Taking the Scenic Route

The Last Blog...

2010-10-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-20T12:49:00.001-07:00

"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

2010-09-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-09T03:46:00.001-07:00

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!!

2010-09-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-01-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-01T03:38:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

2006-11-07T00:22:00.000-08:00

Egypt Tour Photos

2006-11-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

Photos from China Tour

2006-10-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-14T00:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-10-06T05:09:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Playing Monopoly

Tuesday 3rd October 4pm

Dublin, Ireland

Top of the morning to you! I am in green (very green!!) Ireland. I am hearing the Irish lilt everywhere and loving it. I arrived at 1pm and made my way to my hostel (nice one this time) and then went out, had a late lunch, bought some books and found an Internet Cafe. The 4 or 5 streets I have seen so far are nice. I'll fill you in about life in Dublin when I have lived a little in Dublin.

On Sunday, Mum and I landed in London and went back to our accommodation with Mrs Masters. Although we'd had an early start (and no shower) we headed into the city for mum to show me the sights and give me tips on cheap eats. We went through the National Art Gallery which was absolutely fantastic. We have a game at home 'Masterpiece' in which you buy and sell art. Mum and I had a great time wandering the rooms and exclaiming 'There's another one!' Haylee - we even saw the Boobie Lady!! (Not the official name of course, just a nickname because of, well, you get the picture - alot of cleavage on show) There were some other really well done pictures that even a hater of art would be impressed by. I came across some beloved Monet. One in particular that I could stare at for hours and still find something new (mum - I did go back the next day to say hello again).

Next we went past Kings Cross station (I tried to push through to platform 9 and three quarters - but it didn't happen), Guard houses, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Arch after Arch and Harrods. One particular highlight was walking through St James Park with mum where in a London 'Season' early last century, it was the place to be seen. Our fake British accents and loud chants of 'I enjoyed Lady Bathworths soiree last evening. I only spoke of the weather to the Duke and it seemed to bore him' sent us both into fits of giggles.
We had an awesome time and it was only the condition of soreus feetus that sent us home.
Mum left early the next day. I was sad to see her go but knew she would be getting fabulous Teliah cuddles and Tanner kisses very soon so didn't think she was missing out.

My tour of London that day was good. I sat on a bus tour for an hour or two and felt like I had stepped onto a Monopoly board. Park Lane, Mayfair, Euston Road, Regent Street just to name a few, went past. The commentary was worthwhile (it pointed out Sean Connery's house in case I wanted to discuss where in Scotland is good to go to) and the overview of the city made me appreciate it all the more. I stopped at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and went inside the tate Modern Art Gallery. The Gallery was great. I continued my art education by seeing Andy Warhol (a box of campbells soup - now THAT is art! - not! in my opinion), Degas, Salvador Dali, Magritte and Picasso. It was an eye opener compared to the Renaissance stuff - one piece of art by Salvador Dali was called Lobster telephone. It was a Lobster on a black telephone. The caption beside it mentioned that Dali thought the 2 items were very sexual in nature. (Are you at sea like me?) Anyway - it was great. I went then to the British Museum. I saw the Rosetta Stone that the English won't give back to the Egyptians (the Egyptian's words) and saw the Parthenon Marbles which evil, villianous Lord Elgin stole from the Acropolis (again, the Greeks' words). I probably sound stupid to admit this but the 'Marbles' are made out of marble - not the galaxy/angel face variety I was almost expecting.

When I left is was raining fairly hard so i stopped at an Internet Cafe for awhile. Then, as it was getting late, I bought some tea and looked for the Underground sign at Leiceiter Square. I found heaps of people milling around barracades instead. Since I had nowhere to be just then (ah, the joys of holidays), I stayed and ate my cream cheese and cucumber bagel. I eventually found out it was a movie premiere for 'The History Boys'. The Prince of Wales and Camilla were showing up. I started waiting there at 6pm and about 7.15pm people started rolling up. I recognised only one person (the guy who plays Vernon Dursley in HP movies). But hey, I still had hopes of Daniel Radcliffe showing up and shaking my hand. Charles arrived after 8 and parked up the road so my glimpse of him and Camilla was brief and from a distance. I'm still not sure it was worth it. But I guess not everyone can say they have been within 100m of royalty.

Off home I went and to bed. The next morning I had a bowl of Mrs Masters AMAZING muesli and then went to the airport. The whole routine is getting rather humdrum and I think I could do it in my sleep. I wonder how long it will take before I get excited about a plane trip again?
The flight was brief and all the rest that happened was mentioned above. I am trying to find a tour but am having no luck so far. It might be day trips to the far sides of the country and back.

I will keep you updated on the Craic (that's Irish hospitality in case you were interested). Tomorrow I will go and see a really old, ornate book called the Book of Kells. It is lavishly decorated and is one of the oldest books in existance.

Talk to you soon.

Kym

2006-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

My Big Fat Greek Day

Athens, Greece

Saturday 30th Sept 8.22pm

Opa! I don't know what that means but it sounds Greek enough to start with.
Athens is .... (searching for the right word) ... good! Mum and I arrived late last night (10.30pm) and caught the bus into the centre of the city. It was fairly boring until we saw the Parthenon lit up and we knew we were close. We found our accommodation fine (seasoned pros now) and tiptoed into our 6 person dorm. We had a quick (and icy as it was still hot at midnight) shower and jumped into bed. Mum is less than impressed with the early morning bashers and crashers (something I am getting used to) and the teensy bathroom, not to mention the whole NO flushing of paper down the toliet.
Our roommates were our alarm clock and so we got up and hit the streets of Athens. We went to the Acropolis first and hiked up and up and up (it's really high!!!!) but got a great view of the city from the top. The Parthenon was half covered in scaffolding (naturally) but we enjoyed the walk around and the history that came with it. We called Dad (Pete) from in front of it to find out how the Eagles went, and to hear his voice of course!! His words made up both homesick but we put it from our minds and went to the next heritage site. We saw a few of Temples for various Greek Gods and then went through the markets, still in shopping mode after seeing some divine jewellery in Santorini. We saw several people with kebabs which looked great but didn't pass any kebaberies - is this Greece???
I started to feel a bit wiped out from, well, everything, so we went back and lay down on our bunks. The hostel is not the worst I've stayed in, but is not the best either. Its location is fantastic. Five minutes walk from the base of the Acropolis which is very helpful when navigating the meandering streets of Athens. If you have the Acropolis in sight and walk around the base of the rock you will eventually find the place you are looking for. Or walk around in circles all day.

At 5pm we left to see an Athenian sunset to see how it compared with a Santorini one. We really weren't expecting it to be on the same level but one can hope. We wandered for awhile, looking for a place that made kebabs. I think we went on the same street twice while searching. What does a girl need to do to get a kebab??? Ask apparantly. With the help of a kind local we found one (the only one we saw!) and it was worth the wait. Hmmmm! I had two!! We looked around a bit more as the sun set and the lights came on, illuminating the marble Doric columns crafted for the Gods.

Mum and I are happy with what we saw today (and heard - Yippee from Mum about the Eagles) but are both happy to go to London tomorrow. It will be our last day together (boohoo!) and we think we might head into London town for mum to show me a slice of Pommie life.

Our last day in Santorini was pleasant. We had hoped to go to Oia but the roads were being repaired (that one day we decided to go - the sunsets there are meant to be the best in the world). So we shopped instead. We ate some traditional Greek food - our first Greek salad and some fried tomato croquettes (everything is fried here - clog clog arteries, clog clog). Both were delicious. I found the church with the blue roof and three bells that is on all the postcards and in the brochures (which I thought was in Oia), which made me very happy. We watched our last sunset there together (we were too busy taking photos to cuddle together and sigh so I hope you appreciate our sacrifice to bring you premium Santorini photos). We then went back to the hotel to pick up our bags and they called a taxi for us. Mum was scandalised when I pulled a teeny swifty and saved us 3 euro by telling a few porkies. The budget traveller in me was delighted though (don't tell mum). We played naughts and crosses and hangman to pass the time which made me all the more sad to see my lovely travelling partner leave.

Well, all too soon my time is up again and I am off to bed to try and sleep through 4 other people rustling, snoring and showering at 3am. Thanks for reading. Talk to you from the UK or Ireland.

Kym

2006-09-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

Where was I?

