso drink while the other customers wait in line. So odd!
Also there is barely any wi-fi around. It's in every McDonalds (where I am now, so I could finally come online), but yesterday I walked past a million coffee shops and there was no wi-fi anywhere.
The prices on everything here are just insane too. My sausage mcmuffin breakfast (with extra hashbrown, I'm not ashamed!) just came to $8.
All of you back home would lose your minds to see the beer prices! If you buy two 24s of a certain beer, you can get a deal and get them both for $70. Otherwise they're $40 each. At a bar/restaurant, a bottle of beer is $8. But you don't have to tip - the people serving you are probably making at least $22 an hour, and it's only standard to tip about 5-10% if you receive exemplary service. Not tipping will take a while to get used to.
The weather here is incredibly gorgeous. And the sun is up from about 7am til 8 or 9pm. It's wonderful. I'm still crazy jetlagged though, which is annoying. Last night M and D brought me to a party that seemed pretty awesome, there was a really cute new zealand guy there who I recognized from Montreal that I was talking to, but by 10:30pm I could barely keep my eyes open. Granted I'd been up and out in the sun since 8am...but still. Big fucking FAIL on my part! Went home and slept right til 8:30 today. Lame lame lame. Was probably my only real party night here in Melbourne and I failed. Dammit.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Melbourne
Arrived yesterday after a 29-hour flight. Sitting in one spot in a darkened plane for 16-hours straight is NOT fun!
Was met downtown by M and D, two friends of friends who were awesome enough to offer me a place to crash and people to hang with. The weather outside was freaking AMAZING, so we grabbed some beers and sat in the sun to drink for a while. Didn't take long before I began to fade though, and we went back to M's where I passed out until 8 this morning. Eeek!
So today, my real first day here begins. It's 11am right now, and I've just booked myself on the following tours for while I'm here: Monday I'm doign the Great Ocean Road (http://gowest.com.au/great-ocean-road.html) and Wednesday I'm doing the Grampians (http://www.ecoplatypustours.com/tours/sov.htm). I also really want to do the Phillips Island tour (http://gowest.com.au/phillip-island-day-tour.html) and could do that Tuesday, but I don't want to book up all of my days just yet as I leave Thursday for Perth. So we'll see.
Right now I'm heading back to Ms where hopefully he's up and feels like spending the day out in the sun with me, it's SO gorgeous out right now!
Was met downtown by M and D, two friends of friends who were awesome enough to offer me a place to crash and people to hang with. The weather outside was freaking AMAZING, so we grabbed some beers and sat in the sun to drink for a while. Didn't take long before I began to fade though, and we went back to M's where I passed out until 8 this morning. Eeek!
So today, my real first day here begins. It's 11am right now, and I've just booked myself on the following tours for while I'm here: Monday I'm doign the Great Ocean Road (http://gowest.com.au/great-ocean-road.html) and Wednesday I'm doing the Grampians (http://www.ecoplatypustours.com/tours/sov.htm). I also really want to do the Phillips Island tour (http://gowest.com.au/phillip-island-day-tour.html) and could do that Tuesday, but I don't want to book up all of my days just yet as I leave Thursday for Perth. So we'll see.
Right now I'm heading back to Ms where hopefully he's up and feels like spending the day out in the sun with me, it's SO gorgeous out right now!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
On my way!
Sitting in the Ottawa airport, have about 45 minutes to kill before the plane to Washington boards. Then LA, then Melbourne!
I left my packing to literally the last minute, about 20 minutes before I had to catch a bus to the aiport I was still shoving stuff into my backpack. Hope I got everything I need, hahahha!
Was weird saying goodbye to the felines today, and I realized the weirdest part about it was the fact that someone else would be taking care of them for the next six weeks. I'm SO not used to having someone else take care of me/my responsibilities. So that was weird.
And on the bus on the way here, I thought about how my whole life is going to change in the next few days!!!! YAY!!!!
I left my packing to literally the last minute, about 20 minutes before I had to catch a bus to the aiport I was still shoving stuff into my backpack. Hope I got everything I need, hahahha!
