How to Get as Far Away From High School as Possible

Last Goodbye

justineillana — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:43:00 GMT

Get the Buckley reference? Not like death, but death of the blog yes. Haha still in Kota Bharu wasting time without a hostel. Bus leaves for Pinang at 10 tonight for 9 hours, before that going to cultural shit in the city. This is my last blog entry coz I am sick of it. Don't try and change my mind because I have will of steel hah not really but really I don't want to write it anymore. Email me though, I will go on the internet every 1 or 2 weeks. I will sometimes be able to tell you a place to send letters also, like Post Restante, if I know what city I am heading towards. It is a lot of effort though. But yeah sorry aobut the blog, I just feel as though I am too connected to home and need to detach myself a bit, also I feel a bit like I don't want to attempt to talk about such a personal experience when I know I can't do it justice at all. Letters and photos are the closest I can get I think, writing is not my forte, or at least I don't enjoy it. Anwyay yes, I shall possibly talk to y'all before dec or jan when i get back (i am thinking of staying in europe for christmas) if not, have a lovely year!!!! Shall be chekcing emailevery 1 or 2 weeks, but will be writing letters to whoever writes back!! xxxxx

Random Stuff

justineillana — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:03:00 GMT

Klaus is writing heaps of emails so I may as well stick around here and write something. I reckon I will stop with the blog for a few reasons, a) the whole world can stalk me, b)i am shit at explaining/expressing things so any cool experiences i do have sound shit haha c) i like letters and i dont like computers and internet=money. cbf writing more reasons. im just wasting time really. Soon I will leave Malaysia anyway, I really like it here but it is a bit too developed for my liking, I like cheap cheap Asian countries with good clothing hhaa. The clothing hgere is not good, not that I can buy any anyway coz I would have to carry it. I bought fake raybans and left them on a bloody train! Malay people are really lovely, it is a very Muslim country so I have learnt a lot about it. So far I have liked most poeple I have met except one woman, and Klaus can back me up on this one. We were taking the bus from I think KL to Taman Negara or somthing and we were on a highway. There was an accident on the otherside between a motorbike and a car I think. I didn't see but afterwards Klaus told me that lying on the road was a torso of a body, not covered. The woman in the seat closest started laughing. Fuck, seriouslym, what the fuck is there to laugh at at that? Seriously what sort of fucking person laughs at a person l;ying dismembered on a highway, probably with children and a family somewhere. Shit like that makes me really fucking quiestion people and religion also. Anyway, more happy things I shall tell. Yeah i think i will stop this blog sorry. I will let you guys along the way know where you can send letterss, or email is fine as well. I am just not into this anymore. PS anyone from boost who reads this tell Adrian he owes m about 800 dollars. I am in a funny mood so I am ending this here and prehaps the blog too. I will probs stop checking internet as much also, maybe once every 2 weeks or something just briefly. I will become like Molly and become a lost person hahaha. no molly its not a laughing matter you shouild contact your familu more. anyway food and money getting and shampoo buying calls. xxx

Contact and Perhentian Island

justineillana — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:38:00 GMT

Hi all. I had a long think on Perhentian Islands and I may be morally against this blog now for various reasons. So I am not sure if I will keep writing in it? But as a vague recap, the island was fucking gorgeous, very relaxing and such but was forced off when I ran out of money. Went snorkelling, swam with sharks (reef, its ok), turtles and in amongst thousands and thousands of these cool as stripey fish. Good food there, good tan (lots and lots of burn) and lovely people. Anyway I am back in Kota Bharu and will be heading Hannah's way in Penang tomorrow, so any mail to me can be sent to Hannah Kate Ekers MRSM Kepala Batas Jalan Bertam, Kepala Batas, 13200 Pulau Pinang Malaysia by writign to hannah kate ekers rather than hannah ekers we can know the difference of who the mail is for, as theyd get confused if it was addressed to me. so it takes a week or so to get thgere so hurry up if you wanted to. if you send me a letter ill get one back to you!! also, taken off the wedding ring, but havent taken off miyas or stephs thingos once! miya, chain is perfecto size. steph, bracelet is ugly but i bought another one to detract attention to it hahaha. love you all. xxx oh yeah, heading up to thailand or indon4esia in a week., you all suck ass at telling me where to go so ill flip a coin or soimething. xxx

