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!

Did You Miss Me??

So bit of an absence I must say. Apologies all 'round.

Well the last few months has been steady.  I have been basically just working and trying to avoid massive benders in town.  On my days off I have been enjoying summer by going down to some local lakes in the area and chilling out with some beers, tunes and some good mates.

But the time came when it was time to leave and I haven't looked back. Sure I miss Victoria a lot, especially my friends, but the city was getting me down in the end. Drunks, crack heads, police sieges outside our apartment and ambulances and cop sirens blaring multiple times a day got the better of me and now it's time for something a bit smaller and slower.

So now we're in Whitehorse in the Yukon!!

After lots of farewell drinks in Vic, followed by The Great Canadian Beer Festival the next day, we headed to Van on the ferry on wednesday.
We stayed at he Samesun in down town Van and tried to keep our heads down a bit to save money. We met the couple that we ride shared with on the wednesday and organized to leave on friday at midday. Not having done this before, part of us feared that they wouldn't rock up and we would be boned. Luckily for us the did and we started on our 31 hour road trip up the west coast of this massive massive country.

The ride was great, we stopped once in a while so we didn't stiffen up, and the drive went pretty quickly. We were very lucky on the way up as when we headed closer and closer to the border, we saw more and more wildlife. By the end we had seen a few Caribou, a few different herds of massive buffalo, a black bear and her two cubs, and the Northern Lights!

Words can't really describe how excited I was with all this. I felt like a kid who just let off his first firecracker.
Seeing all those things easily made being stuck in the back seat of a compact car totally worth it!

About 6 hours from Whitehorse we stopped at some hot springs and relaxed our muscles for an hour or so before heading off again. The hot springs have a lot of sulphur, and as a result, the whole place stinks of eggs. Now I understand what Rotorua in NZ smells like. Also I have discovered that hot springs attracts lots and lots of old fat people in bathing suits meant for people half their age.  Luckily the springs were stinky, otherwise everyone would have smelled my vomit coming up every now and then......

So upon arrival in Whitehorse we headed to a camp site as all the accommodation in town was booked out. Apparently once a fortnight there is a plane full of Germans who fly from Frankfurt and come directly to Whitehorse. As a result we had to sleep in the cold. Luckily Liam and I bought cheap 15 dollar Walmart tents in Van.

The only issue we had with the campsite was that we had to leave our bags and valuables in the tent if we wanted to go for a venture. We decided to stay at the campsite with the fire for most of the time until we could get a hostel booked for monday.

When we finally moved into the hostel, we decided to catch up with a girl at a local bar, who Liam met on couch surfing. It was quiet at first, but eventually we were introduced to some of her mates and we ended up having a wicked night! One of her friends Matt, drove me out to some look outs of town where we saw a wicked Northern Lights display! This one was 3 times as intense as when we saw them while driving up, so Liam was quite jealous when I told him. Matt is First nations as well, so he was telling me about his ancestry and the connection his people have with the lights and the area. Tres cool.

We are meeting up with everyone again on thursday and getting our drink on at a local pub that is selling $2.50 pints, and $11 jugs. We are planning on doing some hiking at Hidden Lake in the morning, followed by a brewery tour for pre drinks, then heading to the pub after that. Should be an epic farewell for us as we have to get our tickets and leave on the bus friday morning.

We were actually offered a small job from a chick at the bar the other night. She owns a small company and needs to get 15 vans driven down to Vancouver, then some from Van to Edmonton. She would have us drive the cars down, fuel paid for, and no time limit to get them there, effectively giving us free travel!! It would mean A LOT of driving, but it will allow us to take our time and see some of the sights we missed on the way up, plus save us $230 for the bus from Whitehorse to Edmonton.

I'm really keen to do it as I think it would be an amazing opportunity, but Liam is being very stubborn about it and refuses to do it as he thinks we're wasting our time back tracking where we have already driven. I'm trying to be more positive than that, but he is dead set on buying a monthly bus ticket and heading to Alberta.