(Santorini, Part 2, Friday 29th Sept noon)

Ah yes.... Mum and I set off our first morning for supplies of food and water and to see the main town of Fira. Where we are staying is a kilometre uphill of it so it was a stroll to town but an epic journey back to our room. The little town is cute. White-washed buildings filled with treasures galore, both cheesy and exquisite. My expense account is already overwrought so I looked but didn't touch. We drank a Santorini Sunset as we wandered (Haylee they have an affiliate of BOOST here - you'd really be in heaven).
There is a cable car and path down the mountain to the port. We started down because mum wanted a photo of a donkey carrying someone up or down. I'd had enough on my solo trip in Egypt of the beasts so hung back. Mum snapped a quick picture and emerged nose pinched from the fine fragrance. We had spanakopita for lunch (traditional cheese and spinach pie) but have yet to have a kebab. Loaded down with the essentials of backpacking travel (cream cheese, dried bread, bananas, water and juice) we hoped to catch a bus back as it was getting very hot. Since the bus runs on GMT schedule (Greek Maybe Time) and we didn't want to shell out for a cab - we hiked home. It took a dip in the icy pool, aircon blasting and plenty of water to cool us down. I am used to the heat and humidity but coming from cold Germany, mum is not.
We spent the afternoon on the pool lounges, soaking up the vitamin D like we were having withdrawals from it. It is VERY nice! The view beyond our feet is breathtaking. The sea stretches out like a jeweller laying a blue velvet cloth down ands adorning it with loose diamonds for our persual. Tempting us to buy. To stay.
We ordered room service and ate pasta and soup from our terrace as the sun sank behind clouds, then islands, then sea. It gets cool at night here so mum and I head inside to chat and swap travel stories.
Breakfast was again delicious. Being the cheapsters we are, we saved some of it for later (there is always plenty to eat and a good variety). The plan for that day was Nothing with a capital N. We went to the internet to book Athens accommodation and for me to blog and research a place for me to stay in Ireland. Afterwards I found mum lying on the pool lounges again and joined her there. We didn't take many photos yesterday - but how many of us lying down do you want? Every half hour or so we'd exchange a 'Woohoo, we're in Santorini' before slumping back down to gain energy for the next excited announcement.
Today we checked out at noon but have until 11pm for our flight to depart. We will end the day at Oia to catch the sunset from the place where the most common photos of Santorini are taken. The blue roofed church and bells and the windmill. Then to Athens. We have one day there to get Greeked up, then to London.
I have convinced mum to save money and stay at a backpackers with me in Athens. It is very close to the Parthenon (and shops I told her to get her interested) and the price for two of us for two nights is half of what we paid here for one night!! Ouch, cries the hip pocket.

But for now we sit and watch the ships come and go on the tranquil, azure water.

Thank you for all your comments - I enjoy the contact they bring.

Kym

2006-09-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

Where Gods Walk...

Santorini, Greece

Thursday 28th Sept 2.21pm

My reunion with Mum was in the most amazing place among the clouds. Santorini is as wonderful as everyone says. The blue Aegean sea is spectacular as is the black volcanic rock and white houses that gaze at it each day. The hotel we are staying in has an amazing view of the volcano and the water stretches out for miles.

I left Rome (and my still dripping skirt and jacket) early one fine, blue sky day. Bummer. It seems the rain is following me and rain if you are reading this - Back Off!! The lady I met in Rome, Deanna, went back to the Trevi fountain the next day and txd me to say that it was drained for cleaning. It seems wet tourist - wet fountain. Dry tourist - dry fountain. (She went there later and it was on again) Oh well. The flight to Athens was, well, a flight to Athens. I had four hours to kill at the airport and unfortunately mum's flight arrived as mine was boarding. I saw here super briefly but she didn't her her yocal daughter scream at her in a public place. I ran to make my flight (you'd think I'd learn after almost missing two flights so far). It was nice to see the islands I flew over during the day as it will be night when we fly back to Athens.
The islands looked like snow-spotted peaks rising from a deep blue mist. It was truly gorgeous. We got to cruising altitude and the hostesses ran out gave us a drink which we had to skull to give the rubbish back to them and hustled back to the kitchen as we started to descend (35 min flight). My first glance of the white houses in that unique style made my insides jump with excitement. The sun had set by the time I got in a taxi to get to the hotel but the twilight was just perfect too. I sat outside and watched the clouds pass right in front of me. I could see why people believed in the Gods - surely noone else could make something so beautiful. It got cool as it got dark (a jacket would have been nice!!) and I waited for mum until I was driven inside. You can see the lights of a neighbouring island and the other hotels in the cliff face around from us. Mum arrived and we hugged and pinched eachother (not hard obviously as we'd missed eachother) and got excited about seeing each other and where we were.
We called for breakfast and it was bought to us (there are a serious amount of steps here and we pitied the waiter). It was delicious.
We moved rooms to the one we'd organised afterwards and got our lovely room with a view.

I will blog the rest as the place I am writing this is closing for siesta (its 3pm now) and I will sunbathe and stare at the deep blue sea for you.

Kym

2006-09-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

One wet, grey day in Rome

Monday 25th Sept 6.10pm

Thank you for the best wishes that my second visit to Rome would be better than the first. I am pleased to say it was. But unfortunately not by much. It was cheaper though.

It was sprinkling this morning when I emerged from under the covers but a little rain couldnt dampen my spirits. I was in Rome, home of the Emperors and where all the roads of the world lead to. So when in Rome....

I met an Australian on the train from the airport last night, Deanna from Adelaide and we chatted and agreed to meet up and sightsee together as we are both travelling alone. I wandered the streets of Rome to Deannas hotel and admired the view. There are ruins scattered around the city, one every time you thought a street was just a street.
I was beginning to feel like the trip was being wasted on me because I didnt whip my camera out at the first church and Roman ruins I saw. It was like the grandeur and importance, I took for granted. But then I began to notice of other things. My attention was drawn instead to the people. Their language, their colour, their energy. Rome has an amazing history but is also a home. Being a tourist with a sightseeing itinerary you can forget that. But now I notice mundane things like a motorbike repair shop, people leaning out of their shuttered windows watching the morning traffic and a little kid riding a scooter with his dad, holding tight as if it is his gravity.
I feel like an outsider looking in, but one with the privillege of doing so. Travelling is not just about what i see but what I hear, what I feel, what I smell. Its not about taking a photo to remember. But stopping and taking a breath. Then I will always remember.

Deanna and my first tourist location was the Colleseum. We decided to go inside and shared an audio guide. It was interesting and we both had the movie Gladiator in our minds as we imagined what it would have been like in 240 A.D. Deanna told me about snippets of conversations she heard while waiting for me to finish with the guide. One couple went past and said how amazing it would have been to hear the roar of 5000 people. Another said that seeing lions and bears exit out of the bowels of the arena to charge at the gladiators would be mesmorizing and a young girl walked past and said, my hair is getting wet.
(I am embellishing what the first two said because I cant remember exact words but have put bits of Colleseum trivia - but unfortunately I didnt make up the last part)
And I thought the trip was wasted on me!!!

It started to rain harder and we were fighting to stay dry but went hard and went onto the next place. We walked among the ruins of the palace and then headed to a spot in Deannas guide book about a cool view from a keyhole of a church. Intrigued, we wandereed the streets looking for the place mentioned. I didnt dare ask anyone in case we were arrested as peeping toms. Deanna asked a policeman and I was ready to bolt with the cry of "never met her, dont know who she is" but they knew exactly where to go. The view was good, worth the hunt and so we photographed and went to the Trevi fountain via the Metro because we were getting really wet.

It would have been more worth our while to watch the streets of Rome because they were flooded and flowing like a fountain. By the time we reached the fountain we were absolutely soaked (knickers and all). My plastic poncho (thanks nan - a lifesaver) was protecting my bag and I was walking through ankle deep water like I was wearing gumboots instead of leather slippers. We took a quick photo of us in front of the fountain (my camera under someones umbrella) and decided we'd had enough. We saw what we thought was a pickpocket or closer to a snatch and grab but as they were chinese tourists we couldn't understand if anything was stolen. We made sure our bags were held very close after that. He was dressed in a blue "Rome, Italy" poncho they sell to tourists which I thought was tricky. If you chased him around a corner you'd lose him in the throng of people braving the rain to see the sights.

