Aysha's First Around the World Trip

Austria

amanori — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:36:00 GMT

Karima arranged to me to meet her friend on Thursday, so I had a couple of days to kill. I headed off to Salzburg. Home of The Sound of Music. Salzburg was beautiful! You're surrounded by so many snow covered mountain tops. The day I got in it was sooo very cold. Right off the bus I met four girls heading to the same hostel. We all found it together and settled in, we all ended up having the same room. The hostel was in a new bright orange building and seemed promising. I headed off to explore the town. usually when I get to a city I just head off in a directions that seems interesting and then use the map to find my way back or to certain attractions later on if I want to. I usually walk around for five hours or more on these days. It was so warm when I set out I walked along the river through the parks and found cool bars, but then on the way back the temp really dropped and I was freezing. I found my way back pretty easy and then had an easy evening. I caught up with Yuka, one of the girls I had met earlier and we watched the hostel screening of The Sound of Music. It was really neat seeing some of the places that were in the movie. The next morning Yuka and I went to see the gardens where they filmed the movie... they are in the palace yard. We then tried to go into the palace, but were stopped by security beacuse it was used for municipal offices.. oops. We went to see the home of Mozart and his birthplace and then roamed around the tourist shops. Yuka wanted to shop some more and I decided to stroll through the park that I was in the day before and read. When we got back to the hostel the were showing the movie again! No thanks! I sat down and three school groups pulled in. One kids 13-16, another religious first year college kids from the states and the third was a German High school... oh my goodness. I went to the room was going to pass out, but a girl came in and we started to chat and she asked if I wanted to grab a drink. Sara, from Canada, was soooo funny and so sweet. We talked for hours.. then called it a night. The next morning I headed up to the abbey I missed and the Fort at the top of the hill and I ran into a girl from the room, Camilla. She wasn't feeling well and didn't want to hike to the top. I told her I saw this cold man standing on a gold ball and wanted to go into town later to se what it was about. The highlight of the fortress was the torture cabinet with actual chastity belt.. scary. Back at the hostel we all met up and went for dinner.. I mentioned the man on the ball and the girls were hysterical, turns out it was a statue and not an actual man... oh. I had apple strudel, It was smoked, weird. When we headed back I got ready and said bye and waited outside, but fifteen minutes passed and I had a thought... did I have the right day? I ran in checked my email.. and nope... wrong day. The girls laughed some more. I checked back in.. same room same bed. They left early the next day and I had ages to kill. I took a bus to the Lake district, Lake Wolfgang, also where the movie was filmed and had a wonderful relaxing day. Heins was on time to pick me up at 8 pm. We had a three hour drive to Vienna aka Wien. We talked a lot on the ride about our travels and our reasons. Heins is in his early forties and took a sabbatical two years earlier to see the world. He wrote a book afterwards, even gave me a copy... but it's in German. He failed to mention Ypsilon, his dog...whom I'd be sleeping near. I was exhausted when we got in...and went straight to bed, that is after the dog stopped barking at me. Friday the house was up super early, around seven, as Ruven, Doris' ten year old son, had to go to school. I was up by 9 am and not sure what to do. Heins gave me a tour of the house and a key and introduced me to Doris. She didn't speak a word to me. I ate a quick bowl of cereal and then headed to town. Vienna is a beautiful city, pretty amazing. I walked through a park where there were kids playing drum and base and dancing.... it was so weird because it was near the parliament buildings and the horse and carriages. I sat down to take it all in and take some pics and an old lady sat down next to me and mumbled�� freaks. I couldn't�t hold my laughter in. We began to chat and she was from Vienna, but had traveled extensively. We took a couple of photos and she wished me well and continued her walk. That is one thing I've noticed in Europe. The elderly are far more active and independent. I cruised the entire city it seemed and stopped at the Opera house. I didn't understand the name since it was in German, but they had standing seats for only two euro, how could I refuse? I qued up and in line I saw Camilla! Cool! We found a place together in the center, it was quite nice. Before the Ballet started we cruised around the opera house and took pics. When it started and got to the main scene we both realized we were watching Swan Lake! How cool. It was a beautiful ballet. On the way back home I had to take the subway and then the S Bahn. the subway in the city was freaking scary. Full of drunk people. I made it to the S Bahn and the controller miss heard me and instead of Leising, I ended up in Seisling. Which was farther out of the city- I had to sit in the middle of nowhere for an hour 'til the next train would pass. I finally made it to the main station where I was supposed to catch a bus, but the had stopped running.. so I took a cab, damn. I made it to the house after ages and the damn dog wouldn't stop barking. He woke Doris up, yikes. She said his name and then he was quiet... I would have done that, but I couldn't remember his freaking name, Ypsie, ypsilon... I kept calling him gypsy and gypo... no wonder it didn't work! I felt like I was getting sick, so I stayed in and rested. In the evening Heins invited over two friends for dinner and their son. They were so lovely and he made a fantastic risotto. Doris spoke only in German so the others translated her stories and I only in English, so Vice versa. The evening ended with wine and Ice Cream, perfect. I was surprised how open they were with conversation... so unlike what I'm used to, but great. I fell asleep exhausted and wanted to wake up early the next morning to see the boy choir, but couldn't bring myself to it. They invited me to go for a hike or something with the fam, but I didn't�t want to intrude so I politely passed it up. I went into the small town they lived in and roamed around, all the little towns have so much character there. Then I went into the city center to checked out a cool fashion show and met some designers. I went to see an Egon Schiele exibit, I love his work. I made it home without getting lost and Ypsie didn't bark! Yoohoo. opted to take a later train the next day and left around noon. Heins gave me a lift to the metro. On the way he told me about him and Doris having some problems and sorry if she wasn't talkative, but she wasn't really mean or anything. I told him no worries and thanked him tons for the hospitality. Off to Budapest!

