The Queensland/Sydney Adventure

Travel April 9, 2013 Comments: 4

So I just got back from Queensland for a wedding. Not just any wedding, but my best friend of 15 years had tied the knot with her lovely partner.

What an experience! I’ve never been so close to a wedding process, and wow! What a stressful couple of weeks it was. We went through a lot to get the wedding to what it was. Things like;

  • Early starts and late nights to get centrepieces done.
  • Multiple early morning airport trips to pick up loved ones.
  • Long drives to various places to drop things off and pick people up
  • Answering non stop calls to organise the venue and catering.
  • Numerous trips to Westfields.
  • Packing up old rooms for the new house.
  • Getting keys locked in the car.
  • Getting debit cards stuck in car windows.
  • Getting the car stuck in mud.
  • The difficulty of transporting the wedding cake from the home to the wedding area.
  • Missing our rehearsal because the sun went down.
  • Almost missing our photo shoot because the sun went down.
  • Table organisation for the reception in a mosquito filled garden.
  • Experiencing horrifying weather conditions.

These are just a few of the minor speed bumps we experienced before the wedding. I’m kind of grateful that these things happened because it really brought my closest friends and I together. We all live such busy lives here in Sydney, and we were able to just really appreciate each other and be there during this special time of our best friends wedding. But realising that all the preparation and craziness was over, it was kind of sad. You put all our effort and time in to something like this, and with a snap of your fingers, its all over. You really need to learn to save the night and fight the break of dawn. Now our beautiful friend is experiencing married life and here we are back in Sydney, living our everyday lives,  waiting for our next adventure.

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Coming back to Sydney was a huge wake up call to how rushed we all are here. After the night of the wedding, I had gotten bitten very badly, which caused excruciating pain through my left foot. It had swelled up to 3 times the size, and was full of blisters.

Now catching the train back from Central station was what really got me. I had a large suitcase, a handbag and one sock and thong on my foot. It was evident that I was in serious pain. Yet, when the train arrived, everyone pushed passed me to get on. Once I finally limped my way onto the train, everyone sitting just stared at me then got back to playing with their little gadgets. Where is the common courtesy Sydney! If you see a young girl limping with a giant suitcase and one sock on, then you pause Angry Birds, get off your arse and let her sit down!
So a lesson to everyone; be kind and use some common sense when you see a struggling traveller. A helping hand could go a long way!

 

Uni Acceptance!

England, Europe January 7, 2013 Comments: 4

So I have officially been accepted in Keele University in England! I can’t really express my emotions right now. 2012 was a very full on year for me, and everything I did was all for this moment. It’s not that difficult to get accepted into an exchange program, but when your course has been stuffed up and the subjects have been put in the wrong semesters, it is a very very complicated process. I went through a lot of rejection and the plead letters to get through the year. I did 5 subjects a semester at uni and worked crazy hours just so I could save money and apply for the exchange. I took on too much at work and uni, which caused me to be scattered for a majority of the year. Most of the time I was physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted but looking back now, I wouldn’t change anything. I worked really hard in 2012, so this moment is very precious to me.

I guess now I can start organising my Euro-trip huh! Any tips, advice, recommended hostels, sights and handy websites would be greatly appreciated! Contact me at ashh.03@hotmail.com ! I can’t wait for everyone to go on this journey with me. Share my blog with your mates, I’m sure they’ll enjoy the crazy adventures of a wanderlust uni student! ;)

The American Adventure – Hollywood

Travel January 2, 2013 1 Comment

The last stop on my American Adventure was Hollywood. This consisted of your basic touristy activities, such as; celebrity house tours, the wax museum, universal studios and all that common shit which isn’t worth discussing.

It was the final stop and I needed to do something special as a commemoration of my first independent travelling experience. I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard and noticed a tattoo parlour. It was then that I decided that I was not leaving the States without some ink! I already knew what I wanted, so I spoke to my sister who designed a little something for me.

