I meant to post this list for you guys last week but I forgot. Here are some Aussie words and phrases that I enjoyed learning and using ... I was going to include what each one means but I want to let you try to figure it out or at least guess (plus I'm lazy) so if you want to know what anything means, just ask me. :)
Oi!
I reckon
Cheers
Brekkie
Arvo
Mate
Root
Loo
Cheeky
Keen
Wicked
Esky
Stubby
Sickie/Chuck a sickie
Mozzie
Heaps
Bin
Duffer
How ya goin?
Toilet
Blind
Pissed
Bum
Wanker
Uni
Fair Dinkum
Sook
Bloody
Yonks
Bogan
Footpath
Bits
Thongs
Rubbish
Biscuit
Lolly
Museli
Capsicum
Crook
Boot
Footy
Jumper
Bung
Budgie smuggler
Unco
Feral
Ute
Takin the piss
Missus
Ta
Mum
Bloke
Cobber
Bugger
Dear
One off
Up themselves
Munted
Tradie
Sparky
Bricky
Chippie
Sauce head
Fanta pants
Bluey
Blue
Jocks
Chips
Carn
Poofter/poof
Pom
Whinging
Can't be bothered
Special thanks to Matt Carroll for helping me compile this list. :)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
I bet you thought the blogs would stop now that I'm home ...
... wrong! I'm still blogging :D
I got home yesterday morning (my parents came to pick me up at the airport! Yay!) after a 13 1/2 hour flight from Melbourne. I had requested and been assigned an aisle seat (21C) but when I checked in I was given a boarding pass for seat 41F. I didn't think to double check that it was still an aisle seat, and when I boarded the plane, I was disappointed to find out that 41F was a middle seat. The seats were very close together and the person in front of me (a dad with a baby that cried for a few minutes every couple hours -- not great but could have been worse) kept his seat reclined for pretty much the entire flight. Bad times. The man to my left didn't speak at all (yay!) and the man to my right was weird. He mentioned that his wife was traveling with him and she was in the row behind us and one seat over (aisle seat!!) ... he wasn't sure why they didn't put them next to each other. I offered to switch seats with his wife so they could sit together and he declined. I almost begged him to switch but I wussed out and just tried to keep my headphones on at all times and talk to him as little as possible.
I didn't sleep at all on the flight. I was exhausted but I couldn't pass up the chance to watch 16 episodes of Modern Family, the first 20 minutes of Eat, Pray, Love (lame), Love and Other Drugs (pretty good), and Morning Glory (decent). I ate every bit of crappy airline food I could get my hands on, and drank a glass of wine. I also had a Sprite, since I was technically still on vacation. :)
Oh! I should also mention that I almost missed my flight because I fell asleep while waiting to board at the gate! This was due to a combination of factors: early wake-up call, one xanax (I didn't take any on my short flights -- AU to NZ, and flights within those countries -- so I thought I'd reward myself for being such a good traveler for so many months), and 9 am free wine-tasting at the duty free shops at the airport. After prowling the duty free shops for freebies (chocolate, wine, samples of lotion), I made my way to the gate and sat down and waited for it to be 9:45 so I could board the plane and sleep. I was so tired. They still weren't boarding the plane at 9:55 and when I asked one of the official-looking guys what was up, he said "They always print an earlier time on the ticket and then board later." Uhhh ok. I was not aware of that. Oh well. I sat down, put my ipod on, then assumed the crash position with my head on my knees ... then woke up and it was 10:30 and everyone was lined up, boarding the plane. Ahhhh! I'd like to think someone would have woken me up before they closed the doors on me and I missed my flight but thankfully I'll never know because I woke up JUST in time.
Oh and while I'm going backwards, I should say that my stay at the Park Hyatt Melbourne was just fabulous. I swam, read my book in the jacuzzi, relaxed in the steam room and worked out at the fitness center so much. In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, I dragged myself away from the pool and went walking around the beautiful city of Melbourne, getting one last look at everything and taking as many pictures as my tired little camera could handle. I also needed to buy some food ($6 worth) to get me through my day and night at the hotel. Here are some pics:
Seriously, how gorgeous is this city!??
I LOVE IT. I will definitely be back someday. :)
I've been meaning to do a little re-cap of my trip so here it is ...
My Australia/New Zealand Adventure, by the numbers:
Countries visited: 2
Days on holiday: 161
Backpacks carried: 2
kg per backpack: 9
Books read: 28
Photos taken: 2,950 (estimated)
Couches surfed: 35 (est.)
Blogs posted: 38
Train trips taken: 18
Plane trips taken: 8
Wineries visited: 15
Breweries visited: 1 (Speight's, Dunedin, NZ)
Things stolen: 1, my Reef flip flops (and to clarify that's things stolen from me, not by me)
Earthquakes felt: 4
Laker games watched: 1
Dollars spent: $8,500 (est. and INCLUDING airfare and 6-month train pass)
Miles walked: 1,500 (est.)
Miles driven: 0
Times hitchhiked: 11
Australian Open tennis matches watched: 30 (est.)
Times listened to Jason Mraz Live Acoustic album on ipod: 150 (est.)
Beaches visited: 22
Bottles of sunblock used: 10 (est.)
Crazy alcoholic perverts escaped from: 1
Times I got lost and asked strangers for directions: 100+
Highlights:
Australian Open, Melbourne
Great Barrier Reef, Cairns
Coogee-Bondi walk, Sydney
hitchhiking around NZ
Polynesian Spa, Rotorua
Eddie Vedder concert/week in Canberra
WWOOFin' with Pip, Manakau
favorite city: Melbourne
Least favorite things:
Roundabouts
Unfavorable exchange rate
No toilet seat covers or paper towels in public bathrooms
Clotheslines instead of dryers
and of course ... Pervy Paul, the WWOOF predator :/
Places I didn't get to visit that are on my list for next time:
Great Ocean Road
Whitsundays
Byron Bay
Tasmania
Uluru
Darwin
Margaret River
Milford Sound
Bay of Islands
Queenstown
west coast of NZ's south island
And for anyone planning a backpacking trip, here is my list of things I could not have lived without on my trip (well I suppose I could have, but these things made my trip a lot better):
ipod
packing cubes!
large Ziploc bags
day planner
extra camera battery and chargers (I should have brought a wall charger for my ipod but fortunately they were very easy to borrow)
sarong
pillow cases
lightweight jacket
leggings (I wore them on every train/plane ride)
small accordion folder (maybe only necessary for people who have OCD like me)
business cards
and here are the things I didn't need at all:
11 books (next time I'll bring two and find the rest later)
guide books (I read some of my Australia one; didn't even bring the NZ one to NZ because I accidentally left it in Melbourne. All info is easy to find online or from hostels/info centers)
cable lock
2nd padlock (one was enough; most places didn't even have lockers that allowed you to use your own lock)
I hope that helps!! Thanks for reading! =)
To everyone I met or visited along the way, thank you for making my journey so incredible. I'll miss you and I hope to see you someday when you come to California, when I return to your spot, or when we're both somewhere else at the same time.
