My posts have gotten progressively ludicrous, but I suppose that isn't entirely a bad thing. Well, Wednesday night we did go out. We went downtown to a pub. Harry and Josef bought us multiple rounds of beer, and we had some before we left. I'm not sure how many rounds we had... I kind of lost track, never a good sign. We had a great time though (from what I can remember). Kamron got some great pictures and videos. I probably won't post them for reasons I don't think I really need to explain haha.
We spent Thursday recovering, to say the least! Kamron and I spent most of the day laying around and watching some television shows that he had downloaded. Now that I am sitting here trying to remember all of the things I planned on putting in this post, I am coming up with a blank... Friday we partied a little more that night, while we planned for our day trip to Yarra Valley and Phillip Island on Saturday.
Saturday morning, we made rented a car and made our way to Yarra Valley with Harry and Josef. We stopped at the information center to figure out the best places to stop. Kamron spotted a brewery on our way, so we stopped in for a tasting. We ended up getting a six pack for twenty bucks (can you believe that?!). The lady there gave us two bottles for free, and gave us a free tasting before taking us on our tour. She was awesome. She actually brews at home (which I have definitely thought hard about starting up), and said that is how the brewery she works at started. It was neat to see how a small, hole in the wall brewery works. The brewery was literally in a shed behind a junk yard, but the beer was great. Kamron got a video of how the brewery actually runs, but I wont be able to post that until we get back from our trip this week.
We then headed to a trail in Yarra Valley. The trail took us by a damn via "Rose Steps." The steps were lined by rose bushes, that we unfortunately not blooming, because it is cold. Lame. We took our beers to the top of the damn with us. Nothing beats a great beer after a great hike. Be jealous. Haha, just kidding - not about the beers, about being jealous haha! It seems as though I've named my blog perfectly, because I do ramble...
Continuing on!! We then made our way, practically flying, to Phillip Island. We wanted to make it to the Penguin Parade by sunset, and time was definitely not on our side. Thanks to Harry and his impressive driving skills, we did make it to Phillip Island in time. The sunset over the island was beautiful. We didn't get any pictures of it over the water, but it was still gorgeous.
For those of you who don't know (I didn't know), Australia is know for this Penguin Parade. Every three to five days a group of penguins come back from hunting. At dusk, they make their way to the beach on Phillip Island in masses. These penguins were everywhere!! Nothing beats seeing these little penguins clump up and dart toward the bushes. It was so cool to see. We weren't supposed to take any pictures (keyword: supposed to). Kamron, being the little delinquent he is, got some :) After majority of the penguins made there way through the bushes, the other penguins came out to greet them! It was a site to see! We got to watch little penguins play, fight, and do other explicit activities (HAHAHA - I am a child). By this time it was FREEZING, and we were ready to call it a night.
After picking up some dinner, we made our way back to Melbourne, where we threw in the towel rather early. We were starting early Sunday morning. There was a soccer championship game this morning at 4am, and yes we got up for it. We not only got up, but we partied... at 4am. I have to keep telling myself that it is okay to be a little on the crazy side, since I am on vacation. The two teams that were playing were FC Barcelona and M. United. Barcelona won, if y'all were curious. There were tons of people who were completely gone. One guy passed around a drink for everyone (there were tons of people there - thirty-ish), and it smelled like straight up rubbing alcohol. Of course, I turned it down. One, because who wants to drink something that strong straight up?! Not me. And two, I was not about to drink after a million random people.
After the game, Kamron and I slept some more. We slept in pretty late, and then headed to the mall to go to his bank and grab a bite to eat. We chose sushi for lunch, and I decided to try something new. Bad idea - the end. It wasn't too awful, but it wasn't a repeat.
I think that about catches y'all up to speed. I need to go switch out some laundry, so we will have clothes to wear on our trip this week. Kamron and I are headed on an Outback Tour with Harry and Josef. We will be hiking (I didn't pack my boots, naturally) and sleeping outside in sleeping bags, no tent. I am really excited to see the sky here with NO lights! I will hopefully get some amazing pictures. Whenever I think about seeing the sun set and rise over the Outback, I think of the Lion King haha. It should be pretty. After the Outback Tour, Kamron and I will be driving to the Grampians on our way to Adelaide to see Sam! Very exciting stuff going on over here, down under.
