The Last Blog...

A photo from every country I've been to.

The amazing gardens of the Chateau Villandry, Loire Valley, France


Mosque of the Caliphs, Cordoba, Spain showing 3 religions together (Muslim, Jewish and Catholic)


The view from my bedroom window in the Swiss Alps


A corn field in Germany



Hungarian Parliament, Budapest


Cambridge, UK

Salamat Datung from Malayisa
(which means you are welcome - I could say the national hello as its hello but that doesn't sound exotic enough for the green, warm place I'm in).

Malaysia is my kind of city, essentially for the budget side of things. The prices are my kind of prices and the city is pretty, especially at night. Our hotel is gorgeous and has views of the Petronas Towers. We were planning on going there to look but got stuck in the shops instead. I babysit the kids this afternoon and the three of us had a sleep then went to the pool, going to the shops after 7pm as they are open til 10pm and right next to the hotel. We are planning on going to another shopping centre tomorrow (which will thrill the kids to no end I'm sure).

Its hard to believe tomorrow we are on our way home. It is strange but it has equally been ages since London but the time has flown. I'm a bit nervous about going back to my prac as I feel that Miss Brooks was from a different world and my head is a totally different place. I think I'll be ok with the timezones, having had a good sleep last night and Malaysia is in the same timezone as Perth (so hopefully no jet lag). It'll be a 2-3am arrival in my own gorgeous bed but a sleep in and a lazy day washing and getting ready for school will fill my last day of holidays.

I've had a nice time my last days in Paris and the afternoon yesterday by the pool (after a sleep) was glorious. We were all unwound and relaxed by dinner. The service here has been amazing (even though having a sales assistant follow you around the shop in your personal space is a little off putting). I'd definitely come back to Malaysia and probably Kuala Lumpur as we haven't sightseen much as we were all wanting to chill (except maybe Haylee and Mum who shopped hard this afternoon and bought like 15 pairs of shoes between them).

Well, I'm off to pack for the final time and make sure the 2 pairs of shoes I bought as included.

Again, thanks for reading.

I'll see you soon.

Kym

Paris in Autumn

It was cool to rocket along through the fields on the TGV - i don't know how fast we were going but it'd have to be over 150 kms per hour. (note to self to find out how fast the TGV goes from Tours to Paris - I know it normally takes two hours but I'm doing it in one).  The countryside on the way to Paris was very green considering they are coming out of summer, the clouds seemed low enough to jump up and grab. The forecast for the next few days in Paris doesn't look so good. Lots of rain, clouds and cold days, especially with our bike ride around the streets tomorrow which runs rain, hail or shine so it looks like we're getting wet. 
In the brief glances of blue skies i saw the white trails of airplanes.  The jetstreams here are amazing. In Perth you see one or two but here they crisscross the sky like a stunt plane trying to write a sentence. 

I've missed the family from about the middle of Spain and more so in France, I guess because the closer I came to seeing them I wanted to. 
We had a great reunion and I got excited hugs from the kids. We hit the town pretty soon after, disappointed by our musty smelling-no wifi-not very clean accommodation. We first walked to the Eiffel tower are went up to the top. A great view as always and awesome to share it with the godfreys. We wandered around for awhile then went back to our place on the 7th arridisimont. The days have all blurred together so I can only list what we've done not the days we've done it on. Monmartte, lourve (twice for me as I went by myself in the morning then with haylee in the afternoon as it was free that Sunday), place de la Concorde where the royalty lost their heads, an awesome bike riding tour which was mainly on sidewalks but had a few hair raising road sections (best way and most unique way to see Paris), Eiffel tower at night when all of Paris was up and museums where open all night as a part of some festival, past the fancy part (where I didn't dare go in even though I could have actually afforded s hit chocolate -$10), into the hotel de crion where all the famous people stay (didn't see anyone) and so much more that I can't fit into my time in a random place with free wifi on the champs élysées.
Tomorrow is our last day in Paris which will be relaxed I'm sure as everyone else has gone to Disneyland today, dad has been pickpocketed on the train (thankfully got his wallet back) and we all are saturated with churches, old buildings and walking.

I hope you and yours are well.
I'll sign off from Paris (I doubt I'll find any more wifi) and hope to update you from Malaysia.

Thanks for reading.
Kym

Four chateau's and a manor house

The first stop on my chateau tour of the Loire valley was Azay-le-Rideau. It was pretty impressive and just plain pretty. It is only three stories but has a moat which first thing in the morning was glorious. The castle reflected in the water while the birds chirped and a light mist wandered through the surrounding forest. The water flowed silently under the stone bridges whose graveled paths had once held many a carriage. The gatehouse buildings (which is a big enough house for me and my whole family) is surrounded by beautiful tall trees and colorful flowers and worth a picture or two themselves.

Villandry - OH MY GOODNESS!! So beautiful. The gardens are amazing and so artfully decorated. I could have taken 50 photos of just vegetables. In Villandry the cabbages are flowers and celery are in a geometric design. You HAVE to google it to see what I mean. I had 40min there and could have spent a day!  The layout changes every year to make the best use of the soil and there are many different types of garden like the herb garden and water garden and sun garden (flowers are yellow and orange) and moon garden (flowers are blue and white). I'd love to just sit on one of the benches and read or listen to music for an hour or two.  

It's amazing to go through towns whom if they took a big step out their front door would get hit by a car. 
Lunch was very passé. But I wasn't on the tour for the food. 

Chenonceau was next and my goodness it didn't disappoint. It straddles river cher and has a very interesting history, mainly involving women. The rooms were presented beautifully and each had a cool flower arrangement which I ended up taking photos of too. The gardens and forest surrounding it were lovely too and I could have wandered there for days with joy. 
Next was the manor house that Leonardo da Vinci lived in for the last 3 years of his life. It has some of his designs and reproductions of his models that show what a creative and clever man he was. If I had to pick someone from the last millennia to have a chat with it would be him. He died there and was buried in a chapel at castle Amboise which is fortified and on a hill overlooking the town and Loire river. The region is beautiful, lush and green. I know that even the best camera in the world wouldn't show how purely pretty it is. I wished for this last time but I'd love to have a machine that could capture a moment - the sounds, smells, colours and feelings. At the last chateau I saw 4 hot air balloons in the distance and I would have loved to be seeing what they are. 
I have truly enjoyed my day in the Loire valley and this will definitely be remembered as a highlight of my trip. 
There were so many mini chateau's on the trip today too. They have the same Renaissance style but are just cuter versions about the size of a large two story house - they were just like mini-me's - awww so cute. I want me one of those. 

What a full and busy day. So after a quick supermarket dinner I'm packing up in preparation for tomorrow and off to bed. 

Thanks for reading. 
Kym

Goodbye Nantes, hello Tours

Goodbye Nantes, hello Tours

Yesterday I wandered into a department store, thinking I could get a pair of tights to keep me warm. I should have known what kind of store it was when I saw guys wearing scarves and women carrying their bags on their elbows... It was a David Jones store on currency steroids. I got out of there fast once I saw the prices in case there was a tax for browsing. 
Mostly Europe is kind of expensive. The prices are similar to Australia but you have to factor in the exchange rate. A hot chocolate is €2-3 which is what I'd pay at home but really costs $3-4.50. Strangely the liquor and cigarettes are cheaper even with the exchange. 

The walk to the train station this morning was not as long as I thought which was great. I actually have a slight bruise on my shoulder from carrying it so far Sunday night. 
I was waiting at the train station and a lady sitting next to me asked if I could watch her bag when she went to get a coffee. She was in plain sight the whole time and came back pretty quickly but it struck me that as much as I hate lugging my boonty backpack around I would have taken it with me. 
The scenery was pretty through the countryside of the Loire valley. 

It is nice to spend time in a place where the church bells still ring the time. 
The old part of Tours is so cute - if it had a cheek I'd pinch it. The houses are like Strasbourg but they have them all around little squares. The sun came out as I stopped for a hot chocolate but I decided to sit inside. It's still really cold plus the French smoke a lot - so you get sun but no fresh air. 
Guess what - I found an English bookstore and couldn't resist buying book two of the hunger games. In the first bookshop I asked in French if they had any english books and the lady said no but then continued on in French. I kept smiling and made note of her hand movements and directions and said the occasional "oui" then merci when she stopped talking. That's the only trouble with knowing how to ask for something in French - I don't know how to understand the reply. A lot of the time I can guess what they're asking (do I want anything else to buy/eat) and mostly I say no thanks. Too bad if they're telling me they want to give me a million dollars. 
My accommodation is right in the centre of the city and near the train station which I arrived on and will depart from. I have another attic room but I don't mind not being able to straighten in one half of the bathroom because the bed is soft. In Spain the hotels were classy with marble bathrooms but really hard beds. I think I could live in France if their beds are like my last hotel. 
I wandered along the banks of le Loire and enjoyed the privellage of travel. It really is easy - all you need is money and time - mainly money. I don't understand people who say they've always wanted to travel to Europe but haven't. If the idea of blowing $6000 for four weeks keeps you away then I guess you didn't want to go enough. Yeah I could have spent the money on something else (like a house deposit) but I love seeing places I've only read about or seen in movies. You realize how lucky you are in your own country while appreciating how varied the world is. The history is truly amazing as we just don't have as much as Europe. The culture is facinating too - the Spanish eat dinner at 10pm even kids, the French smoke and drink and live longer than us, the Swiss  have no language of their own but use the one from the country closest then put their own slant on it. 
Enough ruminating. I am off to read my new book. 

