From Russia with Love...

Last New Years we decided to spend it in Russia. Eight of us caught the Trans-Mongolian from Beijing and spent the next six days on the train until we arrived in Moscow. The train ride was SO much fun, many questioned our sanity when we said we were doing it straight through.... but by the time you got up.... got all of your layers on to go outside for each stop (it was freezing!!! The lowest was -28 C). and went to the food, which changed from China (boring but free food as we were in first class and cheap 'Great Wall' wine!)to Mongola (so beautiful... carved wood and decorated with silver tinsel for xmas) to Russia (Olga and Tatiana - the cooks, became our great friends.... we celebrated NYE with them in Siberia - Trying to teach games when we don't speak the same languaged caused for lots of laughs!!) time flew by!

We also had the added bonus of getting to celebrate Christmas twice...YES twice!! Once with our families in Australia (and Hot) then in St Petersburg we got to have an Orthodox Christmas (in the SNOW)!

On the way home I stopped in Greece, Morocco and then caught up with the others for a day stopover in Bali.

A day in Bali.... We got in at 8am and left around 10pm at night, so we hired a car with a driver and pretty much saw what most do in a week! We went shopping in Kuta, had dinner in Jim Byron Bay, when and saw the rice terraces, the temples and the monkey park. I also had a fish pedicure..... weirdest experience of my life! haha
This was truly one of those once in a lifetime trips ;)

Dubai and Eastern Europe

This past winter we went to Europe and had a stopover in Dubai. Word of Caution: If flying Emirates and you have a stopover don't expect to have a seat on the next flight!!! What you say?? Yeah I know, I thought if you had booked and paid for a flight the seat was yours. Turns out they over book all their flights, so we got to the airport 2hrs before only to be told that the plane was full!!! After lots of talking and searching the guy managed to get us on a flight to Prague (we were going to Rome), but we only had 15 mins to make it to the gate...oh this is where the fun begins! Again I was reminded that whilst uggs are the most comfortable thing to wear on long plane flights, they are not quite your best of option for running through airports in! Haha, We did make our flight though phew!

Whilst in here we did the Dune safari tour including dinner in the desert. We got henna tatoos. Us being dorks taking a photo of us in the lift at the 7 star resort (the only way you could see the hotel was to make a booking, the cheapest thing was afteroon tea - so $120 afternoon tea we had!). Us staying at the Atlantis hotel, ordering breakfast.... you know you are somewhere fancy when the cheapest meal is room service haha

Dubai was fantastic! I call it the "Rich Man's Thailand", as it has the fancy hotels, shopping and attractions... but at a MUCH higher price than Thailand/ Bali/ Vietnam etc.

After this I then went off to travel Scandanavia whilst my friends went to Croatia. Denmark and Sweden were both really nice. Here I am taking a cruise to visit Hamlet's House and whilst others go to Prague for the castles.... I go for the mirror maze!! ;) (and the castles!!)

On the way home I had a stopover in Melbourne and went Air walking with the sharks... this was Amazing!! I thought I would have been more nervous, but when you in the water there is too much to look at to be freaked out!

Back to America!

As I have mentioned before I love America, and generally considered it my second home! Last year I got to go back and travel with some of my roommates from college over there... we had a LOT of fun! Including getting one of the few tickets for The Hills Wrap Party at the Roosevelt Hotel :-)Here I am playing on 'The Big Piano' (probably obvious considering the photo..haha). You don't understand how much i HAD to do this, ever since I was about ten and watched the movie I dreamed of being able to run up and down this piano, and then i found out you could -in NYC! We were there on the 4th of July, so we got to see the sky painted Red, White and Blue... so pretty! We also went to the Nathan Hot dog eating, What's more American than a hot dog eating competition?? ;) Your newest Broadway Star!! Haha

Sightseeing in LA the 'cool' (It was over 100 degrees that day we needed the wind) way!

Take me to the ball game!
We also went to Vegas and Disneyland... Space mountain is ALWAYS worth the wait!!!!