I will update y'all as soon as I can - it will probably be a little over a week until I can post again. Love you all!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Luck of the draw
Okay, well just about everyone knows about mine and Kamron's awfully bad luck. This was brought to my attention earlier this year (cough cough Joyce). I had never really thought about my luck being bad, because I was always thinking about how bad Kamron's luck was. Since I have learned about my unfortunate short comings in the luck department, I have seen it unfold before my eyes. Of course, there is nothing I can do about it, and I know that everything happens for a reason. I know that God has a plan for me. But consider this, Kamron and myself together means extremely bad luck. Today I discovered why.
The weather this morning was gorgeous. As Kamron and I made our way to the city, I reconsidered my choice of a heavy coat (luckily I didn't change into a lighter one because the sun decided to dissipate and the temperature seemed to plummet). This tale begins with Kamron discovering a way to cheat the public transportation system. It is about $7 for a daily pass on the tram. Kamron found out that you don't have to buy a ticket to get on the tram, but you better have one if the "tram police" get on and check everyone for their ticket. Of course Kamron (and now both myself and Kamron) have saved a lot of money by using this method. Wrong... well yes. This is where our awesome bad luck comes into play. Kamron and I are limited on our luck because we spend our time finding "short cuts."
First off, our tram was hit by a car today. No worries, we are both fine. The tram was fine, and we were on our merry way. Well, shortly after the collision a single tram officer got on. Dun dun dunnnn. Kamron usually keeps a look out so we could make a quick exit to avoid getting a pretty hefty fine. They usually travel in packs (which I was a witness to later in the evening), but of course we missed this one because she was alone. We were in the middle of the tram and were able to get off at the next exit as soon as we saw that she was checking tickets at the front of the tram. This was incident number one.
Kamron and I were able to hop onto the next tram, continuing our trip to the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful, not as breath taking as the Great Ocean Road, but they were still nice. We started our walk with the Remembrance Shrine for the soldiers from WWI and WWII. It makes me think of all of the memorials in DC. I will post some pictures on my shutterfly website for y'all to see.
After the Remembrance Shrine, Kamron and I explored the actual garden part of the Botanical Gardens. I will also post some pictures from our walk on the shutterfly page.
This brings me back to our travels to and from the city. Kamron and I decided to take the train back to the suburb part of the city and then take a tram back to his flat. Needless to say here comes incident number two... hello mass of tram police. As they were getting on the tram, Kamron was like time to get off. I wasn't really sure what was going on, but we managed to slip by again as eight tram police were getting on. What in the world?! Twice in one day. Maybe we shouldn't ride the tram tomorrow because we have escaped twice too many! Luckily Kamron and I were not far from his flat, so we decided to walk back and pick up some dinner along the way. We had a fish and chip special for two :) It was tasty! Kamron had heard good things about it, but he hadn't gotten a chance to try it yet.
After eating dinner, Kamron made his way to class (deciding to take the bus this time around) and I made my way to the computer lab to update y'all on our adventures of today! Tonight is pub night, so we are planning on going out and celebrating our good fortune! I hope our risky behavior isn't too startling. We will be safe, and we will stay out of trouble!
I send much love!
The weather this morning was gorgeous. As Kamron and I made our way to the city, I reconsidered my choice of a heavy coat (luckily I didn't change into a lighter one because the sun decided to dissipate and the temperature seemed to plummet). This tale begins with Kamron discovering a way to cheat the public transportation system. It is about $7 for a daily pass on the tram. Kamron found out that you don't have to buy a ticket to get on the tram, but you better have one if the "tram police" get on and check everyone for their ticket. Of course Kamron (and now both myself and Kamron) have saved a lot of money by using this method. Wrong... well yes. This is where our awesome bad luck comes into play. Kamron and I are limited on our luck because we spend our time finding "short cuts."
First off, our tram was hit by a car today. No worries, we are both fine. The tram was fine, and we were on our merry way. Well, shortly after the collision a single tram officer got on. Dun dun dunnnn. Kamron usually keeps a look out so we could make a quick exit to avoid getting a pretty hefty fine. They usually travel in packs (which I was a witness to later in the evening), but of course we missed this one because she was alone. We were in the middle of the tram and were able to get off at the next exit as soon as we saw that she was checking tickets at the front of the tram. This was incident number one.
Kamron and I were able to hop onto the next tram, continuing our trip to the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful, not as breath taking as the Great Ocean Road, but they were still nice. We started our walk with the Remembrance Shrine for the soldiers from WWI and WWII. It makes me think of all of the memorials in DC. I will post some pictures on my shutterfly website for y'all to see.