Deanna and I parted and I went back to my hostel, dripping water all the way. It was a relief to get into a warm shower as it was almost a thunderstorm by the time I got to my room. My things are still dripping and I don't think they will be close to dry when I leave tomorrow.

Well time is short and my words are long so farewell from Italy. Tomorrow, hello Greece.

Will blog again soon.

Kym

2006-09-24T02:07:00.000-07:00

Cairo, Egypt (farewell Africa)

Sunday 24th Sept 12noon

My hours in Egypt shorten rapidly under the blazing sun. The pace here is frenetic and would outdo even New York. Ramadan has started here which means that if you are a strict Muslim you cannot eat or drink while the sun is up. After dark you eat, drink and be very merry (after being very faint I imagine). Some of the shops have tapestries and lanterns hanging outside which looks very festive. I think though that after 2 weeks off no food or water during the day - the pace may slacken (or even increase more with frayed wits??!!)
We arrived this morning on the sleeper train from Aswan. Our visit to Abu Simbel was good even after getting out of bed at 3am. I was able to catch some zzzz's on the bus there and back. We got an hour and a half at the site and I was more awed by the fact that the whole structure had been moved and rebuilt exactly than about the temples themselves. Oh the trials of seeing so many wonderful things that you get tired of them. The Temple of Ramasses the 2nd (probably the most powerful pharoah) overlooks Lake Nassar (the man-made lake from the damming of the Nile). As far as views go, he and his favourite wife (he had about 50 and a few hundred kids), Nefertiri, are well set up. We had to drive through the Sahara desert in an armed convoy to reach Abu Simbel. We spent the rest of the afternoon at our leisure and after having pizza with Jonathon and Andrea (Canadian couple - who I am getting along really well with) we split up and they headed to the bazaar and me back to the boat. I don't have much Egyptian pounds left and now comes the time when I buy some stupid souvenior that I'll hate the moment I get it out of my bag again, just to use up my remaining money.

I will miss our tour boat, Melodie and the staff. They are very friendly and I was really enjoying having only men making my bed, doing my laundry and making my meals. It was a unique experience (one I'm sure will not be repeated unless I return here). It makes me sad because of the reason for it but I resolved to enjoy it for what it was. Men at my beck and call 24 hours a day!! I will miss Egypt. It has been an amazing experience, so much interests me here. The temples, the history, the culture. But the girl in me is looking forward to walking down a street without all the 'hey lady' business I mentioned before. I have to take a taxi ride to the airport by myself and I am not looking forward to it. Not the alone part but the driving in a small car on the streets of Cairo. I was enjoying the big buses that could flatten anything in their path rather than being the flatee. So if I disappear, I was last seen getting into a taxi from the Santana Hotel and I love you all very much and I have had a good life.

If I make it out of here, I go to Rome. I know that Rome wasn't built in a day but I am going to see if I can see it in one. I fly in at 7pm and fly out two days later at 11am, bound for Santorini, relaxation and a mother-daughter reunion.

Haylee I know you asked me to get some photos of children here to show Teliah but I haven't managed to. Kids here expect money for that (yes it is the 'I won't get out of bed for less than 20 pounds' generation). On a trip to a temple some kids gave us a small branch from a tree. Having learnt our lesson, my roommate and I said no but they put it on our laps anyway. We thanked them and sure enough five seconds later they had their hands out and making signals to be paid. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a leaf from a sacred tree so we gave it back to them. I don't know whether I am cheap or smart. Maybe both.

I am over halfway through my trip now. I am both saddened and happy about it. I long to see familiar faces and get the hugs that only family and friends give. But also I want to stay and see more. I would probably run out of money before I ran out of travel steam, so mum you can breathe again.

Love to you all. I will write again from Europe. Thinking of you all often.

Kym

2006-09-22T03:03:00.000-07:00

Aswan, Egypt.

Friday 22nd Sept 12.58pm

Still having fun!!! I have just walked through the Aswan bazaar and the smell of all the spices were awesome. They were all heaped in little bowls like mini pyramids in such diverse colours, deep blue (dye), bright yellow saffron, brown cumin. I just loved walking amongst the vibrancy of the local (and tourist) markets. I am getting a teensy bit annoyed with all the 'Hey lady, hey lady, come into my shop, you pretty lady, everything for you is free, hey lady hey lady, where you from, you got husband, I give 200 camels for you, hey lady hey lady, come in and look, I have scarf, you want scarf, hey lady hey lady (are YOU annoyed yet?)
I am becoming heartless and ignoring a lot of people which feels rude, but is a necessity. I am tempted to buy heaps but then get back to my room and look at my backpack and am glad I didn't buy anything.

The donkey ride was fun (but one arse didn't agree with the other one). The getting up was hard but supremely worth it. The approaching dawn over the pale green fields was tranquil and beautiful. The mountains that are home to the Valley of the Kings were deep red and contrasted sharply against the green lower valley near the Nile. Hot air balloons took off up into the sky and you could hear the fire burn the air as they rose and fell. It felt like we were in another world.
Thankfully I didn't fall off but decided to forgo the pleasure of a return donkey ride to the boat. There was only a worn cushion between me and my escort and it didn't even have cup holders as one of my friends pointed out. Jonathon and Andrea are a married couple from Canada. He is funny and she is sweet. I get along well with them. My roommate Terri is from England and we get along well also. The pipes in Egypts toliets are really small and block easy so you cannot put toilet paper in them (sorry more dunny stories). You have to put the used paper in a basket next to the bin. So Terri and I are probably as close as roommates can be because of it. (Mum I heard Santorini is the same - be prepared)
The Valley of the Kings was interesting. We went into 3 tombs and saw amazing colour - the best I'd seen so far. Afterwards I climbed the mountain above it and got an amazing view of the valley, some other temples and surrounding areas. It was tough going - over 40 degrees again, but worth the 20 minutes of exhaustion when we eventually stopped. We went to the village of the workers and artists of the Valley of Kings. They worked for 9 nines in the adjoining valley and then got one day off to visit their family, pick up supplies and create their own tombs. We saw 2 of them and it was interesting to see the difference of their perception of the afterlife. Their paradise was working a lush farm, instead of the pharoahs sitting amongst jewels. On the way back I chatted to a few of the other people in my tour group and it was nice to get to know them too.
We set sail when we got back and it was glorious to cruise the Nile. I spent the afternoon catching up on my journalling and gazing at the passing scenery. I would recommend it to anyone. Egypt is amazing, truly! Just the time spent on temples and statues astounds me. The ancient Egyptians were fabulous artists. We stopped at Edfu Temple the next morning then cruised to Kom Ombo Temple and docked their for the night.
That night we had a traditional Egyptian night. We all dressed up in our version (westernised) of local dress and had a great meal. My stomach is standing up fairly well against all the different oils and foods. I must admit I am stuffing my face as it all tastes lovely. Afterwards we had a Sufi dancer (that spins and spins and spins) which I must admit was a bit skeptical about when they consider it entertainment. How long can you be excited about someone spinning in a circle for 5 minutes. I was impressed that he walked a straight line after the performance and he did keep my attention. Then we had Nubian dancers and they got many of us up to join in. When they left about 6 of us got up and danced. We had an awesome time and I saw a different part of a shy Chinese guy named Bruce. From the energy he displayed I was sure he had tried a 'special' sort of Egyptian spice. It was absolutely fantastic. I went to bed exhausted and slept through breakfast. Luckily my lovely roomie got me a plate. Then I set off for the centre of Aswan. And here I am.

As I will miss out on lunch too if I don't go now - I will say goodbye. This afternoon I will go on a felucca ride (traditional Egyptian boat) around the islands here and then tonight a sound and light show of the Philae (fil-eye) Temple to worship Isis. The temple worships the God Isis, not me. Then I have a 3am wake up call to go to Abu Simbel. You would have seen a picture of it. Next to the pyramids, it is the most famous Egyptian symbol. I hope to blog tomorrow to bore you with more Egyptian tales if I can. (the reading as always is optional - I'll just pretend you can't leave the house until you've read my ramblings)

Thanks again for the comments. I miss you all and wish you could come with me down the bazaar (to surround me and protect me from the 'hey lady hey lady', not because I want your company or anything - just kidding).

