I have recently started a new job, it is waitressing at a fine dinning restaurant on a wharf near my hostel here in Sydney. I have no experience what's-so-ever, so its a lot to learn, but let's hope I'm up to the challenge.
The weirdest thing happened to me last night while working at the restaurant. We were almost ready to close down, there was just one table left of two people, a man and a woman. I had just given them their change and the lady, who was a little drunk, started talking about how I should get the tip and how its horrible that we have to share it. I really didn't know what to say to her so I smiled and nodded along, then she grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. She proceeded to take the change I had given and shove it down my shirt, literally her whole hand was in my shirt, I guess that was her way of saying I should keep the tip.
This was quite the awkward and uncomfortable moment for me, and in situations like that, not that there have been many, I tend to laugh, becuase my body physically does not know what else to do. Then she pulled me closer and kissed me, luckily on the cheek. I backed away and remained stunned for the rest of the night, while other co-workers who had seen this event, were left shocked.
I then proceeded to try and fish out the money stuck in my bra, I couldn't actually find it all until I got home and undressed.
Just one eventful night among many on my travels.
Saturday 29 December 2012
Saturday 1 December 2012
Paint Party!
About a week ago I went out with my roomates, because they dragged me out. I really didn't want to go, I had just finished working 10 hours and wanted to go lay down in my bed and not move for the rest of the night. They would not let me do that, they nagged me until I finally gave in and went out with them. Our hostel usually has something going on every night, usually a different set of clubs or bars. This night there was a paint party going on at Empire, a club just accross the street from our hostel. It sounded intriguing, which was also part of the reason I went out, so a group of us headed over.
There was a large line up when we got there, almost everyone was in white or underwear, for some odd reason. The club is divided into three sections, the top floor, then the middle floor, where the paint party was and the main floor, where you just drink and sit at tables. So we started off on the top floor where we got a couple free drinks then headed down to the middle floor. It was crazy in there, like any other club, it had dance music on and was a bit dark except for some random flashing lights, but it also had this mist spreading through the whole area. The DJ was at the far back surrounded by plastic wrap, with a small stage in front of him where there were a couple girls with paint guns spraying the crowd. A small bar was at the entry way and as you walked towards the crowd of people dancing, which was basically a mosh pit, you could feel the humidity and the excitment of everyone around. So me and 3 other girls from the hostel, decided to swig our drinks back and dive right in. It was difficult trying to push our way through everyone, but we managed it, and we had a lot of fun, more fun then I've had since I've been here. The floor was absolutely slick with paint, which made it very hard to walk or dance, I was in fear of falling on my ass every minute, which actually happened at one point. We had made our way through the bodies to the front of the crowd, when we were dancing, my feet slid right out from under me and I crashed to the floor, taking out one of my roomates who landed right on top of me. It was quite the hilarious moment, we both burst out laughing and this guy behind me just scooped me up and put me back on my feet, like it was nothing.
Needless to say I was completely covered in paint after that.
Around 12:30 we decided to get some Mcdonalds and call it a night. When we got back to the hostel I immediately took a shower, my hair was so hard from all the paint I was afraid I would stab myself with it in the middle of the night. All-in-all it was an amazing night that I am glad I decided not to pass up on. Although one guy at one point did pinch my ass while we were dancing, but I was having such a good time I didn't care that much.
If your ever in Sydney and there is a paint party going on, GO!
There was a large line up when we got there, almost everyone was in white or underwear, for some odd reason. The club is divided into three sections, the top floor, then the middle floor, where the paint party was and the main floor, where you just drink and sit at tables. So we started off on the top floor where we got a couple free drinks then headed down to the middle floor. It was crazy in there, like any other club, it had dance music on and was a bit dark except for some random flashing lights, but it also had this mist spreading through the whole area. The DJ was at the far back surrounded by plastic wrap, with a small stage in front of him where there were a couple girls with paint guns spraying the crowd. A small bar was at the entry way and as you walked towards the crowd of people dancing, which was basically a mosh pit, you could feel the humidity and the excitment of everyone around. So me and 3 other girls from the hostel, decided to swig our drinks back and dive right in. It was difficult trying to push our way through everyone, but we managed it, and we had a lot of fun, more fun then I've had since I've been here. The floor was absolutely slick with paint, which made it very hard to walk or dance, I was in fear of falling on my ass every minute, which actually happened at one point. We had made our way through the bodies to the front of the crowd, when we were dancing, my feet slid right out from under me and I crashed to the floor, taking out one of my roomates who landed right on top of me. It was quite the hilarious moment, we both burst out laughing and this guy behind me just scooped me up and put me back on my feet, like it was nothing.