To all my friends and family here in the states, thank you for sending love and encouragement (and Lakers updates), reading my stories and sharing in my adventures. I've missed you heaps and I can't wait to see you!!! <3
Love, Marie
I got home yesterday morning (my parents came to pick me up at the airport! Yay!) after a 13 1/2 hour flight from Melbourne. I had requested and been assigned an aisle seat (21C) but when I checked in I was given a boarding pass for seat 41F. I didn't think to double check that it was still an aisle seat, and when I boarded the plane, I was disappointed to find out that 41F was a middle seat. The seats were very close together and the person in front of me (a dad with a baby that cried for a few minutes every couple hours -- not great but could have been worse) kept his seat reclined for pretty much the entire flight. Bad times. The man to my left didn't speak at all (yay!) and the man to my right was weird. He mentioned that his wife was traveling with him and she was in the row behind us and one seat over (aisle seat!!) ... he wasn't sure why they didn't put them next to each other. I offered to switch seats with his wife so they could sit together and he declined. I almost begged him to switch but I wussed out and just tried to keep my headphones on at all times and talk to him as little as possible.
I didn't sleep at all on the flight. I was exhausted but I couldn't pass up the chance to watch 16 episodes of Modern Family, the first 20 minutes of Eat, Pray, Love (lame), Love and Other Drugs (pretty good), and Morning Glory (decent). I ate every bit of crappy airline food I could get my hands on, and drank a glass of wine. I also had a Sprite, since I was technically still on vacation. :)
Oh! I should also mention that I almost missed my flight because I fell asleep while waiting to board at the gate! This was due to a combination of factors: early wake-up call, one xanax (I didn't take any on my short flights -- AU to NZ, and flights within those countries -- so I thought I'd reward myself for being such a good traveler for so many months), and 9 am free wine-tasting at the duty free shops at the airport. After prowling the duty free shops for freebies (chocolate, wine, samples of lotion), I made my way to the gate and sat down and waited for it to be 9:45 so I could board the plane and sleep. I was so tired. They still weren't boarding the plane at 9:55 and when I asked one of the official-looking guys what was up, he said "They always print an earlier time on the ticket and then board later." Uhhh ok. I was not aware of that. Oh well. I sat down, put my ipod on, then assumed the crash position with my head on my knees ... then woke up and it was 10:30 and everyone was lined up, boarding the plane. Ahhhh! I'd like to think someone would have woken me up before they closed the doors on me and I missed my flight but thankfully I'll never know because I woke up JUST in time.
Oh and while I'm going backwards, I should say that my stay at the Park Hyatt Melbourne was just fabulous. I swam, read my book in the jacuzzi, relaxed in the steam room and worked out at the fitness center so much. In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, I dragged myself away from the pool and went walking around the beautiful city of Melbourne, getting one last look at everything and taking as many pictures as my tired little camera could handle. I also needed to buy some food ($6 worth) to get me through my day and night at the hotel. Here are some pics:
Seriously, how gorgeous is this city!??
I LOVE IT. I will definitely be back someday. :)
I've been meaning to do a little re-cap of my trip so here it is ...
My Australia/New Zealand Adventure, by the numbers:
Countries visited: 2
Days on holiday: 161
Backpacks carried: 2
kg per backpack: 9
Books read: 28
Photos taken: 2,950 (estimated)
Couches surfed: 35 (est.)
Blogs posted: 38
Train trips taken: 18
Plane trips taken: 8
Wineries visited: 15
Breweries visited: 1 (Speight's, Dunedin, NZ)
Things stolen: 1, my Reef flip flops (and to clarify that's things stolen from me, not by me)
Earthquakes felt: 4
Laker games watched: 1
Dollars spent: $8,500 (est. and INCLUDING airfare and 6-month train pass)
Miles walked: 1,500 (est.)
Miles driven: 0
Times hitchhiked: 11
Australian Open tennis matches watched: 30 (est.)
Times listened to Jason Mraz Live Acoustic album on ipod: 150 (est.)
Beaches visited: 22
Bottles of sunblock used: 10 (est.)
Crazy alcoholic perverts escaped from: 1
Times I got lost and asked strangers for directions: 100+
Highlights:
Australian Open, Melbourne
Great Barrier Reef, Cairns
Coogee-Bondi walk, Sydney
hitchhiking around NZ
Polynesian Spa, Rotorua
Eddie Vedder concert/week in Canberra
WWOOFin' with Pip, Manakau
favorite city: Melbourne
Least favorite things:
Roundabouts
Unfavorable exchange rate
No toilet seat covers or paper towels in public bathrooms
Clotheslines instead of dryers
and of course ... Pervy Paul, the WWOOF predator :/
Places I didn't get to visit that are on my list for next time:
Great Ocean Road
Whitsundays
Byron Bay
Tasmania
Uluru
Darwin
Margaret River
Milford Sound
Bay of Islands
Queenstown
west coast of NZ's south island
And for anyone planning a backpacking trip, here is my list of things I could not have lived without on my trip (well I suppose I could have, but these things made my trip a lot better):
ipod
packing cubes!
large Ziploc bags
day planner
extra camera battery and chargers (I should have brought a wall charger for my ipod but fortunately they were very easy to borrow)
sarong
pillow cases
lightweight jacket
leggings (I wore them on every train/plane ride)
small accordion folder (maybe only necessary for people who have OCD like me)
business cards
and here are the things I didn't need at all:
11 books (next time I'll bring two and find the rest later)
guide books (I read some of my Australia one; didn't even bring the NZ one to NZ because I accidentally left it in Melbourne. All info is easy to find online or from hostels/info centers)
cable lock
2nd padlock (one was enough; most places didn't even have lockers that allowed you to use your own lock)
I hope that helps!! Thanks for reading! =)
To everyone I met or visited along the way, thank you for making my journey so incredible. I'll miss you and I hope to see you someday when you come to California, when I return to your spot, or when we're both somewhere else at the same time.
To all my friends and family here in the states, thank you for sending love and encouragement (and Lakers updates), reading my stories and sharing in my adventures. I've missed you heaps and I can't wait to see you!!! <3
Love, Marie
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Melbourne Park Hyatt, I've missed you so ...
