Two Year Absence, Maybe Time to Get Into It Again!

Home Sweet Home

So.....

Another six weeks has passed. Last post was about Hurricane Sandy....Thankfully the storm died down enough for Mandy to get on her flight to Ottawa, via Detroit and we spent a great ten days together in Ottawa and Gatineau..

So plans have changed dramatically again. The initial plan was : Mandy visit, get a job in Ottawa, stay till new years and get a white Christmas, then head home early.
As soon as Mandy left though, my desire to stay evaporated. I had next to nothing of my savings left, I didn't know anybody, would have to spend a few weeks just looking for work, then I would only be getting $10 an hour anyway...

So I decided instead to not worry about it. Working for $10 an hour is depressing and I wouldn't have been able to save any money in a month anyway. So instead of staying in Ottawa, I decided to travel for the rest of November, and head home early, hoping to get a job quickly and earn that sweet sweet Aussie wage again...

So that's what I did!! I found a RIDICULOUSLY cheap flight home for the end of Nov and booked it. It was great as I got to spend 3 weeks in Toronto, Niagara Falls and New York (and one night stop over in Hawaii) before heading home for Christmas.

Toronto was great. I met some really cool people and could have definitely stayed there to work. I've never been the biggest fan of big cities, but Toronto and New York where both very cool (to visit)

Because of my tight budget, I decided to stay with my friend in Toronto longer and spend less time in New York. As soon as I arrived in the Big Apple I instantly regretted that. Sure it's super duper expensive, and I wouldn't have have had any money left, but there is so much to do and see you could spend months there. The people are really friendly, and if you have an accent, they all want to stop and talk to you about your story and what you're all about. I thought New York would be very dirty and unsafe as well. Sure there are definitely areas and times where you wouldn't walk around, but for the most part, there are no dramas. There are cops everywhere and you're never far away from a subway station..In fact, the day before I left was the first time since the 60's that New York had no stabbings, shootings, murders or anything! Perfect day!

Two things to consider when going to New York :

1 : Go at the start of your trip when you have money...
2 : Be single.

So I have had a taste of America now. Initially I had no interest of stepping foot there, but the States being the States, you'll go there eventually for one reason or another...But now I think I definitely have an interest in the country now, and I'm sure I will make a trip there at some stage in the future....

It was an amazing year for me. I met some of the coolest people on the planet, and a lot of new friends. It's been great, but now it's time to take a chance and plunge into a new adventure around Australia..

Without risk there is no reward, so this could be another very interesting 12 months....
,
Everyone has asked me if I like being home. Hell yeah! It helps when it's only temporary for sure, but the weather is amazing, I'm back with family and friends, I have $5 to my name, I have no job yet, but I'm loving it. In mid January I'll be off to meet Mandy in Brisbane, where more beaches, sun and partying begins....

Can't complain with this sort of thing down your street either :)

Fark Off Hurricane Sandy......

Toast Without Butter.....

Ok, so as I mentioned earlier, Adelaide gets a bad wrap....

The usual response from 'those types' in the other states, when you say you're from Adelaide is
"I'm sorry"

It's an old joke, but a good one....

But to be honest, Adelaide is a great city. We have a great history, full of culture and initiative, and some beautiful landscape's to boot. Now I'm never going to say Adelaide is prettier, bigger or better than anywhere else, because well, I've seen some amazing things in my short time and there is a lot we can do to improve things.

But today I have done a little research, and made a list of things we, as South Australians, can and should be proud of. So without further ado.......

I'll start with my personal favourite, Women's Equality.

We became the first state in Australia, and second place in the world (after those darn kiwis in 1893) to give women the right to vote in 1894. 8 years later, women were granted suffrage in the whole of Australia.

People.

Dame Roma Mitchell

Dame Roma Mitchell was born in Adelaide and was the first Australian woman to be a judge, a Queen's Counsel, a chancellor of an Australian university and the Governor of an Australian state.

Natasha Stott Despoja

Youngest leader of a political party in Australia.

Penny Wong

First openly lesbian member of an Australian cabinet.

Don Dunstan

Won't list everything, but he was instrumental in removing the death penalty in the state, decriminalising homosexuality, and removing the White Australia Policy. He helped Aboriginal Australians gain land recognition and helped reinvigorate the arts and culture of the city. He was way ahead of his time both federally and at state level.

William Bragg Snr & Jnr. 

Only father and son to win the Nobel Prize, and old Bill Junior was the youngest ever recipient of the prize.

Howard Florey.

Nobel Prize winner and developer of penicillin. His and his colleagues discovery has saved an estimated 6 million lives in Australia....No big deal....

Non Political Stuff!!

Not Convicts!

We are the only Australian capital not founded by convicts but free men. (Even if some of them were previously convicts but had served there sentence or were granted released. Don't tell the others)

Aboriginal History.

We have Australia's (and the worlds) largest collection of Aboriginal artefact's and culture in the South Australian Museum.

We have some of the oldest known recordings of human existence in the world (hand paintings in Arkaroola Caves in the Flinders Ranges can date back to around 40,000 to 50,000 years)

Archaeological Significance.