This was in 2010, and you guessed it I have just booked my ticket to go back again this June. This time I will be going to Myrtle Beach (you can do a safari with baby lions and monkeys... how cute!), then a few days in LA, and up to San Fran so I can see Yosemite, Napa Valley and I want to go Hang Gliding over the bay..... needless to say I CAN'T WAIT!!!

A fish named Fred.... no not really!

I just got a FISH!!!!! I am beyond excited!! I have been talking about getting a fish for the last 6 months (since i bought a fish tank in Melbourne last July), and i just have not got around to getting one. Well for my birthday i got one ;) Yay!!!!
Here it is in its new home....


Now i just need to remember to feed him each day! Oh, yeah and to train him to watch good tv shows!! hehe

It's all in a name though - what should i call him???

Seeing MJ in action!

Seeing Michael Jordan play basketball still remains as one of my ALL time favourite memories. And to think it was just a coincidence that it happened. 'Z' and i planned our trip to Washington DC to see the capital, but when we were there we found out there was a home game playing. We didn't even have a computer where we stayed so we went to the library to print out the tickets. Sure we were up high in bleeches (almost nose bleed level haha), and no i didn't get to high five him. But i did get to see him slam dunk and play a great game!! Watching the world's best at somthing is truly inspiring..

Hey Z, was this also the night when we caught the train home.. and we had to get off at another stop because i was busting to go to the restroom? Remember how we found that janitor and he took us through the shady tunnels... we thought we were going to die! But i said i didn't care as long as i had an empty bladder haha, What a bizzare spot to have a toilet!!!!

Kenya

I'm not sure how i got the idea to go to Kenya in the first place... I was there just under a month... now i am the first to admit i did NOT cope well! I am by no means a luxury or needy person, but this was out of my comfort level. I stayed in a slum about an hour out of Nairobi and i lived with a family there. This family was so unbelievably KIND and beautiful, they went out of their way to look after me. Things like using some heating tool to heat up a bucket of boiling water for me, so i wouldn't have to have a cold shower (every 3rd day we could shower), showing me how to use the toilet (hole in the ground), and ensured i was picked up by a local kid to be walked to the orphanage each day (as i was the only white person in the community of 4 million they wanted me to feel safe).

The things that made this trip really hard for me was the food and health concerns. In the orphanage the only toilet for everyone to use had no plumbing attached... there was maggots and flies swarming the room, there was sewage in the streets. And for meals it was a lot of ugali (a cornstarch mix with spinach and bananas mushed in) and other things i was unsure even how to describe. I ended up rashening myself one square of choc for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from the chocolate bar i had bought at the airport. The family knew i wasn't eating well so said they would have a special treat of chicken... i sooo excited! The kids in the family then came in with bloody hands proud that they had killed the chickens ( i was so hungry i was o.k to over look this), then when dinner came.. my chicken breast meat was nowhere to be seen.... oh no apparently they sell the good meat down the street to the butcher with no refrigeration... our 'special treat' was chicken wing tips and necks - yes, what we would feed our dogs.

On the other hand the safari's i went on in Africa were very westernised and spectacular. We got to see the big 5, stay in the massive pre-set up tents with wooden floors and met some masi warriors. This trip was a lot of fun... just be warned cars in Kenya break down ALL the time... we had to get out and push start our van on several occassions - once near the lions arrrh!

Thailand

As i am holidays and am bored i thought i would put up photos from past holidays. These ones are from my best friend's wedding. She decided to have it in Koh Samui. I never wanted to go to Thailand for years, because i watched 'Broken Down Palace' in my teens and i was freaked out that it could happen to me!! I am so glad i went though as it is an incredible place. Her wedding was picture perfect and so beautiful...

I had wanted to go elephent trekking for sooo long, so this was a truely cool experience!

No rain or heat was going to 'rain on our parade' haha. As it poured during the night we were driven in golf carts to the area, and then we decided to jump in the pool after the photos to cool down from the heat :)