Thanks to my wonderful parents, I'm back at the Hyatt! :D
I think this means I'm officially no longer a backpacker (at least until my next trip).
I have one night here and I fly home tomorrow morning!! It's been an amazing ride and a great last week. My brain hurts and I can't wait to get to the gym and spa/sauna so I'm not going to write much but I just want to quickly fill you in on the past week. I went down to St. Leonards last Monday and spent a couple days hanging out with Richard and Diane. It was really nice and for the first time since I've been in Australia the weather in St. Leonards was warm so I finally got to spend a day at the beach.
I also got to go to work with Richard for a couple hours when I first got into town and I was able to pet some horses and play with some dogs; I also met two cute little Aussie boys (the sons of one of his clients) who play basketball and are big NBA fans -- one loves the Lakers and one loves the Heat haha
I had left a small backpack at Richard's house at the beginning of my trip and I took everything out of my awesome green backpack and put it into the spare and my big one (which is now weighing it at around 11 kg I think) so I could mail the backpack to the girl I met in Sydney who bought it from me. I was sad to see it go but I'm very happy thinking about her getting it in the mail and bringing it with her to Africa. Here's our very last picture together:
On Wednesday afternoon, I took the train back to the city (forgot my nalgene bottle on the train. boo) and met up with my friend Jon who I stayed with for the next two nights in Carlton. He's been doing nightly comedy shows for the Melbourne Comedy Festival so I went to his shows on Thursday night and Friday night. On Thursday night I brought my friend Emily, who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. We went for a drink before the show and on the way to the bar I found $10 on the ground! Sweet!! Jon's show was awesome and we had a really fun night.
I met Jon's friend who not only has a sweet beard but also a Jack Kerouac tattoo! Dreamy!
On Friday I played Nintendo (Mario Bros. 1 & 3, naturally), swam at the Carlton Baths, hula hooped (Jon's roommate, Kym, let me borrow her hoop! thanks Kym!) and went to my favorite spot in Brunswick -- A1 Lebanese Bakery. I got spinach and feta pizzas for me and Jon, and lots of baklava. yummmm :) Kym and I passed out fliers for Jon's show at Town Hall, which was an interesting experience, and then we went to the show. Jon and I stayed at the venue until about 3 am and then came home and played Nintendo till about 4. :D The next morning I was soooo tired. I got up early and met my friend Matt in Essendon so we could go watch his footy team, the Tullamarine Demons. He normally plays but he's out with an injury right now. They have two teams (A Team and B team basically) and both teams won by a lot! I think the B Team won by about 75-100 points and the A Team won by about 200 points!! During halftime we threw and kicked the footy and I was ... not great. But it was fun and a gorgeous day. Yesterday we went to the footy game at Etihad Stadium: Essendon Bombers vs. St. Kilda Saints. Matt's dad let me wear his brand new Essendon "jumper" (sweatshirt) and hat. When we got to the game, Matt got a new Essendon scarf for being a member (season ticket holder) and he gave it to me! I looked like a real Bombers fan :D which of course I am now.
That's an E for Essendon :D
It was an awesome game and the Bombers absolutely destroyed the Saints. Final score was 136-84. It was so much fun! I loved listening to all the Aussies yelling at their teams, and I even learned a new thing to cheer: "Carn The Bombers!!" According to Urban Dictionary, Carn means "come on" and comes from the drunken crowds of Australian Rules Football. HAHA! After the game, me, Matt and Brett went to a bar at the stadium to have a beer and wait for the crowds to go home. While we were there, we met a very entertaining Aussie man named George who told us all about how he spent time in jail when he was young for being "naughty" even though he's really a "good bloke". Here's a picture of me, Brett and George:
This morning Matt's dad dropped us off at the train station and we rode the train into the city.
Matt went to work and I went to my beloved Park Hyatt. I figured my room wouldn't be ready for a few hours but I wanted to get checked in so I could go to the fitness center. But I was pleasantly surprised when they said my room was ready (at 9:30 in the morning!) and they'd even given me an upgrade!
Oh! I almost forgot. When Matt and I got downtown before the game, I told him I needed to go to the ATM to get money for my ticket. We went to Southern Cross station where I knew there was a Westpac ATM and I took out $20. I wanted to take out $40 but there isn't an option to take out $40 (just $20 or $50) so I did two $20 transactions. After the second transaction, I took my card and then pulled out my receipt and walked away talking to Matt about something (probably the list of Aussie slang words that we've been compiling on his ipad for the past couple days). We walked about 20 feet away from the ATM and then I heard someone call out, "Miss! You forgot your money!" HAHA! I had left my $20 sitting in the ATM machine. What an idiot. I can't believe no one took the money! Matt thinks it was because there was a line of people waiting to use the machine; if it was just the one guy by himself, he probably would have just picked it up and kept it. I felt so stupid, especially considering that's almost HALF of the money I had left for the rest of my trip, and I almost threw it away. So thank you Essendon fans (actually I didn't get a good look at them so they could have been St. Kilda fans or not even footy fans at all, but I'm just going to assume they were Essendon fans) for being so honest!
CARN THE BOMBERS!
I think this means I'm officially no longer a backpacker (at least until my next trip).
I have one night here and I fly home tomorrow morning!! It's been an amazing ride and a great last week. My brain hurts and I can't wait to get to the gym and spa/sauna so I'm not going to write much but I just want to quickly fill you in on the past week. I went down to St. Leonards last Monday and spent a couple days hanging out with Richard and Diane. It was really nice and for the first time since I've been in Australia the weather in St. Leonards was warm so I finally got to spend a day at the beach.
I also got to go to work with Richard for a couple hours when I first got into town and I was able to pet some horses and play with some dogs; I also met two cute little Aussie boys (the sons of one of his clients) who play basketball and are big NBA fans -- one loves the Lakers and one loves the Heat haha
I had left a small backpack at Richard's house at the beginning of my trip and I took everything out of my awesome green backpack and put it into the spare and my big one (which is now weighing it at around 11 kg I think) so I could mail the backpack to the girl I met in Sydney who bought it from me. I was sad to see it go but I'm very happy thinking about her getting it in the mail and bringing it with her to Africa. Here's our very last picture together:
On Wednesday afternoon, I took the train back to the city (forgot my nalgene bottle on the train. boo) and met up with my friend Jon who I stayed with for the next two nights in Carlton. He's been doing nightly comedy shows for the Melbourne Comedy Festival so I went to his shows on Thursday night and Friday night. On Thursday night I brought my friend Emily, who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. We went for a drink before the show and on the way to the bar I found $10 on the ground! Sweet!! Jon's show was awesome and we had a really fun night.
