Things to do...

My 5 months stint in the Victorian High Country was coming to an end at it was high time I got into tourist mode. 5 months of work, 4am treks home through the valley from Changue Road with Sean and Team Sammy, drunken day trips to Mt Buller with Kazz and Mon, cook ups will Will and Maggz, golf and puzzle solving with Fi, late nights drinking pinot noir with Sylvain and Michael and many trips into Melbourne to see Allan left me little time to explore the local area.

With my spare time I got educated. Yep.

I learnt to ski, I learnt to drink red wine, continued to learn to drive and learnt to use crutches for the first time on the snow (but thats a story for another time!).

Excuses aside one week before leaving I found myself cramming in to tick off my list of tourist essential ‘things to do’.

1 – Day trip through King Valley wineries and Millawa cheese

2 – BBQ in the spring sun

3 – Watch ‘The Man from Snowy River’’ and ‘Ned Kelly’.

4 – Go for a horsey ride a’la Man from snowy river

5 – Have a steak at the Hunt Club

So stay tuned, keep an eye out and open your ear holes coz there will be a few stories to follow

xx

Flight ME5FNR to Kuala Lumpur now boarding...

My suitcase is a nightmare. It is currently sitting in the holding cabin of this plane and I’m quite certain that if the customs officials were to find reason to open it they would be amused to see what is inside.

There is sanitiser gel, berocca, 3 types of mosquito repellent and anti-diarrhoea tablets sitting alongside my anti-histamines (for my allergy to the cold) , heat packs and cough lollies. They’d find singlets and shorts, thongs (jandals, pluggers..) and a hat, sitting atop 3 beanies, 3 pairs of gloves, two scarves, a neck warmer and a pair of legwarmers. Next to the bathers and beach appropriate onsey there is a pair of ironed black working pants and a black vest. In the outer section of my suitcase they will find ‘the folder’, full of the paper bits and pieces important enough to take this trip with me, but not essential enough to relax in the comfort of my passport wallet. My resume is in this folder, refreshed, translated and ready to impress. If they searched deeper they would find ‘old faithful’, my Lonely Planet - Europe on a Shoestring, also known as the Bible, a book that I long ago realised was more a friend than a written publication. Old Faithful is still an adolescent at a mere 3 years old but next to the younger and much less used (at this moment in time anyway) ‘Lonely planet – Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo’ she looks tired and worn. Together they represent two vastly different parts of the world, both interesting and captivating, and both pulling on my backpack straps to keep me in their time zone.

If someone were to ask me right now what my plans are for the next few months my answer would be simple. Look in my suitcase. Here they would find indecision in its most unashamed form. Packed for both the heat and the cold, the poverty stricken nations and the abundant nations, the working holiday and the backpacking holiday, the owner of this suitcase clearly has a few ideas where it would like to be and where it would like to go. It is ready for any eventuality and open to every opportunity, but right now all she can think about is lazing on the beach in Penang, sipping on a coconut and getting a massage, and what flavoured Cornish pasty to get at London’s Kings Cross station.

Three words LOW. COST. CARRIER

Three words – Low. Cost. Carrier.

This has been my first experience with Air Asia and I am certain it will not be the last. So we had a 3 hr flight delay, so 40 peoples luggage was left at the Sunny coast airport, so I missed my connection to Penang and had to wait hours for a transit flight.. I could join the hoards of pissed off travellers, the ones threatening to sue, bitching and moaning that they have never had such a bad flight experience in their lives. But seriously people, 3 words; Low Cost Carrier.

What the hell do you expect when you pay less than $250 for a flight that would cost over $500 with any other airline?

And seriously its not that bad, I actually thought the whole thing was quite funny. Watching the check-in staff as they tried to hide the fact that it wasn’t a problem with documentation it was actually a problem with the plane itself. A fact the pilot decided to share with us 5 minutes after boarding, ten minutes before telling us we had to wait for another hour on the tarmac as the problem had not, it seems, yet been resolved. Shit.

Eavesdropping on the 18 yr old girls who were clearly on their first trip overseas stressing over whether to let their parents know about the delay, “Mum did say to call if there were any problems..” Been there.

Listening to the resounding sigh of relief turn to uncertainty as the overhead speaker lady informed us it was now safe (yes she used the word safe) to board the plane.

Joining in the laughter as the captain announced we were ready for take off and locked all the toilets to the shock of a woman in the middle of doing her lady business. Her shriek followed by the laughter of the entire cabin crew was enough to keep me relaxed!

Kuala Lumpur here we come!

ALTERNATIVE MODE OF TRANSPORT

“Louise, call my 12 o’clock, it seems I may be a tad late.” “Damn strike it took me four hours and three buses to get to work this morning.” “Three buses drove past before I could get on one!” “Out of my way I’m late!”