Liam and I have been disagreeing a lot recently. I guess its natural when you travel with someone but I didn't expect it this early into our trip. I think I made some serious miss judgements about Liam when we planned this trip. Being a massive stoner, I presumed he would be really relaxed and laid back about things and take it easy like I try to do. Turns out, just like a few of my other stoner friends, they are actually stress heads who use weed to calm down.

As a result, we're always at loggerheads. He tends to stress about everything and needs everything booked and organised in advance and gets shitty that I don't have the same urgency as he does. I like to go slow and keep my options open all the time.  Everything he does is done in a rush. Eating, drinking, walking, hiking, its all about being finished and having it done and ticked off. I am the exact opposite so its been frustrating for both of us I think.

Also, I was under the assumption that he had no time limit and was keen to take his time across the country. As it tuns out, he has organized to be in Kansas by End of October. So his plan for us is to buy a monthly bus pass, stay in cities for 1 or 2 days tops, then cross it off the list and move on. I want to take my time, spend as long as I need in a city or town till its time to move on, even do some wwoofing for a week or two somewhere to keep the funds strong and ease our way over to the east coast in due time.
It's a shame because these are very different ways to travel around and we can't do both. I really like the guy, but I don't see us travelling together well. I can see us going our separate ways sooner rather than later.

Apart from that though, everything is going great! It feels so good to be on the road again. I'm loving meeting people again, sharing stories and experiences and giving and getting advice. I'm loving the randomness and adventure. I have seen some amazing things already, and it can only get better.

Compared to NZ, my mind is in a much better place to appreciate and enjoy everything that's going on. I'm in a good place now, and I'm not going to let anything change that....

Anyway, it's been a very long catch up post. I know I can harp on a lot about how great life is and all this weird hippy stuff, but well, that's my mental state right now. I'm happy and positive and thinking about the present and looking forward to the experiences ahead.

Also my plans have changed quite a lot since my last post and now, if things go well, I will probably be home in February to travel Oz  for a good chunk of time

Its all good!

Amit

Ok I've had this entry on the back burners for quite a while now, but it's time for show and tell!

Amit is a bloke from New Zealand, with Indian heritage, that I met while in London when I first arrived there for my overseas trip.

We hit it off straight away. He was at the end of his trip and about to head to Germany to continue working and travelling. I was at the start of my trip and still unsure where to head, where to live, what to do or where to work.

It was around this time that I was starting from scratch again. I had 2 jobs lined up to start the next week, but after meeting some Aussie boys at the hostel pub, I was invited to Amsterdam for a flight very early that morning. Not one to shy away from a bit of randomness, I agreed, went along for 5 days and needless to say, didn't have the 2 jobs to come back to when I returned to London.

Queue Amit.

After a few days of partying and generally mucking about, Amit starts to show me pictures and tell me about Edinburgh and the awesome time he had while living up there. Well after not too much convincing I was sold and bought a bus ticket leaving for Edinburgh the next morning.

Upon arriving things just clicked. I stayed at the best hostel Ive ever been in, and lived in it for 6 months. I met a good group of mates all in the same boat and have stayed friends with them ever since and still consider them close friends. I met a girl and shared some good times together. Things got better and better.

After a while the hostel closed and everyone went their separate ways. I broke up with the girl and in my down time went to Cardiff for a holiday to get away. After some travel with friends through continental Europe, I decided to move to Cardiff for work. After more good months, and hooking up with my flat mate which eventually became a relationship,

Arriving home I set out for a trip to Canada which eventually changed to a trip to New Zealand.

Long story short, if it wasn't for Amit, I would be in a completely different position, possibly in another country with other people. Every choice I've made since then and the people Ive become close with and fallen for is indirectly because of that split second choice to head to Edinburgh.

Right now I'm happy to be overseas in Canada, meeting the people I'm meeting and seeing the things I'm seeing. Ive always wished I could thank Amit for changing my course and getting me to where I am now and who I have in my life (or did) now. Unfortunately we met before the days of facebook, and we never traded emails, but whenever I'm feeling nostalgic or happy, I think of Amit and hope he's doing just as well as I am.

