| pitching back and forth |
[Aug. 24th, 2007|01:10 pm] |
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when i finally got out of the bed the following morning i had a whole day to kill before meeting my friend in santa monica. so i went down to the beach. venice beach is this big of stretch of ocean with little to no shade. needless to say i got burnt. its like id never seen the sun before. i walked around for a bit, sat down for a bit, walked for a lot. sat down for a bit. a british tourist asked me to take his photo. he gave me his camera and sort of walked away, as if expecting me to follow. very weird.
i walked all the way past muscle beach towards a pier. i dont know the distance. but it took about 40 mins. when i was on the pier, alot of people fishing, i got to the end and was just watching the ocean when a boy of about 10 or 12 scream out in joy. he had just caught his first fish ever. the father said something in spanish to him. they took pictures. it was a tiny fish, but i guess that doesnt matter. one woman pulled up her line and she had 5 fish dangling from it. all at different levels of the line. they were all about 15cms long.
after the pier i made my way back towards the beach, thinking that i would walk past the area i went to the night before and beyond. well i did. i got to where i stopped the night before and saw in the distance a roller coaster. well. that just had to be explored. so i started walking. i suspect it took about an hour or so. my friends reckon it was around 5 miles. at any rate i ended up at santa monica pier. near where my friend lived. shame though, my huge backpack was still sitting in the venice beach hostel. i wandered around the pier for a while, there was a ferris wheel, the roller coaster, a pirate ship and a few other small rides. then i went around the other side and saw the bubba gump shrimp co. i didnt go in though, i dont like shrimp :P
i made my way back to venice beach, the long long walk. by then my feet were killing me. i was wearing the wrong boots. stupid i know. i had blisters everywhere, including the soles of my feet. some of my blisters had their own blisters. i decided i would sit down in what little shade there was and chill. i bought a slice of pizza and a cup of lemonade (real lemonade mind you) at my pizza, drank my lemonade and people watched. i did that from 1pm to 3pm when it was time to go catch a bus to meet my friend.
again the bus drivers were extremely helpful. i got to my friends with no trouble at all. we hung around her pad for a while and then went downtown santa monica for some new shoes. i got me some trekking shoes. how comfortable they were after the pain of my boots. ive hardly taken them off since! we then walked around downtown and the santa monica beach. its really a nice area. took some photos of a kid screaming and yelling at the ocean. i dont know why he was so upset at the ocean, but apparently it did him wrong.
that night we went out for mexican. real mexican, none of that australian crap we think is mexican. i got a plate of sample foods and a margarita or two. both were excellent, both hit the spot. |
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| flying with ice cream |
[Aug. 23rd, 2007|11:18 am] |
/so i thought i should finally update this thing. ive been travelling for a couple of weeks now and things have happened.
it all began with the stupid trip to the airport. i had to get up at 1.30am to get the 2.30am train to sydney airport. all i wanted to do on the train was sleep. but ofcourse im so paranoid i cant sleep on the train. i was also really worried about the track work interferring that when the trip was uneventful i was sort of disappointed. i got to the check in area about 30mins before i even needed to. once i checked in i had 3 hours wait for my flight. theres only so many trips around the departure area you can take. i successfully drained the battery in my DS but not my ipod. with nothing else to do i just sat there and watched the planes land and take off.
the flight itself was really good. imagine, airplane food tasting good. i got ice cream as desert, pretty fancy. i got to auckland airport 30mins late. i had about 8 hours in auckland. just that little too long to stay in an airport, but not really long enough to justify going out to the city. plus it was night, i had no idea what the shops would be doing and i hate sitting in resturants all on my lonesome. something sad in that. so i stay in the airport. sans DS, my ipod quickly loosing battery power. my book was boring. auckland airport is a hellhole and will forever be one. i cant say enough bad things about it.
eventually the departure gate flashed up on the board and i made my way to the departure lounge. 40mins to go. i took a photo of the plane waiting for us. its huge (hopefully uploading will happen sooner rather than later) again the flight itself was pretty good. again, the food was actually nice. i had roast lamb, what else do you have on an air new zealand flight? again ice cream for desert. the tv sets in the back of the headrests had so many different choices. and it wasnt on a cycle, you could choose what you wanted when you wanted. last time i flew the shows and movies were on cycle so you would end up coming in part way through a show.
anyway. landed at LAX and had some cranky customs guys yelling at us about how to fill in a form, which i already know all about. its not rocket science. after getting my index fingers fingerprinted and a photo taken of me i go to my luggage. it made it, unlike the last time when my luggage was left in frankfurt while i was in london. i got out, a woman was there to make life easier, so i asked her how to get to a certain bus i wanted. she pointed the way and was actually useful. i caught a shuttle to the bus station.
