It is now January 29th; I am sitting in my favourite nook at home with my computer in my lap, listening to the familiar strums of John Butler, the rain falling outside, and my parents puttering around the house. It is good to be home!
I chose to return home for a few reasons. One: I missed my friends and family immensely, Two: I ran out of money and it was either work in Melbourne or at home, Three: Relationship purposes. So, passport and flight itinerary in hand, I walked into the Qantas centre with my friend, Alex, and we both re-booked our flights for a tidy $280 and walked out with seats next to each other from Melbourne-Sydney-LA-Vancouver! We had a whole week and a half to wrap things up in Melbourne and it almost didn't feel like enough time.
I booked a 3-day bus tour along the Great Ocean Road and had a fantastic final trip in Australia. Met some great travelers, held a baby koala!, hiked up an unforgettable range of pinnacles, and played my first game of cricket!
When I returned to Melbourne, Alex and I got down to some serious shopping. We perused fantastic sales, bought gifts for family and friends, emptied half our backpacks, filled them up again, and ate at a new place every night. I have only praise for the last leg of my journey.
As I sit here and look back on the 3 1/2 months I spent in Australia, I realize that I have learned some things about myself, others, and the world. Here they are, in no particular order:
MY AUSTRALIAN 50:
1. Always say yes to a new adventure - bad/weird/unexpected stories are better than no stories!
2. Spontaneous vegetarianism may occur
3. The vast majority of people on this earth are truly good
4. Say NO to goon!
5. I am braver and stronger than I expected
6. I am also weaker and dumber than I expected
7. Public transit is actually often the more expensive route in Australia
8. The land of poisonous reptiles and insects makes one paranoid of trees, bushes, grass, bare feet, corners, car doors, handles... everything
9. Chicken-flavoured chips exist
10. Beneath the waves, there exists a whole world of colour, life, and incredible experiences
11. Falling from a plane need not be terrifying
12. It is possible to wear the same shirt 30 days in a row without washing it
13. Sprouting from above: Laundry sucks. It also costs approximately $10/load in public laundromats
14. A wave and a smile and you're friends
15. Overstepping your boundaries can lead to some of the greatest experiences of life
16. Expect plans to change. It's inevitable.
17. Expect to meet new people. Don't just expect it, plan for it. Bring souvenirs, take photos, exchange addresses; who knows where you'll be in need of a couch?
18. It is alright to do absolutely nothing when traveling. You don't always have to be on-the-go!
19. Credit cards are your friend
20. Parents are incredible
21. Alcohol makes many changes, accent being one of them
22. Night clubs don't change. They're still full of douchebags, fake boobs, vomit, loud bass, and some excellent dancing
23. Men traveling Australia often really do have just one intention
24. If you didn't like beer and wine before, you will after
25. Guidebooks nearly always lose to the all-powerful internet and word-of-mouth
26. Hostels can always be bartered, you just need to know how. (ie, "$22/night? I heard it was $19...)
27. Crocodile and Kangaroo meat is sold in supermarkets, in the regular meat section
28. Douglas Adams was right: a towel is your most important traveling essential
29. You never get used to snoring in shared dorms, bring earplugs
30. Trusting people is not a sure way to lose money, possessions, or time
31. Home is just as unique as foreign places.
32. Markets are still the best places to find cheap fresh produce and some great food
33. The fastest way to get from Point A to Point B is not always the most interesting
34. Night buses are cold and uncomfortable. Bring a jacket and a pillow.
35. Blow-up pillows are crap. Bring a real one.
36. The cost of sunscreen has a direct correlation to how much you need it. Read: $20/bottle in Aus vs. $8/bottle in Canada
37. Starbucks is universal, as are 7-11 and McDonalds
38. When looking for a restaurant, refer to this rule: the fewer people, the worse the food.
39. When looking for an Asian restaurant, go to the one the Asians are sitting in, not the Caucasians
40. Germans are EVERYWHERE!!
41. Stars are highly underrated in big cities. Take a boat, take her out, turn off the lights, and marvel.
42. The Great Barrier Reef truly is as wonderful as they say
43. Your life and trip are what you make them
44. Skype is wonderful
45. Internet, cellphones, and television shrink this world
46. Traveling and meeting new people expands it
47. Backpacks are no fun to constantly unpack and re-pack. Get something with zipper access to the middle and bottom sections!