Switzerland

amanori — Sat, 5 Apr 2008 19:51:00 GMT

Basel- I took the train to meet Anna in Basel and when I arrived I threw my things in a locker at the train station and rang her. She said she was outside and to meet her out front. I went outside to the front and it wa snowing pretty hard.... no Anna. I stood around for ten minutes and thought perhaps I was at the wrong station. I rang her again and yep, it turns out there are three stations... a German, French and Austrian. She told me to stay put and took the tram over to the station I was stuck at. The snow stopped and a few minutes later I saw Anna! It was so nice to see her. She is one of my favorite people that I have met on this trip. We found an Indian restaurant and had lunch there. The food was so-so, but expensive. Damn Switzerland. I thought it must be the most expensive country to live in... but I looked it up and I got : ( 1 Japan 2 South Korea 3 Russia 4 Taiwan 5 Norway 6 Hong Kong 7 Switzerland 8 Denmark 9 Argentina 10 China 11 Finland 12 Cote d'Ivoire 13 United States 14 Sweden 15 Venezuela 16 United Kingdom 17 Singapore 18 Oman 19 Jordan 20 Kuwait) Weird. I'm not sure how accurate aneki.com is, but it sounds like it could be true. Anyhow, Anna and I talked over everything and caught up. She is interning for two years, learning macrobiotics and vegetarian cooking and also basic gourmet. In two years she plans on doing another big trip and I told her I'd meet her somewhere along the way. Two years should be enough time to have my debt paid. We walked around the town and went to a museum and then had to split ways. She had to head back before the trains in her town stopped running. I went in search for a hostel. The first two I found were fully booked and only had private rooms for 70 francs (almost equal to the usd) and then I stumbled upon Basel backpackers in an industrial center. It was a really nice hostel. I checked in and took a nap and then when I woke up I was starving... there was a Thai restaurant attached to the hostel. I had a big bowl of udon soup and chatted with a few people staying there. I ended up having a beer with a German girl who was in the same room she was in her thirties and in disbelief that I was travelling alone and for so long. I planned to stay in Basel another night, but the front desk told me they were all booked... I had to be in Montreux on Thursday to meet my aunt... so I had one more day to kill. I looked online to see what was in between Basel and Montreux and I found Bern. So that's where I headed the next morning. Bern is stunning. I couldn't find the hostel immediately, but I didn't mind walking around, even with my bags, it was so picturesque. I finally found the YHA and prayed they had a room available.... and they did. Phew! I threw my bags in the room and went to see the town. The whole place is like on giant park...when I went back to the hostel I called my aunt and made plans to meet her at noon the next day. I haven't seen her in over ten years and I was a bit nervous. In the common room there were five Canadians from Edmonton... al about nineteen and they asked me if I wanted to be in their foosball tournament.. I kindly refused and went to find dinner. Turns out the hostel makes dinner for guests for a small fee. I had an apple and pear curry. I have never tried anything like it in my life... it was okay. I met a girl from China studying in England and she was in the mood to head out.. she missed the dinner at the hostel so we went in search for food and possibly drinks... It was sooooo quiet out. It seemed that nothing would be open. We found a Turkish restaurant crowded with old men watching the football match Swiss against Germany. Germany won. Nancy ate a doner and we had some wine and watched the match. She was the only one rooting for Germany, I was a bit scared for us. We went back to the hostel and called it a night. The two girls that were already in the room were snoring so loud....we couldn't fall asleep. In the morning they were packing up and mentioned that we were snoring... we started to laugh sooo hard because there was a fifth in the room and she was so quiet ... poor thing was stuck with four snorers. Nancy walked me to the tram and told me to meet her in England for drinks and another football match. Deal. I was off to Montreux. The ticket to Montreux, a one hour train ride, was sixty francs! In SECOND class. damn.

Montreux- Shemi Aunty picked me up on time and we went to hers and my other aunts house that they share. The view from their place is absolutely stunning. The mountains covered in snow and pine trees go all the way to the lake front and in the front of the house there is a hill with a cathedral from five hundred years ago on the edge of the cliff.. It was so surreal. She made me a salad and we talked and I immediately saw so many similarities between her and my Ma. I can see how they were best friends growing up in Africa. She had work to do and I had no problem taking it easy and relaxing. She took off and I watched tv for the first time in ages. I watched law and order and made some tea and was in heaven. In the evening she came home with another aunt, Niku, that I have never met. Jaques, her husband came a bit later to join us for dinner. We shared a lovly bottle of wine and caught up. It was so nice to be around family. The next day Shemi had to work so I cruised around the lake by myself. I only walked a few kilometers and it got too cold so I headed in. For dinner we went to the casino and met her Ma, Nani at a fancy restaurant. Saturday we headed out together to the mall. I had to go to the electronic store to see if they could fix my hard drive which crashed and had seven months worth of photographs on it. I told them no matter what not to reformat it and risk losing information. They wrote it all down and said to come by Monday. I met Shemi for brunch and then went to check out the town on my own. It is a cute little place. In the guide book it says it's boring and pretentious, but I thought it was the perfect place to relax and take in the atmosphere. On Sunday Shemi took me to Geneva. We had tea in a very old fancy hotel and then headed to the airport to pick up yet another aunt. Her flight was delayed so we chose to kill time by heading to the casino. .. oh I forgot to mention on the way to Geneva we went to Divonne to another casin on the French side so she could play video poker for an hour. I resisted...wasn't even tempted. But back in Geneva I was getting so bored I decided to try my luck and lost fifty francs in thirty minutes. The time passed somehow and we went back to the airport. I saw Rosy coming out of the gate and recognized her right away. I called out for her and she looked at me in bewilderment. I explained who I was and then she kissed me hello, three kisses in Switzerland and Paris. It was one am by the time we made it home. We were all beat and fell asleep quickly. The next morning I took out my lil camera to snap a few pics of what I thought was my cute little cousin Karim, he's seven. I left my camera on the table and went to have my petit dejeuner and then Shemi took him to school and it was gone. I was furious. I got to nani's house and ran into Shaffir, yet another cousin, who's 18, and was complaining about Karim and he stopped me mid story and said Karim gave him a camera as a gift this morning. He ran up to the at and got it for me... yep, it was mine. I watched out for everything after that. I went to fust to pick up my hard drive and they plugged it in for me and it seemed to work. I asked where they backed up my images. They didn't, they reformatted and lost all my data. Shit. I went to nani's to think of what I could do... I talked to John online to try to figure it all out, but no good idieas came to mind. I ran a few data recovery programs, but nothing worked on the hard drive. I fell asleep, depressed. On Tuesday morning I realized that I could try to recover some data from the memory cards themselves.. I picked up my things and went back to nani's (the only place with a computer and internet) and tried. I managed to get back twenty five percent of lost data... but some of it is not in its original size, but that's okay. The videos don't seem to work... I'm not sure if they ever will. I sent J an email about copying her images that we took together and she said okay.... hopefully with all that I will get back a bit more than fifty percent of my pics. In the evening I had a nice dinner with the whole family and we sat around chatting.. it was like being home. On Wednesday I called Ma and she told me I had to visit an uncle, one of her closest cousins, Bashir in La Chaux de Fonds. It was on the way to Zurich. So I made plans to stay there for a night and headed off on Thursday. When I got in I recognized him from photos and waved him down. We drove around Neuchatel and he showed me the sights then we went through the mountains to his town. It is also so beautiful. He couldn't believe that he hadn't met me in twenty-six years. We went for coffee and he told me stories about my father in the seventies and how they got into trouble. He insisted on calling my dad and having a word and talking about old times. We went to see his oldest daughter and her three kids and then to meet his wife, Dilshad. Dilshad aunty insisited I go to the store with her to buy groceries for dinner and ended up buying me a swiss army knife, both for protection and because it makes a nice souvenir. So funny. Before dinner Basir uncle wanted to take me to see his favorite pass time, petanque. It is sort of like bacci ball. We walk into this factory looking building and it is hazy with smoke and crowded with old men playing petanque. Right away they say hello and start to tell me strategies and rules- We watch a couple of rounds over coffee and then Bashir Uncle insists on trying. I wasn't too bad for a beginner... but he was really really good. Turns out he was third or fourth in his region. We had to head home quickly and prepare for dinner. His son, Shiraz and his girlfriend and her daughter all came to dinner. We had raclet, a grilled cheese meal with potatoes and they had lamb. You grill the cheese at the table in a heated plate thing... it was good, but I don't think it was too healthy. We called my Ma after dinner and they all caught up. Then it was tea and bed. The next morning we went to the French border to see some nice lookouts and then to Shiraz's little indian restaurant where we lunched. Before I knew it I had to catch my train to Zurich. I promised Basir Uncle I'd come back to visit... I had a wonderful time. I can't believe I have so much extended family that my ma grew up with in Kampala that I have never met.It is good to be able to match faces with stories and hear different versions of everything. Basir Uncle gave me a spare mobile for emergencies for the rest of my time in Switzerland. I was off to Zurich. When I arrived Karima, my cousin, called and told me to walk down the street to meet her. She had found parking... her cute little porche. We went for coffee and she had a small dinner and she told me about her a bit and about how she wanted to go to a prayer meeting in the evening. It was being held at someones house and did I mind joining? Uhmm... I sw that no wasn't a viable answer so I agreed to go. It wasn't too bad. everyone was nice enough... after that we picked up some thai food for dinner and her fiance, Gerard, was picking up her sister and her boyfriend (Perveez and Andrew) from the airport. They were returning from a trip to Thailand. Karima and Perveez are Niku's kids. We all had dinner and got familiar with each other and headed to bed early. Today we woke up and got ready to go to the Basel jewelry show. Karima is a jewler. Remember, I have limited clothes ... so I put on my black jeans a white tank and a black sweater... Karima looks me over and says.. 'hmm the show is a bit shishi, do you want to borrow something?' She pulls out a burberry coat and dior boots and tada.. I am more shi shi. The show was okay, nothing I haven't seen before, but my feet were killing by the end of the day. We were all supposed to go to a birthday party tonight, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be for me and Perveez and Andrew headed home. Karima and Gerard are older than me (she's 32 and he seems almost 50) and judging by the day I think I would have to continue to dress shishi and act reserved.. and I wasn't feeling it... I am however glad I met both my second cousins... I'm now invited to both of their weddings. One is in India in October and the other next year sometime here in Switzerland. Who knows? I'm not sure what is on the table for tomorrow, but Karima offered to let me stay in her loft (giant) and take a day train to Lucern so I don't have to pay for a hostel and all that...it's only thirty minutes away and I have to pass time until Thursday, which is when I go to St.Gallan to see some friends... Marion and Lili =) excited!