Gallery: Malaysia

justineillana — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:12:00 GMT

Taman Negara, Malaysia

justineillana — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:57:00 GMT

Okay so it turns out public transport in Asia is the worst thing ever, so I am back with another hour til the next bus. I am also about to stab every taxi driver in the face. Anyway yes I will enunciate about Taman Negara, I can't remember the trip there coz all buses are a blur. Oh wait no, we caught a boat down the river to get there, fairly boring and expensive. Our hostel was fairly out of the area, and so fairly isolated and lovely. The jubgle is massive there, and lush and beautiful, it feels like you are walking through a swimming pool, after about 2 minutes you are covered in sweat. Never before in my life have I had sweat dripping off my face. We swam in the river and there were those fish that eat your dead skin, feels very bizarre! Took a couple of days to get out of my sickness phase. Then as I said we walked to the hide which was a feat in itself. Had to take water, food, mattress and sleeping bag coz there is absolutely nothing there but the jungle. A beautiful night, fireflies are amazing and made it a show with the lightning and thunder and strange forest noises. A sleepless night due to strange dreams and strage noises. In other hides you can see tigers, elephants, deer, monkeys and all that jazz. I thought I would feel more at home in the jungle and the rainforst than the city, although I am not sure if I did. Definetely I am more suited to that environment, my whole body relaxes and I stop stressing when I am away from the buzz of the city, but I think the jungle is too humid, hot and chaotic to be compared with what I am used to in terms of nature. Anyway yes. I got very excited when I smelt the Ledum bush mum I tried to find out which one it was but I couldn't sadly. This is all I can remember from Taman Negara, maybe I will add more later. I will try and add photos now. PS dad my photos are shit now coz they need to be altered with light and stuff with software. If you feel like/can be bothered doing it then let me know and I will give you the password and such. If it is a hassle then no bother.

Kota Bharu, Malaysia

justineillana — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:32:00 GMT

OK quick again i will make a better blog entry for this and other plces i have been when i have the time. bus leaves in an hour and we must go and buy litres of water and lots of food (food is fucking great in Asia) and spirits coz they cost nothing although its a Muslim country? Basically, bus from Cameron Highlands I got very sick and took two days to recover, i think it was from some Thosai i had there which was sus, coz Klaus felt weird after it too. Then stayed in KL for 2 nights to recover a little. Then took bus to Taman Negara (national park) and stayed for 5 nightss there i think. Beautifl place, we stayed in Kuala Tahan which is the town on the other side of the river, and you have to catch a boat over there every time you go to the junbgle. it is the last remaining jungle in peninsular malaysia, i think around 150 mill yers old, all the ads say differently. went swimming n the jungle, walked up mountains, and got fair dehydrated and bad headacehes still wasnt that well. not as many leeches as everyone said. stayed in this cool as bamboo hut, mosquito nets kill me coz of my restless sleepinmg i kick them and they come undone and mozzies come and eat me. ps mum in thge jungle i was walking through a bit and it smelt exactky like ledum! the plant must be there? then one night we went and stayed in a hide, it is a random house/hut which onlooks a saltlick that you stay at for 2 dollars or so a night and there is water, a toilet, and beds with no mattresses and big open windows with no glass. you are maentt to stay up and wait for animals to see them. we got a bit lsot when trying to finsd it and went to a cave instead filled with bats, known as ear cave, then it started thundering and shit when we were walking down the right track, and go to the hide and started reading the comments from other people about what they saw and someone wrote about some creepy guy who was circling the hut at night. so from then on i was fucking scared, if i had been there alone i would have die. anyway we waited and watrched but no animals but sweet as fireflies and monkeys. went to sleep coz i was sdcared as (it was meant to scare people but what if it was true) then a thunder storm, and ot was a mix of hard rain,jungle noises and lightning which lit the whole jungle. was great t get back next day, and got sick of all fucking cooked food so went and bought lots of fruit and veg now i feel great!!! took a 9 hoiur jubngle train ridfe to here, kota bharu, whoch is close to thai border. also some buses and shit but its all good. i dont think what i am wrting is making much sense. in 4 min s i am going on bus to pulau perhentian, the islands which are tropical and ver nice. i really like malaysia, islamn is fascinating and you learn so much more than bloody school or whatever just by being here. practising my malay anf getting better, also klaus is teaching me deutsche! what else. i am chill as aobut money i am too lazy to budget or whatever so i have ni idea how much ive spent and i dont plan on changing my ways in that way. this blog is gay i will fix it when i have more time. after this i will go to hanmnahs island of penang, and then through the border to thailand (not by land due to shootings). or down to sumatra, not sure yet. ps whats the go with these bushfires where are/were they etc i have noidea, did many people die? um what else. oh yeah going to squat toilets is fucking hard on fast moving trains haha, a bit funny really. I have heaps of pics but need to delete some and shit before I upload. Malay people are funny. they get shocked if i speak malay but i am a bit sad coz i cant trick them like i wanted to, coz when they speak among themselves i dont understand too much slang and too fast. mum and dad did tanma and you guys get my letter? i sent it from a bit of a suspicious place. this is the randomest blog ever written. this town is pretty strange i guess. wow its really long too. i cbf deciding thailand or sumatra, can i have some input so someone else decides for me? also i love not having a phone i may get rid of mine when i get back . i may also stay in germany or wherever for christmas, so i may be later back than expected, thats just a random idea though. burn on leg is healing now, at least it has stopped being all pusy and shit. also smoking has a huge pull here, 20s cost nothing, and apprently in indo its like less than a dollar. anyway this blog is geting worser and worser. ill quit whjile im ahead (which imn not haha). xxx. ps wont be in contact probs till off the island coz it will be $$$ there. so no sweat if im gone for a week or so. xxx