Needless to say I was completely covered in paint after that.
Around 12:30 we decided to get some Mcdonalds and call it a night. When we got back to the hostel I immediately took a shower, my hair was so hard from all the paint I was afraid I would stab myself with it in the middle of the night. All-in-all it was an amazing night that I am glad I decided not to pass up on. Although one guy at one point did pinch my ass while we were dancing, but I was having such a good time I didn't care that much.
If your ever in Sydney and there is a paint party going on, GO!
Christmas is coming, sort of
So a lot has happened since my last blog. I finally have a job, in a coffee shop near Wynyard station. Lets just say its not my ideal job, but its paying the bills, and thats basically all its doing. I've had lots of time, since I've been in Sydney now for over 3 months, to look around and find my barrings and let me say, I would very much like to be in another city already, not that I don't like Sydney, its an alright city, but its just that, a normal big city. Australia has so much to offer, staying in Syndey is a waste, I really need to get out and explore. But my money situation as it is, will not let me.
I have been making the best of Sydney though, it has some great places to eat, such as, the Burger Joint in Kings Cross. It is amazing, their food is really good, and its not overly expensive either. I reccommend it to anyone looking for a good eat in Sydney.
Another good place to eat is Burgerlicious, which is also in Kings Cross, quite the choice of burgers, with some different toppings, especially if your vegetarian, which I am, they have really good veggie burgers.
Kings Cross is actually a good area for food and pubs/clubs, it may have a bad rap, but its alright. I'm currently living in the Potts Point area, so not directly in the middle of Kings Cross technically, but still that area.
It also just hosted a festival for a week, there were tons of stalls with people selling different things, and one I happened to come by, which was a photography stall with some amazing photographs, its called Panos Photography.
Yesterday I went to the Queen Victoria Building to see it "snow". They have a huge Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree in the middle of the building that goes up 2 floors. We went to the top floor to the tip of the tree and at 1:00pm they made it "snow" from the dome. It was basically suds being blown in through the grates and falling gently which made it look like snow, it was magical I have to say. I really enjoyed it, it just hasn't felt like christmas here, being so hot and sunny and all, so that really put me in the christmas spirit, at least for a little while, I even got my picture taken with Santa.
I must say, Sydney does have some interesting things going.
I have been making the best of Sydney though, it has some great places to eat, such as, the Burger Joint in Kings Cross. It is amazing, their food is really good, and its not overly expensive either. I reccommend it to anyone looking for a good eat in Sydney.
Another good place to eat is Burgerlicious, which is also in Kings Cross, quite the choice of burgers, with some different toppings, especially if your vegetarian, which I am, they have really good veggie burgers.
Kings Cross is actually a good area for food and pubs/clubs, it may have a bad rap, but its alright. I'm currently living in the Potts Point area, so not directly in the middle of Kings Cross technically, but still that area.
It also just hosted a festival for a week, there were tons of stalls with people selling different things, and one I happened to come by, which was a photography stall with some amazing photographs, its called Panos Photography.
Yesterday I went to the Queen Victoria Building to see it "snow". They have a huge Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree in the middle of the building that goes up 2 floors. We went to the top floor to the tip of the tree and at 1:00pm they made it "snow" from the dome. It was basically suds being blown in through the grates and falling gently which made it look like snow, it was magical I have to say. I really enjoyed it, it just hasn't felt like christmas here, being so hot and sunny and all, so that really put me in the christmas spirit, at least for a little while, I even got my picture taken with Santa.
I must say, Sydney does have some interesting things going.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
The Job Hunt
Being in Sydney for a month now, with still no job, I am starting to get a little worried, I must say. I should confess that I thought it would be a lot easier to get a job. I've been, not so slowly, draining my funds and if something does not pop up soon, well this trip will be over way before I thought it would.
