I've almost forgotten how to write a blog, it's been so long. So i thought when better to give an update than when a lot of changes are taking place - it's the day before my 27th birthday and my last week living in Sydney.
I have developed a bit of a love/hate relationship with Sydney over the last 3 months. As much as it's a beautiful city to live in and there are loads of things to do if you look for them, it's also been a bit of a mental challenge for me due to having a ridiculous amount of money to save up so i can finish my trip comfortably. Living in one of the world's most expensive cities on a budget of about 120 pounds a week has not been easy, and thankfully my job has given me a social life since my pocket can't allow crazy nights out drinking & clubbing :D
It's funny but the picture i had in my head of living here is totally not how it's turned out but i can't complain as the people around me have made it more fun. I've been doing lots of cheap, fun things like going to the beach, parks, markets, oh and watching Gossip Girl. I've also thrown myself into learning Spanish due to my imminent trip there. It's also taught me alot of lessons as far as the materialistic way i was living before i left i.e. you CAN survive with hardly any clothes and not being able to buy new clothes from Topshop & H&M every month. Instead of buying things for the sake of it, from now on i'll think about whether i actually need something before buying it. Finally, i've become a pro at making cheap ass meals, but don't get me wrong as soon as i get back this is going to change..i'm never living on a diet of pasta, noodles, Nutella, French toast with the odd piece of fruit or veg thrown in EVER AGAIN.
All you hear in Australia from backpackers is about the expense of everything and the fact they are stuck in a city with no money but actually they've blown most of their money on alcohol, food and new clothes whilst living here. So i'm quite proud to say i've managed to save up enough money to get me through New Zealand, Fiji and USA (with the slight detour of Madrid in April) which proves it is possible if you cut back on everything just for a little while. Now i can relax and enjoy the rest of my travels without that worry! So for everyone who says, "you're so lucky travelling the World" or "i'm so jealous i wish i could do the same"..well it's not always fun & games, there are extreme highs but with that come the extreme lows and that's the pay off you have to accept.
Tomorrow is my birthday and last year i spent it in a caravan in Kilberry with my family which was great fun! What a drastic difference this year being in Sydney but i'm going to make the most of it especially since it's my last week here. Very much looking forward to going out for a few drinks since i've not been out properly for 3 months..woop!
As most people close to me know, i'm making a detour trip to Spain next Sunday to spend a few weeks with Mariano before i return to Sydney in May to finish my trip. It's very exciting and not something i seen myself doing ever in my life so i'll definitely keep a blog update of my visit & photographs over the next few weeks.
When i arrive back in Sydney early on 3rd May, Mum n Papa are going to be arriving about 12 hours after me and i'm very excited about seeing them again so will be camping out in the airport until they arrive :) what's another 12 hours wait onto my 30 hours journey anyway? haha. I'm planning on doing all the touristy things in Sydney with them, we only have a week so won't have time to go anywhere further afield. We're then moving onto New Zealand to spend a week on the South Island in a campervan. All is booked and ready to go - i can't wait for that too, glacier walks, whale watching and maybe some bungee jumping (aye right)!
After that i have 3 more weeks to explore NZ, i'll hopefully meet up with my pals i met in Australia for a bit then take a bus around the North Island before heading to Fiji for 10 days beach bumming.
My last leg is in USA and i arrive there on 19th June in Los Angeles and i have booked to stay in Venice Beach for a few days before Laura arrives on 22nd. We're then heading off on our road trip and it's going to be amazing spending the last few weeks of my trip with one of my best pals after going it alone for most of my trip!
Quite a big blog post today but i had loads to say. So until next time when i'll no doubt be posting from Madrid eating tapas with a cerveza..hasta luego!