In some religions they consider these chance encounters with people changing your lives forever as a meeting with God. I'm not going to go that far, but all the good times, bad times, heart ache and strength has led me to this point in my life, feeling these feelings for people, and experiencing all the things I've experienced I can trace back to that time in London. For me, that's when life really started.

I guess the moral of the story is to enjoy yourself and those around you when you're happy and try to understand the lesson as quickly as you can when you're not. Every choice we've made has led us to where we are now, and all those experiences new and old are leading us to places we don't even know of yet.

I am so very very thankful for whatever forces are out there that led me to where Ive been and who Ive met and the people I shared time with. I am one of the luckiest blokes on the planet.

:)

Couples Everywhere!!

Wow, what hasn't happened in the last month???

Ok, so Mandy came back for a few weeks. We went up to Tofino, which is a surfing, beach area of the island. It was shitty weather the first day but the second day was amazing so we hired some bikes and rode towards the bomber trail. The Bomber Trail is a non-council track which basically leads to where a world war 2 bomber crash landed back in the day. We rode for a few hours to get there and then realised that after a week of heavy rain, the track was too muddy to walk. So we headed back and hiked a trail to another beach.

Back in Victoria it was all about the Dutchies. We played Edward Scrumpy Hands and I managed to lose so had to shave my legs. GAY. Basically, Scrumpy Hands is a Kiwi uni game where you strap two bottles of high percentage cider to your hands and you're not allowed to take them off untill both bottles are drunk.

It's a ridiculous game.

For one, in NZ the bottles are 1.5 litre. Over here they only have 2L bottles and they're pretty feral. So it was a hard slog to begin with, but both Dutch boys finished strong and won the game. We had to hire a private room to drink in because I was warned I would get kicked out of the hostel if I got caught drinking in my room again. Luckily everyone chipped in and it only cost us about 6 bucks each for the night.

A few nights later it was Queens Day, which is a national holiday in The Netherlands. The group went shopping and bought a whole heap of Orange gear and charged up for a big night at the club. Many shots were had and after a pretty intense walk home, we all survived with only massive hangovers.

A few days after that I moved out of the hostel! I loved my time there, but it was getting expensive and I think it was time to move on for a bit. So now I have a pretty schmick flat with a few cool dudes I met in the hostel and things are pretty good. Mandy moved in with us too until she left a bit later.

So now that we are all settled in, everyone has left! Basically my massive group of friends that I had in the hostel have all left Victoria. Some have gone home, some have gone East, others have left the country to travel elsewhere. So now it's getting a bit lonelier and boring here, but we're making the most of it. The plan now I think is to settle down on the drinking a bit after 5 months of non stop partying and spending all my savings (pretty much everything) and concentrate on finding another job and enjoying the summer. The job I have at the moment is easy, but quite boring and the hours are shit. It was always going to be temporary anyway, so it's time for a change.

I'm sort of locked into this flat for a while so I can't leave for the time being, but I am getting itchy to move again. Now that everyone has gone and the party is over for a bit, it's getting a bit boring. Plus it's quite depressing working night shift for 11 bucks an hour and dealing with crack heads and wankers all the time.

I'm undecided at the moment, but I think I will work and save a bit for a few months, then when my tax comes back from home, I might move around a bit more, do some wwoofing and see the sights, then maybe come home early next year. The plan was Canada for 1 1/2 years then Asia, but I can't travel Asia any more thanks to my drinking habits. I won't leave Canada until I'm ready, but the thought of working poor on minimum wage for the next two years when I could be earning double or triple back home is a hard thought to hold. Play it by ear and see what happens in the next few months I reckon!

So that's about it! Things are slowing down a bit, but it's not a bad thing at the moment. The time will come again when it will be all systems go, but for now summer is a few days away, and I'm looking forward to it!

Laters!

View from Mount Douglas

The Edward Scrumpy Hands champion

Damn Touch

Damn song has been in my head for days.....