After the Remembrance Shrine, Kamron and I explored the actual garden part of the Botanical Gardens. I will also post some pictures from our walk on the shutterfly page.
This brings me back to our travels to and from the city. Kamron and I decided to take the train back to the suburb part of the city and then take a tram back to his flat. Needless to say here comes incident number two... hello mass of tram police. As they were getting on the tram, Kamron was like time to get off. I wasn't really sure what was going on, but we managed to slip by again as eight tram police were getting on. What in the world?! Twice in one day. Maybe we shouldn't ride the tram tomorrow because we have escaped twice too many! Luckily Kamron and I were not far from his flat, so we decided to walk back and pick up some dinner along the way. We had a fish and chip special for two :) It was tasty! Kamron had heard good things about it, but he hadn't gotten a chance to try it yet.
After eating dinner, Kamron made his way to class (deciding to take the bus this time around) and I made my way to the computer lab to update y'all on our adventures of today! Tonight is pub night, so we are planning on going out and celebrating our good fortune! I hope our risky behavior isn't too startling. We will be safe, and we will stay out of trouble!
I send much love!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Chinatown, anyone?
Whew… the past few days have been intense. After attempting to tackle the internet and get these pictures uploaded, I’m drained! Haha. Today, Tuesday, Kamron and I went to Melbourne’s Chinatown. We naturally missed our stop on the train (my first train ride, ever), so we decided to wonder around the city some. We ended up at a cute little coffee shop that claimed to be for coffee lovers – count me in! I got a short mac. I’m not really sure what it was, but it sounded good and the woman working there drinks it regularly. It came in this teeny tiny cup and was extremely strong. That is one thing I’ve learned about the people here. They all like their coffee short and to the point – like shots of liquor. It was a bit strong for my taste, but it was delightfully delicious. Kamron got a mocha, and I think that is what I am going to get next time. We are planning on going back to the city tomorrow for some more exploring.
While we were at the coffee shop, we decided it would be a good idea to figure out where we were on the map that I thankfully brought. I have become quite the little navigator (even though we continue to miss turns and get momentarily lost haha). We found where we were while we finished up our coffee, and we made our way to our original destination – Chinatown. I have never been to the Chinatown in New York, but I imagine it is a bit more hectic than the one in Melbourne. We went through a couple of different shops, as we searched for a place to grab a bite to eat. Kamron heard the dumplings there were amazing, and boy was he right. Mom, you would have been in Heaven. They were delish! We got some pictures of them (I know, I know. Yes, Mom, we took pictures of our food. No use stopping the tradition now.). I’m not posting them on here, but I don’t want to be at the computer for twenty more hours! I will try and post the pictures from today’s trip on my shutterfly page, but I might not be able to since they are on Kamron’s camera. Because he is a goober, he doesn’t have his camera chord here with him. His friend, Josef, has a sim card slot on his laptop, so he puts Kamron’s pictures and such on an external hard drive for him. We will see if I can get my hands on that external hard drive. Wow, I just rambled (no pun intended) for forever about something that y’all don’t (and I shouldn’t) care anything about!! Haha.
Anyways, on our way back it started to rain. It was perfect weather for me to cozy up and finish the new Sarah Dessen book, while Kamron went to work. Alas, that is where I am now. I am in the computer lab uploading photos to shutterfly and updating y’all :) I should head back from the computer lab, so that Kamron is not stuck out in the cold, because I have his keys.
Hugs to you all and until next time!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Great Ocean Road Adventures
Today, Monday, it is cold and rainy. Although all I would like to do is curl up in bed and finish my new Sarah Dessen book while Kamron is in class, I thought it would be awful of me not to share how things have been going the past few days. I apologize for how long this post is, but it is mainly pictures :)
This past weekend, Kamron and I traveled to the Great Ocean Road. It was breath taking. Our trip did not particularly start on on the right foot. We woke up later than we wanted to on Saturday, but we had already packed what we wanted to bring on the trip the night before. Because Kamron and I tend to be cheap, we packed plenty of food for our trip and some alcohol (but only for the night - Driving on the left side of the road is hard enough; who knows how hard it would have been after a few drinks). We packed a map - thank goodness, because we ended up lost (no brainer, we are talking about two directionally challenged goobers).