Was weird saying goodbye to the felines today, and I realized the weirdest part about it was the fact that someone else would be taking care of them for the next six weeks. I'm SO not used to having someone else take care of me/my responsibilities. So that was weird.
And on the bus on the way here, I thought about how my whole life is going to change in the next few days!!!! YAY!!!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Haven't even left yet, and already have the next trip booked, hahahah! Going to be hitting up Vegas again in May!!! FUCK YES!!! Going to the punkrockbowling music fest, I can't believe I am actually able to say I have tickets to see the Descendents! The weekend is going to be so amazing. So far there are seven people from here going, hopefully the list gets bigger and bigger!
Also, in exactly a week from now, I will be on board my final flight of my trip, from LA to Melbourne. EEEEEEEEEEEEK!
Also, in exactly a week from now, I will be on board my final flight of my trip, from LA to Melbourne. EEEEEEEEEEEEK!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I love Couchsurfing!
Seriously. I've found people to crash with in both Exmouth and Cairns. This will make my trip SO much better, cause now I'll have people to show me around in most places i'm in, plus it will give me for money for party time, hahaha.
So my tentative plan below is going to work out it seems!
March 9 - leave Ottawa
March 11 - land in Melbourne
March 11-17 - stay in Melbourne, got a place to stay with Steves friend Matt. Pudge's friend Danny is also here, and that dude I met on Caye Caulker will also probs be here. Party time.
March 17 - fly to Perth (ticket already purchased!)
March 17-20 - stay in Perth with Lisa, who was one of my best friends while I was still in Toronto, she's already made me promise to make her pancakes every day, hahahahaha
March 20 - fly to Exmouth
March 20-27 - stay with some dude I found on couchsurfing. Take the Open Water diving course. Hells yes.
March 27 -28 - make my way up to Cairns, likely stopping in Broome or something along the way
March 28 - arrive in Cairns.
March 28 -April 3- Stay with some dude I met on couchsurfing. Hook up with Tom and Tara. Surf. Dive. Hike around the rainforest.
April 4-April 13- Make my way down to Uluru/Alice Springs/Flinders Ranges, etc. Hello outback! Probs hostel/camp for all of this.
April 14-Head over to Sydney. Possible hookup for a place through Steves friend Cat. Also apparently some dude I may know from Pembroke lives there, may hook up with him. Stay here about 4 days. CHeck out Blue Mountains, etc.
April 18 - head back to Melbourne. Party time.
April 20 - head back to Ottawa!
So my tentative plan below is going to work out it seems!
March 9 - leave Ottawa
March 11 - land in Melbourne
March 11-17 - stay in Melbourne, got a place to stay with Steves friend Matt. Pudge's friend Danny is also here, and that dude I met on Caye Caulker will also probs be here. Party time.
March 17 - fly to Perth (ticket already purchased!)
March 17-20 - stay in Perth with Lisa, who was one of my best friends while I was still in Toronto, she's already made me promise to make her pancakes every day, hahahahaha
March 20 - fly to Exmouth
March 20-27 - stay with some dude I found on couchsurfing. Take the Open Water diving course. Hells yes.
March 27 -28 - make my way up to Cairns, likely stopping in Broome or something along the way
March 28 - arrive in Cairns.
March 28 -April 3- Stay with some dude I met on couchsurfing. Hook up with Tom and Tara. Surf. Dive. Hike around the rainforest.
April 4-April 13- Make my way down to Uluru/Alice Springs/Flinders Ranges, etc. Hello outback! Probs hostel/camp for all of this.
April 14-Head over to Sydney. Possible hookup for a place through Steves friend Cat. Also apparently some dude I may know from Pembroke lives there, may hook up with him. Stay here about 4 days. CHeck out Blue Mountains, etc.
April 18 - head back to Melbourne. Party time.
April 20 - head back to Ottawa!
Three weeks!
In three weeks I leave, in three weeks and two days I land, hahaha! So excited. Realizing I'm totally fucking disorganized though, I still need to buy a backpack, hiking shoes, buy some plane tickets to fly around Australia, book my scuba course, book hostels, hahahaha basically do everything? Mebbe I should get on that. Later!!!!
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