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

justineillana — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:35:00 GMT

Very very quick message. Thanks to those who commented, the Stefs and miya, I am sorry if anyone sends me message/email and i dont reply/have vague reply, internet is slow and sometimes expensive. I have been in the highlands here for 3 days, who should I see after the long bus-ride, walking to hostel, but hannah hahah, sitting down to eat. very funny. been to tea plantations and straweberry farms and today hired motorbike and rode to top of a huge mountain, burnt leg on exhaust but ok. my right leg is fucked, bruised to shit after falling off a bus with 73 kilos on top of it, now the burn today. Have been travelling with Austrian friend Klaus, and tomorrow we are going to Taman Negara, rainforest which is over 130 million years old, to stay in Hides which are in the mid of the forest and have shit all but a squat toilet, and salt licks outside to watch animals at night. I am loving Malaysia, the people are lovely and they can tell I speak Indo and not Malay but can still understand. I won't be in contact for a week or two because of thbe internet at Taman Negara, very expensive. Just bought watercolour pencils and stuff, am missing drawing and I have been gone a week hahah. Also missing piano, yet I bvarely play at home? Klaus has gone missing so I will keep typing til he gets back. Hannah if you read this can I please have address. PS i will probs take jungle train to pulau perhentian and then over to penang, then up overland through Thailand. I like buses a lot, and trains. Thanks again for nice messages. Guess what parents I eat cooked vegies now, at least i am gettting better from all the Indian and Malay food, all I eat now, fuck western food so oily!! Shit okay he is sitting outside I am an idioot. Dont stress please if you don't haer from me for a while. Sent tanma and fam letters today, should arrive sometime. Love much. Justine.

Gallery: Singapore

justineillana — Sun, 8 Feb 2009 13:46:00 GMT

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

justineillana — Fri, 6 Feb 2009 02:03:00 GMT

Hello all, I said that I was going to Sumatra but change of plans, don't ever count on what I say coz I always change at the last moment. Sitting in a cool hippie/bohemian backpackers on friends comp, my place is shit so il come here tomorrow night. it is sweet as youcan just go on the roof and paint and shit. it took me like 6 hours to get here today by 4 dfferent buses. speaking malay helps a lot. I like it here, bustling and friendly. i think after this ii wil go to cameron highlands (tea plantations) and then to taman negara (jungley stuff) then the jungle train to perhentian islands if weather is good. then perhaps over to meet ms hannah ekers on her island. then not sure whre from there. ps miya i got married to a maly man hahah hes very ncie. not really, but i am wearing a wedding band to pretend. must be off i want to drink 0n roof of my backpackr. pshannah if you read this then can i have your address so i can send to family to send tuff and then i can pick it up there, coz its the only place i knwo im going to. xxx