Lucerne- It was so easy to pass a day there.. I just found out that Switzerland has a Bungee near Lucerne that is now THE highest in the world, but it opens in June. I will try to make it back before the end of my trip, but it may not be an option. I spent the next couple of days exploring Baar and Zug (tax havens of Switzerland) and just taking it real easy. I caught up on some episodes of Heroes and The L Word and spent the evening having a nice dinner and chatting to Karima and Gerhard.

St. Gallen- Marion picked me up from the station and I almost fell over trying to give her a hug. It was so unreal being there in her hometown when we just met earlier on this trip... I felt like we've been friends for years. We headed over to Lili's where I was meant to stay for a couple of nights... Lili just came back from Shri Lanka and she was as dark as me. She had to go back to work for a couple of hours so Marion and I went into town. St. Gallen is a pretty small town, but it has s ton of character. Marion dragged me into a few shops so she could catch up on shopping, as she lives out of town and never makes it in before the shops close. We went for a drink afterward and Lili met us. I ordered a beer and they had sparkling juice.. oh. This juice was weird.. tasted like pez candy and apple cider, but it was made with milk... you'd never know. We all went back to Lili's and I met the other roomies, Angie and Eliane. Keep in mind these girls are all cheerleaders.. they were so lovely and sweet! We made dinner together like old times and sat around the table chatting. Marion took off around ten and Lili and I stayed up talking and watching E!, good fun. The next morning we had a little breakfast and Lili and I lounged around until midday then took off into town.. we walked up some big hills to see the best view of the city and the lakes, it was stunning. I took a bunch of pics then we headed home to make lunch. Lili is obsessed with salad ... so that's what we had, which was pretty yummy. She makes all her dressings from scratch and they're always good. It was Friday night and the girls wanted to head out... so we all met up and got ready to go out.. we drank Champaign in the bathroom while getting ready... I think before might have been more fun than our actual night... only kidding. We finally made it out at midnight and met up with Lili's man at the bar.. The music was bizarre. It was like a mini taste of a hundred songs... just when we get into it they changed it, but we still danced. We were out until about 4 am and of course when I drink I get hungry. Elli whipped up some delicious microve pizzas and then we passed out. The next day they had cheer practice at ten... but I didn't want to get up. Angie offered to take me around noon... she has a knee problem so she wasn't going. We picked up some food for dinner and then headed to practice.... it was really neat watching these girls throw each other around and tumble. One girl, 15, fell really hard at one point and smacked her head against the floor. They took her to the doctors just to be sure. The team is called green lightning. It's not like in the states where it funded by schools. It is a city thing and the girls are aged 15 through 26. After practice Marion had to stay to coach the youngins and go to a game with them. Lili and I headed home and.... yes, made a salad. She was going to stay in and have a movie night with her man and Marion and I were heading out to meet some of her friends. Elli had a birthday to go to, but of course we had a couple of drinks while getting ready.. in the lu. They were all really nice, but didn't really speak a lot of English with me.. so I got a bit bored in stages, but she was having fun...we stuck around until we both couldn't take it then went to bed. Then next morning we headed to Marion's. She lives at home with her three brothers and her parents. It was super early and she had to go to a community meeting for a kids program she volunteers for. I couldn't sleep so I watched a movie in her room and then read my book. I heard the brothers come home, but was too scared to come out of the room and say hello... lame, I know. She finally came home and we sat around chatting and then it was time for dinner. We had fondue. A giant pot of fondue cheese with a cherry liquor and tons of bread. It was really good. The conversation was weird because I can't pick up the Swiss German... so there was all the translations. Marion's dad would sometimes say things in Swiss German and the in German.. as if it may make a difference... but no. After dinner we headed to a movie with her cousin, whom is also her neighbor. We saw Into The Wild. What a film for a traveller. It was fantastic and devastating..sort of freaked me out. Not that I see myself going to Alaska to live off the wild, but I can be pretty just get up and go with out enough resources. Maybe I'll go to Alaska next.... no I like the sound of Africa. Anyhow, we went to bed and she took me to the station the next morning and I reluctantly headed away from some of the coolest people I've met this trip. I only wish they make it over to Canada so I can repay their generosity. Marion and Elli are heading to NYC in the fall.. I said I'd try my best to meet up, but that may be unlikely.

