tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23249223285974144742024-02-21T01:04:53.190+11:00Little Blonde TravelerHey y'all! My name is Brooke Rooney (aka the Little Blonde Traveler) and I'm a 23 year old backpacker/world traveler from Knoxville, Tennessee who's now living and experiencing all there is to offer in Sydney, Australia.
This blog is my way of documenting all of my crazy adventures, especially the wacky - and sometimes extreme differences - between life in the States and life in Oz. Enjoy :)Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-83764398508321469192013-11-07T18:48:00.001+11:002013-11-10T20:23:57.187+11:00How Australia Almost Killed My CatLast night, Australia almost killed my cat.<br />
And upon reading this, I'm sure that <i>this</i> is one of the first images that came to mind...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFmRZk859TRCepkDnPlA0OlCr-wj1lszhNqTxze7TUEBKC64DKpDl5LqxKmGSJ5uA31JLLeqU7Cg3BeKoadFuW2eM1UCleVWXE-dBa09oOhrGJ2UlnAe_eoviwv9tD8fMbmyklrR1yis/s1600/croc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFmRZk859TRCepkDnPlA0OlCr-wj1lszhNqTxze7TUEBKC64DKpDl5LqxKmGSJ5uA31JLLeqU7Cg3BeKoadFuW2eM1UCleVWXE-dBa09oOhrGJ2UlnAe_eoviwv9tD8fMbmyklrR1yis/s1600/croc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or maybe <i>this</i>...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAwfLwA6Z9D2oU8-xeq-xQHm2aLsF7B9spNOvh0M4OuFkvrdVE0o7BYV-AUnhDcAz8gtvX2Jc0FxG2nc03MYgo5IXrxUTmnp7ZlaB8Y9yaIleykWL66e1HSjE-PRJrhQS4sx9hAUQ2bk/s1600/spider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAwfLwA6Z9D2oU8-xeq-xQHm2aLsF7B9spNOvh0M4OuFkvrdVE0o7BYV-AUnhDcAz8gtvX2Jc0FxG2nc03MYgo5IXrxUTmnp7ZlaB8Y9yaIleykWL66e1HSjE-PRJrhQS4sx9hAUQ2bk/s1600/spider.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or even <i>this</i>...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6QKW34JRqT-DP6vgX5hDwswIhmDxmmgcg74fSbxHltei8FHINsgFbpRIaC0nXD38BuZPGfI4OIMH0xUwhnwFHLLHsPxRDedqRRlWzJlxJGvQPb6kztL_SIMpH8xRRihtzr-Y8ArvQbU/s1600/snake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6QKW34JRqT-DP6vgX5hDwswIhmDxmmgcg74fSbxHltei8FHINsgFbpRIaC0nXD38BuZPGfI4OIMH0xUwhnwFHLLHsPxRDedqRRlWzJlxJGvQPb6kztL_SIMpH8xRRihtzr-Y8ArvQbU/s1600/snake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before moving to Sydney, a croc, spider, or snake would have been at the top of my list if someone told me that something had almost killed their cat. But like all things Down Under...things aren't always as straight forward as they appear.</div>
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Now, meet Myndee.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpoX8mgkKH9gqb8ztRpjU1MyAb0SEG31QH6y5XXK5lCLrNkba3lLQdhkriEopRhWrv43BYnUie68-lzIlvQFcvnpDYAfVCqjfoWhD7xEoeLmys31xH4myV6wVyKRkm-mW_IepmtKbpFc/s1600/myndee8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpoX8mgkKH9gqb8ztRpjU1MyAb0SEG31QH6y5XXK5lCLrNkba3lLQdhkriEopRhWrv43BYnUie68-lzIlvQFcvnpDYAfVCqjfoWhD7xEoeLmys31xH4myV6wVyKRkm-mW_IepmtKbpFc/s1600/myndee8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my 10 month old Bengal kitten. Yeah, that picture of her is pretty adorable, but don't let her looks deceive you. Bengals are known far and wide for their...energy. Needless to say, this little one doesn't like to cuddle or ever slow down for that matter. So about a month ago, my boyfriend and I decided to start letting her go out doors for a few hours during the day to burn off some of that intense Bengal/kitten energy. </div>
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Yesterday evening, around 5 o'clock, she meows at the door as usual and I let her in. And as usual, she's so exhausted from her outdoor adventures, that she immediately passes out on the couch next to me. But about 45 minutes later, she started acting...strange. </div>
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She suddenly woke up, her eyes very heavy, moved two feet down the couch, then curled back up, but didn't go back to sleep. Her eyes were glazed over and just staring off into the distance. I thought it was cute, and when my boyfriend got home at 6, I pointed out her weird behavior as she moved to the table for a few minutes, then the carpet, then the floor under the table. </div>
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Then she started dry-heaving.</div>
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Immediately, I thought she might be having her first hair-ball. And like a new momma, I stayed near her, talking to her calmly, but as the time went on...she started to act frantic.</div>