Love from me...
Kym

2006-09-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

Luxor (capital of Egypt - formely called Thebes), Egypt, Africa, Earth (you get the message)

Tuesday 19th Sept 2.22pm

Egypt is amazing. Read it like I am saying it. Egypt is AAAAH - MAAAY - ZING!!!!! I am loving it. I am glad I am on a tour for many reasons. (I feel quite safe here - I have been walking around the city by myself) I was picked up from the airport by my tour operator and was, thankfully, guided through customs. What a culture shock heading for the airport. I was in van and the first thing I saw was a bus loaded, I mean LOADED with people, they were even hanging of the sides. There is a lot of men here. I don't mean heaven for a single girl, just hat you don't see many women. Also the traffic is crazy!! (I am glad I am in a tour bus - it is big - and air-condioned - ahh! It had been over 40 degrees) Cairo is the 2nd biggest city in the world so I expected it to be busy (and has 20 million people) but, boy oh boy. In my ignorance I thought the white line in the middle of the road was to define 2 lanes. Silly me - people drive all over the place - usually trying to squeeze 4 rows of cars where 2 should be. And if there is 30cms between you an the car next to you - that's a lane!! People will try and get thru! Dad - they have more scratches down the side than Italy, way more. I got to my hotel at about 5pm and settled in - it felt strange. My roommate for the trip, Terri from England, turned up and we met our tour leader and got some advice on getting hassled. I learnt quickly the arabic word for NO (and thank you because my mama raised me right) and that had equipped me with good skills in avaoiding persistant shop owners. I am getting very flattered here. If ever you want to be told you are beautiful and asked marriage and that you have pretty eyes (even when I have my sunglasses on so I'm not taking it to heart) - then come to Egypt. People on the tour are really friendly. I get along well with my roomate (phew!) and a Canadian couple. After speaking with the tour leader we went out and got bottles of water and snacks. I went to bed early and after breakfast we headed to Cairo museum. It was facinating. They had such cool stuff - even if you don't like history you had to admire things like 4 gold leaf shrines (the largest was the size of a medium room) and each fitted in eachother and were ornately decorated. Or the sheer magnificence of Tutankarmuns Mask. I'm sure you've seen photos of it - its better in real life. Not just being near 13kgs of gold but seeing the effort they went to for their beliefs. The statues were cool and very well done. They carved them of the pharoahs (an queens and high officials) so that there spirit would recognise them in the afterlife. The servants got statues too so they could serve the king forever (bummer!).
We then went to lunch and it was nice. My plate was heavy on the rice but I sampled some nice stuff (had great food on the boat today). Then off to the pyramids. I got to see them as I flew in (a rare treat I'm told) and they looked teensy. Standing underneath them - soooo not! They were magnificent. I even went inside one (very, very small corridor but much bigger burial chamber). I was tempted to jump into the stone crypt in the floor (the two girls I was with wouldn't have been able to move the stone lid on - so I though it safe) but a guide walked in and so did more people, so alas I did not. Haylee, I had my photos that you gave me on my bag (I take them everywhere) and showed you all what it was like inside a pyramid. Did you like it?
It was an awesome experience and like many things, over too soon. We went to a Papyrus factory which showed us how the ancient egyptians made the first paper.
Then we showered, got more water (I drank 3 litres between 9am and 5pm and didn't pee once - I know you probably aren't interested in my bowel movements but I thought this worthy of note - I sweated sooo much), and went to the train station. We caught a train (sleeper car thank goodness - very cool experience) to Luxor and arrived at 6am (but 4am wake up call) and I have been going hard ever since. I have tried to shop but get a little frustrated with trying to politely leave the shop or just look without them taking down everything I glance at (I will have to get used to it - I'm sure China is the same), but still managed to by myself something. The exchange rate is like 10 egyptian pond to 1 UK pound. Ater seeing prices in Europe - I have to stop nyself from thinking - what! I'm not paying 5 pound for that!! (in reality it is aus$1.50). I have seen some lovely things but it isn't as cheap as I thought and plus I have to carry it around the rest of the world.
This afternoon I go to Karnak Temple and then tomorrow morning (4am wake up call again-man I'mgoing to need a holiday after this holiday) we travel on donkeys (eek!) to the Valley of the Kings - which I have a view from my port window. Hopefully I will get a nice donkey, not a stubborn one that starts galloping for the Sahara desert (next to Pyramids in Cairo - North) and won't stop. I'll jump off while its still running and break something. I can just imagine how my answer to the 'reason for accident' question will look.
Tomorrow afternoon we sail down the Nile. The boat our tour has, is cute (not huge - the bathroom is the size of a shower and water from the shower flood the whol;e bathroom) and has very friendly people. I will enjoy the relax for that afteroon and then we dock in the morning and off again.

My farewell to Italy was, I fear, another drama. My flight was 2 hours late which got me to Rome too late to catc the train and buses didn't go to Fiucinino where I had booked to stay. The oly resort was a taxi. The first cab driver said it would be 70euro to take me there (thats about aus$140) I could have cried. I was already paying 85euro because Rome centre was booked ouit at all the hostels I tried. The 'taxi service' guy (Note the use of ' ') found a cab for 50euro bt I had to go via Rome to drop another passenger off. I said yes - I couldn't miss my flight the next day and by this time it was 11pm. The 'service' guy was talking in rapid Italian to the taxi driver and I knew he was telling the driver to rip me off. It has been the first time I felt treated awful for being a tourist. Not a nice moment. It ended up being an expensive night time tour of Rome (which did look pretty) and after modnight I got to my hotel. The gy charged me 40 for which I was grateful. It is nice to be on a tour now and be led like sheep everywhere!!!
Well I must fly - I have a tour soon. Thanks again my reader for, well, reading and for the comments. I will try to address your questions quicklly.
Sonia - I feel safe and please don't worry, I am mainly with people all the tiome - having fun!!
Rochelle - yes a cup! My Italian love affair!! We have been parted for 4 days now and I pine!!! and yes the we was mum and dad who I left in Venice to go to Eghypt - I meet mum on 26th Sept in Greece.
Debbie - sorry no Dogues palace. It was 10 (or 12) euro and we'd seen enough pretty stuff and probably woulodn't have done it justice. Love you!!

To everyone else - thanks and talk to you soon.
Love Kym

2006-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ah Venice!!!!

Thursday 14th September 9.30pm

Been cruising the canals of Venice today - are you jealous!!!???

We arrived in Venice yesterday afternoon. We are staying at a campsite on the mainland so to speak, about 20mins bus ride from Venice city. The brochure of Camping AlbaDoro said in between the airport and the casino. They failed to mention in is right NEXT to the airport and under the flightpath! The planes stop at about 10.30pm and start at 7am and at least it isnt Heathrow! They have a bus that takes us as far as cars can go and we walk the rest. Yesterday we didnt have a comprehensive map of Venice and as a result spent two hours going 2kms as the crow flies. You wouldnt believe how many little streets and alleys there are. It was amazing though. As soon as you got off the bus there was the Grand Canal and beautiful bridges and gorgeous houses. Just like the photos. We wandered the streets in search of Piazza San Marco (a big courtyard with a church and palace at one end). We mainly followed other people and random signs. We have the dazed and confused tourist look down pat now.
When we finally arrived there was quite a few people around and I got very excited - this was a place I always imagined myself but never really thought I would get here. There were people feeding pidgeons and taking hundreds of photos (I joined them in the later). We wandered a little but headed back to where the bus dropped us off because we were beat and knew it would probably take us another 2 hours to get back. We made it back a little quicker, mainly because we saw major landmarks for us - the place we went past 3 times, the gelati shop we bought an icecream from, the jewellery shop we ogled the 200 euro necklaces, the place we walked past 2 times, the ventian mask shop (which are amazing) and the place we went past already, oops lost again.
Our Tour-de-Venice ended at 8.30pm (once we saw the sunset over a building Monet painted - another highlight for me). The place we are staying is half a caravan. We have stayed in a multitude of places. 3 star boutique hotels, hostels, 1 star hotels marsquerading as 3 star hotels and now a caravan park. What will be next? A 5 star (that would be good)?
We headed out there again today at noon (because my roommates said it is absolutely mad with tourists in the middle of the day). We found out how many tourists are in Italy when we went to Piazza San Marco this time. If you found a bit of pavement you were probably looking between someones legs. Crazy!!! Bloody tourists!!! (We used the public transport today so we are locals!!)
We went to Murano island which is famed for its glass. We watched a deomonstration and WOW! How clever was the man we watched!!! We wandered through the showroom and I saw the most GORGEOUS (note the capitals!) teacup and saucer. I was in love! You all told me I would fall for an Italian and never return home!!! Anyway, it was 250 euro for ONE cup. Ah, love is brief! I would have bought it if it was 50 euro ($100 AUS) which goes to show how enamoured I was. Again I wish I was rich.
Then we went to the cemetary island of Isole the only place to be buried in Venice or should I say buried briefly as they "recycle" the graves. We went back to the main island in search of the Rialto bridge. We eventually found it and sat down and had a cup of tea in its shadow (I am not telling you how much the cup of tea was!) It was a lovely moment, I soaked up the feeling of being in Venice. We caught the boat back to the bus and it was beautiful. The sun had set and the lights were reflected in the water.
Tomorrow we hope to find a museum to find out the history of Venice and will get back early to do mundane jobs like washing and packing, getting ready for the next part of the journey. But at least I am doing the washing in Venice!! I am off to Rome on Saturday evening and then to Egypt Sunday morning. I will blog before I go to Cairo but am not sure what kind of internet availability there will be throughout Egypt.