Carolyn, I can't email from my phone for some reason but can receive. I'll get in touch when I meet up with the laptops - I mean family. Haylee did mention a little of life and I want you to know that I am thinking of you.

Thanks for reading. 
Kym

Nantes on a Monday

Bonjour (again)

Nantes on a Monday. 
Pretty - yes
Quaint - yes
Open - no

Nantes is where I saw my first chateau. I arrived in the evening and by the time I got to the centre of the town it was dark (about 8). I wandered around trying to find the bus stop to take me to my accommodation because I didn't want to carry my big, heavy backpack the two kms (more if I got lost). I did get lost and then found a bus stop only to read that I'd just missed the last one. By the time I made it to my hotel I was sore and weary. I got my key and lay on the bed. (I can tell you this now knowing my parents will read this because I am safe - mum you can't freak out because it was last night).  After I'd recovered I discovered my room to be absolutely gorgeous. It is a small attic room decorated beautifully and I have my own toilet and shower (bliss!!!). The bed was soft and the owner speaks great English so I feel better about changing hotels from an average central hotel to this one. Besides the walk into the centre is not nearly so long and painful without a backpack. 
France is really cold - so hard to adjust to since Spain where I wore shorts and a tshirt and sweated with that. I got a freeze headache just walking to the chateau and fortress of the Duke of Brittany. I think I'll need to stop somewhere and have a hot chocolate and croissant to warm me up (yes any excuse will do...). 
Another thing on my list today is the Passage du Pommeraye which is a covered shopping arcade. A lot of the shops were closed being a Monday.  I'd spend my time shopping for warmer clothes if I didn't have to carry my backpack which is getting heavier with each place I go.  Again not many clothes shops are open and I shouldn't get more than I can carry.  Oh well, maybe it's that I'm getting older and the back can't take the punishment it did four years ago. 
Since I'd hit all the major tourist sights by 1pm I thought I'd get some more info and maybe some free wifi from the tourist office. Guess what - it's closed. 
My only alternatives are to window shop or find a cafe and sit down and drink hot chocolat' s all afternoon. I can read pride and prejudice on my iPhone which seems unpatriotic or something as I'm in France. I'd get something to read by a french author but all the bookshops are closed! 
There is a really cool museum in Nantes called Les Machines de Lile in which machinists construct animal machines and many other things then let you control them. There is a giant elephant machine that you can ride and watch the gears work. Museum - closed. 
A cute little shop that has the most gorgeous and unique skirt I've ever seen - closed. It opens 30mins before my train leaves for Tours on Tuesday. I can't chance it even though I think it's €65 (which I would actually pay).  
Something that is open is the casino and I've been in twice and spent money too. If you think it doesn't sound like me you'd be right - it's the name of a supermarket. 

I did end up finding an open bookstore and gave into temptation and bought the book The Hunger Games in the englais section. I haven't put it down since. I keep scolding myself to go slow and enjoy it (and make good value from the weight in my bag it'll be) but I just stop reading - it's that good!!
I have made the time to talk to you though and hope you are all well.

Tomorrow I'll be getting the train to Tours (and maybe even a taxi to the train station) for a day and a half in which I have a chateau tour to see beautiful French castles. Then it's onto Paris. The time is really flying now. 

Thanks for reading. 
Kym

Adios to Epana

I am just about to leave my exquisite hotel in Barcelona for one more trip to the historical quarter then off to the airport.
I´ve had a great time in Spain and met some lovely people on the tour (and some not quite so lovely). The sad thing about that many people is that the day before yesterday I saw 2 people get on the bus and I thought they´d picked the wrong Trafalgar bus to board as I hadnt seen them before. They sat and a moment later someone I knew went up and chatted to them like old friends! I´d been on the bus with them for a week and never saw them before, even a fleeting hello which I did with many people, a chat with a few more, then a long conversation over a meal with others and then spent days with a few more. Most of the group are off to a cruise, flying off to another destination or out for one or two more days in Barcelona.

Barcelona is lovely. The balconies are gorgeous and some facades are awesome (like Gaudi´s Casa Baaltro (???). I didn´t go into any of the buildings he designed as the pretty one was 18 euro and the cheaper one had a queue for an hour. I went into the La Sagrada Familia and wow, it was not just another church!!!!! It is so completely different from any other church in the world. It was really interesting and kind of weird because its still under construction and so is a building site. Its going to look amazing in 2030 when supposedly it will be finished - over a hundred and 30 years after it was started. Gaudi is buried in the crypt below as people continue his work above. I spent two hours inside reading about the construction and Gaudi´s vision of what each facade should mean and his copying nature for the pillars, etc. Facinating.

I spent a little time at the port and enjoyed the sunshine (I just googled the weather in France and its cold and raining - boo hoo!). We went out for a farewell dinner which had a buffet or seafood then more seafood and more seafood and some lettuce leaves (grr for me and the other vegetarian on the tour). A group of us went out for a drink afterwards and chatted (well, told juicy stories about the weird people on the tour) then took the metro (train - underground) home at 1.30am! There were 5 of us which made it ok but there was som many people around then as its a festival in Barcelona, plus they eat dinner at 10pm anyway. I didn´t think I´d do that in a town that is getting worst for pickpockets every day.

Well, I must depart and enjoy my last day of sun and warmth and Spain.
I hope you are all well and thanks again for the comments - its great to hear from you - it somehow makes you a part of this trip too.

Thanks for reading.
Kym

Oh no

My tour of Spain is nearly over - oh man!!!!! (it also means my holidays is more than half over). I´m enjoying myself heaps and seeing some amazing sights.

I wrote a big long blog over the last few days and accidently deleted it - grrr!
So I´ll endevour to fill you in on as much as I can considering I´m tired and its late and this keyboard keeps putting weird punctuation in that I have to keep deleting.

I had a great time at the Alhambra - it was so beautiful and interesting. The muslim architecture was unique and pretty and with a little imagination you could see all the rugs and silk pillows and harem women peeking through the wooden shutters from the floor above. The king had 4 wives and according to the guide a few hundred concubines. The first wife was the first one to bear a male heir - not a fun place to live >I think with all those women.

The gypsy dancing was cool and they are very clever with their footwork. One of them pulled me up to dance with her at the end so i did. It was fun and I guess I can cross of dancing with a gypsy in a cave off my to-do list.
An early start the next morning and to Valencia. We had an hour to wander the beautiful old streets and see the cool architecture of one particular designer who filled an old river bed with a huge long park and the most amazing-spaceage looking buildings. It was a cool idea instead of filling in the old river site (they diverted it because it flood so much) and they left all the old bridges and put parks and buildings and pools of water in there. I tried honchetta which is made from a nut (tiger nuts - which I hadn´´t heard about - and yes I know how that sounds) and milk and sugar. It was nice - I had a pastry to dip into it. It was very sweet and not too bad. From there we went to our hotel and had some paella (traditional dish of valencia - rice dish or risotto). Then I went to bed as we had an another early morning to get to Barcelona.

On the way (past the beautiful Mediteranean sea) we stopped at Peniscola which was like Greece and Bondi put together - beautiful whitewashed houses perched on a cliff and sandy beaches (yellowy-brown sand though). It was delightful to wander around for an hour but as with many other places - I wanted more time to explore and relax and enjoy the gorgeous view. I would definitely come back there if I came back to Spain.

We arrived in Barcelona during a public holiday which celebrates the patron saint of the city (Spain cities all have their own particular saint) and most places were closed but there was a carnival atmosphere in the centre with a parade and music everywhere and concerts later on tonight. I saw the La Sagrada Familia which was awesome - so much better in real life. I´´m definitely coming back tomorrow to stand in the endless queue to go in. I saw some other Gaudi architecture but seeing as it was as we were flying past in the bus again - I´´ll wait to see it tomorrow.

Well I´´m exhausted and have a big day of sightseeing tomorrow (all free time which will be nice). The tour has effectively ended - there is a farewell dinner tomorrow night and the accommodation is sorted but as I´´m not doing any more optional tours, thats it.

Since I have free internet here (yippee - at last) I´´ll blog tomorrow. Hopefully it will all be good news. Barcelona has lately become a pickpocket mecca. We´´ve been warned to be really careful at several other cities but they said this one will be the worst (and especially with all the people around with the festival). With some horror stories ringing in my ears, I´´ll be sure to hold on tight and make use of the hotel safe.

Again, thanks for reading.
Kym

Baa Baa tourist sheep

Buenos Dias (good morning in Spanish).

