SYDNEY!!!

life size lego great white shark! - Sydney aquarium

Sydney Opera House!

I LOVE SYDNEY!!! Like Hanoi, this has been one of those cities that I walk into and instantly fall in love with. There is so much to do, and a great feeling around town. The weather has been beautiful, and it's probably helped that I've been able to walk around on my fixing feet! On my first day of exploration I visited Paddy's market, had breakie in Darling Harbour, and went to the National Maritime museum to see an exhibition about the British children who emigrated over here in the 1800's. Then I went to the aquarium which was great, although I felt a bit out of place being a childless adult in there...oh well. I had a wander through the city and found myself across the way from the Harbour bridge and Sydney Opera House. It was getting dark though, so I saved those two for the next day and started my walk back to Chinatown. Yesterday I visited the Wildlife Centre which was terrific, except I didn't get to hold a koala :( I had a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens and stopped in at the NSW art gallery which was great as they had a photography exhibition on of Australian landscapes and a dance performance by the little ones from the Chinese Cultural centre. The Botanical Gardens pop you out right at the front of the Opera House which was a nice surprise and it was great to see! There are some great nooks and crannies in the city full of funky boutiques and galleries which I love finding, and can't wait to explore some more! Its supposed to be rainy tomorrow, and then sunny for the rest of the week...so here's to hoping!

Singapore to Australia!

 

St. Kilda, Page, and Sentosa

Singapore was fantastic, and it was great to spend time with Lindsey and Rob. The weather was lovely and it was a great place to do some relaxing and exploring! It was definitely strange to be in an even more western setting, and even managed to get myself into a supermarket with Linds to buy CHEESE!!! and WINE!!! No more 50c beers for me! The city has some great parks...and again more and more shopping! We went to the island Sentosa for the day which is a bit of an odd place, but the louge and lunch were great fun! My trip was fleeting, and soon it was time to pack up and head to Melbourne!
My flight was excellent, and I managed to sleep most of the way...except for my inflight video of choice "Tangled." When I got to Melbourne I headed straight up to Canberra to see some friends from Nottingham and also to apply for my visa for China (an impromptu trip planned with Christian to visit his parents over Easter break). Josh came to pick me up from the airport which was fantastic, and then we went out for some yummy food. My hostel was right in the centre of town which was great, although the crazy Korean girls I was in a room with fancied sleeping with all the lights on which was a bit strange. I spent the next few days dealing with the rigmarole that is the Canberra Chinese Embassy, and exploring Canberra; which didn't take very long. My morning walks with a take-out coffee along the bridge and over the lakes was really nice, and it was funny being in a chillier climate again. I think I overreacted to the weather because of my two months in a tropical climate! I caught up with some of the other guys: Jason, Tim, Macca, and Duncan. But as soon as my visa came through I was out of there and headed to Melbourne! My friend Page who I met in Laos let me stay at his place for the first few nights in Melbourne which was great, and I was welcomed to Melbourne with gorgeous sunshine and a BBQ of "snage" and "doodads." Melbourne is a great city, and I'm staying right on the beach in St. Kilda, but I'm finding it hard to figure out how to spend my time as I feel like I could be in San Francisco or London. The dynamic between travelers has also changed from the "oh look, another backpacker...lets be friends" in Asia, to everyone just getting on with their own thing in Australia. I'm off to Sydney today which I'm looking forward to, and will hopefully be meeting up with a friend I met in India. My feet are finally healing after visiting the doctor and getting on a course of antibiotics which will make tourism a lot easier!

Kuala Lumpur

we saw some big

big

BIG gold Buddhas

Christian getting our food at the market for our cooking class

on my way to Koh Tao

When I left Koh Tao, the weather hadn't changed and was still windy and stormy...but I got on the ferry of 300 people anyways despite warnings not to. At first everyone was enjoying the rocky ride like it was a roller coaster, but that soon changed. About 20 minutes in people fell silent, and as soon as one girl was sick the WHOLE boat was sick. I couldn't actually stop laughing because it was like a domino effect and a lot of us couldn't take the situation seriously. We got to Koh Samui safely where I boarded my plane to Kuala Lumpur! I met some great Norwegian guys at the airport and we headed for a hostel that had been recommended to me by one of my dive team members-Monkey Inn. Last night we went out for some curry (actually can't get enough!) and some beers and then it was an early night for me. This morning I set off bright and early to explore the city centre. The weather is REALLY hot here, and the people are incredibly friendly. Its the first time I've been in a modern built-up city for a while, and it was quite a shock really. They have EVERY food chain I've ever seen, along with all the UK shops and even a Marks and Spencers! I wasn't tempted tho and took myself for some noodles. People just sit with you and want to chat which is so lovely, and everyone seems to be very smiley and welcoming. They LOVE their shopping malls here, and there are loooads of them. I like it here, and will probably spend a couple days here to do more exploring(shopping).

Kuala Lumpur

Twin Towers KL

they LOVE their shopping malls! this one has a roller coaster in it...