Kamron and I walked to the car rental place, which was an adventure in itself. I had written out google map directions on how to get there, but I don't know if y'all know this, but google maps sucks. I have been led astray many of times, but this goes back to not being able to get myself out of a wet paper bag. Okay, back to the car rental place. Who knew that you had to have a freakin' credit card to rent a car. Not a debit card, a CREDIT card. This goes without saying, but neither Kamron or myself had a credit card. By the time we walk back to Kamron's flat it is around ten o'clock. It was looking like this trip wasn't going to happen at all. After arguing the entire way back (because that makes everything go smoother), we looked up care rental places in the city that didn't require us to have a credit card. We looked at a few different sites (slowly because Kamron's internet has yet to move faster than molasses). I scribbled down a new set of directions, and Kamron and I made our way into the city. We did end up with a car, and a much nicer car than we would have gotten originally. Kamron would kill me if I didn't post one of his many "car shots" (Mr. Lusk, that was for you hehe), so there is one of the many below.
This was when we first got to the Great Ocean Road - our first car shot actually there (we took one before the trip, but it's on Kamron's camera). The picture is not the best, but I didn't want to mesmerize you with the first. Plus I am trying to keep it slightly in order.
Oh I also forgot to mention that google maps failed us, again. On our way back we had to resort to the city map that the car dealership offered us. Bless their souls, because we would have never made it out of the city it weren't for that map! This is the same story for making it to the highway that would actually take us to the Great Ocean Road. By this time I was ready to call a quits, but it's a good thing we didn't because the trip was fantastic. Kamron drove most of the way there, but I drove a little once we got there. We took a few videos while we were driving. Kamron thought it was fun to take the curves going faster than any normal human being would - even though it is not noticeable in the video below.
Here is me driving :)
Kamron and I did make it to a number of historical sites on Sunday, but our first pictures came from scenic lookouts we made it to on Saturday. Some of them are below.
Saturday night we slept with the 12 Apostles! We were up with the sun and got a number of beautiful pictures and of course a car shot. Kamron and I are certain that our car shot could make it into a Mitsubishi magazine for sure! Some pictures are below.
We then drove on to the Loch Ard Gorge, where we got some great pictures of the Island Archway, the Loch Ard Gorge Lookout, and the Loch Ard Wreck Site. I am not sure the order that we looked at these, but they are all wonderfully candid. Some of them are below.
Kamron and I are also juvenile delinquents. We spent a lot of our time breaking the rules by jumping fences and stepping over barriers, but we got some great pictures and videos out of the ordeal. Kamron claiming to touch the oldest rock at the Loch Ard Gorge:
The weather progressively got worse after we stopped at the Loch Ard Gorge, but no worries Kamron and I are troopers. We still managed to get some decent pictures, while somehow managing not to get ourselves killed on our adventures in unmarked territory (well sometimes it was marked, but it was only marked to tell us to stay on the path which we ignored haha). After the Loch Ard Gorge we stopped to see . Again, I'm not sure which is which in pictures, but they are pretty just the same.
It was sad to travel away from the Great Ocean Road, but it was definitely time well spent. Getting back to Melbourne didn't take nearly as long as we thought it would. On our way back we stopped by the Cheese Factory. It had a little museum, a restaurant, a convenient store, and a ritzy cheese and wine store. The cheese in Australia is nowhere near as good as the cheese in America. The cheese they do have is pretty expensive. Lucky for us, this cheese was just as good as the cheese at home. Kamron and I bought some vintage cheddar and brie, and we stuck around long enough for a cheese tasting. One word: delicious. We also got a milkshake and a chai latte (not as good as the one from Kamron's work). That was the last stop, before our stop to get gas on our way back. Let me just tell y'all how lucky we are when it comes to gas prices. Here it is $1.45 (give or take based on the gas station) per liter! Outrageous! That definitely put a hole in our wallets when we had to fill up the rental to before we returned it.
That is pretty much it for this past weekend. Today we returned out rental (after waking up late, again haha), and I have been looking up some places we are going to try and go to in the city. But I hope this post wasn't too awfully boring. It took me forever to upload these pictures. I've spent all day/night (and then yet another day) uploading them! I rewarded myself with some time to read my book while it took ten million years. I've uploaded more pictures to my shutterfly account. It can be seen at the link: roamingrachael.shutterfly.com. Enjoy!! I send my love!