So much for me saying I won't be able to blog often. This is the 3rd one in 2 days. I guess I have more to say than I thought (and more wifi minutes). 
My last night in Sevilla was a lazy one. Most of the group went on an optional dinner and so my roommate and I have been reading in bed ( different beds but the two king singles are pushed together - it sure makes you close to a complete stranger). I had some juice and and packet of doritos for tea (healthy I know) but since my "included" lunch late in the afternoon it was good enough. I tried to find a restaurant on my own but with all the menus in Spanish I figured my luck would get me fish stew with meatballs fried in pork fat. 
I had a good meal last night so I can't complain. As a group we went to a hacienda and had a meal. I got cold tomato soup and then a salad. The girl next to me had arranged to have the vegetarian meal for the night as their wasn't any fish or chicken on offer. You should have seen her face when it looked like a few lettuce leaves and a piece of asparagus was her main course. She even went hunting under the lettuce for a secret trapdoor I think to a secret compartment with real food. Thankfully they bought out some rice with veggies before dessert. It was really cool evening with a man dressed like zorro (without the cape and sword oh and in blue oh and no mask - ok so maybe not like zorro) on a beautiful white andulusian horse. He did some equestrian stuff before a flamenco dancer joined him and did a few moves around him. It was very touristy and cliche but I loved it. 
I ended up sitting with two other Australians and it was nice to talk of common things and share the same sense of humour. I'm very slowly having a conversation with the people on my tour but still have trouble with all their names (I know about 6 definitely and another 6 are interchangeable - like some friends I know one of them is Brenda and the other Mary but often wait for clues when they talk about each other before I call them by name)
The ages vary from 25 to 60ish but lean towards the older set. There is such a mix of personalities and backgrounds in the group but most are friendly. 
Next we head to Granada and to the Alhambra somewhere I've wanted to visit for awhile. I'm looking forward to it and hope we have plenty of time to wander as most visits I am left wanting more time and photo opportunities. That night I'm going on my only optional (and therefore not included in the price) visit to watch a gypsy dance in a cave. It sounds amazing doesn't it??? Actually the tour guide says it's very unique and you can't do it on your own so I figured I'll give it a go. If Antonio banderas and mrs obama came to see them maybe I should too. 

I'm getting used to being a little sheep and following "the fan" or "the umbrella" and listening to the guide on my little blue earpiece. Although I hide the pack and the bright red trafalgar lanyard in my bag and don't wear my trafalgar name badge. Although I can't help get annoyed when the same few people are late to the bus or meeting point everytime, especially if we are going for a meal don't come between me and my free food!

Well I need to be on the bus in ten minutes to be shepherded through the Alhambra and can't be late after I just whinged to you about latecomers.
I hope you are well.
Thanks for reading.
Kym

Sevilla

How pretty Seville is (pronounced sav-ill-ya) with it's orange tree lined streets and Arabic influenced buildings and gorgeous warm weather. This morning we took another tour bus view of the city (you know the type - on your left....) but thankfully hopped off the bus and did a walking guided tour through the city park, the Jewish quarter and the cathedral where Christopher Colombus is buried. Yes another church I can hear you saying and yes in a moment I'll tell you about ANOTHER church that we visited on the way to Sevilla.
But first to the town of Sevilla. We are staying in a beautiful hotel. They have lovely rooms and common areas and awesome breakfasts. They also have thick, strong serviettes and I'll tell you why this is important. Being on a students budget it's not enough to just have a big breakfast - you have to make it last a big chance of the day. Here where the serviettes come in... The occasional donut, pastry, roll or piece of fruit has been seen to accidentally fall into my bag. Luckily they have good serviettes that catch them. So in the tour brochure it says only breakfast is provided but for me it is a buffet breakfast and a light lunch. Dodgy yes but I have been known to want to save my money.
Now to Cordoba and the Mosque of the Caliphs. If you have some downloads available - google or wiki it. It is facinating. Originally a mosque then the inside was converted to a catholic cathedral and Jewish services where held there too. It is beautiful which it's coloured double arches and cool architecture. I have one photo (which I'll upload once I have access to dads computer) which shows the Jewish flame thingy (and yes that is the official term... do you believe me?) the catholic alter and the original mosque in the background. It was quite poignant. If only people could exist as harmoniously as them. Seriously worth a look.
Well I must go and see the rest of sevilla. I'm probably running out of free wifi at the Starbucks and I'm certainly running out of lemon slushie too (I did warn you about the mini miser).
Take care and thanks again for the comments. I love the little bit of contact it is.
Thanks for reading.
Kym

Spanish Wonder tour

"Hola" from Spain. My last day in Switzerland was again rainy and cloudy so we all missed out on going up Mt Pilatus and we were disappointed with this.  We spent the day wandering the streets again. Haylee bought a few things but generally Switzerland is quite expensive (even more so if the Aussie dollar wasn't as good as it is at the moment) with a hot chocolate from Starbucks being €7 which is about $8.50. It's a bit of a shock compared to Hungary. I was sad to leave mum and dad and then the Godfreys at the airport (thanks for that by the way) especially when Teliah gave me a gorgeous little note. I flew to Madrid via Palma de Majorca which had people wandering the airport in shorts and tshirts with me rugged up from being in Switzerland. I got to my hotel and had a welcome drink with my tour. I am sharing my room with a lovely lady from the US but currently living in the UK and she loves sleep as much as I do - yippee (and who speaks Spanish which is incredibly handy). Travelling always makes me so aware of how accommodating other countries are, knowing English and their native one. Yet we don't do the same for them. 
The next day we did a bus sightseeing tour of the old part of madrid and it was very much like a tennis match... On the right you have the prado museum and on the left you have the Neptune fountain and here is a 2 second glimpse of the royal palace before we go through a tunnel and if you can take a photo through all the cameras pressed against the windows on the left we have the queen Isabella statue and we just passed a beautiful building so take a blurred picture of it with the traffic lights in the way as we speed pass and on the right... (you get the point - but all in a lovely Spanish accented voice). The afternoon was much more delightful. We went to Toledo a medieval city that used to be the capital of Spain. It was beautiful. The walking tour was great (apart from truly feeling like a sheep following the guide with 52 other people and listening to her on an earpiece). I love getting the local knowledge on a place and hearing all about the history. Toledo is famed for its marzipan (which I sampled) and for it's steelworks (which I didn't). I know my dad would have been in heaven with all the knife shops in hundreds of different styles. 
Toledo was built on a rock and has a natural river as a moat.  It was the capital of Spain until a king moved it to madrid in the 1700s. Up until 1492 Christians, Muslims and Jewish people lived in harmony and they all collaborated in designing the buildings and built many churches (heaps and heaps of them where perhaps the phrase holy Toledo comes from). 
 We were only given 45min to look around on our own which wasn't enough but I knew that was a drawback of going on a tour. 
Overall Madrid is quite dirty, smelly and graffitied which is sad as it has some lovely buildings and a rich history which is spoiled by the litter on and around the monuments. 
The tour is ok. The people are nice and it is mainly Aussies and Americans. The group is way too big though. We spend ten minutes everywhere just doing head counts or taking the roll. I don't envy our tour leader at all. Give me as many kids in a fixed location and I'd rather that!
How wonderful the weather is here!!!  I am finally wearing shorts and sleeveless tops!!!  It's about 30 degrees which is perfect for me. Also the sun doesn't go down until after 8 and doesn't get light again until 8 am which is weird when you are eating breakfast at 7.15am and its dark outside. Also the tour de spain finished here (or just a leg of it I'm not sure) and I saw the palateon come round the corner on my way to the city park. It's huge!!!!!  And very pretty with a lake in the middle and fountains and winding paths everywhere. There are so many people spending their leisure and family time here that it's a reminder that you are in a big city and people who live here don't have backyards. In some places it is crowded and touristy and in others almost deserted - it really is huge - think central park in new York. In the evening I explored the musee del prado and saw spain's most famous historical artist - El Greco. We'd seen one of his paintings earlier in Toledo that was lovely (hundreds of years old). Having filled up on religious artwork I wet out for dinner with two ladies from the tour group then crashed that night. 6am wake up call - grrr to take us to cordoba. 
And I have a photo to prove that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains (and thankfully only when we were on the bus). 
Unfortunately wifi is hard to come by and nearly impossible to be free in Europe (which is the opposite to what I was told). So as I'm doing this on my phone you might get a huge blog then none for days. Sorry. 
Interesting facts about Spain:
It is law that every thing must close on a Sunday (about 5% are allowed to stay open. 
They are the worlds largest supplier of olive oil (maybe you did know that or you certainly would if you saw the oceans of olive trees going as far as the eye can see in every direction).
The universities here are free!  Subsidized by the spanish government they only pay an application fee of €100 per year. 
Their government is like England. They have a king but he has no real power. 
Eeek! I can't think of any more. I learnt so many cool things today and I've forgotten them all. (I really need to remember to write this stuff down). 