I met Jon's friend who not only has a sweet beard but also a Jack Kerouac tattoo! Dreamy!
On Friday I played Nintendo (Mario Bros. 1 & 3, naturally), swam at the Carlton Baths, hula hooped (Jon's roommate, Kym, let me borrow her hoop! thanks Kym!) and went to my favorite spot in Brunswick -- A1 Lebanese Bakery. I got spinach and feta pizzas for me and Jon, and lots of baklava. yummmm :) Kym and I passed out fliers for Jon's show at Town Hall, which was an interesting experience, and then we went to the show. Jon and I stayed at the venue until about 3 am and then came home and played Nintendo till about 4. :D The next morning I was soooo tired. I got up early and met my friend Matt in Essendon so we could go watch his footy team, the Tullamarine Demons. He normally plays but he's out with an injury right now. They have two teams (A Team and B team basically) and both teams won by a lot! I think the B Team won by about 75-100 points and the A Team won by about 200 points!! During halftime we threw and kicked the footy and I was ... not great. But it was fun and a gorgeous day. Yesterday we went to the footy game at Etihad Stadium: Essendon Bombers vs. St. Kilda Saints. Matt's dad let me wear his brand new Essendon "jumper" (sweatshirt) and hat. When we got to the game, Matt got a new Essendon scarf for being a member (season ticket holder) and he gave it to me! I looked like a real Bombers fan :D which of course I am now.
It was an awesome game and the Bombers absolutely destroyed the Saints. Final score was 136-84. It was so much fun! I loved listening to all the Aussies yelling at their teams, and I even learned a new thing to cheer: "Carn The Bombers!!" According to Urban Dictionary, Carn means "come on" and comes from the drunken crowds of Australian Rules Football. HAHA! After the game, me, Matt and Brett went to a bar at the stadium to have a beer and wait for the crowds to go home. While we were there, we met a very entertaining Aussie man named George who told us all about how he spent time in jail when he was young for being "naughty" even though he's really a "good bloke". Here's a picture of me, Brett and George:
This morning Matt's dad dropped us off at the train station and we rode the train into the city.
Matt went to work and I went to my beloved Park Hyatt. I figured my room wouldn't be ready for a few hours but I wanted to get checked in so I could go to the fitness center. But I was pleasantly surprised when they said my room was ready (at 9:30 in the morning!) and they'd even given me an upgrade!
Oh! I almost forgot. When Matt and I got downtown before the game, I told him I needed to go to the ATM to get money for my ticket. We went to Southern Cross station where I knew there was a Westpac ATM and I took out $20. I wanted to take out $40 but there isn't an option to take out $40 (just $20 or $50) so I did two $20 transactions. After the second transaction, I took my card and then pulled out my receipt and walked away talking to Matt about something (probably the list of Aussie slang words that we've been compiling on his ipad for the past couple days). We walked about 20 feet away from the ATM and then I heard someone call out, "Miss! You forgot your money!" HAHA! I had left my $20 sitting in the ATM machine. What an idiot. I can't believe no one took the money! Matt thinks it was because there was a line of people waiting to use the machine; if it was just the one guy by himself, he probably would have just picked it up and kept it. I felt so stupid, especially considering that's almost HALF of the money I had left for the rest of my trip, and I almost threw it away. So thank you Essendon fans (actually I didn't get a good look at them so they could have been St. Kilda fans or not even footy fans at all, but I'm just going to assume they were Essendon fans) for being so honest!
Okay, gym time. I'll try to post another blog (yay free internet!) tonight :D
Here are a couple more footy pics for ya:
CARN THE BOMBERS!
Monday, April 4, 2011
My last week in Australia
Hello from beautiful Melbourne!
Before I begin, I should let you all know that I am BY FAR the best smelling person using the internet at the State Library of Victoria this morning ... not that that's saying much. But seriously, the guy to my left smells AWFUL! and a new guy just sat down at the computer to my right and he smells even worse! Ugh. I guess that's what I get for being a bum and using the public computers as soon as the library opens but COME ON.
Before I begin, I should let you all know that I am BY FAR the best smelling person using the internet at the State Library of Victoria this morning ... not that that's saying much. But seriously, the guy to my left smells AWFUL! and a new guy just sat down at the computer to my right and he smells even worse! Ugh. I guess that's what I get for being a bum and using the public computers as soon as the library opens but COME ON.
So I'm nearing the end of my Australia/New Zealand Adventure. I can't believe I'll be home in a week!
When I arrived in Melbourne, my buddy Matt came and picked me up and took me back to his house for dinner with his parents and brother and sister-in-law. They were all so nice and welcoming, and dinner (meat and potatoes and veggies) was delicious. We talked about Matt's bro and sis-in-law's upcoming trip to CA for the first part of their honeymoon and I gave them some tips on where to stay. No couchsurfing for me -- I had my own room with a super comfortable bed and I slept like a rock until 6:15 a.m.