This past weekend, Kamron and I traveled to the Great Ocean Road. It was breath taking. Our trip did not particularly start on on the right foot. We woke up later than we wanted to on Saturday, but we had already packed what we wanted to bring on the trip the night before. Because Kamron and I tend to be cheap, we packed plenty of food for our trip and some alcohol (but only for the night - Driving on the left side of the road is hard enough; who knows how hard it would have been after a few drinks). We packed a map - thank goodness, because we ended up lost (no brainer, we are talking about two directionally challenged goobers).
Kamron and I walked to the car rental place, which was an adventure in itself. I had written out google map directions on how to get there, but I don't know if y'all know this, but google maps sucks. I have been led astray many of times, but this goes back to not being able to get myself out of a wet paper bag. Okay, back to the car rental place. Who knew that you had to have a freakin' credit card to rent a car. Not a debit card, a CREDIT card. This goes without saying, but neither Kamron or myself had a credit card. By the time we walk back to Kamron's flat it is around ten o'clock. It was looking like this trip wasn't going to happen at all. After arguing the entire way back (because that makes everything go smoother), we looked up care rental places in the city that didn't require us to have a credit card. We looked at a few different sites (slowly because Kamron's internet has yet to move faster than molasses). I scribbled down a new set of directions, and Kamron and I made our way into the city. We did end up with a car, and a much nicer car than we would have gotten originally. Kamron would kill me if I didn't post one of his many "car shots" (Mr. Lusk, that was for you hehe), so there is one of the many below.
This was when we first got to the Great Ocean Road - our first car shot actually there (we took one before the trip, but it's on Kamron's camera). The picture is not the best, but I didn't want to mesmerize you with the first. Plus I am trying to keep it slightly in order.
Oh I also forgot to mention that google maps failed us, again. On our way back we had to resort to the city map that the car dealership offered us. Bless their souls, because we would have never made it out of the city it weren't for that map! This is the same story for making it to the highway that would actually take us to the Great Ocean Road. By this time I was ready to call a quits, but it's a good thing we didn't because the trip was fantastic. Kamron drove most of the way there, but I drove a little once we got there. We took a few videos while we were driving. Kamron thought it was fun to take the curves going faster than any normal human being would - even though it is not noticeable in the video below.
Here is me driving :)
Saturday night we slept with the 12 Apostles! We were up with the sun and got a number of beautiful pictures and of course a car shot. Kamron and I are certain that our car shot could make it into a Mitsubishi magazine for sure! Some pictures are below.
We then drove on to the Loch Ard Gorge, where we got some great pictures of the Island Archway, the Loch Ard Gorge Lookout, and the Loch Ard Wreck Site. I am not sure the order that we looked at these, but they are all wonderfully candid. Some of them are below.
The weather progressively got worse after we stopped at the Loch Ard Gorge, but no worries Kamron and I are troopers. We still managed to get some decent pictures, while somehow managing not to get ourselves killed on our adventures in unmarked territory (well sometimes it was marked, but it was only marked to tell us to stay on the path which we ignored haha). After the Loch Ard Gorge we stopped to see . Again, I'm not sure which is which in pictures, but they are pretty just the same.
It was sad to travel away from the Great Ocean Road, but it was definitely time well spent. Getting back to Melbourne didn't take nearly as long as we thought it would. On our way back we stopped by the Cheese Factory. It had a little museum, a restaurant, a convenient store, and a ritzy cheese and wine store. The cheese in Australia is nowhere near as good as the cheese in America. The cheese they do have is pretty expensive. Lucky for us, this cheese was just as good as the cheese at home. Kamron and I bought some vintage cheddar and brie, and we stuck around long enough for a cheese tasting. One word: delicious. We also got a milkshake and a chai latte (not as good as the one from Kamron's work). That was the last stop, before our stop to get gas on our way back. Let me just tell y'all how lucky we are when it comes to gas prices. Here it is $1.45 (give or take based on the gas station) per liter! Outrageous! That definitely put a hole in our wallets when we had to fill up the rental to before we returned it.