Just some examples of the conversations I was privy to on my rides into work during the infamous Tube strikes in June 2009. I, along with over 3 million others, sought ‘alternative modes of transport’ during the RMT unions’ 48hr strike. For me this meant a three hour bus ride from East London to Oxford Circus, followed by a one hour walk to South Kensington. A far cry from the 30 minute tube ride I usually took.

Call me crazy, but it was actually more enjoyable than I had anticipated. I wouldn’t want to do it everyday, especially at that pace, but seeing London from atop a Big Red Bus made a nice change to the dull and robotic monorail that is the Tube. It made me feel like a tourist again and appreciate the beautiful things about London. Not to mention the walk being a great excuse for a stroll through Hyde Park.

Sure, I was two hours late for work and at the time I was bitching and moaning over a pint down at the local for weeks, but let us be thankful it wasn’t permanent. At least London has a decent bus system that was able to keep the city going, albeit at a slower pace!

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly didn’t agree with the strike. A man who was fired for accidentally opening the doors on a very busy line while the Tube was still running and a RMT employee who stole thousands of pounds from the company certainly didn’t deserve to have their jobs back let alone a strike planned for them. I also firlmy believe the RMT staff are paid VERY well considering we were in the midst of a recession and many tens of thousands of brits were finding it hard to pay for bread, a pay freeze is not the end of the world but apparently enough reason to cause chaos across the entire London transport system. Greedy bastards

I would be all for making the RMT bosses reimburse the estimated 100million pounds the strike has cost London and that they be made to seek ‘alternative modes of transport’ for a year. Really we should be applauding those Tube workers who did show up for work regardless, and we mustn’t forget the incredible bus drivers who worked over time and under intense pressure to help us reach our destinations. I hope at least some of us stopped to thank them over the course of the strike. These are the workers who truly deserve a pay rise and job security.

Next time there is a tube strike (never far on the horizon) let’s all take the chance to live by example, get creative and explore London.

Pack your camera and get out your bike, sports shoes, skates, unicycle or scooter and make the most of your ‘alternative mode of transport’. Trust me, you’ll love it!

BEND ZEE KNEES!!!

Bend Zee KNEES!!

Waking up with pain in muscles I never knew existed and giant bruises is normally a good indication of what I got up to the night before. Recently for me it was an ever so painful reminder of my first attempt at Skiing.

My mum was practically born onto skis and my dad is from one of the most beautiful skiing countries in the world (I am a little biased) and yet I have never ski’d. So part of the reason for moving down here was to get my ski on before trying it out in Europe somewhere. Probably a damn good thing too because its a lot harder than it looks!!

Step 1 – Hire ski gear

Forget skiing, the first thing to learn is how to walk around in the ski boots. Imagine wearing a robotic foot brace in high heels and trying to walk around on snow and ice.. Pair this with about 15 layers of beanies scarves leggings leg warmers socks and ‘thermal’undergarments and you’ll get a pretty good visual idea of what I looked like on my first day. I was a weee bit paranoid about having an allergic reaction while flying halfway down a mountain side, not pretty for anyone involved!

Step 2 – Get to the Snow

Man it is hard to get used to walking in those boots, let alone up and down stairs carrying skis and poles. To get up the mountain I caught two buses and truly TRULY lived up to my unco reputation. 3 falls before I even hit the slopes was not good for my confidence..

Step 3 – Attend a lesson

I think it’s a really good idea for everyone to take a lesson to learn the simple things. Like how to fall without snapping your neck and how to turn without causing an avalanche. The 3 most important things to remember are 1) BEND ZEE KNEES 2) Snow plow (pizza) is good for slowing down and pretty much the only move first time skiers will master until about half way through day 2, and 3) Snow boarders are the devil. My instructor Hans was obviously over the hordes of tourists and less than passionate about his job (fair enough considering the Aussie snow is piss weak compared to the Austrian snow he is used to) but he taught us the ropes none the less. After two hours he deemed us fit to be released onto the slopes un-supervised and off we went...

Step 3 – Test out your new Skillz

I made a little friend in our lesson and he invited me to continue skiing with him and his brothers after the lesson ended. Unfortunately about 15 seconds after pushing off I stacked it and took about 15 minutes to get back up! So my new friend abandoned me which was probably a good thing as I was a nervous wreck!

Step 4 – Master the lifts

Note to self – Ski lifts are EXTREMELY hard to master. Never underestimate the speed and ferocity at which those things travel and if you do happen to fall crawling up into the foetal position and weeping is actually not recommended...

Step 5 – Ski your little hard out and remember to always BEND ZEE KNEES!

On my first day I got so frustrated after repeatedly falling off the lift that I gave up and went home. On my second day I stacked it getting on AND off the first lift (in front of my boss). Apparently five chairs went over my head before I managed to get back up , some kind of record in these parts, albeit not one I am all that proud of..