side note: i managed to get almost every single american stereotype on the bus. it was so great, america here i come!
once i found the right stop for my bus i go on the next one along. i asked the bus driver if it was going to get me to where i needed to go and he poliety told me exactly what i needed to do. i was flabbergasted. id been told by various locals that the public system was really bad and unhelpful. i got on the next bus and he told me exactly when to get off and as i got off he told me exactly where to stand for the next bus. you wouldnt even get that in canberra!
i made it to my hostel on venice beach. exhausted at 4.30pm. i had a shower and i thought that i should sleep. but i had a massive headache from dehydration. so i went downstairs and got some bottled water. then i decided a stroll while i consumed the water would be a good idea. so i walked up and down the boardwalk(?). there are some crazy people there. a few examples: dude on (what i later found out to be) bmx rollerblades playing his electric guitar, guys sitting on the side with a sign, will work for pot, a man in a gold (very small) speedos from behind he looked quite fit and muscular but when he turned around he was pudgy and had gold teeth and gold bling around his neck. everyone wanted to sell me something.
i went upstairs and slept from 7.30pm-9am. |
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| japanese band-aids are supreme |
[Jan. 18th, 2005|07:05 pm] |
in japan i willed myself to get out and look at the city
its all i wanted
whats sleep when youve never seen the city
fucking food poisoning
green tea
it causes me to gag and to hurl
now
i cant help it
crazy japanese cartoons without subtitles
american channels
cnnnnnnnn
crazy japanese talk shows
crazy japanese game shows
they are actually crazy
i couldnt even order mcdonalds
i dont speak the language
they have pictures out the front of food shops
you point and say that one
sort of bow because you dont really know what to do
smile alot
i dont speak the language
do you say thankyou or arigatou
or arigatou gozaimashita
i feel like im making fun of them by speaking thankyou in japanese
its the language but i still feel bad
smile more
vendingmachine that wouldnt accept my yen
coke is all i wanted
the blisters, the vomit, the other stuff
i passed out in a fevered daze
on my westernized double bed
in my underwear
i forgot my pjs
:(
awake
stomach cramps
shower
dash to the bus
the hotel manager helped me to the right bus
he made sure i was getting on the right bus
i didnt ask
i guess i looked like i didnt know
stayed with me till it arrive, i gave a little bow, he bowed back with such warmth
the porters bowed at the bus as it drove away
the security of the airport was extreme
every single car and bus was stopped and every pass port checked
i got lost after check in
amongst the bright colours of the shops
stomach cramps
stomach cramps
uncertainty
music - coke - seat - stability
airplane |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 24th, 2004|05:34 pm] |
the scotland tour fell through so ive somehow decided to come back to cardiff and look for work for a bit
not sure why i chose cardiff other than the fact that it felt right
:) |
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| cant help but falling down |
[Oct. 22nd, 2004|10:47 am] |
omg im exhausted! i just want one full nights sleep and i want to still be asleep at 7am, not woken up by someone packing their back and leaving loudly.
i must say though ive met some pretty cool people throughout my trip. especially certain canadians :)
i forgot where i left off...
ah yeah oxford
i didnt really do much in oxford, i had blisters galore in parts of my feet i didnt realise i could have blisters. i did meet up with some australians and kiwis and went out to a bar (2 for 1 drinks @ £1.50!!) and then headed out to a noodle bar for some super fly noodles. so good. i walked the streets alot looking for things to do. that seems to always be my first order of the day when i arrive ina new city. i did a few radiohead sight tour things (being as they are from oxford) and generally hung out. was really good, i think ill go back for another visit on my way back down. i also met jamie oliver. he was in oxford for a book signing which i saw, but later on i met him in the street. i said hi, he said hi. :)
bath was great too. the hostel i stayed at was part of the same hostel in oxford, brothers owned each one, so the hostels were very similar. also really close to the city centre. the first day i just walked around the city going to various touristy places and such. the second i went on a day tour to stonehenge, avebury, and lacock. really good, stonehenge is of course overpriced but i got a few good shots from all angles and an audio tour headset thing. avebury is like stonehenge as in a series of stones but so much better, they had sheep in the same field, i found it amusing that these sheep were rubbing themselves up against these stones. we also went to this huge manor that was a church and that also had cloisters(sp?) one of the hallways is where they shot part of harry potter, there was also a room they used for harry potter too. i dont like harry potter but i took photos for those that do.