Matt and I woke up early this morning and took the train into the city. He went to work and I went to the Optus store to buy more credit for my phone. In a couple hours I'm taking the train down to St. Leonards to spend a couple days with my cousin Richard and his wife Diane. I'm super excited! I haven't seen them since January! It's crazy, this whole trip has gone by soooo fast, but it also feels like forever ago that my plane was landing in Australia and I was walking around Melbourne for the very first time. Just crazy. Okay, off to enjoy my last week in this fabulous city.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Adelaide Today, Melbourne Tomorrow
It's my last day in Adelaide, and almost my last week in Australia! When I got here on Friday morning and posted my last blog, I forgot to mention that despite being freezing cold, it was happily NOT RAINING! Maybe I thought about writing it down but was afraid I would jinx it and get another rainy weekend in Adelaide. But it has been beautiful the whole time I've been here! I really hope the nice weather holds out for the rest of the night because my laundry is out on the line and we won't be back at Frazer's until after dark. We're going back to his friend Airlie's house to have dinner and float in the float tank! I'm so stoked. I'll be sure to let you all know how it is. :) On Friday we met up with another couchsurfer who had requested to stay at Frazer's. This was Beau, an 18 year old guy from Alberta, Canada. He was really nice and the three of us had a great time exploring downtown Adelaide together. First we went to a vegan cafe called Bliss where James and Shell were playing (guitar, mandolin, drums, harmonica, singing). We hung out and talked and met lots of people and listened to James and Shell's beautiful music. Later we went for dinner at a curry place in Chinatown, had some dance parties on the street (at first we couldn't get into any clubs because me and Beau were both wearing flip flops, but then a kind doorman at a club called Distill directed us to a club called The Exchange Bar with a dancefloor where we could wear flip flops), and amazingly we stumbled onto the opening of a new Lululemon athletics store where we got to watch a dance group perform and eat tons of free food. There was also a body painter painting the Lululemon logo and mottos all over a naked girl. It was pretty awesome. There was a free photo booth but unfortunately it had gotten shut down right before we got there. Oh well, we totally scored. We went back to Frazer's around 12 or 1; I was so exhausted from the horrendous train ride from Perth, I still can't believe I had the energy to stay out that late. Thankfully, I was able to sleep in late the next day. I think I slept until about 11 am. In the afternoon, we went over to Poppy's house where she was having a garage sale. We hung out with her and her friends and ate delicious scones that her grandma made. We started talking about going out dancing that night and Poppy said she would come with us. She said I should wear a pair of her closed-toe shoes so I could get into the club and took a really cute, comfortable pair of flats off the For Sale table for me to wear. Then she said I could wear some of her clothes too if I wanted. I tried on a super cute pair of jeans and they fit me perfectly! She also gave me a halter top and a gray jacket. After five months in the same tired outfits, I felt like a princess! (I wore the clothes out that night and loved them so much, I ended up buying everything but the jacket -- for $10!) After Poppy's garage sale, I went into town to meet up with Alan, the man who took me to see Robin Williams at Rod Laver Arena my first weekend in Melbourne. He lives in Adelaide and had given me his contact info so I could get in touch when I came here so I called him up last week and we arranged to meet for coffee. He was at a footy game all day yesterday and I was with my friends so we decided to meet in the city at 6:00. When I met him at the rail station, he asked if I wanted to go to dinner instead of coffee -- his treat! He took me to a really nice Argentinian restaurant downtown where we had steak and seafood and a bottle of Clare Valley (near Adelaide) Grenache! It was so nice. We had a great time talking and it was so cool to be able to tell him about my trip since I had met him at the very beginning of my adventure. After dinner I met up with Frazer and Poppy. We rocked out for hours at Distill, got some amazing gelato, and then went and met up with some of Frazer's friends at another bar called Crown & Sceptre. It was such a fun night, and this morning I got to sleep in again. I'm almost back to normal after the train. Tonight I'm going to try to get to sleep by 9 ... maybe 10. But as early as possible because I'm waking up at 5:00 to make it into the city and then out to the interstate rail station by 6:30 for my train to MELBOURNE!!! I'm soooo excited about the coming week in my favorite city in Australia. I'll get to hang out with my friends and family there, go to my first footy game, and see some great comedy -- it's the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this month and my friend Jon is performing almost every night. It should be a fabulous week. And then on April 12th, I come home! :D can't wait to see you all!
p.s. GO LAKERS!!!!! :D
:)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
FINALLY off the train ...
... and back in Adelaide. This train ride from Perth was by far the worst train ride of my trip, worst train ride of my life, and if I wouldn't have had my ipod and a copy of On the Road, it might have been the worst two days of my life. After so many consecutive solo seats and lovely train buddies, I knew I was overdue for a bad seat neighbor. I just knew it! My dad commented on my last blog: "If I took a 2 1/2 day train trip, I'd likely get seated to a 400 lb ex-con who hasn't showered in weeks and steals food." Well the guy sitting next to me on this trip wasn't 400 pounds (probably only pushing 300) and he didn't steal any of my food but he did move around in his seat a lot, pushing the armrest farther into my seat, all the while mumbling to himself in a creepy Exorcist voice. Every few hours or so, he would turn to me and tell me about his great deals on train, plane and bus fares. He told me three times that he bought his train ticket from Perth to Adelaide for $250. He also told me he flew from Adelaide to Perth for $220 and got a bus from Adelaide to Melbourne for $75. Of course I just smiled and said, "Wow, that's a great deal!" because I didn't want him to stab me in my sleep. Seriously, he was that creepy. I was also blessed a with white trash couple directly across the aisle who kept hitting each other with their inflatable neck pillows and getting off the train for a smoke at every stop, then coming back reeking of cigarettes. And of course no cross-country train journey could count as the worst ever without the presence of a screaming child. Or three. =/ Two neglectful mothers in my train car had three young boys between them (ages 3-6? I really have no idea) who ran SCREAMING up and down the aisle all day, both days, hitting each other, jumping over each other, crying, laughing, making every sound imaginable, and the moms did nothing. Around 8:00 last night the mother of the one boys finally told him he had to sit in his seat and be quiet ... so he screamed his head off for a full hour. I couldn't believe the train staff didn't intervene. I should have said something but I didn't want to make an enemy for my remaining 12 hours so I just turned up the volume on my ipod and tried to ignore the noise. Oh I almost forgot to mention that I had very little food and no money for the entire train trip. On Wednesday morning I had planned on buying some muesli bars and cereal before I got on the train, as well as getting cash for food (and for my eventual train ride from the interstate train station to Adelaide city) but it took almost 2 hours by bus to get from the house I was staying at in Perth to the interstate train station (story of my life in Perth. It took forever to get anywhere), and I almost missed my train. No time to buy food or even get cash. So I boarded the train with 30 cents, three peanut butter & honey sandwiches, about two handfuls of dates, and half a small jar of peanut butter. That's all I had to eat for two days. The train staff this time around wouldn't even give me free hot water for tea. Ugh. This morning, however, I got a wonderful surprise. For some reason I had gotten it into my head that my train was arriving in Adelaide at 9:30 am. I woke up around 6:30 this morning (of course creepy guy was already squirming in his seat and talking to himself) and thought, Okay. Only three hours left. You can do this. I picked up my book and turned up my music. After a little while, the PA beeped and a voice came on to tell us we'd be rolling into Adelaide Parklands station in 20 minutes!! Arrival time was 7:20!!! Not 9:30!! I was so happy, I almost cried. Seriously. That glorious feeling stayed with me through my 45-minute walk to the city center (no money for a train). I strolled with tears in my eyes, thinking how hungry and tired I was but mostly how happy I was not to be on the train. =)
