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......