Thanks for all the comments. It's really nice to hear from you. I hope you are happy and healthy. Talk later. 
Kym

Yoddle-a-he-hoo

Luzern, Swisse
We arrived in Luzern late after spending a little time in Interlaken and taking the back ways everywhere. It was so incredibly beautiful in the mountains and countryside and we all wanted to stay there a few more days. Luzern, while pretty with it's old buildings with painted frescos just doesn't compare. Since we are staying in the same hotel for three nights we came back early (about 6) and had a little tea and put the kids to bed. A first for a long time as we are eating dinner the European way and dinner starts at eight and bed about eleven. The kids are doing better than expected and as a result they are often pushed hard into more sightseeing. It was a funny moment the other day when we drove into Switzerland and us adults were all staring open mouthed at the snow capped mountains and stunning panorama, the kids got excited when we took a photo stop because there was a playground there. They didn't care about the views that are so different than anything they've seen before, they take joy from the simpler things. It was cool to go to sleep the other night to the sound of cow bells quietly clanging as the cows wandered the steep slopes. Switzerland is strange in the way that it has no fixed language of its own - the north and middle speaks German, the west speaks French and the south speaks Italian. Often they are different dialects or versions so a German from Berlin wouldn't fully understand a Swiss-German. The signs yesterday went from ausfarht (exit) to sortie (French for exit) and back to ausfarht (German for exit which makes the kids laugh their heads off everytime they see it). We are all a little confused as to which language we should be speaking and often I'll say hello in French, thanks in Italian and goodbye in German - and to the same person!!!!  The German language is the funniest to read as their are plenty of "-farht"s and other words that mean something quite different in English. Haylee is a little bit scared of the fact that Teliah can read the signs but mostly she hasn't heard of the words we don't want her to know or read out to Tanner.
Tomorrow we are planning to go on a boat ride across Lake Luzern then up the steepest cog train in the world to Mt Pilatus then cable car it back down after (hopefully) some photo taking (today was overcast and cold and visibility was zilch) and a toboggan ride too. Of course if it's as cloudy and almost rainy like it was today we might have to rethink our plans. 
Sadly tomorrow will be our last day together until Paris in 12 days time. I'm for Spain while mum and dad go to southern Switzerland and Lake Como and Italy and the Godfreys are going to a German castle that inspired the Disney one then through Austria. I will be sad to be without them. Hopefully Spain will be much warmer as I have been wearing long trousers and long sleeved shirts since I arrived in Europe. 

Again, thanks for reading and I hope all is well for you. 
Kym

Swiss perfection

Today I am blogging from the cafe of a chocolate factory in Broc, in the Swiss alps. I can't describe how picturesque and beautiful it is here. It was a magnificent day yesterday when we arrived. We came over a hill not far from the border and were greeted with the snow capped alps in the distance, impossibly green hills and fields, crystal blue lakes and gorgeous Swiss houses. I felt like I'd stepped into a postcard. We continued on to montreaux and to the chateau de chillon (pronounced she- o). It is right on lake Geneva, On the opposite side of the lake to Geneva the city and close to evian (yes where the water comes from). It was amazing to see and know the history and how it was conquered by three different families. It dates to medieval times and was cool to walk the ramparts or sentinels walk and imagine life so many years ago. It was deceptively big and took us 2 and a half hours to go through.
The kids have been great. Whether we are traveling in the car for hours or walking through a museum they are great ( Tanner always gets over it first as asks if it's time to go or starts getting silly - like in the old room in the chateau de chillon which showed the old latrines/toilets which was a wood board with a hole and a long drop down the outside of the wall. These ones were enclosed but it said it was still a way for enemy to get into the castle even though it would have been smelly and gross. After tanner heard that we couldn't stop him laughing for at least 20 minutes). From there we went to our accommodation in the countryside. It was so pretty. We didn't eat tea until 9.30pm which again the kids handled well. We woke to the most wonderful view. Now we are at Chocolat factory. Everyone else has gone in and I Am enjoying the rich hot chocolates and talking to you. Next we are off to interlarken where I'm thinking about paragliding - weather, time and money permitting. Tonight well be in lucern (luzern as the Swiss say and write it). Three nights there will be nice.
Oh I forgot to say that I got to see Germany. From Strasbourg we crossed the border for me to say I've been there and for the boys to go at unlimited speeds on the autobahn in their matching Audi's. It was lovely. We went off the main roads for awhile and saw gorgeous small towns and farmers harvesting corn and a tiny swapmeet or flea market which my dad loved. We are all getting along really well except for some navigating times or when Kamahl who leads speeds off and mum dad and I aren't sure where to go (dads gps is playing up a bit).
Let me just say again how beautiful Switzerland is. I've never had such a beautiful view while drinking a chocolat' cho' ( French for hot chocolate as we are in the French Swiss part of the country). Well I might go and order another hot choc. I hope you are well. It's great to read your comments.

Carolyn. I hope you are feeling better (or your kids are). How I wish I could zap you here for the days you're off school.

Thanks for reading. Au revior.
Kym

Strasbourg, France

Bonjour! Having a lovely time in Strasbourg with it's canals, lovely old buildings and French pastries!!! I'm actually blogging from my iPhone so that is why this one will be a short one (super small keyboard and all). Pretty much flew all day yesterday fro
Budapest to Prague then to Strasbourg. I was sad to leave Hungary as I had a great time. The Godfreys picked me up from the airport and we made our way to our accommodation in the pouring rain ( I must have brought it with me from Hungary as haylee said Germany was lovely and sunny). After we finally found it we went out for tea and even got Kamahl saying some French. The next day we wandered the old historical part which is an island surrounded by canals. It's very quaint and pretty and I took heaps of photos. Mum and dad came in time for tea and we had French baguettes, Amsterdam cheese and Belgium chocolates. It was delicious!!!!! And so wonderful because it was fresh and each was personally bought in each country. Great dinner in a cute French park. Awesome cheese too - I can easily say it's the best cheese I've ever had. We are all off to Switzerland in the morning. It's going to be wonderful to spend some time together and share some great memories. Today we were madly trying to catch each other up on all our adventures.

As it's after ten I'll sign off now and wish you a great day. I'll try and put some photos up next time. Bye
Kym

Not so hungry in Hungary

Hello,

One thing that has surprised me about this location was that I havent gone hungry. Being very big on meat eating I was thinking that Id be forced to resort to Mcdonalds, but no way. I even found a vegetarian restuarant - it was indian but it still counts. Ive tried 2 local dishes, practically the only vegetarian ones but hey, at least I tried. Ive eaten like a King - I found an italian restaurant that gives me a big meal for AUD15. Very reasonable for a sit down meal in a busy tourist area. Ive eaten there twice and probably will go back again tonight.

Otherwise it has been fun lookiong around. It has been raining ALOT and Ive gotten soaked ALOT. But still Ive had a 3hour soak in Gellert thermal pools - going from bath to bath to sauna to outdoor bath (which was cool with the rain coming down and the steam rising and seeing people ride past) then from bath to bath to steam room to bath to a massage. It was great, considering I couldnt have gotten any wetter by sightseeing. I went on a tour of the Parliament house this morning which was great - its so ornate!!! Then went into St Stephens Basilica (I can hear my dad saying - not another church!) which was pretty and ornate too. I missed out on seeing St Stephens dried up right hand as there was a wedding in the chapel at the time... oh well.
I wandered a little this afternoon and am now headed across to Buda (I think I wrote that I was staying in Buda - my mistake its actually pest - pronounced pesht) and will take photos of the parliament at night. Ive been using the metro and trams like a local - thanks to a lady who gave me a free pass.

Off to Strasbourg tomorrow via Prague. This time Im taking a change of clothes with me on the plane. So next time youll hear from me Ill probably be in Switzerland which is a day after strasbourg.

Carolyn, sorry about lunch - making the next 2 looks pretty difficult too.
Jess, thanks for the card before I left - I had packed away everything so couldnt sms or email. Thanks.

Thanks for reading.
Kym

Budapest

Im telling you now to forgive any spelling mistakes as this Hungarian keyboard is weird and doesnt have leeters in the place it is at home and i dont know how to get punctuation marks...

Its my first day in Budapest. I arrived last night to discover my bag was still in Milan where I had transited. Apparantely it will be delivered tonight - fingers crossed- so I spent my first morning in this lovely place shopping for a change of clothes. Changed and showered I feel much more adventurous. Ive decided to go on a walking tour this afternoon and so to kill time and rest my legs for the afternoon I thought Id blog.

Budapest is the same and yet so different to other European countries. It is pretty and the buildings look different and the language is completely foreign - so is the keyboards - but there are products and shops that are in the UK and Aust. It always takes me at least a day to get used to a new currency and the feel of the place. This time it started worse off for losing my bags and relying on testers in supermarkets to smell nice. The money takes a little getting used to. Its the florit and the exchange rate is 100ft - HUF - to 50 cents AUS. Choc bars are 99ft and to buy a small car is 3million ft. So once I changed I felt quite rich with 100,000 ft but it doesnt go as far as I think it should. Its the most money Ive ever had so I shouldnt complain.
The hot chocolates here are glorious - like yogo in a cup - so thick. I can see myself having one of those daily!!!!

Oh well, Im running out of credit on the internet so Ill go.
I hope everyone is well. Ill probably blog before I leave for Strasbourg, France and tell you all Ive done in Buda and Pest - separated by the Danube. Im staying in Buda district quite close to the Chain Bridge. It is cool and overcast today but Im hoping itll fine up tomorrow - and if I get my bag Im going to have a bath in one of their famous hot springs.

Bye.

London baby!!

Greetings from Covent Garden in London.