Sand In My Shoes......

Rightooooo!

This one will be pretty short sharp and shiny!

So I went to the states for a few days! I never in my life thought I would go there. Obviously a few days over Easter doesn't do it justice, so I will have to go back again properly, but I couldn't believe how much of a giant stereotype it was. Seriously, poor black people standing on corners, booty dancing in clubs, over the top insincere customer service, fat people, everything.

Not to say it was bad though, Seattle was quite cool, plus I got to see RADIOHEAD!
On the way back though I sort of got boned over. 90% of the time things always work out for me when travelling. This time not so much. After copping shit from people at the hostel for only booking my buses and ferries the night before I left (and 1 hour before going out) I got to America with no dramas. On the way back though, I mistakenly presumed that America would be like every other country in the world and the transport system would link up with each other. This is not the case in the states....

So after catching the very first bus from Seattle to Port Angeles (tiny ferry town on the peninsula) I had missed the very last ferry to Victoria by 2 hours. So I had to stay in hicksville on Easter weekend. Exciting times were had.... :/

Ok so after that I came home and worked a few arvo shifts and tried to spend time with Mandy for her last few days in BC before she headed off on Friday.

People tend to think that if you're travelling, you're either in a long term relationship travelling together, or you're screwing around whenever you can.
As most people that know me would know, I'm not one for one nighters, I enjoy things a lot more when I get to know girls a bit more and make a connection.

Either way, it's a nice feeling to share time with someone you like, even if you know it's not going to go anywhere or get serious. When you do finally go your separate way's, it can still feel like a break up, even if you never went out officially in the first place. It's a weird feeling, but an awesome one.

Looking back in years to come, hopefully both people will only have fond memories, and even if you never speak to or see them again, you can think back and enjoy what you had for what it was and nothing more :)

Soppy shit but it's true.

Anyways, time for bed, night shift on a saturday night has this little duck tired!!

It Begins....

Time for some ramblings....

So it was my birthday on the 26th. I had to work at 6am wwoofing in the hostel, but woke at half 5 to find that 3 of my mates had cleaned up the whole kitchen for me the night before (as a birthday present), effectively giving me no work to do!
From then on the day only got better......

So after a bit of a kip, I got a call from a convenience store about starting work the next day. So I have a job now!! Well it's a shit job but its a start until summer hits and better jobs are available...

ANYWAYS..

So after a bit more sleep, some lads took me out to a nice Irish pub for a few beers about half 3. When we got back (pretty tipsy) I went to my friends room because someone said they wanted to see me. When I got there, I opened the door and the whole room ( a very cramped elevator shaft) was chockas with balloons and half the hostel jumped out from behind the wall, screamed surprise and sang happy birthday to me with a birthday cake. I was speechless. After that the party started and the free shots began. I don't remember too much after leaving the hostel, but I had one of best nights ever. So big ups to the people at the Ocean Island for making it the best birthday Ive ever had... Much love.

So my birthday was my last big night here. The next day I started work (struggle town) and into routine I go.
My mate Adam and I are currently flat hunting, just need to find the right one. We've seen a few nice ones, but they get taken pretty quickly. We have a favourite pub in the Cook Village, so we want to live near there for that sole reason (and its a nice area).

The hostel is still kicking arse. The prices are going up a fair bit for summer, so everyone is moving out. There is so much crazy shit around here. From drunken Germans running around naked on the street, proposing to his girlfriend and offering to wheel her to Vegas to get married in a McDonalds wheelie chair, to alcoholics in the hostel, talking to kettles and claiming to be "The new sherrif in town".

It's been fucking awesome.

Now I have 6 days off work, and in 2 days I am heading to Seattle to see Radiohead.

Life sucks right now.

Canada. Y U No Like Tall Guys???

Another night, another punch in the face from a random walking down the street.