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She suddenly bolted up the stairs, so I followed. She's still heaving in the hallway, and then she just starts peeing...all over the carpet! Panicked, I grab a towel and wrap her butt with it, running her to the bathroom in one of her guest bedrooms (her room). </div>
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(Side note: my cat is toilet trained, and I mean, she LITERALLY pees and poops in our toilets around the house. So for her to just up and squat is NOT normal.)</div>
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I call for Angus to clean up her pee while I lock myself with her in her bathroom so she can't run around to anywhere else.</div>
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And that's where the intense, guttural mewing begins. </div>
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She's still dry-heaving, and I keep assuming she must really need to get something out. Maybe she ate something she shouldn't have outside? Maybe she's sick? </div>
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Then she starts to get diarrhea. I hold her over the toilet (as she's trained to do) but the poor thing literally falls limp in my arms.</div>
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At this point, I'm panicking, and my boyfriend comes into the bathroom to see what he can do to help.</div>
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Then her guttural mewing turns into screams.</div>
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And she starts foaming at the mouth.</div>
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My boyfriend's eyes suddenly go wide. "Shit...does she have a tick?"</div>
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<i>A tick?</i> I think. <i>How the hell can these symptoms be from a tick?</i></div>
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Gus grabs her and starts to feel around, but she's still squirming, obviously uncomfortable and trying to throw up. We keep searching but don't feel anything.<br />
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She starts panting, gasping for air.<br />
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I take her collar off of her as Gus does another check...<br />
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And there, on the right side of her neck, is a tick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmQcdu5UTy63NGUd84iisUJ7ff5kwELF76Cw9t3_WW36Txn4pp5xbxAPX7A8Zwi8LhRYkna-JLOljWNUnTMzKYshl4qT52zWbubVOmbNrGBTYcoJQhgif8yMcEzK-XEhJXumNRtJQCys/s1600/paralysis+tick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmQcdu5UTy63NGUd84iisUJ7ff5kwELF76Cw9t3_WW36Txn4pp5xbxAPX7A8Zwi8LhRYkna-JLOljWNUnTMzKYshl4qT52zWbubVOmbNrGBTYcoJQhgif8yMcEzK-XEhJXumNRtJQCys/s1600/paralysis+tick.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now, meet the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_holocyclus#Domestic_animals">Australian Paralysis Tick</a>, scientifically known as <i>Ixodes holocyclus.</i><br />
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Where's their habitat, you might ask? THE ENTIRE FREAKING EASTERN COAST OF AUSTRALIA, and apparently the smattering of beaches I live on - Sydney's Northern Beaches - are infamous for them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NtFlGW-HvsrbAZ9y00BMtND9yCmuuGaxxSK9X8X9nDxCaRsatVpFYE0Pc1fB8i2SDigNA-G4sjgvZVZJchXbOle_WFzxPEXOX2DbIRRSsiS06WfgdqWLwri5omT8o1hPUFoOchZI3xc/s1600/tick-distribution-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NtFlGW-HvsrbAZ9y00BMtND9yCmuuGaxxSK9X8X9nDxCaRsatVpFYE0Pc1fB8i2SDigNA-G4sjgvZVZJchXbOle_WFzxPEXOX2DbIRRSsiS06WfgdqWLwri5omT8o1hPUFoOchZI3xc/s1600/tick-distribution-map.gif" width="195" /></a></div>
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Some of the many symptoms of a paralysis tick bite include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>weakness or paralysis in the back legs</li>
<li>coughing or gagging</li>
<li>change of tone in meow/bark</li>
<li>grunt in breathing</li>
<li>vomiting</li>
<li>drooling</li>
<li>inability to stand</li>
<li>facial paralysis</li>
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Oh, and the best part about these things? They hitch rides on all the native animals like bandicoots, kangaroos, and possums - all of which, are immune to the bite of a paralysis tick.<br />
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AWESOME.<br />