I'm having a great time and have been flat out sightseeing (hence the first blog being my last day in England). Cambridge was beautiful, very pretty and the old Colleges were awesome. My whole family and I walked many miles that day (and practically every one since) seeing Kings College and then went through St John's College (where William Wilberforce went - which I just studied with my year 4 class [if your reading this year 4's - HI] and with some info in the National Maritime museum in London gave me further insight and info on the slave trade which was facinating). The flight over wasn't as bad as I'd thought since I took a sleeping tablet and so got about 6 hours in total. Most of the family didn't sleep as well and were wasted by the time we got to Cambridge. I'll list a few sites I've seen in case you want to google them:

Bridge of Sighs in St John's College

Battle of Britain airshow in Duxford

Typical sights in London (London Bridge, Big Ben Tower, Parliament, Churchill's War rooms - which was very interesting, Greenwich Observatory and meridan line, Old Operating Theatre and museum, Thames walk, and so many other interesting sites)

Tomorrow I'm off to Budapest, Hungary. I'll be travelling most of the day and will arrive at night. I imagine I'll find my accommodation and and eat then sleep. I'll probably blog some more while I'm there as a means of contact (as being with family means they are my social circle) I brought along a diary and haven't written in that either which I'm sure I'll do more once travelling alone.

I must go as I need to meet up with my family so they can go to a show (Godfrey's to Lion King and mum and dad to Chicago on the west end). I'm taking Tanner home and babysitting him as he's too little to stay up that late and enjoy the show. It's going to be tricky getting back to the accommodation since the London Tube is on strike and only has very, very limited train services. Oh well, on holiday you've got to go with the flow.

I hope you are all well and happy and healthy.

Talk to you again from Budapest.

Kym

A Zoo Day

Today I had a professional development day. But that isn't what I'm going to write about.

It was at the Perth Zoo and at lunchtime I got to wander past several enclosures. I spent most of my limited time in the African Savannah section. Since it was very cold and sporadically raining I felt sorry for these desert animals.
I stopped by the baboons and watched them groom themselves. It was scary how one of them did exactly what I have done on occasion, pick through each hair and look for split ends. I am only one level more evolved because I don't actually eat what I find.
A staring contest with a cheetah was my next stop. It had a killer stare (no pun intended) and licked its lips a couple of times to psych me out. Strangely it stopped doing that when I poked my own tongue out at it. It won the contest, but only because it had all day to stare and I had a lunch break.
Looking at the giraffe and two zebras stand idly or boredly wander the fence line, I wondered what we would call having humans in pens and animals staring at us? Not a zoo, surely.
Perhaps prison.
Or Hell.

I was glad to return to my seminar and its complexities. Better to have to fight for food than have it thrown carelessly at you...

One for the History Books

I'm blogging twice in one year... amazing!

Yes, I'll admit it is a little pitiful but in my defense it has been a crazy year. (That's everyone's excuse isn't it? And I call myself a writer)
Kindy teacher assisting has taken up all hours of Monday through to Friday, with my latest novel taking up the rest. I am just over halfway through my YA 'Dream Lord' though, so all in all I am pleased. Thanks to my current 2 week break I hope to get further along. I have set my own personal deadline to finish it by my birthday in August. Which doesn't leave me much time to blog so twice this year might be as much as I can manage.

In all other areas of my life things are going smoothly and fluidly. The niece and nephew are growing fast and are still totally adorable. I have travel plans - Europe in 2010. It was this year but world economy and ages of the kids put off our family holiday idea to next year. So, fingers crossed, this time next year I will be practising my typing to present you all with another travel blog. I won't be on my own for quite as much of the time, so having my family with me really won't make me as happy to come home this time.

Other than that - write, write, write, as often as I can. Maybe next time I blog I can tell you all about publishing, publishing, publishing. (Well, a girl can dream...)

Thanks for reading.

Like sands through the hour glass, so do my holidays go...

Nine days and counting down until I start full-time work. Eek! I am looking forward to starting work and am excited about the little kiddies (and lets face it, the pay packet too) but I wouldn't mind looking forward to it for another three weeks. I am writing most days which is wonderful and making headway into 2 stories but I keep having great NEW ideas and want to write some shorter pieces too. Plus my mum is on holidays only for another week and my sister got back from Albany and I missed her and the kids and so want to spend a heap of time with them too. Where is that millionare husband who just wants me to stay at home...??? (If you are him - please leave a comment that contains your email address)

I went into Bunnings today to get some household/renters items to stop the lawn from dying. Nothing like a trip to Bunnings to make me forget that I hate gardening and try to avoid it. $150 later and I have more plants and pots than I can look after (but suspiciously less than I thought I should get for that amount of money) Oh well. I had hoped to start a veggie garden but perhaps I should just cultivate weeds instead. So much less work. Especially with my narrowing time frame. And considering that I should get back to Chapter 2 of my latest novel.

Cheerio.

Just an average day...

This evening I left the house and found a dead body across the street.

I was going for a walk in the finally-cooled-off air and had only gone about 10 metres when I saw a body lying on the ground of a house, two doors down and over the road. Of course my first reaction was 'Holy Shit!' I stopped and took a cautious step onto the road. My feet were steady even if my heart wasn't. It was pounding hard and fast. It was a man and he was lying on some pavers just next to the gravel driveway. He wasn't moving. No chest rising. No eyelids flickering.

I stopped on the verge and called out 'Excuse me.' Yeah, I know, pretty silly. Excuse me like I was being impolite for disturbing his death and it wasn't him who'd ruined my perfectly peaceful new year. No movement. The thoughts racing around my head were so fast that I don't think I finishing thinking one before I was halfway through the next one. What had happened? Was there danger around? Someone in the house doing in the rest of the family? Should I call the police? No. First I had to check that he was dead (that was a pickle in itself - I would have to touch him to determine that if he didn't lift his head and tell me to get off his property).

I was about a metre away from him now and called out again, 'Excuse me.' It took two infinitely long seconds for him to open his eyes. My breath rushed out. 'You freaked me out,' I said, and then 'Are you alright?' He nodded and said yes then lowered his head back down. I didn't need an invitation - I walked away quickly.

Now you might think that I totally jumped to conclusions but you didn't see him there, lying so still and next to the letterbox (cause really, who relaxes there?). Plus, the book I'd just finished reading contained demons, bodies and blood. No more Nora Roberts 'Blood Brothers Trilogy' even in the daytime.

I continued on with my walk and posted a letter (all very normal) and made sure I came back the way I'd gone. He wasn't there. Buried out the back maybe?

So that was the highlight of my day. How was yours?

My roommate, James, gave me a Butterfinger from America which was really yum so I guess that was the other highlight in my very normal day.

What to say after such a long absence...

After washing my roommates dishes (yes I have a procrastination problem) I decided that it didn't need to be earth shattering. And by saying that I can see that I have lost a dozen or so readers, but it is the truth. Life has been progressing, time has walked by, I have gotten older (30 in August). All is fairly well with my world. Recent changes have been moving house, completing my second novel and starting a TAFE course. I have enjoyed each one of these things plus my many other pursuits that have wiled away my hours.

I am currently editing my 2nd novel and hope to send it out to publishers in November. It has been arduous but hopefully it will be fruitful. I have heard so many horror stories about authors who have a foot-tall pile of rejection letters. I want to be one of those annoying people who get a contract on their first attempt. A lady from my Writer's group has recently been offered a contract (the first in our group). Even after receiving many thanks but no thanks letters about my children's novel, I don't think I will truly be prepared for a hundred such letters about my novel. We'll see, so watch this space.

Otherwise, family is well and I'm planning another holiday (to Europe - 2009 if world jumps out of crisis point, or instead 2010).

Thanks for reading.

Kym

Egypt Tour Photos

Photos from China Tour

Me on offering stone in Egypt


There's no place like home
There's no place like home...

Perth, Australia

Thursday 26th October 2006, 10.40pm

Dorothy is back on the farm. I arrived home yesterday morning to a magnificent homecoming. Mum, Dad, Haylee, Kamahl, Teliah and Tanner were all there with flowers, balloons, bells and whistles to greet me. It was truly sweet that first glance and first hug. I was really excited to see them. I slept a little on the plane but the closer we got the more I couldn't contain it. They made me a spectacular breakfast and we kissed and hugged and spent all day together. It was wonderful. I went to bed early and awoke today feeling great. No jet lag. I did the mundane things like washing, cleaning up my holiday mess and going through mail. I spent over 4 hours downloading my photos onto my computer and organising them. I never had a moment of 'why did I take THAT photo' but I will definitely take less photos length ways (it is a killer to rotate every 2nd photo). Now I am ready for the epic slideshow that you will ALL be subject to. Just joshing - I'll cull the 1630 photos by a hundred or two.

My last day in Hong Kong was nice and I spent the day by myself (as I started) at a large outdoor buddha and a monastary. The last 'sight' I went to see (not quite so ironically) was covered in scaffolding. I went to the airport about 8pm and checked in through customs only to get a call from Justin (cute guy I mentioned previously) saying he had come to see me off. I was unable to get back through the depature gate so we waved across a mezzanine and got confused with each others attempts at communication. Then it was off to board my last flight.

I think it will take me a little while to realise that I am not moving on in a few days. As much as I loved travelling (I must admit to watching Getaway tonight) it is nice to be home. It is the little things I like. For example: calling family just to say hello and then talking for 30 minutes about hairstyles and equally silly stuff, having my bed and own room back (although I didn't recognise it when I woke up this morning), not freaking out when my butt touches the shower wall, wearing different clothes (I may be a diva over the next week, changing my outfit 3 times a day, just cause I can!) and just the comfort of home and loved ones so close.