I have talked to quite a few people in the hostel and they all seem to have come from other parts of Australia. A lot have worked in other cities and I am thinking if a job does not arise soon I will be heading off towards Perth. It may be that Sydney is not the city I am suppose to reside in for a long period of time; I do not believe this city suites me. I think everyone has places where they feel more comfortable or feel more settled then others. To quote one of my favourite books, maybe this city and I just have different words.
I have booked this hostel for 2 more weeks, and if no job comes my way before then I am leaving and heading to Perth. I thought the Margaret River region would be a nice place to visit and see if maybe I'll find a job somewhere out there. If anyone has any advice about that region I would love to hear it.
I have talked to quite a few people in the hostel and they all seem to have come from other parts of Australia. A lot have worked in other cities and I am thinking if a job does not arise soon I will be heading off towards Perth. It may be that Sydney is not the city I am suppose to reside in for a long period of time; I do not believe this city suites me. I think everyone has places where they feel more comfortable or feel more settled then others. To quote one of my favourite books, maybe this city and I just have different words.
I have booked this hostel for 2 more weeks, and if no job comes my way before then I am leaving and heading to Perth. I thought the Margaret River region would be a nice place to visit and see if maybe I'll find a job somewhere out there. If anyone has any advice about that region I would love to hear it.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Neon Socks
Since I'm in Australia and all my friends are back home in Canada I decided to try something out to make us feel a bit more connected and know we were thinking of each other.
I had baught 2 packs of bright neon socks that I was going to take with me. As they were laying on the bed I got an idea, now this may sound a little lame, but I thought it would be fun, and my friends agreed. I decided I would give my three very good friends each a pair of socks. We were all going our seperate ways soon and I thought it would be fun if we randomly picked days while we were away and each of us wore the socks on the same day and then we would write each other and say what we did while wearing the socks. It would be sort of like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Neon Socks, except the socks technically wouldn't be traveling, we would be, well at least a couple of us would be. I would be in Australia, my one friend would be in Toronto and my two other friends would be back home in Ottawa.
So our first official Neon Socks Day came. Yesterday we all pulled on our socks and went out into the world. Nothing really spectacular happened, I had a drink with a friend here in Sydney, two friends back home went to class, but at least one friend did something remotely interesting. Our friend in Toronto played her first game of volleyball in the socks.
I am hoping that the next day we do this we will have way more interesting stories to tell.
I had baught 2 packs of bright neon socks that I was going to take with me. As they were laying on the bed I got an idea, now this may sound a little lame, but I thought it would be fun, and my friends agreed. I decided I would give my three very good friends each a pair of socks. We were all going our seperate ways soon and I thought it would be fun if we randomly picked days while we were away and each of us wore the socks on the same day and then we would write each other and say what we did while wearing the socks. It would be sort of like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Neon Socks, except the socks technically wouldn't be traveling, we would be, well at least a couple of us would be. I would be in Australia, my one friend would be in Toronto and my two other friends would be back home in Ottawa.
So our first official Neon Socks Day came. Yesterday we all pulled on our socks and went out into the world. Nothing really spectacular happened, I had a drink with a friend here in Sydney, two friends back home went to class, but at least one friend did something remotely interesting. Our friend in Toronto played her first game of volleyball in the socks.
I am hoping that the next day we do this we will have way more interesting stories to tell.
Friday 24 August 2012
Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains, lets just say they were amazing. It was a tour I signed up for at the hostel, they picked us up and dropped us off 10 hours later. We saw quite a bit in that time, and did a hell of a lot of walking. It took about an hour and a half to get to Leura, a small town in the blue mountains. From there we traveled to the south side and did an hour hike around the rainforest there, it was gorgeous, mostly eucalyptus trees, but there were a few others, and some beautiful water falls. But I swear we must of hiked up a good 200 stone and wood steps along the way.
Our tour guide, who seemed like he smoked a lot of pot, at least when we first met him, was actually quite good. He didn’t give information about everything, but he was funny and seemed to know what he was doing and where he was going, he was also the driver. All in all I liked him and he knew of some amazing spots to see the most spectacular views.