However it seems that it took one last disastrous fall for me to figure out how to get off properly and I haven’t looked back since! That was until I decided to go down a run that was a bit beyond my ability level, thanks to PEER PRESSURE! Turns out I could have died, spent 20 minutes falling on my arse every 15 metres and lost all the others (except for Mon who waited at the end of the run, although probably more out of fear for her job than actual concern for my safety).

I now know my limits and am thoroughly enjoying gaining a bit more speed and French fry action on every run I do. Next step is learning to snow board and I have a feeling its going to be a very testing day for the instructor who gets stuck with yours truly!

Croa-ti-a and Bos-ni-a

What do you do when you need to escape London, are craving (decent) seafood and need something to look forward too on your second birthday away from home?

Go to Croatia!! (duh!)

So I got the suitcase out, grabbed the lonely planet and Phil (Irish travelling companion) and hit the road.

After managing to actually sleep at the airport (damn the cheap 6am flights!) and on the flight, I was (semi) fresh faced and ready to go when we arrived on Croatian soil. The first thing I noticed was the delicious smell of the sea, Glorious nostril food...

Unfortunately the weather was less than pleasurable (it seems London may have had better weather the week I was away, Go Figure!), but it made a cheek portside coffee all the more enjoyable. Apart from the beaches and being a central bus and boat connection hub for Croatia, Split is not that exciting. The main attraction is Diocletians Palace, one of the oldest Roman Ruins in Eastern Europe and a great snippet into the ancient Croatian times. I was amazed by the amount of homeless people and stray cats. I think because of all the fisherman boats the cats were better fed...

Phil and I took a few photos together, I felt a bit weird about him, awkward almost.. But by the end of the trip we had bonded! (Original Phil jumped ship and left me in Santorini..)

After I had finished with Split hopped on a bus down to Dubrovnik, fortunately for Phil and I the bus took the coastal route down which was incredibly beautiful. Sunset over the islands and a bird’s eye view as the seaside towns were covered in the blanket that is night time. 2 passport checks (the coast is partly Bosnian territory) later we arrived in Dubrovnik. It was hard to miss with the impressive bridge and the majestic cruise lines parked in the harbour.

I stayed at Dubrovnik Backpackers Club, a family run hostel with an amazing view of the bridge and harbour. The owner and his brother came to pick me up and I don’t know what I was expecting but they turned up in suits, in a posh Mercedes with ‘Angele Mills’ on a sign... Too cute!! After a few shots of the ‘welcome drink’, a homemade cherry brandy, I met a large group of Canadians who introduced me to the world of Burek. A pastry filled either with meat or cheese (CHEESE!!!!) that is a Croatian/Bosnian specialty. The unofficial rule is that when ordering Burek one must shriek the end just for funsies. BurrrEEEKKK! Got us a few funny looks thats for sure!

The next day the weather had gone from overcast to wet, windy and miserable. We decided to hit the old town regardless and got absolutely soaked in the process. The old city walls are quite impressive, but due to the rain and the fact that everyone was trying to rip us off I lost interest very quickly. My original plan for Croatia had been to spend 2 days between Split and Dubrovnik and then island hop back to split was foiled by the weather. So I decided instead to take a trip to Mostar in Bosnia, it was one of the best travelling decisions I’ve ever made!

Although the weather had been horrendous (torrential rain, hurricane and force winds) the bus ride was beautiful. Our passports were checked 5 times over the 4 hour trip!! We stayed at hostel Majdas, the first hostel to open in Mostar. The owner, Majda, gave us a great run down of the history of the town and the 1991-4 Yugoslav wars. Such an incredible and heart wrenching town. There are countess reminders of post-war destruction. From the primary school with bullet holes running up the side, to the ruined town bank and the plethora of homeless people, I found that walking around the city I really got a feel for the people and what went, and is still going, on. The famous bridge of Mostar was a beautiful and haunting reminder of the wars (and pretty darn slippppery in the rain!). After 4 hours of walking around I had gotten horribly lost, completely soaked and had had two allergic reactions, and yet it was definitely my favourite city of the trip. On interesting thing to note was the use of three different currencies. Pretty much all shops and restaurants accepted Croatian Kuna, Konvertible Marks and Euro(or pound) at a ratio of 8:2:1!! At one point I had four currencies in my wallet, made it hard to keep track of what I was spending!!

That night I went out to dinner with some people from my hostel for some Bosnian specialties. I have Shark steak which was absolutely delicious! I also had a side order of Bosnian cheese (go figure) called Travjniki, it was basically like feta but very creamy.... MMMmmmm Cheese!! All this for only £7!!

The next day the sun was back in force so as we headed back to Dubrovnik we had some chances to take some last minute photos of Mostar in the sunshine!