France pt 2

amanori — Sat, 5 Apr 2008 19:20:00 GMT

Italia part one

amanori — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:04:00 GMT

Milano- So overrated in my opinion. The city is grey. Our first night in we met some really cool people. My favortie was Rie, a sweet japanese girl travelling alone. In the morning Rie and a Brazillian girl invited me to join them to see the castle and the main cathedral. Kids were celebrating Carnivale in the street and all dressed in cotumes. It is like Halloween for them. The Brazillian girl knew a boy, Simone, she studied with and invited him for lunch. We all went out to eat and walked around and then went for a tea break. The company was really great. Rie asked if she could join us to Venice and I didn't think J would mind so I said of course. In the evening we had a couple of beers and fell asleep. We left early the next morning for Venizia.

Venice aka Venezia- is just like what I imagined it would be. Since there was three of us we booked a triple room and stayed in a really cool hotel, Hotel Reiter, off the island on Lido. My nani used to say Venice is heaven on earth and even though it was cold and gloomy it was magical. There was something so fantastic ... maybe an energy that remained in the place. We made it for the last two days of Carnivale. We roamed around our first night and just stared at the costumes and tried to gain perspective on the orientation of the city, which would take me a week at least, I think. We made a plan to get up early and have a big last day of Carnivale. Rie made us pose like the Japanese in all of our pictures. The next morning we all put on tons of make up to join in the festivities and headed out. We caught good music and saw brilliant costumes. We saw a concert in the main square and hopped around all the main islands. It was really really fun. We decided to go for a nice Italian dinner. we found a restaurant that I can never find again, even with directions. Our meals were delicious.

French Riviera

amanori — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Marseilles- For some reason we neglected to book a hostel in Marseilles. We met some boys in the train station who recommended hostel Vertigo, which was walking distance away.... so we went. The part of Marseilles we were satying in was sort of like a Moroccan-Tunisian ghetto. Nasir, a sweet Moroccan who ran the place booked us in. We had a lovely en suite room to ourselves. The hostel was really cute, but a bit pricey. J went to bed and I stayed up talking to a few people that were staying... one of the girls offered some wine and we listened to music. I started to mention how my ipod seized and a German guy, Max, offered to try and fix it.. he did! But in the process all my songs were wiped....noooooo. He offered to put his music on. I thankfully accepted. It is a lovely mix of Portuguese dub, French Rap, The Beatles, Lauryn Hill, and I don't even know what. I miss my Elliot smith and everything else! The next day I was feeling like quite the adventurer and I set off on a ten mile journey... Five miles to the Notre Dame of the South and five back. I hiked up a million stairs, but the view and sunset made it all worth while. For dinner I made a yummy soup and spent a mellow evening chatting with Max and writing in my journal. The next day we headed out around noon. I bought a small rolly bag with wheels to put my toiletries and camera in... my pack was getting too heavy and I wanted to save my back a bit. Having wheels does slow me down, but I think it's better in the end. Our next train was to Nice.

Nice- We were told to call the hostel after we got off the train to pick us up next to the casino... Oh oh... gambling problems? Nope, just the name of their supermarket. This hostel was really really nice. We met our roomies, two nineteen year old American boys from South Carolina. They were bicycling around Europe. Brave brave boys. Dylan had a book collection as big as mine and we traded and swapped and talked story. It was a fantastic afternoon. J and I set out to see then town ... we ended up fighting and walked away from each other... she had the map and the number for the hostel pick up service. Damn. The walk back was actually really nice. I met four Aussie boys who were checking in, and then happened to be in the same room. The next day we walked to the castle and I told J I'd meet her at the top, but I saw this lady struggling to get to the sidewalk, so I helped her. Madame Papillion....really. She was in her eighties and underestimated how far the market was from her house and was struggling. I offered to help her. She lived far! Wow! During our walk I noticed she had a clubbed foot and one heel was much larger than the other. I spoke in broken French and she gave me a history of Nice. By the time we reached her home she offered me a pear and mandarin as a thank you. I gratefully accepted and went on my way with a wonderful bear hug from her. I met J at the top of the castle and told her the story... we headed back to the hostel and made dinner. I made the best french toast I have ever made in my life haha. The two America boys joined in and we had a small feast of french toast, cheese and crackers and chocolate and wine. perfect. We ended up playing cards with the Aussie boys. I was really attracted to one... he has a girlfriend of course. The next day we went to Monaco-Monte Carlo and checked out the sights and casino. I lost thirty cents and gave up. Jaymie won five euro... not bad. we spent way too much money on a good but simple dinner and then headed back to Nice. We spent one more night in Nice just hanging out with the hostellers and packed up to leave for Milan.

Spain again!