48. Racial diversity does not always mean racial integration
49. First Nations people and Aboriginals are very similar
50. There are things more important than traveling; there are reasons to come home
There it is. Hasta la vista, Australia! I had a life-changing, incredible, exhilarating trip. Now it's time to unpack, find a job, move out, start school again, and settle down for a little while. But don't worry, I still have a whole world to see!
xoxo,
Katrina
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Adelaide for the Holidays
I have been in Adelaide for twelve days, relaxing, catching up with friends, making new ones, getting lost, zooming around on pushbikes, and, most of all, spending Christmas 2010 with my new Australian family. Twelve days is too much to cover individually right now, and there were a few spent in total laziness, so let me just cover a few of the more memorable moments.
I have stayed here with Leigh Goldsworthy, a guy my family and I met in Mexico. He was sailing with his dad and brother, Colin and Josh, aboard their sailboat. Leigh was 21 at the time, his brother 16. We met up with Leigh again by chance in Guatemala and traveled with him for a little while. This solidified our friendship and is what prompted him to call my family up when he was traveling through Victoria, BC this last summer. He came over for dinner and learned of my plans to travel Australia. With an open invitation to visit, I made plans to spend Christmas in Adelaide with him and his family. So, here I am, housesitting with Leigh for friends of his who are on holiday.
I arrived on the 17th and spent my first few days following Leigh and Josh to their numerous sports engagements around the hills. They were all the season finals so we inevitably went to the pub afterwards to celebrate a season well-played. I spent too much money.
Leigh's Dad lives in a beautiful house up in the hills and spends his days building small planes and flying around the country. Leigh is also learning to fly, as is the Canadian woman, Anna, staying with Colin for the time. When I called up Anna one day to see if she wanted to show me around town, she countered with a better offer. Colin wanted to take me flying! I lost no time accepting his generous offer and was very excited to hop into Anna's car early one morning to make the beautiful hour's drive through the hills to the hangers. We saw wild kangaroos, pointed out lovely little towns throughout the hills, and kept our eyes peeled for any other wild animals.
Once at the hangers, we got the planes ready, saw a deadly redback spider nest, eased ourselves into the two-seater (labelled Experimental for the passenger's discretion) and took off. Colin is relatively new to the skies but he's already an expert pilot and I felt totally at ease in the seat next to him. Well, almost totally. I've never been one for extreme motion and the swoops of the plane had my stomach begging for solid ground. Nevertheless, I had a blast dive-bombing clouds, doing barrel rolls, and even flying the plane myself! I had total control of the plane on the way home and swooped a small cloud of my own. After landing - and nearly kissing the ground - Anna and I drove to the small seaside town nearby and had lunch at a cute cafe.
With access to one of Leigh's bikes, I had total freedom to pedal around Adelaide and discover its charm on my own time. I loved a crossroad that had a word each from "A FOREST OF DREAMS" on the corners. There was no forest to be seen, but Australians call any few standing trees a forest : )
Leigh, Josh, and I cycled along the river one evening to arrive at the beach by sunset and order fish 'n chips from a wonderful local cafe. Their pace was breakneck and had me huffing to keep up, but the end of the trip was well worth the sweat. We cycled home in the dark at a slightly slower pace, to keep me from bailing and hurting the bike. Yes, just the bike was worth Leigh's concern.