I don't know what's going on with these damn Canucks. For over 6 months I lived in a dingey part of Cardiff, a notorious rough town in the U.K and had no problem at all ever. Before that I managed over 6 months in Edinburgh, walking down Leith Walk into the harbour every day for work and never had an issue. Hell even in Prague two of us had to walk through a gang of thugs with our backpacks to get to our hostel.

But in two months in Canada, I have been started on by a random for 'thinking I'm taller than him', been dragged across the street from behind by some flipping nutter with a cut across his eye, and then two nights ago punched in the face by some crack head before he legged it while being pursued by an army of bouncers that I was talking to.

All I'm gonna say is.......

Victoria

Been a bit slack of late with this thing!

The last few weeks have been flat chat. I've finally broken out of Vancouver!! Now I'm happily settled in Victoria, which is the capital of British Columbia!

I don't even know where to start to be honest. The city is beautiful. There's a wicked harbour 10 minutes from the hostel which has seals and a wicked view. Beacon Hill park is 10 minutes away as well and you can chill out, feed the ducks/geese and peacocks and see a bald eagle or two. The legislative building is AMAZING! Architecturally its beautiful, large and imposing. At night it lights up and can be seen from over the harbour.
I'm starting to fall in love with the place.

I've been lucky to find a hostel that I love. It's called the Ocean Island Inn and its the closest hostel Ive found to The Travellers Inn in Edinburgh. The place is more giant flat than hostel to be honest. Two thirds of the people staying here are long termers, and I reckon half of those are Canadians from other provinces looking for work.
The Aussie ratio here is at a wicked level, myself being one of three (the other two are chill too)
The people staying here are more family than friends, and we do a lot of stuff together as a big group.
I am loving it here so much at the moment that I have decided to live here until I leave Victoria.
I started working at the hostel for free accommodation and food a few weeks ago, and with any luck, I can find myself some night work so I can do both and save tonnes of cash for summer.

The work front has been slow. All the pubs I have applied at have told me to wait until the start of April when the cruise ships start coming in. I have been pretty lazy to be honest, and going out most nights probably doesn't help. I really do need to get my arse into gear soon though as I just checked my funds, and half of my Asia funds are gone!! Going to have to work hard when I finally do get a job...

We had a 90's night at the hostel the other night. Everyone dressed up, there was a dance off and the music was banging. Anyone who knows me knows I love my 90's music so this was right up my alley. I went op shopping with a couple here and Blair managed to find some MC Hammer pants. You just can't compete with that haha.......After the bar closed we went off to a regular haunt called Sopranos which is a karaoke bar. I vaguely remember singing Mr Jones by The Counting Crows with a mate before we were rescued by a bloke from the hostel.

Not sure what else to report. We've had bonfires on the beach, basketball games, karaoke nights, club nights, hikes, and tonnes of other nights here, it's been wicked.

So glad I came to Victoria......

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Reasons not to drink.........

Notable omissions : Hand sanitizer wipes.

Nationalities In Our Hostel/Vancouver

Australians
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Germans
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Irish
English
Kiwis
Canadians

Hey There Cookie, Why Are You Crumbing Everywhere??

tl : dr

Well I suppose an update is overdue!

The last few weeks have been up and down. I have had a few shitty days, mainly due to not hearing back from jobs and being a bit anxious about tapping into my savings.
My thinking at the moment is that I'm going to stop looking and worrying about getting a job for now and just enjoy the nice weather and get out and about. To be honest, I'm a tad over down town Van, especially living on Granville street where you get woken up every night to either sirens, homeless people screaming at each other or people fighting after being in the pubs, which is usually followed with sirens of the ambulance.

So yeah, I have almost a week left here in the hostel which I had pre booked, then I'm going to head to Victoria on Vancouver Island and scope out the work situation and the general vibe of the place. I've been a lot happier since I've made the decision anyway.

Ok what's been happening? Well partying/sight seeing/partying/sight seeing and a small amount of resume chucking as well. After having some dodgey room mates, Ive developed a cool little crew of people to hang with regularly, sight see and party with. It's been amazing. I'm making friends really easily and I feel well and truly in the swing of things now.