amanori — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:41:00 GMT

Sevilla aka Seville- We got in around seven and couldn't find the hostel... The streets were mazes and they neglected to put any signs in visible locations. Hostel Nuevo Suizo was and old hotel converted to a hostel. We arrived tired and made a joke about giving us the closest room. He laughed and said we were on the mezanine, four floors up and no lift. Haha... oh you're not kidding. Great. Slowly, but surely, we made it up. Our room was a room built on the rooftop. The bunks were red metal and a bit rickety. It was now 8 and J wanted to sleep. I headed out and grabbed a coffee and cookie at a nearby cafe and talked to a girl about photoshop. The next morning we continued with our trend of doing our own things.. For me.. travel is not by the book... I don't just go see the sights.. I linger...i doddle, and one of the most important things is meeting people. I want to meet all kind of people and share stories and maybe remain friends. This out a new strain on our travel companionship. Since Sevilla is a labyrinth of hundreds of small streets I chose not too look at the map and just wander.... I found myself at a tiny tapas bar just in time to ease my hunger pains. Calamari and batatas Brava... and a cerveza of course. It was fun trying to ask the waiter which beer or how much... the language barrier made it a game, but luckily I hung onto a few words I learned living in california. I finally pulled out the map and found I was near a main river. I decided to walk along it and catch all the sights... the weather was lovely. I walked for ages and finally found myself back to the street we were staying on. Luckily Nuevo Suizo was in a fantastic location. They also had as much free coffee, cappuccino, teas, etc as you wanted... I was constantly wired. I talked to the receptionist, who was always on the phone fighting with his girlfriend, and he told me about a free flamenco place. I mentioned it to J and she had heard of it too. We decided to head out. First I played around with a new camera that I bought because my little one was stole in Madrid. I walked around the rooftops and took some fun pictures. On the way to the club we found a cute restaurant with really cute waiters and made a decision to have dinner there. They had many seafood options, but all covered in or made with Jamon.... which they don't think vegetarians can't eat. I felt like having a steak.. so I indulged in my craving. Out came a beautiful entrecote with grilled potatoes. It was delicious! We took our time and then headed to the Flamenco. By the time we found it there was only a couple of songs left in the set. The club didn't have a sing and all it's patrons were locals. The flamenco itself was powerful... it had a lot of emotions and was sung beautifully. There were no dancers that night. I convinced J to go into the bar and she perceeded to not talk to anyone. We called it a night... on the way home she decided she could try to be social and visit one bar.... we did. We took a taxi home. The next day there was a note by my bed saying she was sorry and that she has problems discussing and she will try. We took off the next day to Cordova for a day trip.

Cordova aka Cordoba- We started off by storing our things in the station and then walked about. There were oranges on every tree and I wanted to try one. I wandered onto this government building or school and in the gardens I found an orange and peeled it quickly and it was sooooo sour and bitter. The guard asked us to leave shortly after. Cordova is famous for it's Mosque that was seized by the Catholics and turned into a cathedral. I didn't notice until much late that in the pamphlet it mentions that they were lucky to have seized it because in the hands of the Muslims it might not have remained in tact and beautiful. Wow, can you say propaganda? We found a great place for tapas and dinner and shared a bottle of wine. The town itself didn't take more than a few hours to explore. J was drunk and I was tired and we headed back to the station and caught a night train to Valencia.

Valencia- We arrived at about seven in the morning and cabbed it to the hostel. Home Hostel, the lift was broken and we were up two flights... not bad. The reception didn't make us wait for check in and let us settle in and sleep some more. The beds were super comfy and the rooms were nice. The hostel was in the interior walls, which were much prettier than the exterior. When we woke up we totally misread the map and ended up who knows where and found the modern art museum. The exhibit there was really cool. i don't remember the srtists name, but he had Shakespeare written in metal letters hanging from the ceiling... you had to walk through like they were beaded curtains and only noticed that it actually spelled out verses when you were a few feet back. We found a great place to have lunch and then went back to the hostel. We decided to make dinner there. The kitchen was really nice and there was a vending machine with beer! Wheuu! I met a few of the people from our room and we spent the evening chatting. We made plans to go to a Flamenco show together the next night. The next day was wonderful! I really love Valencia. I went to another art gallery and just spent the day in the park... in the evening I made dinner and then we headed to the show. I don't know how to describe Flamenco. The dancers look like they are sort of tormented, but it is beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I have a video that I will have to email everyone. After the stage turned into a dance floor and the bar was packed. I met a super cute boy, Luismi. We spent ages talking and dancing and his friend was trying to tech me how to flamenco... fun! At about 2am we were pooped and called it a night. I passed out back at the hostel and woke up around 10 the next day. I went to some cool markets with a ton of indian vendors and tried out my hindi.. they were punjabi... we couldn't understand each other. Damn. I hung out with some gals and chatted with them about their travels and then we all got together and played cards. It was an early night as we all had to head out the next day. I was really looking forward to it as Denise, a girl I met In NZ, was meeting us in Barcelona.

Barcelona- Upon arriving we met two American glas in the train station and they were staying at the same hostel, Hostel Kabul, and showed us the way. It was in a fantastic part of town right off the main street, las Rambla. The hostel itself was chaotic. Jaymie booked the wrong date on accident and we lost our rooms and it was just a mess. After pleading to the receptionist he squeezed us in a twelve bed dorm.. yuk, but it was a place to stay and it was where Denise was meeting us. Jaymie insisted on meeting Denise at the airport as a pleasant surprise.. The times were wrong and we were there an hour late. Two hours wasted and by the time we got back to Kabul Denise was on her first beer alone.... aw. None-the-less we were so happy to just see each other. We sat down and grabbed two beers (one litre for three euro, WOW) and begin to catch up. She had worked that day and then flew to meet us so we had an easy night and went to bed early. The next day we headed out to see all the Gaudi work. We saw La Segrada familla, which took a good chunk of the day. It is unbeleivable...his multifaceted way of thinking was just so complicated and facinating. We found a veg friendly place and had a three course meal of deliciousness haha. We then headedback to the hostel and had a few beers, free dinner and called it a night. The next day we shopped, went to the picasso museum and walked around the Gaudi park. We found a resteraunt Denise's coworker recommended and tried to make a reservation, but they were booked. On the way back to the hostel we found a tapas bar and had some yummy seafood and wine. We decided to have a late dinner at another restaurant her coworker recommended (she's in the catering business). Back at the hostel we grabbed a beer and Jaymie disappeared to shower and nap. Denise and I talked for ages and it was really good! We got up to get ready for dinner and then headed out. i was a bit tipsy after my litre and on the way to the restaurant I spotted a piercing tattoo place. I went in just to chat with the piercer, Maximo, and we talked about this and that and then I got my lip pierced. it was a funny moment... Denise shouted 'no, Aysha, really? is it real?'. It did hurt a bit, but wasn't too bad. We had to wait for dinner and decided to share a bottle of sparkling white wine. Dinner was delicious... the restaurant was so cute. We were the last ones out. By the time we left I had a fat lip and looked like I had been in a fight. we went off to find a bar to had a drink before bed. We found an Irish pub of course and had fun. We were smashed and again were the last ones out. It was good to party again after so long. The next morning we agreed to wake up at eight and have breaky with Denise before she had to catch her flight home... I was abit grumpy due to the hangover and fat lip, but we managed =) I didn't want to let her leave, but she promised to meet us again in Germany or Czech. I went back to bed and woke up around eleven to a sweet Aussie boy, Tom, saying goodbye and to keep in touch. He gave me a 'Oh you poor thing' look and wished me well. I felt better by two and if I didn't smile, you couldn't tell I had a fat lip.... so I looked bitchy instead. I sketched a bit and read my book and met some hostellers to sit and chat with. This Italian boy was showing me a plastic elephant that someone had given him at a rave for luck and I pulled out my wooden haathi from India and he wanted to keep it, so I let it go and wished him luck in his travels... I should have bought a few of them. Next time. We packed up and cleft early the next morning for Marseilles.