As this is my last blog I want to say thank you very much for reading and being on my journey with me. Your comments comforted me and made me laugh. I really appreciate my 'regulars' (or cheer squad) with their consistent pep talks. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to make contact with me. You are wonderful.

Thank you again.

Signing off (sadly),

Love Kym

Break out the Patritti and kill the fatted Yogo - I'm coming home!!!!

Hong Kong, China

Tuesday 24th October 2006

My Last Day... I can't believe 69 days could have gone so fast.

Since blogging last, most of what I have done is travel. From Yangshou our group walked to the bus, from the bust to the train, overnight sleeper to Guangzhou, walk to bus, bus to Ferry Station (where we farewelled our China tour guide), Ferry to HK, bus to hotel. We all felt like we were dumped a bit as far as the tour is concerned. A guy was waiting for us at the Ferry Terminal in HK and took us to the hotel, telling us only not to drink the water and then we were completely left to our own devices. We took ourselves off to Victoria Peak and gazed over the Hong Kong skyline before wandering the streets. We were already having withdrawal symptoms from having a guide because we wandered like a flock of birds continuely changing directions, moving but really not getting anywhere.

Hong Kong is busy, loud and close. Coming from Yangshou which is more laid back it was a bit of a shock to the system to be amongst a big city again. If ever you were looking for a sign from above to travel - come to HK, there is a billion and one of them. Look down any street and the billboards would be the equivalent of reading a novel. It has a good atmosphere and it is nice that most people speak good English (yay - no more charades). I was worried about my current spending habits and was crying out for someone to stop me - I am outta control. HK stopped me in a heartbeat. It isn't cheap here, you can't even barter in markets anymore - it is all a set price thanks to other tourists who could be bothered with the 'how can I feed my kids at that price' routine. Good for the people here, but not good for me. It is probably just as well. I really couldn't carry three bags around with me.

I spent yesterday walking around with one Aussie guy from our tour while the rest of us scattered to different locations and destinations. He showed me some markets and we had an awesome Vegetarian Indian buffet for lunch at which I ate the same weight as Teliah and Tanner combined, in dahl and rice! It was fantastic but I had to lie down at my new hotel room because I overdid it. I found my new room after quite a bit of looking. The building is really old and dingy. The general vibe of the building I get was that I should rest a chair under the door knob (no chair was supplied) and sleep with a gun under my pillow (which I didn't have either). I can write this now because mum I slept there last night and am still alive so you don't have to stress. If you used a wide angle camera lens to take a photo of the room it would look the size of a hamsters cage. But it was clean, had a western toliet and an air conditioner so that is the essentials covered. The bed was soft whihc made it more luxurious than other hotels I've stayed in these past 2 weeks. The people on reception are friendly and helpful.
Last night I met up with 5 other people on the tour and spent my last night of my holiday watching the lights of the Hong Kong skyline flash and show off to the crowds on the foreshore. We went to a bar for a farewell drink and I was sad to say goodbye to them. There was one particular girl that I would have loved to see regularly if she didn't live in England and me in Australia, we got along really well. Such is travel life! As I headed back to my room, I began my list of lasts. Last sleep away from home, last time I pack my bag up (won't be missing that!), last shower in a foreign land, last breakfast on the run to see the sights... etc It doesn't seem like that long ago I began my list of firsts!

So now I sit in a coffee house, sipping a Peaches and Cream frappicino and talking to you for the last time from overseas. I am going to see the largest outdoor Buddha today at Po Lin Monastery and wander the gardens and surrounding hills. Then it is back to my hotel to collect my luggage and headed for the last time to the airport. When I arrived at Hong Kong on the ferry, there were people waiting for loved ones at the arrival hall. I got really excited because the next time I was in an arrival hall - there would be fabulous, wonderful people waiting for me!!! I am really hanging out for some family lovin', I don't think I will let go of them for awhile.

Now I will sign off for the last time in Hong Kong and say thanks for reading. I have had a wonderful time and hope you have too.

See you all in 21 hours, 10 minutes and 5 seconds.

Love Kym

Time flies when you are having fun....

Yangshou, China

Saturday 21st October

Time is a curious thing. I feel like I have been travelling for years yet it was just yesterday when I was hugging mum, dad and haylee at the airport, feeling scared at what I was embarking on. Now I feel like time is picking up in speed and the days are flying past.

Yangshou is beautiful. The scenery is like Thailand with its limestone peaks covered with green foliage, but instead of aqualine water filling in the spaces it is rice paddies. They look like old people hunched over waiting for the next season, but waiting too long and shrubs started to grow on them. There are some cool shapes.
Yesterday as a group we rode bikes throughout the peaks on the city streets (which was challenging seeing as it was traffic in China - not known for their good driving skills) and over back roads inbetween rice paddies and past little villages. It was amazing. So nice to be outside and a part of the scenery rather than seeing it fly by from the window of a bus. The bike hire was included in the tour but we got to a river and had to go bamboo rafting to get to our next destination - cost 80 yuan. Sneaky! I am learning that everything is not as it seems in China. They are beautiful people don't get me wrong but I am pretty sure some shifty things going on. I will explain more as we go. The rafting was very cool and definitely worth it. We cruised on 8 large pieces of bamboo tied together with wire. I sat on lounge chairs made out of bamboo with my bike on the back and being steered by a pole weilding Chinese man. It was bliss! Like a Venice gondola ride, except no buildings just mountains and green fields, except no cushions and your feet got wet, and vendors sold cold beer (from a fridge) from the middle of the river. Actually it was nothing like Venice but it was fantastic. Dad, you'd love the electrical standards here, as I mentioned they had an electrical cord running directly in water (no conduits-just extension lead) and later in a cave there were semi live wires next to dripping stalagmites. We were on the river for over an hour and I could have continued on to Australia like that.
Next we stopped for lunch and had some nice food from a farming family (green vegetables for me - yippee - more than I could eat). At this point we were meant to go caving and have a mud bath. Everyone but me knew this and wore the clothes they didn't mind getting trashed on the ride. I though we were going back to change. Oops. I didn't want to miss out so went in what I was wearing at the time. Luckily after 10 weeks I am sick of my clothes and a mud bath seemed the perfect funeral for them (I did try and resurrect my 3/4 Roxy pants but after 4 rinses and mud still coming out of it - I gave up)
The cave was pretty and it was a bit like cloud watching. Our guide tried explaining what several rock formations were but what she said was a bear kissing a dolphin, I saw a crouched dragon reaching for its baby and others saw a lump of rock. The caving was great for the pure Chinese experience of it. We had no Geckos guide (where sent off on our own) and we all felt like we were a part of a Chinese game show, one were they trap western tourists in a hole in the earth and watch what they do. It is interesting to see what they call tourist attractions. If that cave was in Australia it would have guard rails, glass panels so you couldn't touch anything, you'd have to sign a waiver to not sue if you slipped over on all the mud. A bit like the Great Wall - it would have spoiled the fun if it had all those things. We got to the mud at the end and boy was it fun!!!! We slipped and slided and threw mud and another girl and I did the full beauty mask routine. When it was time to go I kept the mud on me to dry for full theraputic benefit and got out of the mud pool several kilos heavier. The same is true of mud as sand at the beach in regards to the places it gets into. You needed to know that, didn't you?!
We washed ourselves off under a waterfall (mini) and jumped into there pool. It was really nice until I got out and someone noticed tiny leeches on them. EEEK!!! I freaked out. It was a reminder that I was in China and not Italy. I certainly scrubbed off several layers of skin back at the hotel to be sure.

Tea that night was divine. Yangshou is a bit more westernised and I am grateful - first really good food (that I am used to) in awhile. I had a veggie burger and then walked around the cute town. I decided not to go on the 'included' cruise today (for fear of the included part being the trip to the opposite side of the river and you had to pay to get back) and because I wanted to really cruise for the day. We have another sleeper train ride to Guangzho (?) and will arrive in Hong Kong about Sunday lunch time. Our tour guide cannot follow us into HK because of travel restrictions on Chinese citizens (they think they will leave and not come back - which I can't blame them). He has been good, but I am sure many of the places he has taken us to, he has received kickbacks (tips for bringing in the tourists to certain restaurants and doing certain activities).
I saw blue sky yesterday for which I was delighted (but got really burnt for which I was not so delighted). The weather here is lovely. Humid and warm. The weather in China has been fairly good. Only one rainy day and one cold,windy day. the rest pleasant.

Well I will blog from one of the shopping capitals of the world (I can here the groans from here - not another suitcase Kym!) But I am no longer the only one in my tour group with an extra suitcase. But I am still the 'princess' who travels with her own pillow.

Only 4 more full days of holidays left. Time sure is passing me by with barely a smile and wave and before it is out of sight.

Thanks for reading.

Love Kym

Confucious Say young girl in foreign country will love and hate many things...