that night i had to figure out where i wanted to go next, i was tossing and turning about brighton and cornwell. then i looked at the map again and saw wales. so i went to cardiff. thats another city im looking at staying in. looking for work in. id love to go back there.
originally i was only going to stay for 2 nights but that became 4. i met some great people there and generally had fun in the city. they have a freaking castle smack bang in the city. nobody seems to notice it. its a freaking castle. i went on a tour of the house inside and was the only one that showed up so i got a personal tour. the guy who owned it had it decked out in his fantasy of what he thinks castles should be like. it was way overthe top :D it started to rain as i was listening to this falconry guy. he took us through each of the birds he had, it was amazing. he had two owls, 4 falcons, 2 eagles and 2 other birds im not sure of. then i explored the keep. it was raining pretty heavy by then and there was a bit of a mist. seemed right for castle exploring. except my shoes were crap and i was slipping and sliding all over the place. they were pretty steep stairs too. thats the problem with castles. really steep stairs. oh and the stairs arent wide enough either. too narrow for my foot and its not all that big.
the next night i went on a day tour over wales. we went to a roman bath that had been excavated, itwas pretty amazing to see it untouched. also went to a amphitheatre that was also recently excavated. then we went to a abbey, tintern abbey. its this huge abbey that just ruins. we had a audio for that too, 'turn left when you get to the big archway' then on to a castle that basically ruins too. spent a long time exploring every nook and cranny of that place. it was pretty slippery too. had been raining on and off most of the time that day.
when i got back i decided it was time for new shoes, i bought some the next day. let this be a lesson for anyone traveling, go buy proper walking shoes before you come, they are so much better, my feet havent hurt since i bought them and my blisters are almost completely healed :D
the next day i just veged out. i did my washing and went to the movies and watched saw.
had a good night just talking with other travellers
the next day i went out with one of the canadians i met up with and we went to find more castles. the first one was really good, some rooms had little presentating things in them but the majority of the castle was left as it was. im not sure im ever going to tire of castles in wales. the next castle was ontop of a rather large hill. no, a huge hill. it was a bastard to climb. the guy who owned the cardiff castle had this one rebilt. it looked like something out of a fairy tale. it was insane.
that night i had to figure out where to go to next. i was going to go up to the midlands of wales and then north, but i decided that i would go to nottingham. big mistake
dont ever go to nottingham. its a hole. it has a really bad vibe to it too. i later learned its got a pretty high gun crime rate. nice. the tourist attractions were pathetic at best. i didnt do too much. it was raining pretty heavy the whole time and the streets were really slippery. and thats all the time im going to waste on that place.
my plan included york. thats where i am now. in a burger king no less. the only place to find the net other than the library. yesterday i went to york dungeon which is this cheesy place full of costumed actors and tacky plastic dummies. i think it would have been more fun with people i knew, possibly while drunk. it went for an hour but i think was a little overprice. still it could have been more enjoyable had i been with people. then i went to the jorvik centre which is stuff about the vikings that were here. again overpriced and probably more designed for kids. later on im going to go to the castle/museum and the city walls. tomorrow im heading to a smaller coastal town and then on to scotland where im going to do a 4 day tour.
toodle
doo |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 12th, 2004|10:18 am] |
i think im in love with oxford
i want to stay here forever
that being said im off to bath tomorrow |
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| same old stuff, turn around |
[Oct. 10th, 2004|10:20 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drained | ] |
finally, things
after spending the morning of friday looking for new accommodation and almost passing out on the street (several times), i found some in a dingy hole where you can here the underground go by every 10 mins or so and it smells like... something... and other things. theres a bed, theres a fridge, theres a cupboard. thats about it. but what else do you need when all you want to do is sleep and/or puke? its better than sharing a dorm with 9 other people. i slept the entire day and woke up about 5am the next morning feeling rather hungry. i left to go adventuring at 9am.
i neglected to buy any sort of guide book so i had to use my 'intelligence' to get me to places of interest. let me start by saying that i hate crowds, people are rude and really annoy me. so i went to westminster. big ben, houses of parliment, westminster abby etc. i spent the day making my way around the tourist places. i stopped in a park to find they were filming for... a film. i took a photo of the actors to see if people could recognise them for me, i sort of do but i cant think of a name. i ended up later at buckingham palace and walked around the park near there on to trafalger square and a few other monuments i cant remember the name of. when i had enough i found a underground and tried to find my way home. the good thing about not knowing where you are going is that you can end up in places you didnt know you wanted to be. a few hours later i made it back to bayswater. the good thing about the hotel im at is that the guy who runs it is pretty funny he also seems to want to make sure that im enjoying my stay at his hotel, even if theres not much too my room.