Once we were done on the south side we had lunch on this amazing rock lookout called, Anvil Rock, you could see everything from there. Afterwards we trekked over to the north side and did another hour long walk through the brush along side a small waterfall. There were also more stairs, lets just say the whole day was quite the workout. We then headed over to see the three sisters, which are quite famous it would seem, tons of tourists flock there to see them. They were great to see, but not my favourite part of the day. And of course half way through this tour my camera battery decided to die and I didn’t get any pictures of the second half of the tour.
All in all a great tour, very glad I did it, definitely worth the money.
P.S. I got my luggage back finally!
Our tour guide, who seemed like he smoked a lot of pot, at least when we first met him, was actually quite good. He didn’t give information about everything, but he was funny and seemed to know what he was doing and where he was going, he was also the driver. All in all I liked him and he knew of some amazing spots to see the most spectacular views.
Once we were done on the south side we had lunch on this amazing rock lookout called, Anvil Rock, you could see everything from there. Afterwards we trekked over to the north side and did another hour long walk through the brush along side a small waterfall. There were also more stairs, lets just say the whole day was quite the workout. We then headed over to see the three sisters, which are quite famous it would seem, tons of tourists flock there to see them. They were great to see, but not my favourite part of the day. And of course half way through this tour my camera battery decided to die and I didn’t get any pictures of the second half of the tour.
All in all a great tour, very glad I did it, definitely worth the money.
P.S. I got my luggage back finally!
Sunday 19 August 2012
The sights
Well I have to say the trip has gotten a lot better from the catastrophe that was my luggage event in Toronto. Don't get me wrong, I still don't have it, but they said they would try to locate it and send it my way, so fingers crossed. In the mean time I've been seeing the sights and eating the food, my favourite part. Lauren, my Australian friend who I happened to meet in England when I was there for a year doing roughly the same thing as I am now, has been showing me the sights. Its funny, we met doing the exact same thing, we were both taking a large chunk of time off and travling, and it just so happened we were living and working in the same pub. She was in the room right next to mine on the third floor of the pub we worked at. So now I'm here in Australia visiting her and enjoying every minute of it.
We went to quite a few places in one day, the harbour, the opera house, the royal botanical gardens and the state library which I have to say is spectacular, beautiful stainglass windows, but I am partial to libraries. To walk around a new city is such an enormous thrill for me, I know it may sound silly but I get such a high from walking for hours and seeing new things everywhere I turn.
Yesterday my three roomates and I took a ferry trip, which was free, to cockatoo island. The ferry ride was great, and you can take some amazing photos from the ferry, but the island itself left me unimpressed. Its an industrial island, and it was used by the navy quite a few years ago, but now it is basically an island of contempory art pieces. It was an experience, but I do not think I will go again, I am extremely glad it was free.
Tomorrow is the Blue Mountains, I have high hopes for those, I've had a few people tell me, Australians, that I should go there. I will definately post about that once I come back.
Until then!
We went to quite a few places in one day, the harbour, the opera house, the royal botanical gardens and the state library which I have to say is spectacular, beautiful stainglass windows, but I am partial to libraries. To walk around a new city is such an enormous thrill for me, I know it may sound silly but I get such a high from walking for hours and seeing new things everywhere I turn.
Yesterday my three roomates and I took a ferry trip, which was free, to cockatoo island. The ferry ride was great, and you can take some amazing photos from the ferry, but the island itself left me unimpressed. Its an industrial island, and it was used by the navy quite a few years ago, but now it is basically an island of contempory art pieces. It was an experience, but I do not think I will go again, I am extremely glad it was free.
Tomorrow is the Blue Mountains, I have high hopes for those, I've had a few people tell me, Australians, that I should go there. I will definately post about that once I come back.
Until then!
Friday 17 August 2012
The long haul
I have finally arrived in Sydney, well actually I arrived yesterday morning and it was quite the journey. I started off in Ottawa and went to Toronto, and then the easy part was over. I ran all over terminal 1 trying to find my checked bag which I was suppose to get and then check again before I caught my flight to LA. But it seemed no one could tell me the proper place to recieve it. So I finally was told I had to go to terminal 3 and grab it from there and go through security there. So I went, and wouldn't you know it, no bag! I had the guy at the baggage desk radioing and looking for it, but to no avail, and to top it off my flight was about to leave in 40 minutes and I still hadn't gone through security or customs. So I decided to leave it and go, so I could at least make it to Sydney, bag or no.