The day before we arrived at Venice we went to San Giminano and Siena in Tuscany. It was very pretty and was exactly as we expected it. Olive trees, pencil pines and rolling hills. It has rained a little over the past 3 days but I know I will in 40 degree heat soon so am not complaining.

Thanks again for all your comments. I love hearing from you!

Talk to you soon.
Kym

2006-09-12T00:21:00.000-07:00

3rd Installment from Florence.

Tuesday 12th Sept 9.17am

I just had the most wonderful breakfast. Croissants, orange juice and chocolattè so dark brown it was almost black. Hmmmmmm!! I'm in heaven. Mum and dad will have to force me to get in the car to drive away from Firenze!!
We watched the sun set over the Ponte Vecchio last night and saw it lit up with all different colour lights. It was so tranquil and beautiful (change: just a bridge for dad and a religious experience for me). We then went to a cute little restaurantè and have a divine tea. The roast potatoes were the best I have ever tasted. I wish they made chewies with THAT flavour. I am really enjoying the food in Italy (much more than France). It is all full of flavour and really fresh.
We are heading off today and will stay in Tuscany tonight then on to Venice. I will try and blog from there before I depart for Egypt.
I am seeing so much that I feel soooooo grateful to have the opportunity to do so.
I have hogged the house internet computer too much already so I must go. Love to you all.

Kym

P.S. the Europeans have a facination for Nutella, it is on everything, croissants, in crepes, on pizzas, takes up the most room in the spread section in supermarkets. Just thought you would like to know that.

2006-09-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

2nd Installment for Florence...

Monday 11th Sept 5.44pm

Today's itinerary began thus;
The Duomo and inside the Cathedral Di Santa Something-or-other, which was the first church I have been into that required you to cover up (no singlets or short skirts/shorts, etc). A preview of Egypt no doubt. It was very pretty. It is being cleaned at present and so part is covered by scaffolding. It has been the case at many heritage sites we have visited, the prefection being marred by construction, and even though we understand the need for it we can't help but wish that it was being cleaned/preserved next week. It has gotten to the point that we are disappointed if we DON'T see scaffolding. The church is very different from others we have seen (dad breathed a sigh of relief, his catch-cry is "Not another church!") The outside is cream and green marble (not a grey concrete look like so many others) and inside it is vast with lovely mosiac marble floors. Dad and I climbed the 463 steps to the top dome and looked at a spectacular view of Florence. Red stucco rooftops as far as the eye could see. It was nice to sit down for a few moments and discuss art, architecture and philosophy with Dad with Firenze at our feet. It is nice to travel with someone who finds interest in completely opposite things to you and call your attention to them, like how a building is made. It is also nice to travel with someone like you, who loves shopping (mum had already bought a bag for dad, a wallet for her and many other little tidbits). I, myself, have bought a glorious leather journal and a smaller, cheaper one as a notebook to record my travel thoughts. I will probably have to limit myself to that as the place we are staying in while gorgeous and gratefully central, is on the expensive side (the cost per night is my entire daily budget!).

We have decided not to go to Rome. Mum and dad will miss out but I have one day there after Egypt. It would be too much travelling in the car and we love each other too much to fake our smiles in the photos and thinking "Are we having fun yet?" because we are grumpy. So we stay in the area of Tuscany tomorrow (San Giamano and Siena are mum's requests) and then head to Venice. We have yet to book any accomodation but will look on the net tonight and book then. We have learnt our lesson on accomodation in Europe.

One interesting point in Florence (and Paris that we saw) are people selling things on the streets to tourists (because locals are too clever to buy it). Things like posters of Renaissaince art, sunglasses, Gucci and Prada bags. They are laid out on makeshift tables and sheets and the reason we found out last night is because it is illegal to have anything lying on the street. Last night while were persuing the plethora of jewellery on the Ponte Vecchio (ok I was looking!!) and a flurry of activity behind me and in front of Mum and Dad brought our attention to 2 police women scooping up as much posters off the ground as she could. The "Owner" of the stall was busily scooping up as many as he could too. The police woman abused him in Italian (I'm pretty sure it was Italian - some things don't need translating) and all the other dodgy vendors picked up their parcels and were holding them as if they were their personal belongings. Five minutes after the police left, down went the artwork and scarves and toy cars,etc. They certainly kept their eyes down the bridge but still went back to business. It was very interesting to watch.
We are heading back to the Ponte Vecchio tonight to get a sunset shot of the bridge and wander around. The shops are open until 7.30pm which is awesome. We missed out on seeing some museums today and the David statue are they are closed on Mondays. We will try and get up early to see it. I got a photo of the copy statue so if I miss out it is OK. I am in the city that Michelangelo ran around the streets when he was growing up. That counts for something.

I am really loving Florence. It is gorgeous to wander the streets with such history in the cobbled stones and old houses. I am doing OK with the language. I try to speak Italian and the requestee says "Si" (yes) and I think they understand me but I could be asking him if he likes my butt. So far noone has slapped me or walked off in disgust so I don't think I've said anything too bad.

Well, seeing as I vented yesterday there isn't really too much more that I can bore you with. Rest assured that I am having an absolute blast and wish you were all here with me. (most of you anyway! just kidding, if I was rich I'd bring you all here)

Until the next time (maybe tomorrow because we have free internet until 11am - yes I know I sound cheap), stay happy and healthy.

Kym

2006-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bonjourno from Florence, Italy!

Sunday 10th September 9pm

Should I start this blog with the drama or do you need me to do the kiss, kick, kiss method?

No comment?? OK, I'll do what I think.

Florence is divine! It is somewhere I have always wanted to visit and Yippee, I'm here!! We are staying right in the centre of town just 1 minute walk from the Duomo, the famous landmark church and also near the Ponte Vecchio (bridge). We wandered around the town and have mentally spent all our money on the leather products that Florence is famous for and the jewellery stores that line the ENTIRE Ponte Vecchio bridge. Well, mum and I have been seriously window shopping. Dad has been following along behind us, finding small things to amuse himself while we go into another shop. (He is very good to us). We will explore the town a bit more tomorrow as we have two nights here and I will blog tomorrow to tell you more news about that (we have free internet here at the hotel - can you tell...?).
We arrived in Italy yesterday and it wasn't the best introduction. Half an hour since the border we hit a traffic jam and spent 2 hours at a standstill. We exited the next road (along wthe the other 10000 cars that were infront or behind us) and stopped and had tea before moving on as we couldn't find accomodation there. Where we finally stayed was super dodgy. There was no shower, no room service and the toliet was 10 metres away. As you may have guessed we slept in the car. It wasn't a wholly unpleasant thing but something mum and I want to avoid in the future.

We had stayed east of Marseilles the night before and travelled through Nìce in the morning. It took 2 hours to leave Nìce (it is not so nice!!) and headed to Monaco. Because we had driven the entire day before from Paris to Marseilles, it was heaven to get out of the car and look around. I have to confess, we are all suffering from a little car-fever. Tempers have frayed at times and words have been spoken but we are still friends (or pretend to be because we have 7 more days together). We became human again for the two hours we spent in Monaco, which is its own country making my grand total of countries visited to 5.