As for Perth, it was nice and the people I stayed with were wonderful, but it wasn't one of my favorite places. The beaches are gorgeous but the public transport is terrible, or I just have terrible luck because it seemed like every time I went to catch a bus or train, I was a couple minutes late for the last one and had to wait 20-45 minutes for the next one. The buses took 45 minutes to get from the suburb where I was staying (Cloverdale) to the city center. Then I had to change to a new bus or train to get wherever I was going. I took a day trip to Fremantle and while it was a cute little town with cool old buildings, I couldn't enjoy it because it took me two hours to get there and then I couldn't find the beach (apparently the beach is just a harbor and the good beaches are a couple train stops away. bummer); then it got late and I had to ride the two hours back. It was pretty much a wasted day. The next day I went to Cottesloe Beach and that was really nice, but again, it took about three and a half hours roundtrip. After spending two days getting there, I probably spent an average of 6-7 hours on the bus/train every day. Bad times. But like I said, I was fortunate to stay with really good people. Matt took me stair climbing twice at Jacob's Ladder. The second time we went at night so it was much cooler and I did the equivalent of 91 stories! Matt did 148 stories!! What a rockstar! That was definitely my favorite part of my trip to Perth. It was also really nice having Antonia, Laura and Mareike staying at the same house with me for two nights. =)
Ok, now I'm off to enjoy Adelaide. On Monday ... MELBOURNE!!!! =D
As for Perth, it was nice and the people I stayed with were wonderful, but it wasn't one of my favorite places. The beaches are gorgeous but the public transport is terrible, or I just have terrible luck because it seemed like every time I went to catch a bus or train, I was a couple minutes late for the last one and had to wait 20-45 minutes for the next one. The buses took 45 minutes to get from the suburb where I was staying (Cloverdale) to the city center. Then I had to change to a new bus or train to get wherever I was going. I took a day trip to Fremantle and while it was a cute little town with cool old buildings, I couldn't enjoy it because it took me two hours to get there and then I couldn't find the beach (apparently the beach is just a harbor and the good beaches are a couple train stops away. bummer); then it got late and I had to ride the two hours back. It was pretty much a wasted day. The next day I went to Cottesloe Beach and that was really nice, but again, it took about three and a half hours roundtrip. After spending two days getting there, I probably spent an average of 6-7 hours on the bus/train every day. Bad times. But like I said, I was fortunate to stay with really good people. Matt took me stair climbing twice at Jacob's Ladder. The second time we went at night so it was much cooler and I did the equivalent of 91 stories! Matt did 148 stories!! What a rockstar! That was definitely my favorite part of my trip to Perth. It was also really nice having Antonia, Laura and Mareike staying at the same house with me for two nights. =)
Ok, now I'm off to enjoy Adelaide. On Monday ... MELBOURNE!!!! =D
Sunday, March 27, 2011
I'm on the West Coast of Australia!
Hello from Perth! I arrived yesterday after a TWO DAY train ride. I'm staying with three fun couchsurfers named Matt, Steve and Amy. Tomorrow my friend Antonia (who I met in Sydney) is also coming to stay for a couple days at the same house with her friends from Germany and Sweden. It'll be a fun, full house! Right after I got into town yesterday, the roommates said they were going to the beach. I needed to sleep but I wanted to go to the beach more so I went with them. We went to Trigg Beach and it was so beautiful! The sand was white and the water was warm. Apparently there are sharks sometimes and jellyfish often but we didn't see any yesterday and the jellyfish they have here aren't deadly anyway -- they just sting a little. The footy (AFL) season just started and this morning I watched the Essendon Bombers ("my" team) vs. Western Bulldogs. Essendon dominated: the final score was 113-58!
When I get back to Melbourne in a couple weeks, I'm going to go see Essendon play St. Kilda with my buddy Matt. I can't wait! After the footy game this morning, my couchsurfing host (another Matt) took me to a spot called Jacob's Ladder. It's a very tall stairway (250 steps) near King's Park just outside the city center. I did 6 sets which I figured out is equal to 68 stories! We're going back on Tuesday after Matt gets off work, when it hopefully won't be quite as hot (it was 34 degrees = 93 F this afternoon). :)
I've been meaning to write about the rest of my time in Adelaide. Tony, my first host, ended up being the worst couchsurfing host I've had. I can't say for sure what caused the change in his personality from the first night to the following morning, but after I got back to his house in the afternoon and he came home from work, he was extremely rude and awkward. He seemed like he was going out of his way to make me feel uncomfortable -- and it worked. Every conversation was weird and he was antagonistic for no reason. For example, I asked him if he wanted some of the pumpkin I was going to cook for dinner (even though he had brought home lots of food for himself and hadn't offered me anything or even suggested a good place for me to get some dinner. Fortunately I had already bought myself a delicious pumpkin to cook ...) and he said, "No. What, are you just going to boil it? I've had roasted pumpkin before and that was okay but boiled is just so boring." Uh ... okay. Then he said he was running out to go buy himself a beer ("a little ritual") and I could either come with him and buy myself some alcohol or I could plan on having "a sober night." I guess he was just (rudely) letting me know he wouldn't be supplying my alcohol. I was so glad I only had one more night with him. After I finished my pumpkin, I changed into my PJs and he said he was going to go chill out in his room, which was perfect because I just wanted to go to sleep and then leave first thing in the morning. The next day I packed up and left Rude Tony's house and went to meet my next Adelaide couchsurfing host, Frazer. I walked about 2 miles to find a Westpac ATM, got some money, and then took the train to Eden Hills where Frazer lives. I started walking to his house but I thought I was going the wrong way so I called him and he came to meet me on his bike. It turned out I was only about 200 yards from his house when I called but he didn't mind coming to fetch me. He took me back to his house where we talked and ate popcorn from a giant bag that he had found dumpster diving behind the movie theatre downtown. Bin popcorn!
And I ate it! :) Then we went for a walk in the bush behind his house (he lives right on the edge of a wilderness reserve). That evening we went to his friends' house where he was recording a meditation for his friend Airlie's float tank and massage practice, called The Float Room. Frazer's friend James set up his recording equipment and Frazer led us (me, Airlie, Ant, James, Michelle and Poppy) in a series of meditations and positivity exercises that he was recording for later use while clients are floating in the float tank.
It was very relaxing and lots of fun. Airlie had made two different kinds of delicious vegan soup which we ate with bread and, of course, more bin popcorn. We stayed for five or six hours, talking, meditating, eating, and laughing. We didn't go in the float tank but Airlie said when I come back to Adelaide next weekend I can come over and float! :) The next day Frazer and I had planned to walk into the city and borrow bikes and ride around the city all day. When we woke up it was pouring rain so the bikes were out but we decided to go into the city anyway. We walked through the bush and along the railroad tracks to the train station.