Xi'an (pronounced shee-ann), China

Thursday 19th October

I feel like my body is shutting down after many weeks of abuse. My eye is infected, my teeth are sore, my stomach is in a constant state of upheaval (either too full or too empty), I think I will soon be able to sleep standing up because waiting in queues is the only snooze time I get, yet I am having an absolute wonderful time.

China is really interesting. I love it yet will be happy to leave soon. It is the strangest thing.
Bad: Everyone stares at you, the toliets here - don't get me started - women are just not meant to squat, it is camel country (watch out they spit - even young girls spit on the floor inside on marble floors!!), I can't take noodles and rice for breakfast - yet it is that or McDonalds which as a group we fell on the first one we found here like kids on birthday cake, I have seen blue skies only once since I've been here - usually just a brown haze covers everything and I am finding it tough eating at all hours or nothing at all.
Good: People are really friendly - always smiling when they serve you, there are so many amazing things to do here - I can't give them the justice they deserve but just list them and use insipid words like wonderful and magnificent to describe them, the culture is really interesting, my tour group is absolutely fantastic - we all get along REALLY well and plan to spend more time in Hong Kong together when the tour ends as we all have at least two spare days there (although the only other single girl is leaving the group today but her friend Justin is staying and we get along well (he is also super cute so it won't be a hardship) and the massages here defy belief. The two girls that gave me a traditional Chinese massage flipped my body parts around like they were spaghetti and one girl climbed up on my back and used her knees (and all her body weight) to rub my spine. It was painful but so cool. I walked out more sore than when I walked in but what an experience! My tour leader has massage contacts in Yangshou (where we fly to tonight) which will be more subtle. I am grateful because I am sure if the two girls had pushed from the tenth floor, my body would have felt the same.

So, to keep you updated - I have been to the Great Wall (sunday) and it was amazing. We got up really early but were the first tour group on the wall which was nice. The climg was seriously steep. So steep that yoy think having your legs fall off would be preferable to the pain. It was worth it though. And no, the wall was not built to keep out the rabbits. My tour group of 13 has all but 4 of us are Australians, so we get each others jokes which is great (2 are from UK and 2 from US). That night we ate good chinese (or just dinner over here) and as a girl from the UK is vegetarian too we get looked after. The garlic broccoli is to die for. I can only take small florrets usually but done like that - give me a few bunches! The next day was the Forbidden City and can you guess mum and dad - lots was covered with scaffolding! I understand that a lot is going on for the Beijing Games but it would have been better to come in 2009 with everything fresh and new. The palace is in Tiannamen Square and I was dissappointed when our tour leader said he would not talk about any 'sensitive issues' (aka everything I wanted to get a Chinese persons perspective on) but as he works for the government I can hardly blame him as he said you never know who is listening. Very 007 but here I can well believe it.
That night we travelled via sleeper train (in an open cabin with other chinese people which was cool) and which would have been an insight into Australian culture as we all talked loud, had 2 rounds of beer and went to bed late. I didn't get much sleep (no surprises there) and we arrived in Xian early. I didn't go to a temple but went shopping with another girl instead. We had fun together in the markets and Muslim quarter. That afternoon we went cycling around the wall of the old city. The wall was about 8 metres wide (cobbled stones so the arms got a jittery massage) and was built to protect the city and palace as all but the last 2 dynasties had their homes here. The Forbidden City was built for the Ming Dynasty and the capital moved to there. It was great fun! That night we had a dumpling dinner (famous in Xian) and watched a show of cultural dance and music. We were all tired (and it was a bit boring, especially after the Kung Fu show) and so weren't too impressed.
The next day was the Terracotta Warriors. It was amazing. It didn't have as many as I'd imagined but the scale of the whole project was awesome. It took something like 30 years to complete and the makers were buried alive in the pits to keep it a secret. Gee, it doesn't pay to work for royalty does it, first Egyptian slaves and now Chinese craftsman. Despite the first emporers precautions only a small bit remains as some were found and destroyed. I had a sleep that afternoon whcih made me feel a million times better and we all went out for tea for one of the girls' birthday. We played Jenga and Chinese Checkers while waiting for our delicious pizzas (and everyone elses multiple beers - honestly! Australians are going to get such a reputation and topple the tourism industry, especially when they tell the UK and US people about snakes and swooping magpies and stingers in Summer). We got a few mini cakes from a supermarket and had a great night.
We have free time this morning (which I used to buy some cutie shoes and dare I confess it, have McDonalds for breakfast) before flying to our next destination at about 3pm. Yangshou region is meant to be touristy but beautiful. Supposedly you can have mud baths while climbing through water caves there and I am keen to find out more. I don't think we have any planned activites (which is good for relaxing but hard on the hip pocket as lots of things are 'optional' which need to be paid for) so will read a bit, write in my journal which is sadly out of date as we have been so busy and maybe sleep a bit.

Rest assured I am having an absolute ball and will be saving for more travel as soon as I get home (after I've paid off this one though). I think of you all often and hope life is treating you well. Please accept the hug I am sending out to you. Thanks for reading and staying in touch!

I will write again from Yangshou or Guilin.

Love Kym

Chinese Takeaway

Beijing, China

Saturday 14th October 2006, 3.50pm

China is now officially the richest country in the world. This is due to the money that is now in there pockets and not mine. Today I went SHOPPING!! Tonight I am BROKE!! But I've had fun. I bought a few pressies for others as well as myself (yes dad I had to buy you something made in China - you must act thrilled by it). I did the top 4 levels of Silk Street (markets) and then went to the basement and bought a suitcase to take it home in. I lasted for about 60 days with one backpack (and even leaving some things behind in Rome, Athens and London - It was still full but only one!) Now I have two and if Hong Kong is cheap, who knows maybe I'll have 3. Just kidding - I have spent too much already.

I am now in my new hotel from where my tour starts. I have yet to meet my roommate or other people but will at 6pm at a tour briefing. I will visit the Great Wall tomorrow (5am wake up call - argh it starts again!) and then into the Forbidden City the next day. Monday night we go via sleeper train to Xian and the Terracotta Warriors.

I have finally seen some westerners (at the Silk Market) when I ventured into the city on Thursday. I did a bit of shopping then and tried to bargain hard. It was tough and so were the shopkeepers. They acted like I had just kicked their grandmothers when I quoted my first price. I eventually got what I thought was a deal, only to realise I didn't have enough money. They lady took me by the arm and we walked around the whole complex looking for an ATM. She wasn't letting me out of her sight. I must have overpaid - she didn't want to lose a sucker!
From Silk Street I walked to Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City. What looked so manageable on the map was about 6 or 7 kms and I was beat by the time I arrived. I shopped a little more but department stores have Perth department store prices. I flaked out on the bed when I got back to my room. I got a phone call from Haylee the night before and it was wonderful. Dad called me that night and made me wish I was home. We talked for ages (sorry about the bill dad - I'll pay half!) but with mum and Teliah's call this morning I began counting the sleeps until I was home. 11 sleeps (if you count me sleeping on the plane - good luck with that one Kym) to go til I am in the arms of loved ones. I probably shouldn't be wishing for that seeing as it will probably be 2000 sleeps until I can afford to go away again.

Friday morning I woke at about 11am and decided spontaneously to go to the Summer Palace. It was the Emporers holiday home, a place to get out of the rigors of Peking, which cracks me up because it is about 15kms from the Forbidden City and isn't exactly another climate. It is very pretty with beautiful gardens and pagodas and really cool names for everything like, 'Strolling through a Picture Scroll', 'Place of Rolling Clouds' and 'Bridge of Jade Ripples'. Neat, huh!?
I met Frank, a German airplane engineer on Longevity Hill and after a few words about how lost we were, we wandered the grounds together. He spoke very good English and it was nice to converse with someone. He was a really nice guy. We spent the whole day together and had dinner and drinks back in Beijing city, until 1am. I had an awesome time. It was a close encounter of the great kind. We exchanged email addresses and if either are in our respective countries visiting, we said we'd catch up. It is amazing having these experiences with someone who you will never see again. (don't get excited mum - he has no plans to visit Australia anytime soon)

I feel very safe in Beijing - if you have something written in Chinese, people are more than happy to help you and direct you the right way. Even catching a taxi at 12.30am - I felt comfortable. Because I have said this I will probably be mugged tomorrow or there will be a capitalist coup attempt. The more time I spend here, the more I enjoy it. I caught the public transport to the shops today (Frank helped me do this last night) and it is nice to save a bit of money (it is about a dollar one way to the shops, instead of six for a taxi) They are fairly relaxed on the buses. As long as you pay at some time on the trip, it is fine. They rely on honesty a bit I think, but being the only westerner on board I stick out a bit so couldn't try and get a free ride. Not that I would anyway! (Seriously I wouldn't - it is 1 yuan / 20cents - I can afford that)

Well I think I have bored you enough today on my Beijing travels. I will write what I am up to in a few days. Thank you everyone for the comments - It is great to hear from you! I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Love Kym

P.S. Sonia I did NOT stick the tongue in at the Blarney Stone. Next time maybe!

Beijing, China

Tuesday 11th October 2006, 12.20pm

Culture-shock. Such a nice word to describe what I am feeling now. I have been in China for about 30 hours and since leaving the airport I am the only westerner I have seen. Sure I slept for 15 hours but I have wandered around and it is a really weird feeling.