Alright, so apart from one very dodgey night coming back from a midnight snack (where I was grabbed from behind by some massive bastard with a cut on his face from the top of his forehead, across his eye and down his cheek, yeah there's a story there) everything has been safe and sound around here.

As far as sight seeing goes, the last week I have been a busy shutter bug in some pretty fucking awesome places.
Earlier on, a group of us headed out to Lynn Valley, which is a short bus ride out of North Van. Out there they have a wicked rainforesty area, some cool walks and a 50ft high suspension bridge. The first picture is of Rice lake, which is a frozen lake on one of the walks there. It was silent and eerie but beautiful. There were even a few blokes doing some ice fishing.

Mike (pommy mate) and I hired some bikes the next day and rode the sea wall of Stanley Park and down and around the harbour where we saw some otters, a baby seal, squirrels and lots of cool diving birds. There's no better feeling than getting on a bike and reverting to a kid again. I think I had a six hour smile, that or a mild stroke (which would explain a lot)

A few days ago three of us made use of the awesome blue skies and headed to Grouse Mountain, which is a short ferry and bus ride. Vancouver gets voted in the top ten of most livable cities quite regularly, and the reason is you can do pretty much anything you want and it's only 30 minutes away. Skiing, hiking, beaches, it's all there, add that to a very very mild climate and Bob's your aunties lover, most livable city in the world!

Anyway..... Grouse Mountain was wicked. They were charging $40 to get up the hill, which we ummed and ahhed about as we were only going up there to hike and take photos. Luckily an English lady saw us in two minds and let us tag along on her members pass thingo and we all got in for half price! What a diamond.
It was well nice up there, unlimited visibility of Vancouver and around and it was actually warmer up there than in town thanks to the sunshine.

Well that's about it for now. Eventful partying last night and now a repeat tonight means this weekend should be killer!!

Buffalo!

Rampage Time!

Trip officially starts today.

 Also

First use of my noodle thongs.

Pretty Little Ditties

DERELICTE.........

Homeless people. Vancouver has A LOT of them. They warrant a post just for them as it's another world with these guys.

Apart from the occasional crazy eyes, these guys tend to be quite relaxed in their begging and loitering.
It's funny, through the day you see little groups of homeless people playing hacky sack or having a laugh and generally seeming relatively happy and upbeat. They seem to have developed their own little community, and they're stronger for it.

Sometimes though they do some random shit. I swear they must get together in the morning and have a little group meeting.

"Right, how are we going to entertain ourselves today?"
"I'll ride my bike backwards!" says the bloke who already has coloured paint on his forehead and cheeks...
"I'll play the spoons on my knees and sing as I'm walking!" exclaims Hobo Joe

And so they go forth and entertain each other for hours and hours in the mild Vancouver climate, occasionally stopping for fresh hits of booze or methadone...

These guys make me laugh every day. They're nice too! One bloke came up and asked for some money on my first day..
"Spare some change bud?"
"Nah sorry mate"
"That's ok, you're still a good person" and he walks away.
Cheers!

Other homeless quirks that made me giggle.

- The bloke with the sign outside McDonalds that reads
"McHungry. Spare some change??"

- The bloke outside McDonalds with a sign that says
"It's for booze, DUH"

-The girls with the sign that says
"At least we're not prostituting"

-And finally, the girls with the sign saying
"Change? Or Smiles!"

Welcome To Canada

Van Coo Go Week 1

Well after an unorganized shambles at Seoul airport, I made it to Vancouver (Van coo go) safe and sound via 30 minutes in first class.
It's hard to describe the place without resorting to cliches so I won't even try. I have had to consciously stop myself from smiling since I've been here though.

Before the plane has even descended, you can already see snow capped mountains protruding through the clouds. That's when the smiling started.
Less than 5 minutes walk from the hostel is a wicked view of North Vancouver, surrounded by snow capped mountains, overlooking the harbour. Walking down Granville Street every pub, club and bar has 30 tvs showing some form of hockey.
Stanley Park has totem poles and lush greenery that is massive.
It's all good around these parts....