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These little bastards kill around 100,000 domesticated animals a year throughout Australia. Pretty much everyone who lives around here, has had at least one pet die, or have known of a family pet dying from these things.<br />
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Needless to say, the moment Angus and I found the bastard on Myndee, we went into panic mode. We put Myndee straight in her carrying crate and bolted out the door. It was a race to the After Hours Emergency Vet Clinic about ten minutes away, and by the time we got there, Myndee was silent.<br />
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The vet staff was awesome - unfortunately, they have to deal with tick bites a lot - and the tick they pulled off her neck, sure enough, was an Australian Paralysis Tick. But luckily, it wasn't very large, and they pulled it off her with no problems.<br />
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But she was still struggling. Her pupils were massively dilated, she was skiddish, silent, and wasn't moving much at all. The vet said they needed to keep her over night, as well as administer her the paralysis tick serum and wash her. And so we had to leave our poor little girl at the vet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv3IdlahVvb6k-9r2nyoNj8MdRzbPXuUz5NubcBDgwLxsQCUJhtIaNx5FoVGaoNwJRzRREIfOpoVe9vKCSufjZP1YWLBnyRA2PkpuVDQqerVJHrNGF3_OR0oo7y_wM2LKjYRWM7TE554/s1600/IMG-20131106-WA0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv3IdlahVvb6k-9r2nyoNj8MdRzbPXuUz5NubcBDgwLxsQCUJhtIaNx5FoVGaoNwJRzRREIfOpoVe9vKCSufjZP1YWLBnyRA2PkpuVDQqerVJHrNGF3_OR0oo7y_wM2LKjYRWM7TE554/s1600/IMG-20131106-WA0013.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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It's been 24 hours, and I just got off the phone with the vet yet again. Her pupils are still way too dilated and she hasn't eaten, drank, or used the bathroom yet, so they're keeping her for another night.<br />
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Living in Sydney, I don't have to worry about crocodiles or King Brown Snakes or Great Whites. The worst thing we have to really deal with on the Northern Beaches are some pretty gnarly rips at the beach...but I was a very silly girl to underestimate the brutal power of Australia.<br />
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And what I'm starting to realize, is that the native life here, really was made to kill.<br />
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<b>**UPDATE: Myndee is back home recovering after two nights at the vet. She should pull through and make a full recovery, though it will be weeks, if not months, before she's back to her normal, energetic Bengal self**</b><br />
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~Little Blonde Traveler<br />
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<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-72177090314099786252013-08-08T17:05:00.003+10:002013-08-09T12:45:51.992+10:00Australian vs. American Commercials - They Can Be Pretty Blunt Down Under<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa7AK8lXZ1WJObWGNkPI7B0bqFVO3QQqaKdj_nQRTicktA8fvFgWS-zYzL9kQ7d29I-xc00p0UWW4qIy3YC-zF46HbJrYW3jvmtU1n9Aw5-V6AJVCOQNsMVOXA9O7KQpy9TgJhcS8rd4/s1600/As+seen+on+tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa7AK8lXZ1WJObWGNkPI7B0bqFVO3QQqaKdj_nQRTicktA8fvFgWS-zYzL9kQ7d29I-xc00p0UWW4qIy3YC-zF46HbJrYW3jvmtU1n9Aw5-V6AJVCOQNsMVOXA9O7KQpy9TgJhcS8rd4/s1600/As+seen+on+tv.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the most interesting things I've noticed between living in Australia and living in the States, is the difference in TV commercials. Strange thing to notice, I know, but I think it perfectly reflects the contrast between two, otherwise very similar cultures.<br />
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For those of you who don't know many Aussie's...they're quite a blunt, brutally honest group of people, especially in comparison to the ever-so-sensitive American (myself included in that category). So here's a few examples of the kinds of commercials you'll find yourself watching here in Australia in comparison to ones from back home.<br />
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<b><u>Phone Commercials:</u></b><br />
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- Sprint (U.S.A.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3vFhBqu50bM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b><u>VS.</u></b></div>