After arriving in LA I boarded my Qantas flight to Australia, after waiting the hour delay, which isn't too bad actually. Twelve and a half hours later I am flying into Sydney airport and actually feeling not too upset about my bag, surprisingly. A shuttle bus, which was free thanks to the Hostel I booked with, The Jolly Swagman, and may I take a moment to say they have been great. The front desk woman is pleasent and extremely helpfull, I definately recomend this hostel. I should say I have only been here for one night, so we'll see by the end if I'm still raving about it, but I don't see why I wouldn't be. Anyway the shuttle bus dropped me and a few others off at our respective hostels and here I am.
After a days worth of trying to call the Toronto airport and not getting anywhere, between the 1-800 number not working for some odd reason and the other extensions busy or no one answering, I think I might just give up on my bag. Besides they'll probably send it to the address I have on the handle, I'm sure I'll see it again, probably....
I must say though, for all that has happened, I'm actually enjoying myself, and am almost completely content.
After arriving in LA I boarded my Qantas flight to Australia, after waiting the hour delay, which isn't too bad actually. Twelve and a half hours later I am flying into Sydney airport and actually feeling not too upset about my bag, surprisingly. A shuttle bus, which was free thanks to the Hostel I booked with, The Jolly Swagman, and may I take a moment to say they have been great. The front desk woman is pleasent and extremely helpfull, I definately recomend this hostel. I should say I have only been here for one night, so we'll see by the end if I'm still raving about it, but I don't see why I wouldn't be. Anyway the shuttle bus dropped me and a few others off at our respective hostels and here I am.
After a days worth of trying to call the Toronto airport and not getting anywhere, between the 1-800 number not working for some odd reason and the other extensions busy or no one answering, I think I might just give up on my bag. Besides they'll probably send it to the address I have on the handle, I'm sure I'll see it again, probably....
I must say though, for all that has happened, I'm actually enjoying myself, and am almost completely content.
Thursday 2 August 2012
The multiple country hop plan
I have decided to go to a couple other countries once I am done experiencing Australia. And by a couple I mean about 10 or so, I just couldn't choose. Right afterwards I'm hoping to hop down to New Zealand for a bit. But after that I'll be headed to Asia for 3 months, or until the funds deplete! So far on my list: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Loas, China (a few places, there is so much to see), Seoul - Korea and lastly Japan. Now I know this is a big undertaking, but I think I can do it.
Now of course you need shots when your headed to Asia, especially certain parts, and to get them I had to go to a travel clinic. Lets just say when I sat down with the nurse and she looked at all the places I was planning to go, she was not too happy. Apparently I'm the kind of person they hate because they have to go over every place with you and print out the information and map for each country (mine was 38 pages long). Also as a side note make sure your shots are up to date or else you have to get those as well, and they are not cheap!
In total I ended up getting 4 shots, only because she was able to double up 2 vaccinations into one needle, twice (it would have ended up being 6 shots if not). Now they are not really painful, but your arms tend to be rendered useless for at least a day, depending on the person.
You would think after all those I would be done, but no, alas I still need 2 more shots once I'm in Australia, at 200 dollars each as well. Lets just say I died a little bit on the inside when I heard about that, and so did my bank account. Who's bright idea was it to go to Asia again? Oh right, mine!
Oh and don't forget to get the shots at least a month or more before you go, sometimes you have to go back for another round!
But hey, at least I'm completely covered for whatever comes my way, at least pertaining to deadly diseases!
Thanks for reading my rant on vaccinations! :)
Now of course you need shots when your headed to Asia, especially certain parts, and to get them I had to go to a travel clinic. Lets just say when I sat down with the nurse and she looked at all the places I was planning to go, she was not too happy. Apparently I'm the kind of person they hate because they have to go over every place with you and print out the information and map for each country (mine was 38 pages long). Also as a side note make sure your shots are up to date or else you have to get those as well, and they are not cheap!