That is pretty much it for this past weekend. Today we returned out rental (after waking up late, again haha), and I have been looking up some places we are going to try and go to in the city. But I hope this post wasn't too awfully boring. It took me forever to upload these pictures. I've spent all day/night (and then yet another day) uploading them! I rewarded myself with some time to read my book while it took ten million years. I've uploaded more pictures to my shutterfly account. It can be seen at the link: roamingrachael.shutterfly.com. Enjoy!! I send my love!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
It's all a bit of a blur
Where to begin... I really should keep up with this because I feel like so much has happened in a matter of days. I think my body is finally getting used to the time change, but the weather has been cloudy and cold since I've been here, so it has been a struggle to make myself get up in the morning. Kamron and I have spent the past few days running errands and touring the city. On Monday we went to one of the largest malls in Australia. It was huge, and everything was ridiculously expensive. After looking around for awhile, Kamron and I invested in some quality sushi. Since I've been here I've realized the way to my heart - school supplies (not a new discovery) and food. When Kamron comes back from work he brings the most amazing food - we've had veggie pizza, pork kabob pizza, and an awesome Asian dish. So I might weigh five hundred pounds before I leave here. Also, everyone here smokes like chimneys and drinks like fish! I've had more beer this past week than I've had since I've been in college. Okay that's a lie haha. I haven't had that much.
But anyways, on Tuesday we went to another market that was closer than the one we went to in the city. We got some more fresh fruit and veggies for dinner and some mixed nuts. We almost got an individual stove top coffee maker, but we are going to try and find a cheaper one around here somewhere. The guy who was trying to sell it to us was pretty nice. He asked us where we were from, because Kamron and I both scream non-Australian. Hello, southern accent! He pointed us in the right direction to find a cheaper coffee pot, and suggested we get some of his coffee grinds (which smelt delicious). Bringing me to my next point... I had the best chai latte on our way back from the market. We stopped by Kamron's work and picked some up. Kamron had been ranting and raving about this chai latte for days, and boy was it warranted! Delish!! I wish I could have one right now!!
Today the weather is gorgeous (as gorgeous as it can be when it's cold). I walked to the mall in search of a straightener. Don't worry, Mel, I did not ruin yours, but I did fry my blow dryer. I guess I didn't figure out the whole converter/adapter deal. I did, however, find a straightener for 15$. Talk about hitting a gold mine! I haven't used it yet, so I guess I shouldn't celebrate yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me :) Tonight I will put it to the test. We are going out to a pub to celebrate Penn's birthday and Harry and Josef's presentation being finished (they are a few of Kamron's friends).
Other than the above, nothing too monumental has been going on. Harry, Josef, Kamron, and I booked our tour of the outback and our flights to get there. We will be sleeping outside in the outback for a couple of nights! It is going to be fun. Hopefully no big creatures decide to visit! Kamron and I are also planning on going to the Great Ocean Road on the southern coast of Australia this weekend. It is supposed to be beautiful out there. Pray for decent weather, or at least safe weather. We will be renting a car, so I will be able to drive on the left side of the street!! Woahh!! Kamron said that he is going to drive in the city, mainly because I am scared to do it and probably because he thinks I would get us killed - he is probably right.
I think that is about it. I will add more if I think of anything :) I send my love!
But anyways, on Tuesday we went to another market that was closer than the one we went to in the city. We got some more fresh fruit and veggies for dinner and some mixed nuts. We almost got an individual stove top coffee maker, but we are going to try and find a cheaper one around here somewhere. The guy who was trying to sell it to us was pretty nice. He asked us where we were from, because Kamron and I both scream non-Australian. Hello, southern accent! He pointed us in the right direction to find a cheaper coffee pot, and suggested we get some of his coffee grinds (which smelt delicious). Bringing me to my next point... I had the best chai latte on our way back from the market. We stopped by Kamron's work and picked some up. Kamron had been ranting and raving about this chai latte for days, and boy was it warranted! Delish!! I wish I could have one right now!!
Today the weather is gorgeous (as gorgeous as it can be when it's cold). I walked to the mall in search of a straightener. Don't worry, Mel, I did not ruin yours, but I did fry my blow dryer. I guess I didn't figure out the whole converter/adapter deal. I did, however, find a straightener for 15$. Talk about hitting a gold mine! I haven't used it yet, so I guess I shouldn't celebrate yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me :) Tonight I will put it to the test. We are going out to a pub to celebrate Penn's birthday and Harry and Josef's presentation being finished (they are a few of Kamron's friends).
Other than the above, nothing too monumental has been going on. Harry, Josef, Kamron, and I booked our tour of the outback and our flights to get there. We will be sleeping outside in the outback for a couple of nights! It is going to be fun. Hopefully no big creatures decide to visit! Kamron and I are also planning on going to the Great Ocean Road on the southern coast of Australia this weekend. It is supposed to be beautiful out there. Pray for decent weather, or at least safe weather. We will be renting a car, so I will be able to drive on the left side of the street!! Woahh!! Kamron said that he is going to drive in the city, mainly because I am scared to do it and probably because he thinks I would get us killed - he is probably right.