Naracoorte Caves is a Unesco World Heritage Site, down by the Limestone Coast. It is significant due to its 26 caves filled with Australia's ancient mega-fauna. It's fascinating seeing where some of our beloved cute creatures descended from. Not only that these things are flipping huge!

White Kangaroos!

We have Australia's only known colony of white kangaroos in Australia (Border Town)

The Wine State

Up until last year, (damn NSW) South Australia was the largest producer of wine in the country, and thanks to brands such as Jacobs Creek, Wolf Blass and Penfolds, gave Australia the great reputation we have around the world today. You can thank us later Eastern States......

The Festival State.

We have the second largest fringe festival in the world outside of the famous Edinburgh Fringe, and we have the biggest Schutzenfest in the world outside Germany (third overall)

Natural Beauty. 

Kangaroo Island is a relatively undiscovered gem internationally, but is one of the most amazing places in the country. The Flinders Ranges are stunning, and with enough history to make Jesus sit down for a coffee.

Largest & Longests

Apart from the ones listed above, Adelaide has, summarised....

The worlds longest guided bus way in the O-Bahn.

The worlds largest and oldest glasshouse in a botanic gardens.

The Largest vintage car rally in the southern hemisphere (Bay to Birdwood)

The largest collection of vintage cars in Australia (National Motor Museum)

The largest collection of 18th century Australian art on display. (National Art Gallery)

Australia's only purpose built soccer stadium (Hindmarsh)

The largest fresh produce market in the southern hemisphere (Central Market)

And the most restaurants per capita than any other Australian city.

Beaches!

We have Australia's closest and most accessible beach (Glenelg, also a wicked palindrome)

And Finally........

 Adelaide has been voted most livable city in the country three years in a row.

Ok so we`re not perfect by any means, but we do have a rich history to be proud of. 

So hopefully next time instead of bagging out the place you live and encouraging the ignorance, stand up and be proud for what we have done!

Bon Débarras Vous Tabarnak!!

So, it seems I have the uncanny ability to leave this blog neglected until I have too much stuff to recall!

So right now I am in the amazing Quebec City in the amazing French province of Quebec!! Quebec City is one of the places I wanted to visit in Canada the most, so I have been excitedly looking forward to it for ages!

Quebec City is 400 years old and is the oldest fortified city in North America. If that's not impressive enough, the entire old town is listed as a world heritage site. Apart from being amazingly beautiful, this city and province is full of culture, history and politics that would make even Belgium say "Holy shit balls"

We have been couch surfing with an amazing French Canadian and her two flat mates, and they have gone well above the call of duty of hosting. We arrived on her birthday, yet her dinner party was more about spoiling the two Aussie guests. We had some wicked fondue style French cuisine, followed by some beers in town in some trendy micro brewery pubs. To top the night off, we went to a wicked late night take away store and had amazing Quebec poutine! Poutine originated in Quebec, and I have been waiting to come here to try it. I was not disappointed!

I could write an entire post just on our time here, but I will save that for a few quiet beers one day.

So last I checked we were in Banff. On our last day Liam and I hired a car and ventured north to see Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefield. The Lake was amazing, but unfortunately for us, despite a beautiful day, by the time we made it to the icefield, the weather turned and the haze was so thick we could barely see the first glacier! Gutted!

The next day we bussed it to Calgary, where we stayed with one of Liams friends from Victoria. We stayed at her parents house, and they were great. Sophie drove us around and introduced us to her friends. I can't say we saw too much of Calgary, but the host was wicked and we had a good time.

Next I managed to convince Liam to break up the potential 2000 km bus ride to Thunder Bay, and stop after 12 hours in Winnipeg in Manitoba. Now I am going to mention how hard it was to convince Liam to stop here. He had heard from people that Saskatchewan and Manitoba were shit and wastes of time, so we shouldn't even bother stopping there, even though we had a bus that cost us nothing extra, and we had free accommodation while couch surfing. Being from Adelaide, we get this a lot. Australians from other states tell people how shit and boring it is despite never actually going there, or doing any research. Because of this, I felt compelled to see what Winnipeg had to offer.

Our host was lovely, but just wanted to show off her Aussie couch surfers to her friends at the pubs and clubs. Couch surfing is a double edged sword. The fact strangers are letting us in their homes and staying for free is amazing. At the same time though, we came here to try and learn about the place and its culture, and you can't do that sitting in a pub spending all your money on piss for 3 days. Even the most boring of cities have more to offer than pubs.

So anyway, we did manage to get out and about for a few days, and what I did see I found interesting. it definitely wont be up there with the prettiest cities i've been to, but it has its own story which is worth telling.

After Winnipeg we bussed to Thunder Bay in Ontario to check out Lake Superior. Thunder Bay itself is a hovel, and the hostel was a dogs breakfast, but I did see my first great lake, so that is a plus. Most of the 2 days spent there was in Mcdonalds eating there $2 big macs, as the weather was rubbish and the town is basically just a township for people to base themselves for the mines.

Next stop was Elliot Lake for a day to see Liams grandmother. She was very lovely and cooked us a nice meal for tea. Elliot Lake is a beautiful little town that has been through some hard times, and it was great to see the colours of the leaves changed for fall.