Speaking of breakneck speeds! Let me tell you about my first night in Adelaide. Sorry about the lack of calendar uniformity, but I'm just writing as it comes back to me. So, read on and forget timing. My first night in Adelaide. Leigh, Josh, and I went up to the hills to play (them) and watch (me) their final soccer match. It was great, freezing, and Leigh let in every goal. Well, not quite : ) He did make a great save that involved the ball bouncing off his face. Anyways, this has nothing to do with breakneck speeds.
When the sun went down and the sky turned to a dusky blue; when the street lights came on and you could no longer see your feet outside the pools of light they shed; when cars raced up and down the hill to reach their nighttime destination we decided to bike home. There is no bike path along the highway. The cars drive on the wrong side of the road. I had no lights on my allotted bike. Regardless, we rode. Down the old freeway. The bumpy, cracked, swerving, snaking freeway. The freeway with lights every 100 metres.
Leigh on his pro road bike and me on the commuter, we jumped on our bikes and started riding. There wasn't much pedaling involved, it was all downhill, but that didn't matter to Leigh. He clipped his riding shoes in and took off like a bullet, leaving me scrambling to get going after him. (ps. Leigh wasn't really that thoughtless, it just sounds better in a story... he did a good job of pretending to be patient with me). Honestly, however, I spent the entire 45-minute journey nearly hyperventilating from fear. I love biking, but that love encompasses daytime leisure biking. Not nighttime suicide rides. When I finally wobbled off the bike and onto the couch, it was all I could do to let Leigh know that it was fun and I was definitely alright, thanks for asking.
What else did I do in Adelaide? Keep in mind that I just left three jobs in Cairns and a back-breaking fever in Sydney. I didn't do much. When left to my own devices, I computed and watched movies. I biked around town a little bit and did some shopping, but I also just enjoyed down-time in the house.
Leigh's mum, Louise, was a total sweetheart and I will always wish to return to her house. She went out of her way to make sure I did not want for anything. I knew I was always welcome to walk into her house and sit down for some good coffee and conversation. The pull-out bed was always mine for nights out (I did go to her house one late night and discovered some funny scenes, but that's a story one individual *coughJosh* may not want publicized). Most importantly, this was the house I spent Boxing Day at. But perhaps I'll write about Christmas Day first.
Christmas Day was a Goldsworthy day. Josh, Leigh, and I drove up to Colin and Anna's place with our salad and beer contributions. I had stayed up until midnight the previous night painstakingly making fresh ginger cookies with icing and decorations. It was the closest I could come to gingerbread men in a house with no cookie cutters. That plate of cookies was my contribution.
We started the night with champagne, continued the night with wine, moved onto beer, had some gins, then went back to champagne. But that's not really the focus of the evening. I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that the vibe was loose, friendly, and certainly full of laughter. We set the table with our five salads, and the masterpiece maple ham that Colin had done on the bbq to blend Canadian and Australian Christmas traditions. It was delicious. Five salads kept us healthy and Colin's relatives made a fantastic Pineapple Fluff for dessert. Needless to say, we were stuffed.
After dinner, we listened to music, saw some kookaburras and a koala in the nearby trees, and mostly just sat and chatted. It was not a normal Christmas, but it was full of fun and friends.
Boxing Day was spent at Louise's house. The table sat Louise, her mum, Rob, Colin, Anna, Leigh, Josh, and I. It was full and comfortable. We had a stuffed turkey, mashed sweet potatoes (my cookery), roast potatoes, and salad. Again, this wonderful family went out of their way to make sure I had a wonderful Christmas that lacked nothing. I was blown away.
Adelaide is the wine region of Australia and Louise did us proud with unending bottles of 10-year-old red wines. This was not for getting tipsy on. This was for examining, inhaling, slowly sipping and letting the flavours reveal themselves over your tongue. It was an art. Well, it should have been. I am sadly lacking in wine experience and therefore just honestly enjoyed the wine as well as I could. They were quite strong and dry.
Our dessert was Louise's piece de resistance. A beautiful Christmas pudding with drunken ice cream and brandy cream. With one whiff, our stuffed stomachs miraculously growled and wanted not just one serving, but two. That had me nearly asleep on the couch afterwards as my body devoted all its energy towards digesting. It was spectacular.