Apart from our last day in Paris we have basically travelled in the car so I don't have too much to report (that could be read and wouldn't be #?$!#ì ed (bleeped was what I meant for all you who thought I was being rude).
Our last day in Paris was divine! We went to the remaining things on our tourist list which included Montmarte, which is the only hill in the city of Paris and has a great view, Moulin Rouge, which is over-rated and the Eiffel Tower lit up, which is sooo not over-rated. That was definitely the highlight of the day (after reading all your lovely comments on my blog of course!). It was beautiful. Dad went up again and mum and I had a 'moment' together when the lights allover it began to flash. It was awesome! We caught the metro back to the hotel (metro being train), which is actually really easy to use. Unless you don't like being jammed in like Le Sardine'.

As you can probably tell - Italy has better keyboards. No weird letter placements here. I will try to blog tomorrow while we have access to the internet in the hotel.

Thank you for all the comments. It is nice to know that you are interested (by your comments I can tell you have read the blog - that's good, there will be a test later!)
I really appreciate the time you have spent making contact with me. It is great to hear from you all!

Well, no French men have come after me and so far no Italian men, although I got our pizza (authentic Italian!!!!!!) tonight for cheaper because the cashier was talking to me......

Anyway I must fly, others want the computer.
Talk to you soon.
Love Kym

2006-09-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Bonjour!

Thursday 7th Sept

Paris, France

(excusemoi typing mistakes - french have letters in different spaces on keyboard to us)

Viva Le France!!

I am in Paris near the Notre Dame and find Paris Cest`la manifique. We are getting around quite well with limited french and are practising with eachother when we say the words we do know. Yesterday we saw the Lourve, champes elysees, arc de triomphe and went to the top of the eiffel tower. Great view. I can say I peed on the Eiffel Tower too! ( in a toilettte of course). Beautiful town. We are staying in a cheap hotel (which I thought Paris didn`t have) and close to the centre of town - by accident, despite having a GPS we have got lost a few times. Today we will go to MonteMarte, the only hill in Pqris. The sights are amazing but what is really entertaining is the cars. You traffic watch in Paris. People cutting in front of 5 rows of traffic to get where they want, parking in incredibly snall spaces, pushing in, driving thru red lights, etc. I guess it is only entertaining because I am watching not participating! (I live in dread of the GPS calling out Òff route, recalculating`)
The day before we saw a magnificent old Abbey called Mont-Saint-Michel. It is built on a rock just off the coqst; (damn french keyboard), from the 14th century. Dad really enjoyed it and didn`t want to leave.
Prior to that we stopped at US cemetary at Omaha beach in Normqndy, the D-day beach. It is ironic to sqy that it was a tranquil place and very beautiful. I almost expected to see a scar because of what happened there. Instead there was beige sqnd and blue water (not red as it would have been on 6th June 1944). I was affected by 2 graves in particular, one from a man from NY that died on the day of the landing and another of an unknown soldier that someone had put flowers on.
(going backwards here in case you can`t keep up) Monday we took the Eurostar from Waterloo station to Calais to pick up our hire car. We were greeted by poleeze with semi-auto weapons (dad was delighted) and an empty station. Eventually a taxi came and through lots of hand movements we arranged for more Taxis as they were two other groups (welcome to france!) The rest of day went OK. Dad started driving on the `wrong`side of the roqd - which is of course the right with left-hqnd drive. Very weird for him and mum but I felt right at home, so sat in the front seat keeping him in the `right`lane. We were trying to keep off the Autoroute (tollway) to save mpney and hence didn`t make it far that night and ended up in a little port town called Dieppe (we still don`t know how to pronounce it - if you know - tell me). It was late at night when we finally found a room and hadn`t eaten lunch so went in search of tea. Having paid 40 euro for a taxi we decided to go to McDonalds to conserve money. We got lost a few times (GPS kept saying lost satellite) and finally we made it. I was never so glad to see a Maccas (you didn`t think I`d say that after America did you - that is because I still don`t knoz how to ask for vegetarian).
Sunday saw us in the UK at Lyme Park (BBC production of P & P). Scaffolding covered most of one side and it was pouring. Not quite how I imqgined my visit. The house was interesting once qgqin because of the history. Outside we split up because I wanted to find the pond where Colin Firth jumped in and mum didn`t want to get wet and dad went on a roof tour, so we separated. As a result I got lost, took a photo I THINK was the one and had to do the whole `Mr Darcy!`(surprised voice) and `Miss Bennett`scene from P&P by myself at the spot by the lake. I am glad there was noone around to witness me clip clopping along, playacting a scene where Darcy and Elisabeth said goodbye from her suprise visit.
Luckily French weather is warm (back to the present now!) compqred to rainy UK. Tomorrow we heqd down the centre of France to Marseilles. Hopefully it won`t be as long until I next blog - sorry about that.

Nissing you qll (bugger - can`t get the hang of it) qnd zish you zere here!!!!!

Love Kyn (oops Kym)

2006-09-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

Bakewell, Derbyshire, England.

Saturday 2nd September

Bakewell, home of the Bakewell Tart (seriously sinful and seriously yummy) and shire of Derby (origin of Pemberley, Mr Darcy's home). Now all you non-Pride and Prejudice fans - look away now... Woo Hoo!!! I'm in England near Chatworth House (palace really) and Lyme Hall, used in the filming of P&P the movie with Keira Knightley and the BBC production with Colin Firth. Beautiful countryside!! Can't wait to visit the houses (again the suburb of Lesmurdie could fit in these 'houses') and take a gizillion photos!!

I'll catch you up again since its been awhile since I last blogged.

My last day in New York was awesome. My Big Apple Greeter was Mathew Dallas and was fantastic, worth every penny (oops since I didn't pay for him - he was worth millions). He spent hours of HIS time showing me Harlem and the Bronx ( places I wanted to go but was too scared) and Central Park, Rockerfella Centre, Times Square and all the other places on my tourist list. He was facinating with the content and history he mentioned. I had a really good time.
The next day I flew to London, it was a short flight and made with much anticipation. Mum was waiting for me when I exited customs and is still getting back to her original shape after me squeezing her so hard. It was brilliant to see mum and dad again. We chatted before bed and then took off to Oxford the next morning. It was beautiful but a bit of a blowout. We couldn't use the passes we'd bought and didn't want to pay £5 to spend 5 minutes in a building we'd not been really keen to see. I missed out on going into a library that a part of Harry Potter's 1 & 2 where filmed but since the cast weren't actually inside too - I'm not too concerned.

Blenheim Palace was next on the itinerary and was gorgeous (I'm running out of positive adjectives). It was oppulent and very pretty although if I lived there I'd walk around with my hands stitched to my side (too many antiques for clumsy me to knock over). The history was interesting.

Then we went to Stratford-upon-Avon, home of Shakespeare. First we went to Anne Hathaway's cottage (his wife's childhood home) and wandered around the pretty gardens and old Tudor-style house. (Again the history was interesting).
That night I got a free ticket to see Henry VI, a shakespeare play. It was good (although moments of zzzzzz, as in all his plays when you lose track of the plot through dizzying language). It was especially wonderful to see it in that town where he was born, lived and is buried.

The next day I will have to add another time as we are running late to get to Chatsworth. If you don't hear from me again - I've found my Mr Darcy and am not coming home.

Talk to you later (because really - what are my chances...)
Kym

2006-08-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

New York, New York

Monday 28th August

Since the last time I blogged I have travelled halfway around America, so I'll start from where we parted.