The city has a very laid back feel to it. People on the street are chatty, smiley and seem happy. The people behind the counters are all friendly and very helpful.

The hostel is pretty sweet too. It's pretty clean and tidy, there's a bar downstairs with stuff to do every night (and cheap 'highballs' whatever the flip they are) and $5 dinners every night (before tax). I've booked in for the next month so then I can properly budget before I get a job.
 
One thing I have had a head fuck working out is the 'before tax' and tipping pressure over here. Everything you see advertised is a before tax price, but I'm not sure how much they add on. Advertise the total price damn it!

All things aside though. This place is freaking awesome. Now my bank, tax, phone and living situation is sorted, it's time to get out there meet some more people, get my drink on and plough in head first...

Wish you were here!


Below is how I feel when locals explain things to me.....

Proof that wisdom can come from unlikely sources. 

You don't have to agree with everything they say, but you should still listen and take what you can.

Other travel quotes the internet has given me (hope they're legit)

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
Lin Yutang

It is not fit that every man should travel; it makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.
William Hazlitt

One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.
Thomas Jefferson

We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.
Anais Nin

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
Saint Augustine

A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
George Edward Moore

Thank You Brissie!!

Coming to Brisbane was a good idea.

Not only did I get a chance to catch up with some awesome people and have a heaps good time, but it was the perfect stepping stone between home with friends and travelling alone.

I have been tired and hung over for most of it, but still made friends in the dorms and gotten used to talking to strangers again.
I have been given the name 'Bear' by the guys in my room as I sleep so much apparently.

I would also like to express my love for the Normanby for their drink specials. The downside was that after getting there at 19:10, we were told we had to use our drink vouchers by the time the deal ended at 8. So 6 beers and 1 1/2 pizzas in 50 minutes. Doesn't sound so bad now it's written down.

Bob On!

Big thanks to the blokes and sheilas who made Brissie worth stopping over for and helping me remember how good the people you meet traveling really are. Cheers for making the effort people!

Small Things......

Awesome Things About Blogs.....

- Writing is relaxing, therapeutic and enjoyable.
- You can keep track of the random shit and thoughts that whirl through your head and be able to look back on them later and see your progress and see where you've been and what you've done.
- You can allow your inner monologue to get the better of you and your wasting no one elses time but your own.
- Sometimes posting pictures or music can describe your mood way better than a 250 word essay
- Feel like Dougie Howser writing after a long day of being a teenage doctor.

Negatives

- Sometimes it's easy to fall into the trap of venting negativity all the time.
- Publicly airing your thoughts and hopes can be daunting, regardless of who and how many people read it.
- You have to come to terms with the fact that yes you are a bloke, and yes you are writing a blog..

The next post I write should be about me having begun my trip.
This excites me :D

Two Days Left

It's started.

The final goodbyes are coming and I've just seen my sisters and nephews for the last time in nearly three years.

Queue emotional Ads rearing his ugly head.

It seems to be much harder to say goodbye this time around. It should be easier the more times you do it.
Maybe it's because I'm older now and have built stronger bonds with people. I appreciate the things I have in my life a lot more nowadays and perhaps I'm scared of things not being the same when I get back.

I don't know. I should be super excited right now, but I'm having trouble enjoying the little time I have left with the people I care about. I know that once I get on that plane and get that backpack on, I'll be apples.
Right now though, I think the next two days are going to be hard.

All of life's complexities should be able to be expressed through pictures of llamas.
If they can't, then the problem should not be worried about :D

AWKWARD

You can normally tell you're in trouble when you start hoping to hear from someone when they're not around or after you've only just seen them.

When that person is a friend or if the situation isn't right, it's usually best to back off for a while and let nature take it's course.

Sometimes just the simple act of getting it out there, can be the first step to moving on.

Hopefully this has just come about because I'm about to leave and am getting all lovey dovey...

Either way, it's time to back off.......

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