Back in Dubrovnik I decided to give the old city another chance seeing as the rain had stopped. We stopped off at an ice-cream shop and I got three (huge) scoops and a waffle cone for only 17 kuna (2 quid), pretty much the cheapest food available in Croatia apart from BurrRREEECCK!!

I got myself lost faffing around the city walls and managed to come across a traditional Croatian wedding party heading to the church. The men were dancing and singing around the bridal party and all the local were throwing rice and flowers from their balconies. Magical!

I went for a walk around the outside of the walls and managed to find a sweet little jetty that comes out to the east of the old city walls, providing a perfect location to sip a coffee and watch the sunset! (I did get soaked though, high tide coming in and all!!)

On my last day the weather was amazing (5 wet days and countless allergic reactions later...) so I decided to take the 9hr Dubrovnik to Spit ship, going through all the islands. It turned out perfect, for the first 7 hrs there were only 20 people on the whole ship and the sun was shining.. Two guys from the Hostel joined me for the ride which was fun J

Over sunset we listened to a mix of the Cat Empire and Fat Freddies Drop (not even at my request, believe me or not!) as we passed through Hvar. It was quite literally one of the most blissful evenings I have experienced...

Once we arrived in Split we discovered (after 6 flights of stairs) that our hostel had been closed so we were sent to a sister hostel across town. The boys somehow managed to get us horrifically lost, twice, so by the time we got to the hostel we were ravenous (and I was remembering why I don’t let others direct me when travelling...). We went to a restaurant on the sea front and asked for their specialty. I had Croatian squid ink with risotto with cuttlefish and the boys had (insert name here, I’ve forgotten it!!) which is a steak served in delicious gravy sauce with handmade Gnocchi. Teamed with a pint of local (insert name here, again) beer and finished off with chocolate crepes it came to a total of 62 Kuna (£9ish)!! Amazing and deeeeelicious!

I must say the last 24hrs of the trip really helped bring Croatia back into my good books because up until that point I had been pretty unimpressed by allll the tourists (not travellers, tourists), the people trying to squeeze every last kuna out of you and horrible weather. But I left with new travelling companions, a desire to see more of Bosnia (south Eastern Europe in general), gotten in a day of Island hopping and having eaten a few delectable meals.

Hvala Croatia

'OH my god its so hot' in London = 'Fark me its cold' back home

So as you may have heard the weather gods have decided to flick the switch and crank up the heating in London. Clearly their thermostat has broken because the weather is yo-yo-ing like a pregnant women's cravings. London truly embodies the saying 'four seasons in one day'.

It all started with the start of spring bringing 12 degree weather (Celsius). This alone was exciting! Not to mention so 'warm' that I donned my thongs and shorts for the first time in over 6 months...

London has been abuzz with talk that we will have a BBQ summer. And spring came so suddenly that one day Hyde park was doom and gloom, and the next it was a magical wonderland of blooms and green grass.

The beautiful weather does bring with it some issues. 

Firstly there is the visual aspect. My eyes are straining from the glare. You see, every time it is sunny Londoners strip off and run to the park to tan their gloriously white bodies. Its fun to watch but dangerous for your eyes...

Secondly there is the Hay Fever. It hasn't really hit me yet but my colleagues and alot of our customers are having to take anti-histamines and use eye drops daily! Annoying!!

Thirdly you've got the  lack of hot weather appropriate clothing. Luckily for me my second mum just came over and brought with her a bag of my summer clothes (thanks Lesley, and my mum). And I can't really complain because it gives me a good excuse to go SHOPPING!!

and Fourthly (or quarterly..) cheese does NOT LIKE HEAT!! Oh my good god, my life has become all about transferring cheese from one fridge to another, putting up umbrellas in the shop to stop the sun hitting the displays and constant phone calls to our poor refrigeration company because our air con shits itself every 10 minutes.. 

But these are all small, insignificant little sheep droppings. Things that are just part of the whole package. A package that ultimately ends with me having a nice tan for the first time in almost a year! And that is the kind of package I love :)

Its also amazing the difference in moral with Londoners.. A few weekends of sunshine and the whole city is on a UV high, then it rains for one or two days and the moral drops back down to whiney.

One thing I have found really unnerving is that I have totally acclimatised to the weather. The height of the heat for the first few weeks was around 23 degrees. And all us Aussies were LOVING it, yet still struggling in the 'heat'. This cracks me up seeing as 23 is bordering on freezing back home cold enough to wear a jumper, almost time for a scarf!

To be perfectly honest I am truly ashamed. It is a true sign of someone who has been away for too long when 20 degrees in considered 'balmy' (thats right, I said it - Balmy).

So remember, remember that no matter where you are in the world, someone - somewhere is dreaming of having the weather you have... 

But if that place in the world is London, always carry an umbrella.