Four days after Christmas and twelve days after arriving, I jumped on a bus heading towards Melbourne. I said sad farewells to my new family and strongly hoped to make it back to their corner of the world someday. I felt more at-home than I had in several months and it was wonderful to spend Christmas in a foreign country with people as inviting and loving as these. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Well, now I'm in Melbourne and that is for a later blog. For now, my battery is almost dead. See ya later, friends. Maybe sooner than you think ; )
xoxo - Katrina
I have stayed here with Leigh Goldsworthy, a guy my family and I met in Mexico. He was sailing with his dad and brother, Colin and Josh, aboard their sailboat. Leigh was 21 at the time, his brother 16. We met up with Leigh again by chance in Guatemala and traveled with him for a little while. This solidified our friendship and is what prompted him to call my family up when he was traveling through Victoria, BC this last summer. He came over for dinner and learned of my plans to travel Australia. With an open invitation to visit, I made plans to spend Christmas in Adelaide with him and his family. So, here I am, housesitting with Leigh for friends of his who are on holiday.
I arrived on the 17th and spent my first few days following Leigh and Josh to their numerous sports engagements around the hills. They were all the season finals so we inevitably went to the pub afterwards to celebrate a season well-played. I spent too much money.
Leigh's Dad lives in a beautiful house up in the hills and spends his days building small planes and flying around the country. Leigh is also learning to fly, as is the Canadian woman, Anna, staying with Colin for the time. When I called up Anna one day to see if she wanted to show me around town, she countered with a better offer. Colin wanted to take me flying! I lost no time accepting his generous offer and was very excited to hop into Anna's car early one morning to make the beautiful hour's drive through the hills to the hangers. We saw wild kangaroos, pointed out lovely little towns throughout the hills, and kept our eyes peeled for any other wild animals.
Once at the hangers, we got the planes ready, saw a deadly redback spider nest, eased ourselves into the two-seater (labelled Experimental for the passenger's discretion) and took off. Colin is relatively new to the skies but he's already an expert pilot and I felt totally at ease in the seat next to him. Well, almost totally. I've never been one for extreme motion and the swoops of the plane had my stomach begging for solid ground. Nevertheless, I had a blast dive-bombing clouds, doing barrel rolls, and even flying the plane myself! I had total control of the plane on the way home and swooped a small cloud of my own. After landing - and nearly kissing the ground - Anna and I drove to the small seaside town nearby and had lunch at a cute cafe.
With access to one of Leigh's bikes, I had total freedom to pedal around Adelaide and discover its charm on my own time. I loved a crossroad that had a word each from "A FOREST OF DREAMS" on the corners. There was no forest to be seen, but Australians call any few standing trees a forest : )
Leigh, Josh, and I cycled along the river one evening to arrive at the beach by sunset and order fish 'n chips from a wonderful local cafe. Their pace was breakneck and had me huffing to keep up, but the end of the trip was well worth the sweat. We cycled home in the dark at a slightly slower pace, to keep me from bailing and hurting the bike. Yes, just the bike was worth Leigh's concern.
Speaking of breakneck speeds! Let me tell you about my first night in Adelaide. Sorry about the lack of calendar uniformity, but I'm just writing as it comes back to me. So, read on and forget timing. My first night in Adelaide. Leigh, Josh, and I went up to the hills to play (them) and watch (me) their final soccer match. It was great, freezing, and Leigh let in every goal. Well, not quite : ) He did make a great save that involved the ball bouncing off his face. Anyways, this has nothing to do with breakneck speeds.
When the sun went down and the sky turned to a dusky blue; when the street lights came on and you could no longer see your feet outside the pools of light they shed; when cars raced up and down the hill to reach their nighttime destination we decided to bike home. There is no bike path along the highway. The cars drive on the wrong side of the road. I had no lights on my allotted bike. Regardless, we rode. Down the old freeway. The bumpy, cracked, swerving, snaking freeway. The freeway with lights every 100 metres.