Spain and Portugal

amanori — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:47:00 GMT

January 7th 2008 we flew into Madrid Spain. We booked a hostel called Ole. We flew Qatar Airways, which was just bizarre... nothing more can be said. The hostel was right close to the subway station and easy to find. We had to lug up a couple of flights of stairs, but were greeted by a warm and cozy atmosphere. The hostel was cute and small. Ericky, a cute young Spaniard... who can speak four languages gave us the tour and welcomed us in. Things were looking good, until we saw our room. It was a shoe box, two bunks crammed in and no room for luggage. I slept with my things on the bed.... at least it kept me warm. Our first real day in Spain and Jaymie and I had some tensions from India and weren't ready to sort through it.. we decided to go our own ways during the day... we had different things we wanted to see anyhow. I checked out the Prado museum... it was beautiful... so many amazing pieces. Jay got a small case of travellers stomach.. must have been readjusting from India she wasn't feeling well. I met a guy, Ilan, from Israel and we decided to stroll around a grab a drink. The pub we found was sooo adorable. Tiny and the only patrons were the owner and a friend. The walls were covered with paisley and diorama's of random events of Madrids history, but played out by cheaper versions of barbie dolls and plastic figurines. The beers were so cheap. lan came to sell toys in the mall centers illegally for the holidays. He made decent earnings... it½s the first thing he did after being released from the Israeli army. The hostel was doing a pub crawl that evening and we decided to attend. Jaymie woke up and decided to join us. We got free cover into a few places and a couple of free shots and three dollar beers... I didn't want to drink.. I babysat one beer most the night. I was absolutely drained and decided to leave the crawl early and head back. The next morning J was feeling even worse a nice Brazilian boy she met told her he'd head to the pharmacy with her to help her translate her illness. Vinicius aka Vinny and I walked her back and decided to check out some of the sights. I wanted to see the old bull fighting arena and he wanted to see the gate of Madrid... Ilan joined us. The arena was closed, but we walked around it anyhow and discovered the circus was using the grounds. We saw tigers and Lions in cages up close... we could have touched them if we weren't scared to death of losing rims. I saw many plazas that I had previously seen in the spanish foreign movies I used to rent at home and then we went for a bit. Spanish food is quite yummy. I had empanadas with tuna.. delicious! On our was to see the National park we ran into another group from the hostel... all eight of us hung out for the rest of the day. In the middle of the park was a crystal Palace, which was lame, but there was a really weird exhibition of stacked lumber inside. It was shaped like and igloo. We all headed back to the hostel and had a couple of beers. I met a really cute couple, Camilla and Marcello, both from Brazil. She was only 20 and three months pregnant with twins. They were looking for work. The next day we took it easy and had a night in the hostel chatting and drinking Yerbe Mate. On the 11th we decided to just shop around. I needed shoes that could handle the rain and Jaymie just liked to shop. We had it out that day and talked best we could... mostly we aired frustrations and came to some understandings... It was a sad birthday. I was depressed. That passed quickly as I talked to my family and friends back home and realized their wishes were warm and genuine and I was lucky to have them. Back at the hostel there was a new guy, Fernando, from Mexico and he wouldn't let me stay in on my Bday. Sebastien and another guy from argentina also wanted to head out since it was their last night. We went to a pub and then three other places... I only had a couple of drinks, surprisingly, but a great night. The next day we caught a train to Lisbon.

Portugal- there is something about this place. Just walking out of the train station and seeing the surroundings put a smile on my face. Comparing it to the rest of what I've seen to the date I cannot pinpoint what it is that has made me fall in love. Our hostel was beautiful... more like a b&b. LisbonLounge.com if you want to look it up. We were wrecked after our overnight train and our rooms wouldn't be ready until 1:00. I took a nap on the sofa and J walked around. They let us in on the free breakfast, which was really yummy kaiser buns, cheese, cereal, juice and tea. As soon as we could move into the rooms I unloaded my bags and met the rest of the travellers... Cam, a Vietnamese girl from Germany now living in Australia and two other girls studying in Marseilles. I decided to go explre the surroundings. I found a cute cafe and ordered a coffe (which is espresso here) and continued to stroll down the street. It was just heaven. The bitter sweet taste of the coffee, the just a touch of cold weather, the blue sky that was coming down and turning into night... I was in love. Things just got better and better. In the evening I made my own dinner and then went into one of the common rooms and met Kyle and Sophia...a very sweet couple from Melbourne. Cam joined in and brought a few beers and we just stayed up until 1am talking about our adventures and misadventures. It was nice to be able to relate and get some useful info and just talk like you would with old friends. The next day Jaymie took off as I was waking up and Cam commented on how we don't even seem like friends. She couldn't grasp that we would be taking in the same sights, but not together. Cam and I made plans to see the city together. We went to the famous area of Belem, where there is the first pastry factory in Lisbon. They are known for their exceptional custard tarts.... SO DELICIOUS! We bought some trinkets to send home, toured the childrens museums as we were both burnt out on the regular ones and ended with a coffee and baileys... yum. In the evening someone invited us to see a fado show... but instead we stayed in and joined Kyle and Sofia again in the common room and stayed up chatting. The next day we ventured to the flea market that Cam spoke so highly of... it was lame and it started to rain so most people packed up. Next we went to brunch with a few people from the hostel J came along. The food itself was delicious. I still remember, I had a light salmon pasta and cappuccino with a surprise... a yummy piece of marble cake. (By all the food talk you must think I have become an elephant... not just yet my friends haha). J headed back to the hostel and the rest of us went to see the castle, which has breathtaking views and then a crafts market.... really cool marionettes. We all went for tarts and coffee and then called it a day... back at the hostel everyone took a nap and I read. Lisbon Lounge had a chef that made dinner every night. Three courses for seven euro. Every night I only heard praise... so I decided to try it out. It was a fantastic cabbage soup, followed by seafood risotto and then a banana trifle pudding. Props to the chef! We decided to add one more night in Lisbon because the accommodations were so excellent. Everyone took off the next morning and I took and easy day and just went by the water and doodled and read. In the eve J and I agreed to meet up and catch up on emails and head to dinner. She ordered a sandwich and I ordered a fantastic Roughie. The waitress brought over bread and put it near me and made a comment about Jaymie not eating too much. Ouch. She inhaled her sandwich and demanded we leave... I was just served my food and wine. I put the bottle of wine in my bag and ate quickly and we headed off. I told her she had to try a tar before leaving Lisbon, so we found a bakery and had coffee and dessert. The baker was so cute I didn't want to leave. J set her alarm wrong and I didn't set mine and we made it to the train station to see our train leave... we had to hang out for an hour and a half for the next one... we made it into Lagos at 11:30. We only booked one night there... I wish we would have booked more.