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- Vodafone (Australia)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/S2ddAqSAuF0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Can anyone spot the difference in humor? Americans tend to like laugh-track types of shows and commercials...we like having our plots and comedy spelled out for us. Aussie's, on the other, prefer the more direct route. Every time I see this on the TV, my mouth falls open...no one could get away with this kind of commercial in the States...especially a phone company!<br />
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<b><u>Beer Commercials:</u></b><br />
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- XXX Gold (Australia)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dY3wEMyAEec?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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- Carlton Draught (Australia)<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/_GbHpqfv9is/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_GbHpqfv9is&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_GbHpqfv9is&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<b><u>VS.</u></b></div>
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-Coors Light (U.S.A.)<br />
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The beer commercials are pretty similar...based on humor, though American commercials have a tendency to go a bit over-the-top and more lavish in comparison to the more laid-back feel you get watching Aussie beer commercials. I think that reflects 100% on how life is viewed in each country...Americans tend to be more high-strung while Aussie's just couldn't care less.<br />
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And here's one an Aussie friend just showed me...yeah, it's kinda "taking the piss" out of American beer ads. Enjoy :)<br />
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- Carlton Draught (Australia)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GY6uJlI-t14?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b><u>Car Commercials:</u></b><br />
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- Toyota (Australia)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X3fOO7AdhIE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b><u>VS.</u></b></div>
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- Dodge (U.S.A.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BqpJvey-7-s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Each country takes a lot of pride in their cars...and I just love the similarities between these two!<br />
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<b><u>Dangers of Driving Commercials:</u></b><br />
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<b>- </b>The Heat is On (U.S.A.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gc82-gL2aO8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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- One More What? (U.S.A.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/47ZoYKcAsuY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b><u>VS.</u></b></div>
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<b>- </b>Take the Slow Down Pledge (Australia)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SsWocikXPK4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>- </b>MAFMAD (Make A Film, Make a Difference) (Australia)<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/g2X9Q-Xre_Q/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/g2X9Q-Xre_Q&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/g2X9Q-Xre_Q&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Australia uses this thing I like to call the "scare-tactic" when it comes to commercials about safety. Whether it's speeding, drinking and driving, texting while driving, wearing sunscreen, etc. the Australian government is all about letting them know the truth. My boyfriend never bats an eye when commercials like these come on, but little Tennessee native me just freaks out. These commercials scare me!! but that's the point, isn't it? It's quite effective. The States on the other hand, doesn't have (to my knowledge) nation-wide campaigns when it comes to road safety. From what I understand, it's up to each individual state to come up with commercials and warnings, etc. And the videos I've chosen above, well all it does is threaten you...doesn't really scare you at all compared to the Aussie commercials.<br />
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<br />
Interesting stuff to think about.<br />
<br />
~Little Blonde Traveler<br />