In total I ended up getting 4 shots, only because she was able to double up 2 vaccinations into one needle, twice (it would have ended up being 6 shots if not). Now they are not really painful, but your arms tend to be rendered useless for at least a day, depending on the person.
You would think after all those I would be done, but no, alas I still need 2 more shots once I'm in Australia, at 200 dollars each as well. Lets just say I died a little bit on the inside when I heard about that, and so did my bank account. Who's bright idea was it to go to Asia again? Oh right, mine!
Oh and don't forget to get the shots at least a month or more before you go, sometimes you have to go back for another round!
But hey, at least I'm completely covered for whatever comes my way, at least pertaining to deadly diseases!
Thanks for reading my rant on vaccinations! :)
The Lead up
Finally my Australia trip is up and running, in a mere 12 days I will be on my way. Once I actually get to Australia there will be a lot more posts, way more frequently. I hope to tell all of you who want to travel there and are going to be headed there what to expect and give some, hopefully, helpful advice.
I am planning on staying a year there to work and travel, we shall see how that goes. I will be documenting it as much as possible.
I'm hoping for interesting experiences and interesting stories to keep myself and everyone else entertained.
If anyone is planning a working trip to Australia I will say the process for getting my working/holiday maker visa was not that difficult, I was expecting so much worse. Also they seem to have quite a few hostels to choose from that from the reviews seem quite good, but I shall see about that once I get there and report back!
I'll make sure to slip in plenty of photos too!
I will say this before I go, if you want to leave on a massive trip make sure you give yourself lots of time to prepare, especially if you're a procrastinator like me.
Please comment if you like, or if you have any questions about where I am once I'm over there, or questions before hand! :D
I am planning on staying a year there to work and travel, we shall see how that goes. I will be documenting it as much as possible.
I'm hoping for interesting experiences and interesting stories to keep myself and everyone else entertained.
If anyone is planning a working trip to Australia I will say the process for getting my working/holiday maker visa was not that difficult, I was expecting so much worse. Also they seem to have quite a few hostels to choose from that from the reviews seem quite good, but I shall see about that once I get there and report back!
I'll make sure to slip in plenty of photos too!
I will say this before I go, if you want to leave on a massive trip make sure you give yourself lots of time to prepare, especially if you're a procrastinator like me.
Please comment if you like, or if you have any questions about where I am once I'm over there, or questions before hand! :D
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Montreal Escape
Ok, so I'm finally updating this thing. But really if you aren't traveling anywhere there is really not much to blog about on a travel blog.
So, I finally did go somewhere, Montreal, Quebec. It was a nice little escape for the weekend, I desperately needed to leave Ottawa for a little bit. Do you ever have that sensation where you just want to go and get out? Try something new? Well I do frequently, hence the trip.
I really enjoyed my time there, for one I got to see my good friend who I haven't seen in so long, and two it has some of the most gorgeous architecture. The old port area had to be one of my favourite sites. Its so old and beautiful and the shops were really cute.
But I must say my all time favourite thing about Montreal was the Notre-Dame Basilica, exquisite, it took my breath away.
We also hit China town which I loved as well, I don't know why exactly but I love China Town. No matter what city I am in I always look for it, you see the most interesting things and get some of the most delicious food.
So all in all it was a good trip and a nice break away from the ordinary, but I still have my sites set on Australia and believe me I will not give that up.
So, I finally did go somewhere, Montreal, Quebec. It was a nice little escape for the weekend, I desperately needed to leave Ottawa for a little bit. Do you ever have that sensation where you just want to go and get out? Try something new? Well I do frequently, hence the trip.
I really enjoyed my time there, for one I got to see my good friend who I haven't seen in so long, and two it has some of the most gorgeous architecture. The old port area had to be one of my favourite sites. Its so old and beautiful and the shops were really cute.
But I must say my all time favourite thing about Montreal was the Notre-Dame Basilica, exquisite, it took my breath away.
We also hit China town which I loved as well, I don't know why exactly but I love China Town. No matter what city I am in I always look for it, you see the most interesting things and get some of the most delicious food.
So all in all it was a good trip and a nice break away from the ordinary, but I still have my sites set on Australia and believe me I will not give that up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)