We were already soaked because it was windy and the rain was practically falling sideways, and when we were about 50 yards from the train station, we saw the train go past. The next one wasn't for half an hour so we kept walking to the bus stop. We were drenched anyway so we figured we might as well. We finally caught a bus to the city and walked around finding fun stuff to do everywhere. We ended up in front of the Haigh's chocolate store
and I bought lots of dark chocolate for us (surprisingly lots of their dark chocolate was vegan) and then as we walked along eating delicious chocolates, we stumbled onto a tent where a company was giving out free hand massages -- and grapes! Score! My massage girl was delighted to find out I live in California and she talked about the Kardashians the whole time she was massaging my hands; they're her "style icons!" haha! We went to the Adelaide University career fair and talked to an Australian secret service agent for a long time. She actually wasn't allowed to tell us that she worked for the agency so she made sure to tell us she could be from a recruiting company. I kept asking her questions that she was not allowed to answer. It was a very interesting conversation. I also got some free pens from a few of the companies, which was sweet because I only had one pen and I was thinking about buying another one but I didn't really want to. It's festival season in Adelaide (and South Australia is "The Festival State") so someone had placed pianos all over the city that said, "Play me, I'm Yours!" and we stopped at every piano we saw and played "Heart and Soul" and whatever else we could (sort of) figure out how to play.
We saw Parliament House and the festival grounds and lots of other cool things. Frazer took me on an illegal "joy ride" up a glass elevator downtown.
Later, we went dumpster diving!! Frazer found a box in one dumpster and we filled it with fruit from another dumpster. And again, I have to tell you that I actually ate some!! We had been lurking at one end of the alley when a guy came out of the store and dumped three bins of fruit into the dumpster, and we took what was on top, so it was relatively clean, and of course we washed it before we ate it. I know my parents are soooo proud right now. :)
Our friend Poppy was downtown at dinner with her parents and they picked us up and drove us to Poppy's house. She made us dal with tomatoes and potatoes (from the bin!) and lentil beans. Yum. In the morning she made us the most amazing vegan pancakes (with bananas instead of eggs). She also let me borrow her copy of Kerouac's "Dharma Bums." Yay! I'm reading it (and loving it) right now, and I'm going to give it back to her when I return to Adelaide.
After two lovely days with Frazer and his sweet friends, it was time for me to go check out Perth. I was so bummed when I got to my seat and there was a girl in the seat next to me. As usual, I had been hoping for a solo seat. But we started talking and the girl, Shae, was so awesome! She was moving to Perth and her car was on the back of the train, packed full of all her stuff. We had so much fun talking for two days, exploring the towns of Cook and Kalgoorlie, dealing with "train time" (we had to set our clocks back 2 1/2 hours so the journey took even longer than we thought it would) and "train brain" (our own explanation for why we were a little out of it and sometimes couldn't form full sentences), and eating the delicious food that she had brought.
When we stopped in Cook, a little ghost town between Adelaide and Kalgoorlie, we were all terrorized by swarms of flies the entire 45 minutes or so that we were there, but Shae and I managed to have fun, taking pictures of all the weird stuff in Cook and running and leaping to stretch our legs.
That night we made it to Kalgoorlie (about 11 hours from Perth) at 7:00 pm, where we had a three hour stop! It didn't seem safe, letting a bunch of dazed tourists wander around a little mining town in the dark, but Shae and I cruised around the main street for about an hour, thankful for the opportunity to walk after so many hours sitting in our seats. We thought about going into one of the pubs for a beer but neither of us wanted to spend the money and it seemed like we could be asking for trouble (according to the train staff, there's a 9:1 ratio of men to women in Kalgoorlie) so we just walked back to the train station and laid down on a wooden cart.
Walking was nice but being horizontal (since the seats recline but not all the way) was even better. We didn't fall asleep but we had a nice rest and got on the train at 10:00 ready to pass out. We woke up around 5:30 am, with less than four hours to go. Yay! Our epic journey across the Outback was almost finished. =)
Oh, and I befriended the train staff and they gave me lots of free chocolate and hot water for tea. I only spent $3.50 the whole time, on a bowl of cereal the first morning. It was a great trip. When we arrived at the East Perth station, I said goodbye to my new friend and walked to the suburban train platforms. I only had a $5 bill and $1 change ... unfortunately the station didn't have anyone working there -- just a machine that only took coins, and my trip (to Oats Street station) was $2.50. As I was trying to figure out what to do, a train approached and I jumped on, even though I hadn't bought a ticket and I wasn't sure it was going in the right direction. As I looked up at the railway map and realized that I was (not surprisingly) heading in the wrong direction, I noticed two train policemen coming down the aisle, checking everyone's tickets. Great. One guy came up to me and asked to see my ticket. I told him I didn't have one because I hadn't had time to buy it at the last station before the train. He said, "You do know that's a $100 fine, right?" I said I didn't know that; I lied and said I had just arrived in Australia. Thankfully he didn't enforce the charge on this dumb tourist, and I got off at the next station, and traded a guy my $5 note for all his change ... $3.80. Bummer, but at least I didn't get hit with a $100 fine! :) I finally got to my station and Matt picked me up and I've had a wonderful time in Perth so far. When I leave the city I'll find my way back to Matt's house where we'll watch some more footy. Yay! Beach again tomorrow, I think. :)
p.s. I finally added pics to my last few blogs so check 'em out!
When I get back to Melbourne in a couple weeks, I'm going to go see Essendon play St. Kilda with my buddy Matt. I can't wait! After the footy game this morning, my couchsurfing host (another Matt) took me to a spot called Jacob's Ladder. It's a very tall stairway (250 steps) near King's Park just outside the city center. I did 6 sets which I figured out is equal to 68 stories! We're going back on Tuesday after Matt gets off work, when it hopefully won't be quite as hot (it was 34 degrees = 93 F this afternoon). :)
I've been meaning to write about the rest of my time in Adelaide. Tony, my first host, ended up being the worst couchsurfing host I've had. I can't say for sure what caused the change in his personality from the first night to the following morning, but after I got back to his house in the afternoon and he came home from work, he was extremely rude and awkward. He seemed like he was going out of his way to make me feel uncomfortable -- and it worked. Every conversation was weird and he was antagonistic for no reason. For example, I asked him if he wanted some of the pumpkin I was going to cook for dinner (even though he had brought home lots of food for himself and hadn't offered me anything or even suggested a good place for me to get some dinner. Fortunately I had already bought myself a delicious pumpkin to cook ...) and he said, "No. What, are you just going to boil it? I've had roasted pumpkin before and that was okay but boiled is just so boring." Uh ... okay. Then he said he was running out to go buy himself a beer ("a little ritual") and I could either come with him and buy myself some alcohol or I could plan on having "a sober night." I guess he was just (rudely) letting me know he wouldn't be supplying my alcohol. I was so glad I only had one more night with him. After I finished my pumpkin, I changed into my PJs and he said he was going to go chill out in his room, which was perfect because I just wanted to go to sleep and then leave first thing in the morning. The next day I packed up and left Rude Tony's house and went to meet my next Adelaide couchsurfing host, Frazer. I walked about 2 miles to find a Westpac ATM, got some money, and then took the train to Eden Hills where Frazer lives. I started walking to his house but I thought I was going the wrong way so I called him and he came to meet me on his bike. It turned out I was only about 200 yards from his house when I called but he didn't mind coming to fetch me. He took me back to his house where we talked and ate popcorn from a giant bag that he had found dumpster diving behind the movie theatre downtown. Bin popcorn!