after resting my wery feat and worried that im wasting my time in england by just lying around i got up and went for a walk in the park down the street. some how i ended up out in notting hill. i didnt realise it was so close. the shops in the high street were pretty cool to look at and there was this little back alley market type thing with all sorts of crazy crap in it. i almost bought some one a present but i didnt want to cart it around with me so i left it, thinking i could find it somewhere else. i did a circle and came back to the park. and back to the hotel. alseep by 8.30, whats up with that?!
i went to the tower of london today, on a guided tour, the beefeater who was doing the shouting was pretty good, the tour was a bit short but i guess its better than going around on your own. which i did after it was over, some pretty cool things in there. though some areas were closed for renovation which was a shame. i also went to london bridge andwalked across it. after that i walked around the tower area at the various sights talked about on the tour. then i went on to hyde park and walked it for a while. i walked around a few other areas i have forgotten the names of.
so all i want to do now is soak my feet and read a book, which ill do half of. tomorrow i head to oxford for two nights, then on to bath. after that im not sure what.
also i really want to answer comments that are given but i cant really due to lack of online time, ive always got something to look for or do. but they are appreciated, makes me feel less lonely. so dont stop. and photos, well i havent taken too many actually (SHOCK) i hate tourist things so i didnt take too many. i did get a nice shot of a squirrel today! these photos may or may not appear online as ive no way to upload them yet. i am working on that. so we shall see.
for now
mind the gap! |
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| never let it be said i let the world defeat me |
[Oct. 7th, 2004|02:04 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  refreshed | ] |
japan
the japan airlines plane had a monitor on it that showed you the taxi and taking off and i also had a window seat +the whole row so i had plenty to look at. the seats had monitors in the back of them with about 7 channels of movies. the food, meh im sure that helped make me feel sick or maybe it was the the taking off and landing part. i dont know. when i got to immigration the guy was just about to go on his break so he just stamped my passport and said enjoy. because my bag was on its way to london (OR SO I THOUGHT!) i could just go on to the hotel. the shuttle was pretty good, very easy to find and it took 5 mins to get to the hotel. the hotel staff were so polite and helpful i was impressed :) the room was pretty big too and i managed to score a double, not sure how. i had my shower than realised i needed to lay down. it just came on all of a sudden. after 10 mins i felt better and thought id look at the internet i saw in the lobby. then i realised i wasnt better so i spent the night doing the things you do when you are sick and you dont need to know about.
back at the airport the next morning after i checked in i couldnt locate the departure gate, after about an hour of stumbling around seeing food and wanting to puke i finally found it was just under the area i was searching. passport control was fairly quick and by the time i got to the gate there was only half an hour left to wait. i bought some coke (which isnt as bubbly and taste odd) and waited. this time on the plane i was in a middle seat in the middle of the plane. it was ok but i would have rathered the aisle. 11 and a half hours later we get to frankfurt only to discover ive missed my plane, only just. two angry australians did as well, the husband got quite angry with them. so i went off quickly in the direction they said and tried to find another flight. the next one was in an hour after waiting in line for an hour i found out that i had to rush to get to the gate and i still had to get the skyline (train) to the right gate, i did just make it though and ended up getting a window seat.
london
at immigration i had to go get a health check done due to my 2 year visa. the health check ended up just being someone else asking questions, she seemed relived to see that i was australian and it seemed to go rather quickly. got to the baggage and because id had to wait in line for the health check so long there was no baggage left. i tracked down the right person and found out it was still in frankfurt. but it was going to be put on the next plane. so i got it in the end :)
now im in a cafe thats 50 per half hour trying to figure out what to do next. |
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| sickness, lost baggage, missing flights... fun like that |
[Oct. 6th, 2004|01:14 pm] |
apparently my body doesnt seem to like to travel. ive been quite sick the past few days, i didnt even get into tokyo city because of it and im still queasy.
other than that i lost my luggage only to discover it was still in frankfurt when i was in london
i also missed a connecting flight
all in all im having fun
or something like that
i spent about 2 hours wondering around bayswaters, which is near notting hill and hyde park, looking for my hotel. i finally found it by going into another hotel and getting them to help out. turns out that i was completely in the wrong place!
never fear though, i managed to locate it
ill do a proper update tomorrow when i dont need to sleep and such
:D |
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