Three little birds and a feather

Three little birds and a feather

People always ask me what this tattoo means, and it’s always too much to describe in a few words. I usually just respond with something along the lines of, ‘oh, I got it in Hollywood, it’s for my first trip’. There is so much behind this piece of art, and I really must thank my beautiful sister for creating such perfection. So for everyone out there, here is the explanation of my tattoo.

The feather:

Feathers are a sign of freedom and flight. I have this, as the States was the continent where I began my travel journey, and it will only keep going. I feel like it means that I can go anywhere I want and rise above anything that is thrown at me. It signifies that I am able to move freely in my life with confidence and bravery.

The three birds:

These birds are on my leg for two reasons. The first one being the most important. . My sisters. If you look at it closely, you can notice two larger birds and a small bird. I am the youngest of three in my family, so this represents my sisters carrying me through life. If you pay even more attention, you can see the little bird just about to soar away but still linked to the rest.

Anyone a Bob Marley fan? Even if you aren’t, you’ll be aware of the song called ‘Three Little Birds’. The second reason for the birds revolves around a gloomy time I was going through with the normality of life (very rare for an optimist like me). I was listening to this song in the car and I stopped at a red light to notice three birds fly by. It instantly put a smile on my face and changed my mood. It sounds pretty cliché’, but the first verse of this song is like my life motto. I always believe everything will be alright in the end, because life is too beautiful and must be appreciated!

Moral of the American Adventure kids: Love and live life. Take risks and chances because you never know what can happen. Talk to people and make friends. Don’t be scared, but be cautious. Appreciate every moment, even the unfortunate ones because they will change you. Get out there and do something crazy because life is about creating experiences and stories!

“La Vie Est Belle”

The American Adventure – San Francisco

Travel January 2, 2013 Leave a comment

So after that horrible episode in Lake Tahoe, I needed some time out. The next stop was San Francisco, which happened to be perfect.  After checking out the beautiful sights of the Golden Gate Bridge and doing the whole Alcatraz thing, we headed to our hotel.  The weather was gloomy, full of rain and sadness that made it easier to stay curled up in my big hotel bed while everyone else went out and bought new Abercrombie coats. I think I got a little too comfortable in that bed, because the housekeeping lady came in and tried to do the bed with me in it. I gave her such a shock when I jumped up and said ‘surprise!’ The poor woman will always double check the next time she tries to pull sheets over a bed.

After a full day of sleep, I was feeling refreshed and ready for dinner. Yum Cha was the choice for the night. My first time as well! We all huddled into a little room and enjoyed the never-ending feast. It was the final night that we were all together so we headed to a local San F ran club, having no trouble with my completely demolished identification. I chose to stay sober for that night as the sight of alcohol reminded me of those previous unfortunate Lake Tahoe events.

Yum Cha!

Yum Cha!

Staying till the pub closed, no one was ready to go home. We walked the streets to find a little alleyway with a security guard standing outside a dodgy looking door. He let us all in to what was an Asian karaoke club with about 6 people in it. The lights were that fluorescent kind, where people in white would be glowing. It was a very random hour we spend there, until we decided to move to another club that was located in town. The trouble with this was finding a taxi. Finally a guy pulled over and said he would take us for a price. He literally put us all in his van and started driving. To set the picture, we were huddled up like illegal immigrants, with our hands over our knees as we flew from one side of the van to the other. It was pretty scary actually. We didn’t know where we were going and if we were going to make it out alive, considering he nearly hit a few people.

We passed the club to see a massive line going out and around the area. We decided to not go in, making the whole van ride unnecessary. Grabbing some Subway cookies, we headed back to the hotel. San Francisco was done for the night.

Golden Gate bridge

Golden Gate bridge

The American Adventure – Lake Tahoe (Part 2)

North America, Travel December 28, 2012 Comments: 3

So the next night had arrived. No one was in the mood to go out except my buddy and I. The line was out the door. We contemplated going back to our hotel to watch everyone else do karaoke, but decided to stay … Bad decision that was.