Lagos- The weather was in the high teens or low twenties... about ten degrees warmer than everywhere else we'd been. Lagos is beautiful... such a perfect little place by the sea to go for a short holiday. The coast has tons of tiny little beaches for miles. It took us a bit to find out guesthouse, Zalinda's. It was in the interior wall part of town and so cute. We had a nice room ensuite and a kitchen we never used. I walked around and got acquainted with the city and decided I wanted to move to Portugal... I thought about how to pitch it to my ma. Turns out I didn't have to... she'd only heard good things about it. The next morning we went our spereate ways and decided to meet up at 3 to catch the bus to Sevilla. I found a secluded beach and actually sunbathed. I saw a few sights, museums and a fort which had an art gallery inside with really cool metal sculptures. On the way back into town I stopped for lunch and to write postcards and ways flirting with a really good looking Portugese guy and lost track of time.. it was 3:10. Shit. I booked it back to Zalinda's. I grabbed my things and booked it down the hill with J and we took a cab to the station and caught the bus... phew. Our bus ride was seven hours. I took out the bottle of wine I'd saved from Lisbon and had a small drink and read my book. Mr. Nice.... an autobiagraphy of howard marks. cool story.

India

amanori — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:46:00 GMT

I am still reflecting... I will write about this part a bit later.

Thailand in a nutshell

amanori — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:23:00 GMT

I am way behind once again!

Thailand- Everyone I met along the way told me a week would not be long enough here and two weeks may just be enough to see some highlights. I cut Oz down by ten days and headed off to Thailand alone.

Bangkok- I got into Bangkok and I was lucky to meet nice locals that guided me away from taxis and to the bus... It was a day before the kings 80th birthday and the city was packed. I booked a room in Khoa san for the first two nights, which I was told was the place for backpackers to go.. and it was. I forgot to start my malaria pills a week early so I took one in the morning and was sick all day... damn pills. I found a lonely planet at the book exchange and picked it up... for the first time ever I decided to consult a book for help... I think I was a bit scared to be alone. At night I was feeling good enough to venture out for the fireworks show in city center. It was really scary! They were shooting them straight up and the embers and ash were falling down onto everyone in the streets... we were dodging pieces of debris. I spent the entire next day checking out all the Wats and museums and art galleries. I wandered into Wat Pho, which half was closed for renovations, but the guy gold leafing the Buddha statue told me it would be alright to come in and take pics and then he let me help him gold leaf. It was really cool.I still wasn't sure whether I should head east or west until I got an email from a friend from New Zealand who said she was heading west to see her sister... unfortunately we missed each other and I headed to Koh Samui alone. On the twelve hour coach I met an Israeli guy, Asaf, and two Canadian girls who were off to Samui too with no place to stay. We decided to hunt for a place together. Our bus stopped in the middle of nowhere around 3 am and they offered us fried rice or soup, for a small price of course and then we were off again. The ferry to the island was packed and the water seemed really dirty. On the island itself the water was a tiny bit cleaner, but still questionable. We found a place in Lamai and settled in. The food was amazing. At night we all hung out on the beach talking and drinking Singha's and a cobra slithered right past... everyone was really scared, but it was just a baby... the bungalow owners got rid of it the next day when they found it in the restaurant. There was a lot of talk of a black moon party in Chaweng... so we headed out to find it. We took a truck taxi, which was pretty scary... we just sit in the bed of a truck on makeshift benches and a canvas covering. In Chaweng there were hundreds of people out... ladyboys, hookers, old men, and backpackers. I saw a short lady boy show at one of the bars and headed out to the next place. Green mangoes, apparently it was the place to be. Asaf and I left a couple of friends there and headed to find the black moon party.. we walked through an alley where there were four older men and one older woman playing checkers. I asked if we could join them. They happily agreed and served us beer and dried squid (ew). I lost my turn at checkers, but Asaf won... they directed us to the party and off we were. On the way a really pretty girl on a motorcycle stopped and offered us a ride... it's not unusual to see three people on a bike, but I was still hesitant.... after some convincing I hopped on and hung on tight. We were there in no time. The party itself wasn't as fun as the mission to find the party. We stayed maybe thirty minutes and headed home at five a.m. we had to be up at six thirty to catch our ferry to Koh Phi Phi . At six twenty the bungalow owner was banging on our door yelling that the cab was there to take us to the boat. We threw everything in bags and rushed off. I was hurting. We had to take a taxi boat to a small bus to a ferry to another taxi boat! Eight hours of travel and hung over. Not fun... don't ever try it, especially with boats. On the ferry to Kho Phi Phi I decided to sit outside in the fresh air and breathe. I ran into Anna! A German girl I travelled with for a month in New Zealand. My hangover disappeared and I was in high spirits again. It was sooo great to see her. We were both excitedly talking and interrupting and laughing. She told me she just did a rock climb that was amazing and I had to go. When the boat docked we made plans to meet for lunch the next day. She only had a week left before she was heading home after three years of travelling! She was only in Koh Phi Phi for a night. Asaf and I taxied to a small beach called long beach and found accommodations there. We were facing the small island where The Beach was filmed. While hunting for an accommodation we met two boys, Shiraz from England and Stuie from Holland. We all had dinner together and decided to sign up for a snorkel trip. We stayed up chatting and talking about our travels for hours. They closed the restaurant and left lights on for us and left us a couple of beers and the staff went to bed. We headed to sleep early in the am. The next day the boys all decide to hike through the headlands with me to town instead of taking a taxi boat... they were hating me thirty minutes later while dripping sweat, but it was a fun climb. We met Anna and found a nice place to eat with a mix of food since Shiraz was mostly keen on non thai food. I couldn't get enough. I was all about the Spicy pad thai, fresh fish, egg rolls and banana crepes. YUM! I ate a ton of food on the street and never got sick. I made plans to see Anna again in Germany if possible in a few months... we said our goodbyes again. In the evening they showed The Beach at at the lounge in the resort. The resort was really great. It was on a hill, which meant stairs, but they had a luggage elevator. The views from the bungalows and restaurant were amazing! We talked about not staying up too late because we had to wake up early for snorkeling. Two other girls joined the group and we headed off. The boat took us to three snorkel spots before lunch that were beautiful. The long tail boat driver must have been new because he passed by every buoy we were supposed to stop at and had to have one of us jump in to grab it or reverse the boat. By the time we made it to monkey Island we were starving. He gave us our lunches... tons of fresh fruit and fried rice and chicken on the side. I fed my chicken to the fish on his command... but felt really wrong about it. The island had the most amazing beach and tons of monkeys (Hence the name). The vendors didn't warn you about the monkeys at all. I bought a small bag of doughnuts and sat down and a monkey came up and stole asaf's corn... not satisfied she came close to me, pulled my hair and stole my food. I wanted to take my bag back, but the others cautioned me not to. She sat down right next to me and ate them all. We did get a few great pictures with her though. We headed to three more spots, one which was 'the beach' and another which had a small climb to get to a nice beach. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and they were all sunburnt. In the evening the boys and I headed off to get massages. They all got aloe massages to sooth the burns and I had a lovely oil massage while listening to boards of canada, it was a perfect way to end the day. We talked about going out in the main town and maybe watching a fight or going to a bar, but we were all just too tired. I packed up the next day and said goodbye and headed to Rai Lay alone. Rai lay isn't too far from Krabi and has amazing rock climbing. when I got there all the places were booked. I had no luck, until I ran into a guy who told me if I hike into the headlands a mile I'd find cheaper accommodations. I could barely lift my pack on flat land... there was no way I'd be able to hike with it. I went to a nicer resort and found a room that was 35$ USD a night... expensive for a backpacker... but I reserved two nights and charged it. Why not spoil myself a tiny bit. The room was beautiful! King size bed and a tv a nice washroom and an amazing breakfast buffet. I booked my rock climb for the next morning and went to bed early. I didn't have an alarm clock anymore so waking up was tricky.. but I managed with enough time to grab a bite and head off. The rock climbing instructors were really really hot and muscular thai boys. The one who taught lead climbing was the cutest and the nicest, Phon. I was in a group with five swedes whom were all friends, there was one other girl. I didn't realize how competitive I was, but I had to be better and go higher in order to feel like I really tried. The climbs were hard... at one point it rained which made it even harder to hang on. The last climb I did was a forty meter high climb. Only two of the boys finished it. I made it to about thirty meters and wanted to come down, but my instructor wouldn't let me. He told me to hang on take a break and try again... there was nothing to reach for I was stuck. He gave me a tiny boost and I found something to hang onto again and I was off... I made it to the top where there was a cave.. he yelled for me to go in. I did and then he yelled for me to come down... and I didn't. By this time I had an audience and they were laughing.. Repelling down was fun, but a bit fast. They asked me if I wanted to continue on for another session. Hell no. I went to lunch with my instructor, Tu. He showed me a great hole in the wall restaurant.. minus the walls.. and then had to head back for second session. They invited me out to the rock bar in the evening, but I ended up falling asleep at seven. The next evening I caught an overnight bus back to Bangkok to meet up with Jaymie. I had mixed feelings about this. When I got there we were happy to see each other.. it was a new sensation haha. We spent the next three days shopping, getting massages, looking for family that I had in Bangkok that I never found and eating good food. We made plans for India... and got set to leave.