Must be quick 8 minuets left of time coz photos are gay to upload. leaving kl i have loved the food and the people and this place but its time to move on i think. going to highlands today with my austrian friend. dont stress if i dont contact in a while coz i am sick of this slow internet bullshit. just put singapore photos on. yesterday went to thaiphusam the hindu festival, in these huge rock cavbes outside of kl with temple inside, fucking psycho today people pierce their bodies and like rip open skin and shit its pretty gross so i ewnt yesterday instead with less people. went to national mosque and had to wear hijab etc, been learning about islam very interesting. loving the food, i eat cooked vegies sometimes now and spicy foods, i also started eating bananas!! will probs be uncontactable for about a week, im not in the mood for it, thesee highlands are my holidays. dont steress very safe here, speaking malay 24/7 so im getting better!!! love yall and ciao ciao ciao xxxx

Little India, Singapore

justineillana — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 19:39:00 GMT

Why hello hello. How exciting, the first of my travelling blog thingie, when I am actually travelling. This must be quick because I am to go for a walk soon with some new English friends. I am sitting in this sweet backpackers in little india, very chilled back and cool people all around. I have already found you are never alone in the backpacking world, and also that this is the best fucking thing I could have done. I have been here a night (no sleep, Indian dance music from some seedy bar and lots of snoring, farting and movement from other bunks)and I already love this life. I am better, as well as anything now, no more sickness. Just needed to leave Australia for a while I think.

Trying to get here last night was a joke, walking through 27 degree humid heat with a pack on back is not fun, especially around midnight in an unknown city. Somehow managed to walk to the city? It should have taken 8 minutes, but it took me 2 hours and a cab ride. Ah well. I met a nice cabbie at least. Today checked out some mosques and buddhist, hindu and taoist temples, and had a bit of a walk around. Singapore is a strange place, its as though it doesn't really know what it is trying to be I think. I will leave in 2 or 3 days and hopefully get to see a few things before then, the orchid farm, the butterfly farm, some museums and a cemetery. Then I will go to Malaysia or Indonesia I think. I am trying to train my stomach to need less food because I don't want to spend the money. But overall I am extremely chilled, relaxed, and fucking loving it. This is life my friends. Shalt keep you updated, right now I may go have a beer and go for another walk. P.S. for those worried the Indian guys stare at my blondenes as is expected but so far no dodginess, woo! Speak soon lovers. Will let you know when I am somewhere, perhaps in Sumatra, where you can send me stuff. Will post photos when I can be bothered. Love you all.

Justine xx

How to contact me

justineillana — Sun, 1 Feb 2009 11:11:00 GMT

Coz I am likely to get quite lonely/homesick from time to time, contact from y'all would be quite nice I think, only if you can be bothered though! You can email me (justinecarey@hotmail.com), facebook me, or you can perhaps write a note on this, and I am taking skype on usb with me so thats an option (although not sure how good the quality will be in rural Asia etc). My favourite, but probably most time consuming option is to write me a letter, coz I do have a thing for handwritten letters. I doubt I will have any real address anywhere, shall let you know if i do, but otherwise you can use the post restante service, which pretty much means you send it to a given address per country (with my name on it), and they hold it for me for like 2 weeks. You can find the address of the country (just make sure I know its coming and that I will be in the country/area of post office to pick it up, otherwise I won't get it). Just google the country and post restante and you should be sweet to find the address/instructions.

I will try to get back to any contact-ness I receive but sorry if I take a while. It would be pretty good to hear from you though.

P.S. I am not taking a phone.

1 month

justineillana — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:29:00 GMT

New plan, decide where I am going once I get to the airport and avoid all countries where you need a visa pre-planned. Perhaps do a bit of the old get on the train and get off anywhere. Can't be bothered with the plans! (about) a month to go!

Gallery: Home and Singapore

justineillana — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:41:00 GMT

Melbourne and Singapore

Home Sweet Home

justineillana — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:48:00 GMT

Tis the night before my Indonesian exam and in my procrastination I have made this blog. About 2 months before I leave but that is ok. Still in Melbourne so not much to say. For the record, I leave on Feb 2nd, come back when I feel like it. I am spending 3 months in South-East Asia starting with Singapore and then to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, a month in each. Then around 7 months in Europe, starting with London and then random parts of England and Scotland and Ireland, then on to see the relatives and working in Germany, and then wherever the wind takes me, perhaps a bit of Norway, Spain and Portugal!!! Ver ver excited, cannot wait to get as far away from formal education as I possibly can. I am going solo, so if you are overseas and want to meet up then let me know!