I think that is about it. I will add more if I think of anything :) I send my love!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Finally here :)
After a flight cancellation and about 27 hours of transit, I am finally here! The flights were not nearly as bad as I had thought they might be. Of course a seventeen hour flight is lame, but I survived! On my flight from RDU to Dallas, TX, I sat next to a Mr. Chatty Cathy! Him and the woman next to me made it nearly impossible to read. Then I put on my headphones and still couldn't read! But no worries, I finished my book on my flight from LAX to Melbourne. I had plenty of time to do so!
I almost missed my flight to Melbourne. When I got off of my flight from Dallas, I booked it to where all of the Qantas (the Australian airline) travelers had to catch a shuttle bus to a completely different part of the airport. We all packed into the shuttle, and by the time I made it on there was only standing room. I had to stand on my tip toes to reach the bar overhead. I could of killed the six foot something guy sitting down right in front of where I was standing. After being stretched so that my arm felt like it was dislocated for about twenty minutes, I all but ran through the airport to catch my flight. I wouldn't have cut it so close if I didn't make time for a pit stop in the duty free store to pick up some liquor, but it was time well spent!
During my flight I wasn't sure if I was going to survive. My butt was more than sore and then it would become numb. Not a pleasant experience. I also felt awful waking up the guy next to me just to tinkle. I did however watch two movies and an NCIS episode on the way, as well as finishing up my book - thanks Meghan for letting me borrow your books! They were awesome!
After I landed, I spent about two hours in customs. I decided that I wanted to change into a dress and put on some make up before I saw Kamron, because I didn't want to look all gross when I saw him for the first time in months - bad idea. Those of you who have seen me pack for any trip, or even a meeting, know I do more than over pack! Just picture me running around in a dress with two suitcases, while attempting to not run over anyone. It was a sight to see. I didn't realize customs would take so long, but my flight was packed and knowing my luck I should have guessed that it would take me two hours. I finally made it through customs, and was anxious to see Kamron. As I walked through the doors there were a bagillion million people waiting to pick up someone from the international flights. Of course, going back to my sort of luck, Kamron was no where in sight. Again, I just want everyone to picture me with my huge suitcases in a floor length strapless dress appearing to be lost. After about twenty minutes of attempting to stay calm, I saw Kamron!! Naturally, there were two ways to go when you leave customs and I went the way where Kamron wasn't.
We then took a cab back to where Kamron is staying and lugged my suitcases up the stairs. After finding a place to put my suitcases, we got together with some of Kamron's friends and headed to the market. We road the tram there, and I got a much needed latte! For those of you who don't know, I hadn't had coffee in about two weeks, because I didn't want to be fighting caffeine head aches on my flights or while I was here. That coffee was amazing! We looked around for a couple of hours and bought some fresh veggies and meat for dinner, which was also amazing. Kamron is a natural in the kitchen! His friends were so funny! They wanted Kamron to teach them how to cook.
While we were at the market we went to a cozy, two story pub in search of some $5 sangria, which as far as I'm told is extremely cheap for alcohol here. Unfortunately the pub was out, so we settled for beer. On a tired and empty stomach I should have been done after one, but Kamron's friend bought us all two more rounds (Kamron and I shared the last). No worries (this is directed to mom and dad) I was safe :) After heading back to Kamron's flat, I went to bed around 8 or 9ish in an attempt to not let my jetlag get the better of me. I was going off a few hours of sleep in 48 hours, so staying up until then was definitely accomplishing a great feat! Of course I woke up in the middle of the night ready to start my day.
Today we took the tram to Aldi (hehe, Allison) to get some groceries for the week, and Kamron showed me where he works. Kamron left for work soon after we got back to his flat, and I unpacked my suitcases. That leaves me where I am now, sleepy and in the computer lab because the internet in Kamron's room doesn't work, lame.
I hope there aren't too many spelling/typing errors (this is all encompassing - for now and for future posts), but before I fall asleep at the keyboard I am going to make my way back to Kamron's room. Stay tuned for updates!!