Next stop was Ottawa, which will be my new home until after new year. We only spent 2 days before heading off again, but our host was amazing and the town is beautiful.

Montreal was next, but due to time constraints, could only spend two nights (One kaleidoscopey) there before venturing off.

Now we are in Quebec City, and I will be here for a week before going back to Montreal for another 3 or 4 days, and then back to Ottawa where Mandy is coming back to visit for 10 days!
This will be an interesting test to see how compatible we are together and whether Victoria was a holiday romance, or the start of something serious.....
Time will tell, but I think things will work out fine.

Tonight Liam and I went our seperate ways. He is heading off to Halifax, and I am staying in Quebec for a few more days. Should be interesting traveling alone again. I'm going to enjoy my space for a few days at least!!

Anyway, best get to bed, few more days in this wicked city, then start making my way down to Ottawa again!

Bon nuit!

Voila!!

Moving Forward!

So we are in Banff, in the Rocky Mountains!

I had heard that Banff is the S.T.D capital of Canada and that it's full of Aussies. For this reason, I have had no urgent desire to visit, besides the fact I don't fancy snowboarding and its not the season yet.

There are a million Aussies here, that's true. And yes they are all the young, ignorant, obnoxious ones that give all of us a terrible terrible rep. I wont tell all the examples I've seen already, but if you can imagine the 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' flag wearing bogans then you have a pretty good idea of the hostels here.

Apart from the Aussies and the busyness of the place, it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

So last time I was here, we were in Whitehorse. We had a great time there, and the people were amazing and friendly, but it was time to move on! Liam and I bought our Greyhound 'Discovery Passes' which is valid for 30 days. Its actually the last month Greyhound are offering these passes so we are quite lucky.

I was really really against getting this pass at first, but I soon realised that I have a small window of time before it gets way too cold to move around. The weather is changing fast here. The last few days it has been mid 20's and sunny. On tuesday it will be minus 11. What the fuck weather indeed.

So anyway, the job driving trucks down south fell through, as the chick decided that we should pay for fuel to drive HER trucks to Vancouver. So after politely declining, we bought our bus tickets.

We decided to head to Alberta, first stop being Edmonton, which is 28 hours away on the bus (yes this place is ridiculously big)

We had organized some couch surfing with this cool chick in an awesome apartment in a good area of town, and got shown around by another couch surfer the next day.

Edmonton is spread out like Adelaide, but the downtown is dirty, drug riddled, and not much fun to look at or be in. Cross the river though and things change. For a small population (1 million abouts) it has a great university and therefore attracts lots of intelligent young people. Also because of the oil sands, these guys are only paying around 110 a litre for petrol! Lucky ducks!

We only stayed two nights, then got on the bus again (only 6 hours this time) to Jasper, which is in the Rocky Mountains. WOW. I knew I would enjoy the Rockies, but this blew me away. The only problem is that unlike Banff, which is a lot bigger and busier and therefore has public transport to a lot of the hikes and trails here, Jasper is more remote and can be very difficult to explore without a car.

Lucky for us, on our first morning, we decided to save some money and walk the 7km to town. On the way down the hill, an Argentinian bloke and two Germans pulled over next to us and offered us a ride. Hitch hiking is pretty common here, so of course we said yes.

Rod, the Argentinian, dropped us all off in town and we said our good byes and headed to the post office to send postcards. Rod went in as well and we started talking again and he offered to take us around with him to Maligne Canyon, as he was already heading there. Well the canyon turned into a few more lakes, and before long we were making plans for the next day too. In total, he drove us around with him for 2 days. If it wasn't for Rod, we would not have been able to see half the things we did, and barely any of the trails and hikes we walked. He really made our trip. We made his too he said so it worked out well and it's so refreshing to meet people as funny and nice as him.

Although we only knew Rod for a few days, we spent a lot of time together and I could probably write a small book on his funny quotes and quirks. While walking a trail, we began talking about bears and cougars and other dangerous Canadian animals. Two minutes later, Rod (who was walking in front) started running at full pace past us screaming in his Argentinian accent "There is..........something!"
I looked up and saw something black running at full pace towards us and started running myself. I looked back and what did I see??? A black dog and a cyclist owner coming around the corner! We felt like right dicks, but our apprehension was warranted as 15 minutes later, we walked right towards a black bear and her two cubs! We waited a while and went around, slowly so the mamma didn't see us as a threat. Interestingly, as soon as the bears saw us, the two cubs ran straight up the nearest tree as fast as they could. It was amazing to watch...

So after some more hikes and mountain climbing, Liam and I headed for the bus to Banff and here we are!
Banff is only around four hours from Jasper. (Un) fortunately, there is a world heritage listed ice field between the two towns, and because of this, the greyhound doesn't go directly. So instead of a  hour ride, we had a 15 hour bus trip back to Edmonton, south to Calgary, then west to Banff.

We are planning to hire a car on monday and head towards the ice fields and check out Lake Louise on the way. Can't wait!

That's as far as I can tell the story for now. I'll try and pop back when we get the chance!

Adios!