I arrived at about 8am ，caught a bus to the centre of the city. Then I walked around for 10minutes before I gave up navigating on my own with streets signs in Mandarin and caught a taxi。 I arrived at my booked accommodation to a staff that spoke four English words between them. Passport, Room number, yes and no. I only know one word (sheeshee, thank you) so I guess they were more bi-lingual than me. I dumped my stuff in a suitable room (my own too - whoopee!） and went out in search of food.

I eventually got some money changed and found someone who spoke fairly good english and he told me how to get to a supermarket. I went in and got worried after 5 minutes of walking around. I saw more choices of soy sauce than I ever have, also different kinds of meat including pigs trotters and someones liver (hopefully of animal origin) and a great supply of noodles. And that was about it. I love noodles but was dreading eating them for 4 days until I stumbled across a McDonalds. That was until I realised they had a second level full of biscuits, nuts, UHT milk，jam， bread and donuts. Phew! I got a few supplies and walked back to my room. It was about 4pm by the time I couldn't think straight anymore and went to bed. I took a tablet to help me sleep on the very hard bed (would have been softer on the floor) and flaked out.
I ended up lying on the pillows for some cushioning and didn't wake up completely until 10am this morning. I don't know whether it was too much sleep, not enough or the tablet which made me feel like I left my head in Ireland, but I managed to shower and eat soem biscotti and milk for breakfast. I was going to go to some markets today but decided to find a laundry (a drycleaners I eventually found) and read a book and relax. I will be more up to bargaining tomorrow. And maybe to playing more charades as to what I want and where I want to go. I am not sure if you can drink the water here so am using bottled water. I also don't know if I can flush toliet paper here (like Egypt and Greece) but don't want to act that scenario out for the staff here to find out.

There isn't much in the surrounding streets (I haven't wandered far) for me todo. There is a movie theatre across the road but they don't have anything in English. I saw a poster of Harry Potter film number 4 and if I get desparate will see if I can watch it in Chinese. It could be interesting. I think I have landed myself in a non-tourist area. Which is good from a see-what-chinese-life-is-really-like perspective but hell on the communication. Live and learn hey!?

My last few days in Ireland were wonderful. I travelled to Limerick on the train and then to the Cliffs of Moher. Wow! They were magnificent. I walked along the cliff face for awhile until I found I confy spot and sat down. I listened to some Celtic music on my iPod and meditated for a few moments. I was wonderful, just me, the cliffs and the sea. And many other tourists but I focused just on what was in front of me. I had 90mins there but could have spent all day. The rest of the afternoon was looking through The Burren, an area of rocks, green fields and glacial valleys. It was pretty. My accommodation in Limerick was a quaint B&B. It was faultless except for the shower. It was like standing in a light Irish rain UNDER an umbrella. I was in there 10 minutes and there was still parts of me dry when I got out. I shouldn't complain, any dry spell in Ireland is worth noting as it rains frequently there. Really, it was hot and that was good.
The next day we went to Blarney Village and Castle. The castle is worth visiting even if you aren't into kissing stones. The gardens were really nice, assorted types of trees and bushes with a stream running throughout it. Super, spirally staircases took you to the top of the castle where the kissing takes place. It was a production line for the process with someone taking your photo and another to help you sit down, lie back, slip backwards and back up again. For all its commercialism, it was awesome fun. I gave the stone a big smacking kiss!! I must have lingered too long because a guy mentioned that I seemed to enjoy it entirely too much. A guide for a different tour took my photo saving me 10 euros to commemorate my step into the Irish Blarney Hall of Fame. There was a fantastic view from the top of the castle and I took many photos, one of which I knew was going to be a favourite of my trip the second I took it.
The rest of the day was spent in Cork where it was pouring rain. I went into a bookshop then a Gloria Jeans for a hot chocolate to wait out the rain. It didn't let up until it was time to go but I met a born and bred Cork man who was great to talk to, making my visit worthwhile anyway. Then it was the train back to Dublin and back to my hostel. A different room again, (half girls, half boys this time unlike the all boys and me room before），and this time my roommates where loud at their entrances to the room at 2am and 4am respectively。 I had great fun at 7am making as much noise as I could.

I had a 5 hour wait at heathrow for my transfer flight to Beijing but the time went quickly with lunch and a good book. As my plane was boarding I had this strong, weird feeling that I didn't want to go. China being my last stop, I wanted to keep going, to go onto Scotland maybe, back to Ireland, Croatia or the north of America. As much as I miss family and home, I have been 'bitten by the bug' and so don't want my holiday to end. Going back to work might be colouring the situation just a teensy bit.

But anyway, I am here, I have 13 days to go until I leave for Perth and I will enjoy it while I can.

Love to you all,
Kym

Hi all - I've had a chance to upload some photos of my last few destinations, so enjoy! Especially enjoy as I think they'll be the one and only pics I'll be able to upload before I come home.

They are of the view from my hotel balcony in Santorini, and Me: basking in a grecian sunset, posing in front of the Venice Canals, pinching a solemn British soldiers bum (not really - but close!!) and rowing on the Avon River near the home of Shakespeare.

Love Kym.

It really isn't a long way to Tipperary...

Dublin, Ireland

Friday 6th October, about noon.

Greetings wee lads and bonnie lasses. (Think in Irish accent) I am havin a grarnd time hur in Irreland. I do'no wana leave.

Ah, I can hear the lovely burr from here. Since writing last I have done something to write about. Quite a lot actually so hang on to your shamrocks cus hur we gooo.
My first day in Dublin consisted of wandering around. The main city is about the size of Perth city with the suburbs surrounding it taking it out to about Belmont in Perth distance. Then it is green fields and tiny towns. The architecture is similiar to England (well duh Kym - they occupied it for so long) and many of the streets are like London, Abbey and Marleborough just to name a few. My dorm room is co-ed but I was lucky enough to have one guy to us five girls. My bed had serious dip-in-the-middle issues but I got some nocturnal exercise by trying to roll over. It has been the most cozy bed I have stayed in since Las Vegas so no complaints here.
I saw some of the sights Dublin boasts of, Bram Stoker of Dracula fame's house, National Art Gallery, Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Let me just pause here and say WOW. The book is amazing. I knew I was only going to be able to see 2 pages (they change each day to preserve it as much as possible) but how cool were those 2 pages. There was information at the entrance on its history and how it was made. The vellum is pig or cow skin and the ink is derived from crystals (rocks like malachite and lapis) and the artwork is phenomenal. I stared at it for ages then went upstairs to their Long Library (want one of those!!! 2 storeys and about 100m long) then went back and stared some more. It is so intricate and would have taken them days and days just to do one section of a page.
The rest of the day I read one of my newly acquired books which was bliss. I went out that night to Irelands oldest pub, The Brazen Head. I sat at the bar and paid AUS$10 for two fingers of Baileys. I was mainly having that for mum (who is a fan) and because there was NO way i was trying thre other Irish export, Guinness. But after a few sips (I had to make it last until the traditional Irish music started an hour later) it went down well. I learnt that if I left it awhile the ice cubes melted and the volume increased, making it more economical for me. You'd think that it would have been cheaper made there (eek - my expectations of cheap China just dropped). Behind the bar was assorted bills from around the world with different words and sayings on them. I was pleased to note there was a blue Australian note with the words 'Go Eagles 2006'. I had to let you know mum.
I spent an hour at the bar (noone came to pick me up - damn! But there was no hope of me showing some skin to get someone interested - its cold here!) I made my way to the back rooms where the Irish music was playing. It was great. I listened for almost an hour (still with the teeniest bit of Baileys - I should have ordered Vodka - I could have refreshed it with water when the waitress's back was turned). I enjoyed the atmosphere until fatigue drove me back to my room.

The next day I had booked a tour to take me to same famous sites north of Dublin, Tara (the seat of Kings, not the Gone with the Wind kind) which turned out to be a hill with mounds, a ruined Abbey, a prehistoric Tomb, the largest Celtic Crosses in Ireland (ooh - want to take one home with me but I sense difficulty considering the one I like is about 3m high and weighs 2 tonnes), and the Hill of Slane (where St Patrick lit a symbolic fire). I learnt the reason why the Irish love the shamrock. St Patrick explained to one of the Kings of Ireland about the Holy Trinity with the clover, one petal for each entity, then he turned it over and said but see only one stem. Cool huh!
The commentary was informative about the history of Ireland (and because of the accent) and my guide was very personable.
I have a free day to explore again today (Friday) before I go on a train to the town of Limerick in County Tipperary. It is only a 2 hour train ride so it really isn't far to Tipperary (hence the title of this post). I start a tour there which takes me to the Cliffs Of Moher and to Blarney. So if my next blog is full of hwnjehejnfenjfnewn, you'll know I didn't get to kiss the Blarney Stone and recieve the gift of eloquence. Ah, I can hear you all now - 'But Kym, you already have the gift!!' Please people, please - no more flattery. It will go to my head.

I am not sure when I will be able to blog next (maybe in China) so I will leave you with a Limerick on the eve of my depature to Limerick.

There once was a girl, Kym Brooks,
Who thought she'd see how the world looks,
She saw so much,
But still kept in touch,
Soon all she'll see is Weet-Bix!

Love from Kym