San Antonio was lovely, despite the fact that Greyhound lost my bag for 24 hours, leaving me in the same clothes I'd put on 2 days before. Eeew, I can hear you say. Luckily I had a small bottle of perfume and my toothbrush with me. I also had two showers that day and washed the clothes on my back for those who thought double eeew at me walking around the city in 4 day old clothes. My visit to the Alamo was insightful into the history of not only the beautiful building but the foundation of Texas. I won't bore you with the details in case history isn't your thing. Just know that it was a fight of 200 Americans against 2000 Mexicans. Only five women and children survived, no men. It made me patriotic and I'm Australian. People involved in the struggle which I'd heard of was Jim Bowie ( the man that inspired the knife - Dad I didn't see THE knife - just replicas) and David Crockett (the dude with the racoon hat).
I then travelled to Houston (by bus - my knees remembered and were sore after 5 minutes of sitting down). I stayed in a hostel in the Museum district (but the boondocks if you consider distance from public transport) The $15 per night fee and helpful staff more than made up for it. After a call to my mum to let her know I was still alive and had my bag (I'm ashamed to admit it but I went into a panic at the absense of my camera battery charger - triple eeew!), I went to bed as I had a 5am wake up call to make my flight to Savannah. Three hours of flying time (ahh-bliss) later and I was in 'The South'. Meeting up with Jess was awesome. Her parents paid for us (thanks David and Sonia!!) to stay in a gorgeous inn. It was very upscale and had lots of Southern charm.
Savannah is magnificent. It had a small town feel with fantastic gardens and architecture. We walked and walked and then did a Ghost Walking tour that night. Jess and I had to do what Savannahians do and walk around town with a drink in hand. (It is legal to street drink - almost required - as long as it is in a plastic cup and you have only one) We were facinated but a teensy bit sceptical about the stories of Savannah's haunted history. But by the end of our tour, Jess and I were walking close to each other and made sure there was Spanish moss dripping from the trees around the Gastonian Inn before we got tucked in for the night. (Guides theory: No Spanish moss = supernatural activity)
The humidity in Savannah was draining. Jess and I did a whole lot of un-Southern-ladylike sweating. Especially when we had to run a kilometre (sorry - in America) MILE, to catch her airport transfer. We had a great time together and I was sad to see her go. Especially when I had to get on a Greyhound bus and go to Washington D.C. overnight.
The drive ended up being not too bad ( I knew I would have a bed for the next night somewhere) and I met Robert who had finished up a summer camp over here (I've met heaps of people like that!) and was going home to London. He had some great stories, making me appreciate the people I meet as well as the places I see.
But now I am New York. I was ready to be scornful of New Yorkers arrogance of their town and proclaim that it is over-rated. But I can't. I love it.
I was lucky to get an extra night at a hostel in Chelsea and so began exploring the Big Apple about 4pm Sunday. It was raining but still many of people around. I got plenty of strange looks as I had a clear plastic poncho protecting my backpacks (thanks nan - a lifesaver!). I wasn't sure if the third degree was because of my 'look' or the backpack. New Yorkers probably have more cause to be tense about such things than most. Especially when I visited the World Trade Centre site/Ground Zero today. It was haunting when I imagined what it would have been like on the streets on that fateful day.
I have done so much today that I can only list all the things I've seen (thoughts and impressions would take me hours to write and you hours to read). So, Monday in NY: Ground Zero, Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty (which is actually smaller than I imagined), Fifth Ave, Wall St, City Hall, Macy's, Union Square, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Empire State Building (which is taller than I expected) and so many more things.
When I set out this morning there were a lot of police cars on the street and I wondered what kind of neighbourhood had I landed myself in. Don't panic mum, I saw later a sign saying 10th Precinct. Phew! Overall I feel comfortable walking around by myself. I have been blessed to be kept safe thus far. One thing I love about New York is the smell. No really, it's good. Really!! It is the smell of a dozen different kinds of food, car exhaust, humidity and a hundred thousand bodies. Really it is nice!! There are more food choices within a two block radius than in the whole of W.A. (Ok a teensy bit of exageration - but you get the picture) I'm having some beautiful food. And if you are wondering where the Amazon is - it is in New York. With every take away you get at least 20 serviettes (oops another embellishment), but it is keeping my costs low by me not having to buy tissues.
I have one more day in NY and hope to get to Central Park and maybe the upper West/East sides. I am meeting a Big Apple Greeter tomorrow who is a local and will spend 2 or 3 hours showing me THEIR side of NY.

All in all I'm having a blast. There are times when I get home sick for family and friends and Perth life, so much that it is an ache. But, thank God, I get re-vitalised by something new. This time it is New York.
Thank you for sharing my journey with me so far. I'll be sure to back soon to bore you with more details!!

Love to you all,

Kym

2006-08-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been everywhere man!
Las Vegas, Nevada - Phoenix, Arizona - Lordsburg, New Mexico - El Paso, Texas - San Antonio, Texas...

If you want only happy news, scroll down until you see this *****

Warning: Reading beyond this point may offend and distress some viewers. (It did to me!)

Itinerary of 36hours on a Greyhound bus:

Get squished next to someone chatty
They leave and finally you can lie down on two seats
Get sore knees from curling up
Wake up frequently with stops
Wait in layover for 2 hours
Sit on sleeping bag and then floor - anything to get horizontal with legs stretched out
Get on new bus next to someone circumfrancely challenged (overweight - for those who didn't understand the euphamism)
Get comfortable
Have your neighbour sit on your leg
Be patient for 5 minutes then wiggle enough so she gets the message and moves back to her side
Put on neck pillow and eye mask and blanket. Then don't fall asleep because because the guy behind you is snoring really loud.
Breathe deeply
Have kids in front of you kick your legs like its a game
More deep breaths
The bus stops for a break
Get back on bus and try to fall asleep before phlegm guy starts up again
Get 20mins sleep before you get woken up by snoring guy and neighbour sitting on your leg again

Times by 36 (number of hours)

*****

San Antonio, Texas - Wednesday 23rd August 3pm

Got 15 minutes of free internet - so here goes...

San Antonio is beautiful. The architecture is lovely, a cross between southern and spanish. The have a path that follows the river called Riverwalk. It's below street level and is made with limestone, trees and lovely shrubs. It would be awesome to chuck an inflatable mattress on it and float from one side of the city to the other.
I had my first healthy meal since I got to America. I think Greyhound has shares in McDonalds cause its the only place they stop. It was a "small" salad that was on a dinner plate, heaped and overflowing. The saying is true. Everything is bigger in Texas. I even ordered a quiche with muchrooms in it (and ate the whole lot mum!!) I am that hard up for vegetables. I have decided to fly to Savannah instead of busing it. I will meet Jess Lang on Friday and spend two days with her. She has her computer so I'll get her to teach me how to upload photos to blogs.
I'm going to the Alamo tomorrow - I'll keep you posted.

Love Kym

2006-08-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Leaving Las Vegas

Monday 21st August 5pm

Well my time in Vegas is through! I'm heading to San Antonio Texas. I have had fun. Vegas is pretty cool! Well actually it is pretty hot! (Over 40 degrees every day I've been here - I didn't forget that I am in the middle of the desert!) Where else but Vegas would a hotel looking like two huge river paddle steamboats NOT look out of place! I didn't lose any money at the tables here! I didn't win any money here either (sorry Kamahl!) I don't know if it was a sacreligious to come to Vegas and not gamble - but that's me!
My favourite part of Vegas would have to be the Bellagio water fountains and the Sirens of TI show. Once I got over the whole no-sleep-because-of-the-cannons thing - I watched it and really enjoyed it. It is full of singing, dancing, fireworks, theatrics, near naked bodies and plenty of double entendres. True Vegas style! If you were only allowed to go to one place - come to Vegas. Its a one stop world tour. The hotels are pretty full on and some are beautiful (particularly the Venetian with its indoor canal) But I must admit (this is going to sound stuck up but I don't mean it that way) that knowing I am going to those places for REAL (Egypt, Venice, Rome, New York, etc) made me less excited to wander in them. Sorry!

So far on my trip everyone has been friendly, I have had no major hassles (quick touch wood), well not so much that I can't handle (again touch wood). Someone said to me that I look like an American and it wasn't until I spoke that they realised I wasn't. I also have been walking fast, looking like I know where I'm going and not making eye contact. So maybe that's why noone bothers me. I fit in!!!!!

I am settling into being in a different country. I don't need to pinch myself anymore that I am out of Australia. I still have moments of disbelief, like seeing someone in what I think should be the drivers side, reading or sleeping. Also the toliet bowls here are huge!! You could go fishing in them. Swimming from one side to the other would take longer than crossing the English channel. (not that you'd want to do either!) I wanted to take a photo of one, but I thought someone would freak out if they saw a flash going off and the sound of a photo being taken in there. Maybe another place.

I am taking the Greyhound bus to San Antonio and it will take me (with layovers) 32 hours. I probably will only spend the day in San Antonio then do another all-nighter and all-dayer to Savannah to meet Jess. I'll blog when I can.