After the half an hour wait, we finally got to the front of the line and were greeted by Santa (read previous post to understand inside joke)! He immediately recognised me and said, ‘oh, you’re back again tonight! Go through.’  He winked at me as I walked in and it was instantaneously then that I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew about the fake identification! Seasons Greetings to him!

The theme of the night was ‘ladies drink free’, so of course we walked straight over to the bar. After that horrible wait, we needed a couple tequila sunrises to get us pumped! With a few drinks in our system, we were still bored. Nothing was exciting to us at that moment. We then met a couple guys who were from New York City. We started chatting away, and got them some drinks as of the free beverage advantage us females had.

My saviour Keili!

My crazy party animal/saviour mate and I in Tahoe!

It was after then that I ended up on the bathroom floor at the Mont Bleu Resort. Not knowing what had happened, a girl took my phone and texted my friend saying, “ur gurl needs you, Montbleu bathroom”. It was from here that I blanked out and woke up in a wheelchair. But from what my sources tell me, an ambulance came and took me to the hospital. After another blank, the police ended up at the hospital and started questioning my friend about me, trying to take me to the cell! This was mainly because my mate was in gaol from the same club the night before. They must’ve been thinking, ‘bloody Australians, always getting in shit!’

I woke up the next morning feeling really funny. It was 6am and we had to be on the bus by 8am! I jumped up, pulled the intravenous drip out of my arm and woke my mate up who was sleeping in what looked like a very uncomfortable sitting up position. The doctor came in and gave me the all clear, saying that I had acute poisoning, but I knew there was more to the story. You don’t just meet a couple guys in the club and pass out straight after it. I was given a blanket and chucked into a taxi so we could head back to our hotel. I crashed in my friend’s room for 20 minutes until we had to get up and leave for the bus. It was only then that I realised I was missing a shoe.. my favourite shoe as well!

Getting back on the bus, I felt extremely troubled and unusual as I was having difficulty with my vision. Something wasn’t right with me. I was feeling emotionally, physically and mentally scattered and just started weeping uncontrollably.

To this day, I still do not know the exact events of that night. But I do know that when I got back to Sydney, I received a $700 hospital bill a couple months later. To make it even better, in October I received a $1500 bill from the ambulance. To top it off, there was a mix up with my travel insurance so I had to pay for it all from my own pocket.

Moral of the story kids: triple check that you have your travel insurance because you never know where you’ll end up; whether it’s a cell, an ambulance or a hospital… or even all three! ;)

The hospital band. . One of the tangible memories I brought back with me.

The hospital band. . One of the tangible memories I brought back with me.

The American Adventure – Lake Tahoe (Part 1)

North America, Travel December 10, 2012 Comments: 4

I really need to speed up with this American Adventure don’t I? Seeing as though it’s almost been a year since it’s actually happened, and I leave for my Euro-Trip in less than 6 months! This location has probably been the most difficult to write because to this day, I still do not know the exact events of that second night I spent in Lake Tahoe.

So hear it goes. With a bit of help from a good mate who stuck by my side (K Dog, I love you!), this is my interpretation of that crazy weekend in Tahoe…more specifically, the Opal Lounge, Montbleu.

Lake Tahoe, you bittersweet beauty!

Lake Tahoe, you bittersweet beauty!

I’ll start with the first night, which was actually trouble free.

Our tour guide told us about this new club that had just opened up across the street from our hotel in Tahoe. It was $1 drinks all night long, so of course every one was keen. Me? Well I was keen, but anxious because of this damn I.D that screwed me over in Vegas. But of course I was going to try again. Why? Because I didn’t fly half way across the world to go to sleep at 10pm, did I?!

We got to the club and I showed my I.D to this old Santa look-a-like. He flashed his torchlight on to it (eep!) and checked the fake barcode, which I copied and pasted off Google images. I’m surprised he didn’t make any comments about the bite marks all across it, due to the intense nervousness I experienced in Vegas. Instead, he said, ‘Yeah, we’re allowed to accept these proof of age cards; lucky for you they’re in the ID book. Go through!’