I almost missed my flight to Melbourne. When I got off of my flight from Dallas, I booked it to where all of the Qantas (the Australian airline) travelers had to catch a shuttle bus to a completely different part of the airport. We all packed into the shuttle, and by the time I made it on there was only standing room. I had to stand on my tip toes to reach the bar overhead. I could of killed the six foot something guy sitting down right in front of where I was standing. After being stretched so that my arm felt like it was dislocated for about twenty minutes, I all but ran through the airport to catch my flight. I wouldn't have cut it so close if I didn't make time for a pit stop in the duty free store to pick up some liquor, but it was time well spent!
During my flight I wasn't sure if I was going to survive. My butt was more than sore and then it would become numb. Not a pleasant experience. I also felt awful waking up the guy next to me just to tinkle. I did however watch two movies and an NCIS episode on the way, as well as finishing up my book - thanks Meghan for letting me borrow your books! They were awesome!
After I landed, I spent about two hours in customs. I decided that I wanted to change into a dress and put on some make up before I saw Kamron, because I didn't want to look all gross when I saw him for the first time in months - bad idea. Those of you who have seen me pack for any trip, or even a meeting, know I do more than over pack! Just picture me running around in a dress with two suitcases, while attempting to not run over anyone. It was a sight to see. I didn't realize customs would take so long, but my flight was packed and knowing my luck I should have guessed that it would take me two hours. I finally made it through customs, and was anxious to see Kamron. As I walked through the doors there were a bagillion million people waiting to pick up someone from the international flights. Of course, going back to my sort of luck, Kamron was no where in sight. Again, I just want everyone to picture me with my huge suitcases in a floor length strapless dress appearing to be lost. After about twenty minutes of attempting to stay calm, I saw Kamron!! Naturally, there were two ways to go when you leave customs and I went the way where Kamron wasn't.
We then took a cab back to where Kamron is staying and lugged my suitcases up the stairs. After finding a place to put my suitcases, we got together with some of Kamron's friends and headed to the market. We road the tram there, and I got a much needed latte! For those of you who don't know, I hadn't had coffee in about two weeks, because I didn't want to be fighting caffeine head aches on my flights or while I was here. That coffee was amazing! We looked around for a couple of hours and bought some fresh veggies and meat for dinner, which was also amazing. Kamron is a natural in the kitchen! His friends were so funny! They wanted Kamron to teach them how to cook.
While we were at the market we went to a cozy, two story pub in search of some $5 sangria, which as far as I'm told is extremely cheap for alcohol here. Unfortunately the pub was out, so we settled for beer. On a tired and empty stomach I should have been done after one, but Kamron's friend bought us all two more rounds (Kamron and I shared the last). No worries (this is directed to mom and dad) I was safe :) After heading back to Kamron's flat, I went to bed around 8 or 9ish in an attempt to not let my jetlag get the better of me. I was going off a few hours of sleep in 48 hours, so staying up until then was definitely accomplishing a great feat! Of course I woke up in the middle of the night ready to start my day.
Today we took the tram to Aldi (hehe, Allison) to get some groceries for the week, and Kamron showed me where he works. Kamron left for work soon after we got back to his flat, and I unpacked my suitcases. That leaves me where I am now, sleepy and in the computer lab because the internet in Kamron's room doesn't work, lame.
I hope there aren't too many spelling/typing errors (this is all encompassing - for now and for future posts), but before I fall asleep at the keyboard I am going to make my way back to Kamron's room. Stay tuned for updates!!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Almost there!
Hello all!
It is slowly getting closer and closer to my time to leave. I am anxiously awaiting my long flight. Today I packed, and I think I am just about ready to go. I will have to spend the better part of tomorrow running around and getting things done - like figuring out the whole adapter/converter nonsense. I don't really want my blow dryer or straightener to fry, especially because the straightener is Melanie's. hehe.
Other than that nothing other than normal is going on. I just wanted to get the blog set up, so I wouldn't have to worry about it once I left :)
I shall post again soon, but probably not until I am no longer in the States!!
It is slowly getting closer and closer to my time to leave. I am anxiously awaiting my long flight. Today I packed, and I think I am just about ready to go. I will have to spend the better part of tomorrow running around and getting things done - like figuring out the whole adapter/converter nonsense. I don't really want my blow dryer or straightener to fry, especially because the straightener is Melanie's. hehe.
Other than that nothing other than normal is going on. I just wanted to get the blog set up, so I wouldn't have to worry about it once I left :)
I shall post again soon, but probably not until I am no longer in the States!!
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