Leigh on his pro road bike and me on the commuter, we jumped on our bikes and started riding. There wasn't much pedaling involved, it was all downhill, but that didn't matter to Leigh. He clipped his riding shoes in and took off like a bullet, leaving me scrambling to get going after him. (ps. Leigh wasn't really that thoughtless, it just sounds better in a story... he did a good job of pretending to be patient with me). Honestly, however, I spent the entire 45-minute journey nearly hyperventilating from fear. I love biking, but that love encompasses daytime leisure biking. Not nighttime suicide rides. When I finally wobbled off the bike and onto the couch, it was all I could do to let Leigh know that it was fun and I was definitely alright, thanks for asking.
What else did I do in Adelaide? Keep in mind that I just left three jobs in Cairns and a back-breaking fever in Sydney. I didn't do much. When left to my own devices, I computed and watched movies. I biked around town a little bit and did some shopping, but I also just enjoyed down-time in the house.
Leigh's mum, Louise, was a total sweetheart and I will always wish to return to her house. She went out of her way to make sure I did not want for anything. I knew I was always welcome to walk into her house and sit down for some good coffee and conversation. The pull-out bed was always mine for nights out (I did go to her house one late night and discovered some funny scenes, but that's a story one individual *coughJosh* may not want publicized). Most importantly, this was the house I spent Boxing Day at. But perhaps I'll write about Christmas Day first.
Christmas Day was a Goldsworthy day. Josh, Leigh, and I drove up to Colin and Anna's place with our salad and beer contributions. I had stayed up until midnight the previous night painstakingly making fresh ginger cookies with icing and decorations. It was the closest I could come to gingerbread men in a house with no cookie cutters. That plate of cookies was my contribution.
We started the night with champagne, continued the night with wine, moved onto beer, had some gins, then went back to champagne. But that's not really the focus of the evening. I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that the vibe was loose, friendly, and certainly full of laughter. We set the table with our five salads, and the masterpiece maple ham that Colin had done on the bbq to blend Canadian and Australian Christmas traditions. It was delicious. Five salads kept us healthy and Colin's relatives made a fantastic Pineapple Fluff for dessert. Needless to say, we were stuffed.
After dinner, we listened to music, saw some kookaburras and a koala in the nearby trees, and mostly just sat and chatted. It was not a normal Christmas, but it was full of fun and friends.
Boxing Day was spent at Louise's house. The table sat Louise, her mum, Rob, Colin, Anna, Leigh, Josh, and I. It was full and comfortable. We had a stuffed turkey, mashed sweet potatoes (my cookery), roast potatoes, and salad. Again, this wonderful family went out of their way to make sure I had a wonderful Christmas that lacked nothing. I was blown away.
Adelaide is the wine region of Australia and Louise did us proud with unending bottles of 10-year-old red wines. This was not for getting tipsy on. This was for examining, inhaling, slowly sipping and letting the flavours reveal themselves over your tongue. It was an art. Well, it should have been. I am sadly lacking in wine experience and therefore just honestly enjoyed the wine as well as I could. They were quite strong and dry.
Our dessert was Louise's piece de resistance. A beautiful Christmas pudding with drunken ice cream and brandy cream. With one whiff, our stuffed stomachs miraculously growled and wanted not just one serving, but two. That had me nearly asleep on the couch afterwards as my body devoted all its energy towards digesting. It was spectacular.
Four days after Christmas and twelve days after arriving, I jumped on a bus heading towards Melbourne. I said sad farewells to my new family and strongly hoped to make it back to their corner of the world someday. I felt more at-home than I had in several months and it was wonderful to spend Christmas in a foreign country with people as inviting and loving as these. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Well, now I'm in Melbourne and that is for a later blog. For now, my battery is almost dead. See ya later, friends. Maybe sooner than you think ; )
xoxo - Katrina
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