I couldn’t believe it. I must’ve been on Santa’s nice list this year! He had to know it was completely fake, right? Something in his eyes just gave it away. They kind of said, ‘Kid, I know this is a home made ID, but I feel sorry for your underage Aussie ass, so go in.’

And why did he have to mention that those age cards were in the book? I don’t know, but I was just glad to be in with my crew!  We stayed till the club closed and all stumbled back across the street in the morning…well all except one mate who ended up in gaol for sitting in a restricted area!
As I was leaving the club, I saw another sign outside the Opal Lounge, which said ‘ladies drink free tomorrow night’. I looked over at my friend who also spotted the sign. She slurred, ‘same thing tomorrow night Ash?’ I smiled and nodded as we froze in that Tahoe breeze.

Little did we know that ‘tomorrow night’ was going to consist of an ambulance, a wheelchair and a hospital bed . . .

To be continued. . 

The American Adventure – Las Vegas (Part 2)

North America, Travel September 19, 2012 Leave a comment

Sitting in the taxi after an audacious Vegas night, I closed my eyes to try and relax when all of a sudden my head slammed the back of the front seat. The taxi driver hit the car in front of us, and sped off. I came to the conclusion that he was drunk, mainly because of the smack he was talking, saying things like, “you know I shouldn’t be driving tonight.” … Ah, bloody Vegas.

Arriving to what I thought was the hotel, I got ready to leave, only realising that this idiot had driven me to the Pink Flamingo rather than Harrah’s! We ended up getting into a huge argument, and he finally drove me to my hotel. I gave him a quarter of the amount of money and slammed his door, yelling out some drunken slur of swear words. I walked through the hotel to see one of my other mates stumbling through the foyer. He was extremely shit faced. The walk gave it away but also the friendly gesture of a hug, as he shouted ‘I love you’ and ran away into the casino.  No one saw him until the next day.

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Day two in Vegas. Hung-over and all, there was no way we were going to waste a second in this beautiful city! The sun was shining, every one was already smashed and the hookers were ready for some sexy time.  Ah, bloody Vegas.

Meeting up with a few of the other girls, we decided it was time to check out New York, New York. After a 40-minute walk to the end of the Strip, we got to the infamous rollercoaster.  The feeling in the pit of my stomach was like being hung-over and smashing your head into a concrete wall. My friend actually started making barfing expressions that did not help my spinning head. After getting off, we decided it was time to go on again. Round two was more of a success, all of us keeping our eyes open and our mouths closed!

New York, New York!

Night-time arrived.  So was I going to attempt a second shot at hitting up the club? Of course I was! You know what they say, if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying till you get arrested.

We got dressed and started walking down the strip only to notice that every guy was trying to hand us some kind of card. We looked at it to find a naked whore spread out on it, representing some sexual money making thing. We decided to make this 20-minute walk fun by seeing who could gather the most sex cards. Of course I won, collecting about one hundred cards! Not sure why I was proud of that though. .

Meeting up with the rest of clan, it was a good vibe as everyone was energised for the limo rides that were in store for that night. We all jumped in to find bottles of champagne ready for us. As we rolled down the windows, the multicoloured beams lit up from the sides of the limo and the music blasted incredibly as I felt the bass thump against my chest. Off we went, down the strip and through out Vegas as we danced and sang from the top of our lungs, sticking our head out the window to let in that Vegas breeze.  I can say that the limo ride was one of the best hours in my entire life.

Group shot!

Jumping out of the limo, I looked down to notice that I literally had a Champagne shower! The whole I.D thing was like déjà vu from the night before, but at least they didn’t chase me! I ended up falling asleep in the bathroom for a while and then going into the casino and creating a party with some random gamblers. Woke up the next day wearing the same clothes, sitting in a fetus-like position with poker chips in my hand and all my sex cards on the floor.

Ah, bloody Vegas!

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