And I ate it! :) Then we went for a walk in the bush behind his house (he lives right on the edge of a wilderness reserve). That evening we went to his friends' house where he was recording a meditation for his friend Airlie's float tank and massage practice, called The Float Room. Frazer's friend James set up his recording equipment and Frazer led us (me, Airlie, Ant, James, Michelle and Poppy) in a series of meditations and positivity exercises that he was recording for later use while clients are floating in the float tank.
It was very relaxing and lots of fun. Airlie had made two different kinds of delicious vegan soup which we ate with bread and, of course, more bin popcorn. We stayed for five or six hours, talking, meditating, eating, and laughing. We didn't go in the float tank but Airlie said when I come back to Adelaide next weekend I can come over and float! :) The next day Frazer and I had planned to walk into the city and borrow bikes and ride around the city all day. When we woke up it was pouring rain so the bikes were out but we decided to go into the city anyway. We walked through the bush and along the railroad tracks to the train station.
We were already soaked because it was windy and the rain was practically falling sideways, and when we were about 50 yards from the train station, we saw the train go past. The next one wasn't for half an hour so we kept walking to the bus stop. We were drenched anyway so we figured we might as well. We finally caught a bus to the city and walked around finding fun stuff to do everywhere. We ended up in front of the Haigh's chocolate store
and I bought lots of dark chocolate for us (surprisingly lots of their dark chocolate was vegan) and then as we walked along eating delicious chocolates, we stumbled onto a tent where a company was giving out free hand massages -- and grapes! Score! My massage girl was delighted to find out I live in California and she talked about the Kardashians the whole time she was massaging my hands; they're her "style icons!" haha! We went to the Adelaide University career fair and talked to an Australian secret service agent for a long time. She actually wasn't allowed to tell us that she worked for the agency so she made sure to tell us she could be from a recruiting company. I kept asking her questions that she was not allowed to answer. It was a very interesting conversation. I also got some free pens from a few of the companies, which was sweet because I only had one pen and I was thinking about buying another one but I didn't really want to. It's festival season in Adelaide (and South Australia is "The Festival State") so someone had placed pianos all over the city that said, "Play me, I'm Yours!" and we stopped at every piano we saw and played "Heart and Soul" and whatever else we could (sort of) figure out how to play.
We saw Parliament House and the festival grounds and lots of other cool things. Frazer took me on an illegal "joy ride" up a glass elevator downtown.
Later, we went dumpster diving!! Frazer found a box in one dumpster and we filled it with fruit from another dumpster. And again, I have to tell you that I actually ate some!! We had been lurking at one end of the alley when a guy came out of the store and dumped three bins of fruit into the dumpster, and we took what was on top, so it was relatively clean, and of course we washed it before we ate it. I know my parents are soooo proud right now. :)
Our friend Poppy was downtown at dinner with her parents and they picked us up and drove us to Poppy's house. She made us dal with tomatoes and potatoes (from the bin!) and lentil beans. Yum. In the morning she made us the most amazing vegan pancakes (with bananas instead of eggs). She also let me borrow her copy of Kerouac's "Dharma Bums." Yay! I'm reading it (and loving it) right now, and I'm going to give it back to her when I return to Adelaide.
After two lovely days with Frazer and his sweet friends, it was time for me to go check out Perth. I was so bummed when I got to my seat and there was a girl in the seat next to me. As usual, I had been hoping for a solo seat. But we started talking and the girl, Shae, was so awesome! She was moving to Perth and her car was on the back of the train, packed full of all her stuff. We had so much fun talking for two days, exploring the towns of Cook and Kalgoorlie, dealing with "train time" (we had to set our clocks back 2 1/2 hours so the journey took even longer than we thought it would) and "train brain" (our own explanation for why we were a little out of it and sometimes couldn't form full sentences), and eating the delicious food that she had brought.
When we stopped in Cook, a little ghost town between Adelaide and Kalgoorlie, we were all terrorized by swarms of flies the entire 45 minutes or so that we were there, but Shae and I managed to have fun, taking pictures of all the weird stuff in Cook and running and leaping to stretch our legs.
That night we made it to Kalgoorlie (about 11 hours from Perth) at 7:00 pm, where we had a three hour stop! It didn't seem safe, letting a bunch of dazed tourists wander around a little mining town in the dark, but Shae and I cruised around the main street for about an hour, thankful for the opportunity to walk after so many hours sitting in our seats. We thought about going into one of the pubs for a beer but neither of us wanted to spend the money and it seemed like we could be asking for trouble (according to the train staff, there's a 9:1 ratio of men to women in Kalgoorlie) so we just walked back to the train station and laid down on a wooden cart.
Walking was nice but being horizontal (since the seats recline but not all the way) was even better. We didn't fall asleep but we had a nice rest and got on the train at 10:00 ready to pass out. We woke up around 5:30 am, with less than four hours to go. Yay! Our epic journey across the Outback was almost finished. =)
Oh, and I befriended the train staff and they gave me lots of free chocolate and hot water for tea. I only spent $3.50 the whole time, on a bowl of cereal the first morning. It was a great trip. When we arrived at the East Perth station, I said goodbye to my new friend and walked to the suburban train platforms. I only had a $5 bill and $1 change ... unfortunately the station didn't have anyone working there -- just a machine that only took coins, and my trip (to Oats Street station) was $2.50. As I was trying to figure out what to do, a train approached and I jumped on, even though I hadn't bought a ticket and I wasn't sure it was going in the right direction. As I looked up at the railway map and realized that I was (not surprisingly) heading in the wrong direction, I noticed two train policemen coming down the aisle, checking everyone's tickets. Great. One guy came up to me and asked to see my ticket. I told him I didn't have one because I hadn't had time to buy it at the last station before the train. He said, "You do know that's a $100 fine, right?" I said I didn't know that; I lied and said I had just arrived in Australia. Thankfully he didn't enforce the charge on this dumb tourist, and I got off at the next station, and traded a guy my $5 note for all his change ... $3.80. Bummer, but at least I didn't get hit with a $100 fine! :) I finally got to my station and Matt picked me up and I've had a wonderful time in Perth so far. When I leave the city I'll find my way back to Matt's house where we'll watch some more footy. Yay! Beach again tomorrow, I think. :)
p.s. I finally added pics to my last few blogs so check 'em out!
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