Well my internet time is running out and at $12 an hour I can't afford a few more minutes.
So good bye from Vegas. They say 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' so if someone tells you off for knowing what I've told you in this blog - you didn't hear it from me!!!!

Love you all and miss you! thanks again for the comments - they keep me sane!

Kym

2006-08-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday 19th August 2006

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!

I found out how to use the internet in the room of my hotel and thought I'd do some blogging in the final minutes of my birthday (even though it ceased to be Saturday for Perthites 13 hours ago).

I had an awesome day at the Grand Canyon. Wow!!!! Magnificent is an insipid word to use to describe how beautiful it is. If you could bottle the beauty of it, you'd make a fortune. The sheer size is amazing. Looking down at the river - our guide told us that the rapids are a 3 feet drop. From where I was standing it looked liked ripples on a stream. I flew to the North Rim to a working cattle ranch. We drove down to the edge on 4 wheelers. It was so beautiful, so peaceful and quiet. Like so many other things I wish my camera could capture the entire moment. What the view REALLY looked like (not a faded 2D image), the feel of the breeze, the smell of the dirt and the raw wonder of the existence of something so captivating. I won't wax eloquent for much more - it really was too amazing to put into words.

After I came back from my tour I had a sleep (5am start). I didn't get heaps of sleep last night because I wasn't prepared for the canon blasts. I'm staying at Treasure Island and they have a pirate show at the entrance of the hotel called Sirens of TI (you might have heard of it or seen parts of it on Miss Congeniality 2) Anyway, the last show is at 11.30pm and fireworks and canons going off next to my window didn't promote sleep. First the postal workers were conspiring against me (and my sleep) and now pirates.
When I woke up, I looked through Caesers Palace and the Bellagio. The Bellagio reminded me of Ocean's Eleven the movie and I expected Matt Damon to pop up around the corner. I had my birthday dinner there. Before you get too impressed, it was a takeaway smoothie. I went outside the Bellagio and watched the musical water fountains for about an hour (one song every 15min). It was totally awesome. If I could have pulled up an armchair I would have watched it all night. It was graceful and poetic. I will definitely watch it again tomorrow night.

I have decided to stay an extra night in Vegas so I can spend a whole day on the strip tomorrow. I'll keep you updated.

But before then I should tell you about my last night in Hollywood.
Well it's official, I really like Hollywood. Going to the premiere (well the crowded street opposite the premiere) made my stay more than just ticking off a list of things to see. The atmosphere was excitable. I was there with a fellow backpacker (from Brazil) and we watched the "stars" arrive. I say "stars" because the first half a dozen "stars" who showed up we'd never heard off before. One of them was even an Australian. The movie 'Snakes on a Plane' struck me as a kill fest and I wasn't planning on seeing it, so I only went because really when am I ever going to be at a Hollywood premiere again!!??
Samuel L. Jackson arrived and after talking to the media, came across the street. Before then I would have said I would be level-headed with stars (no screaming out that I love them, etc.) but my heart was pounding when Samuel (see we're on a first name basis now that we made contact) - walked past. I reached out my hand to shake his but only brushed it. It was cool. I'm not so far gone that I haven't washed where we touched. I have, many times in fact. It just changed my trip from something anyone can do and see to my own personal experience.

Well I'm sitting in my king size bed eating chocolate (I ate an apple yesterday mum and a banana this morning - in fact I got 2 bananas for $1 - jealous dad?). I am on Vegas time (meaning stay up late and sleep in) so I might surf the net for future holiday locations for awhile then shut my curtains on the lights of Vegas and go to sleep. Have I made you wild with envy yet? I hope so because even being here with the amazing sights - I miss you all!
Thank you again for the comments! I really appeciate them - its really nice to hear from everyone!!!!!!
Until tomorrow... oops it is tomorrow already. Well until the afternoon... Bye!

2006-08-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hello - will be quick - running out of internet time...

I saw Samuel L. Jackson and touched his hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome huh - so glad I went. Photo's are blurry but I definitely saw him
Kym

2006-08-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Thank you so very much for all the comments!! They made me smile and laugh and miss you all heaps! Please keep them coming you have no idea how much they brightened my day.

Thursday 17th August 5.30pm

Still tired!! Didn't get much sleep last night. I got an unrequested wake up call from the US Postal Service depot next door. They didn't put that in the hostel brochure: "You'll be thrilled with our service and being woken up at 4am by revving engines and screeching metal."
I'm complaining I know - but for all who know me - don't mess with this girl's sleep!!! Really I'm OK - having a great time.
Breakfast was the same as dinner, Cheerio's again. I'm beginning to wonder why I bought such a big box. I've also tried Twinkies and a Ben and Jerry's icecream. Bring on the All-American food (loaded with sugar!).
I went to Santa Monica and Beverly Hills today. The beach was pretty. I saw a 'Baywatch' lifeguard. He wasn't as buff as I expected. The pier was cool. I was on the lookout for the parts that were used in the movie 'Cellular'. I think I saw some.
Next was Rodeo Drive. It was strange to walk past a business you've never seen before and recognise the name (Gucci, Ralph Lauren). It's like being in an alternate reality. Everything is different yet strangely familiar. I went into Tiffany's & Co. - they had some nice pieces. It's the only shop on Rodeo Drive that I went into. Jewellery is about the only thing I can justify spending $300 on - not a scarf from Louis Vuitton. Some shops have chandeliers and a minimalist look. Considering how much they pay for square footage (rent up to $40,000 per month my guide book says), you'd think they would be jam packed.
On my way home on the bus from Beverly Hills I noticed them setting up for a movie premiere at the Graumans Chinese Theatre. The movie is 'Snakes on a Plane' and is at 9pm. I'm not sure if I am going to go. There will be loads of people I'm sure. I don't think I need a photo to add to my collection of a far off dot that may or may not be Samuel L. Jackson. Maybe if Keanu Reeves was going to be there. Also considering tomorrow is a weekday (hence work day) I'm sure to get another 4am wake up call, maybe an early night might be the better idea.
I am off to Vegas tomorrow on the Greyhound bus. It's a 7hr ride and I'll get into Las Vegas at about 6.30pm. The day after that will be my birthday and I'll be on a tour of the Grand Canyon all day (if all goes well) and so I'll blog again as soon as I can.

Thanks again for the comments - they are truly fantastic.

Kym

2006-08-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

The day that lasted 48 hours...

Wed 16th August 06

Welcome to Hollywood - what's your dream? Well I have been in L.A. for 9 hours and still no Richard Gere.

Having left Perth at 12.20am Wednesday 16th August, I finally arrived in L.A. at 7.35am Wednesday 16th August. And no it wasn't a 7 hour flight. I'm a little bit tired. The flight was fairly uneventful (aka it didn't blow up! as one passenger told me on the way to the US - the terrorist plot in Heathrow had been planned for today - I'm glad I didn't know that before I booked my ticket). Both flights from Perth and Sydney were full and I felt like I was canned for 24 hours. Fortunately a guy next to me knew the pilot so he got upgraded and I got a spare space next to me. This allowed for a few extra centemtres and enabled me to curl up like a slater and get the two hours sleep I've had since Tuesday.
Being in L.A. is surreal. I can pick out many things I've seen in so many movies: the black & white police cars, the newspaper boxes on street corners, the 7/11's, the palm trees lining the streets, lots of traffic and of course the Hollywood sign. I think I even managed to see the place on the freeway where Keanu Reeves ran for the bus in Speed. But then I could have been hallucinating. Did I mention I am tired?
I spent the day walking around the Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are parts of it that are seriously commercialised - but I had fun anyway. So far I have taken 37 photos. If I keep that as my average number of photos per day, I'll have about 2500 to show you when I get back. I can hear your knees knocking from here!
It is incredible to be so far away from home and yet life here isn't so different. I think I was expecting to see several film shoots in progress and bump into Brad and Angelina. Oh well - maybe tomorrow.

I hope everyone is well in Perth. I'll prattle on some more about my trip very soon.

Kym

Testing 1, 2, 3...

2006-06-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday 13th July

Hey y-all,

Just testing my blogspot. I'm counting down. 5 weeks to go.

I hope to update the blog every few days (depending on internet access). You can comment on my blog and I will be able to read these (as will everyone else so keep the juicy stuff for my email address).

I look forward to journeying around the world with you.

Kym