Can we be done with Australia yet?

amanori — Fri, 4 Jan 2008 14:02:00 GMT

Alrighty... in Sydney I met up with Rick for lunch my first day back.. we went for Indian... and it hit the spot. That night I planned to stay in, but my roomies weren't having it. There were two German boys and two girls from Tasmania... an English and a Canadian boy. All except the Canadian headed to Darling Harbour to a placed called cargo.. we took turns buying round and were pretty set when we headed out to bar/club number two..The Gaff. We played in the streets and ate ice cream and finally crashed at 6am. I had an 11 am wake up to meet the Irish gals for the xmas parade at noon.... I woke up at noon still a bit drunk I think. luckily they were also running late and we caught the end of the parade together. We went for lunch at Scruffy Murphy's of course and ended up stauing there until 9pm. I behaved and only drank one cider. There was live band playing Irish music and then the karaoke night started... Clare and I headed to the Opera house to watch fireworks for the Oz Idol finale... they were beautiful. I spent the rest of my time in Sydney running into the people I met along the way for this and that. I actualy got to go bowling and won! I played a few pub games of poker and won 2 and placed second in one... not a bad way to have poket change. I think they were happy I wasn't coming back. I finally headed to Melbourne and on the way sat next to a really cool Italian chick, Elizabetta. She had a room booked at nomads so I thought I would try to stay there too. They call it a flash packers.. a place where backpackers spend a bit more money...silly. They were sold out. She had requested an all girls room as she is very conservative catholic and they put her in a room with three boys. She begged me to stay with her so I did... Free room for me =) We slept head to feet and were talking until midnight when the boys came back.. I tried to hide since we were on the top bunk, but I couldn't keep quiet. I broke out laughing loud and she did too. I think we scared the boys. We told them the story and thry didn't mind at all. Elizabetta had to leave at six and I got to sleep in. I had a place reserved in St. Kilda, a bit out of the city next to a nice beach. Funny enough when I got there I was stuck in a room with nine boys... the receptionist called me a rose amongst thorns. I met a really cool boy, Ingo, from Germany whom I hit it off with right away. He quickly became my gay boyfriend. We made meals togeter, went shopping, took walks, art shows, drank, he cut my hair I showed him some photography. Melbourne was really hard for me to leave. My first night at Cooee, which by the way is a calling sound one makes across the outback or something, I took it easy and got settled. Two of the english boys come back trashed at 5am and the one sleeping in the bunk above me brings back a girl. He's trying to get some and she's not having it and I am livid... so I switch to a free top bunk across the room and pass out. I'm woken up at 6 am by Jordan, one of the boys, sceaming 'You bloody bastard c*** ass etc etc' and I'm scared. Who is he yelling at? Apparently I say this out loud and his friend, darren, laughs and tells me he's sleep walking. Then two more wake up. Chris and Shayne, and are laughing. I finally realized Jordan is stark naked now sitting in the middle of the floor. What is he doing? Again.. out loud. Then he pees on himself and the floor and gets up and walks out the door naked. Yeah .. Darren begs me not to freak out or switch rooms and then runs after him. He puts Jordan to sleep in my first bed and then we all lay back down... there was silence for uhmm three seconds and then we all start laughing so hard it hurts. Darren covered up the 'evidence' and Jordan cleaned it up the next day... how you ask? By pouring his entire contents of body wash and shampoo on the spot and scrubbing with HIS towel. Sharp. Ingo wouldn't let me switch rooms so I stayed and the rest of the week turned out great! I love Melbourne. I spent one day touring around for aids awareness day with Mec and Ilkai, a Brazillian and a Turkish guy. They are both in Oz to learn english... so I was sort of a teacher to the chance to run into Matt again and that was lovely. It was my last night in Melbourne and by the time we met up we were all a bit tipsy, but it was fun anyhow! I packed at four am and split a cab with Jordan to the bus station adn headed to thailand! Alone!