<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-27997722321837119982013-06-26T16:59:00.001+10:002013-06-28T17:34:38.690+10:00How to Decipher Aussie SlangIt's known far and wide that Australians have a very distinct way of talking...but that's what makes those crazy Aussie's so damn endearing. Now, as I have come to learn over the past 10 months of living here, Aussie accents IN Australia are even more adorable...but on a whole new level that can best be described as ECCENTRIC.<br />
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So, for all those out there who may one day find themselves staring face-to-face with a true-blue 'Strayan...here are a few helpful phrases to add to your dictionary.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYKnEw35zxZM01JoFYKFCkR9r78reZx1pvulTabn2LxDws86ziFyirnNRdwHGryf7igDsXIyIh1Fq49geWdwFJSrg89lOLgCeNLhRJgr28Tj9I_m5-1X1KGjI-hptYBC43_IhYTYN4n8/s1600/Australa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYKnEw35zxZM01JoFYKFCkR9r78reZx1pvulTabn2LxDws86ziFyirnNRdwHGryf7igDsXIyIh1Fq49geWdwFJSrg89lOLgCeNLhRJgr28Tj9I_m5-1X1KGjI-hptYBC43_IhYTYN4n8/s1600/Australa.jpg" height="335" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>*HINT FOR AMERICANS* </b></div>
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<b>Any word that ends with the letters 'er' are pronounced as 'ah'</b></div>
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<b> For example: when Aussie's say the word 'water', they actually pronounce it like 'watah' </b></div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>'Strayan Expressions:</u></div>
<ul>
<li>"Good onya, mate" = Good for you, man/well done</li>
<li>"Thanks heaps" = Thanks a lot</li>
<li>"Chucking a sickie" = Taking a sick day/faking sickness to get off work</li>
<li>"Spit the dummy" = Getting really upset by something</li>
<li>"I'm stuffed" = I'm tired</li>
<li>"Chuck a yewy" = Take a u-turn</li>
<li>"She'll be right" = It's all good</li>
<li>"I'm keen" = I'm down/I'm game</li>
<li>"The guy is not the full quid" = He's not all there/He's kinda slow</li>
<li>"Bloody oath!" = Hell yeah/So true</li>
</ul>
<div>
<u>'Strayan Words for People:</u></div>
<ul>
<li>"bloke" = a guy/man</li>
<li>"digger" = a soldier</li>
<li>"rellie/relo" = a relative</li>
<li>"pom/pommy/pomie" = an Englishman (<b>P</b>risoner <b>O</b>f <b>M</b>other <b>E</b>ngland)</li>
<li>"yank/yankee" = someone from the U.S.</li>
<li>"sticybeak" = a nosy person</li>
<li>"bogan" = a person who takes little pride in appearance/a drunk</li>
<li>"dero" = a derelict/someone without a home or a job</li>
<li>"feral" = a hippie </li>
<li>"mongrel" = a despicable person</li>
<li>"bludger" = a lazy person</li>
<li>"sook" = a person who's soft</li>
<li>"dag" = a funny person</li>
<ul></ul>
<li>"tradie" = any type tradesman</li>
<li>"brickie" = a brick layer</li>
<li>"sparkie" = a electrician </li>
<li>"truckie" = a truck driver</li>
<li>"postie" = a mail man</li>
<li>"ankle biter" = a small kid</li>
<li>"kindie" = a kindergartner</li>
<li>"<a href="http://sls.com.au/members/nippers">nipper</a>" = a very young surf lifesaver</li>
</ul>
<div>
<u>'Strayan Words for Animals:</u></div>
<ul>
<li>"chook" = a chicken</li>
<li>"bluey" = <a href="http://www.australianfauna.com/bluebottlejellyfish.php">Bluebottle jellyfish</a></li>
<li>"mozzie" = mosquito</li>
</ul>
<div>
<u>'Strayan Words for Parties and Festivities:</u></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"roadie" = taking a beer with you/taking a beer in the car</li>
<li>"skull" = to chug a beer</li>
<li>"piss" = beer</li>
<li>"spew" = puke/vomit</li>
<li>"barbie" = barbecue</li>
<li>"buck's night/Stag's night" = a bachelor party</li>
<li>"hen's night" = a bachelorette party</li>
<li>"esky" = a cooler for your beer or liquor </li>
<li>"grog" = liquor or beer</li>
<li>"prezzy" = present/gift</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<u>'Strayan Words for Food:</u></div>
<ul>
<li>"brekkie" = breakfast</li>
<li>"tea" = dinner/supper</li>
<li>"avos" = avocados</li>
<li>"fairy floss" = cotton candy</li>
<li>"lollies" = candy/sweets</li>
<li>"chewie" = gum</li>
<li>"Maccas" = McDonald's</li>
<li>"sanger" = sandwich </li>
</ul>
<div>
<u>Other Interesting 'Strayan Words:</u></div>
<ul>
<li>"reno" = renovation</li>
<li>"ta" = thank you</li>
<li>"arvo" = afternoon</li>
<li>"ute" = SUV/truck</li>
<li>"bathers" = swim trunks/swimsuits</li>
<li>"budgie smugglers" = speedos</li>
<li>"docket" = a bill/receipt</li>
<li>"sunnies" = sunglasses</li>
<li>"Uni" = University</li>
<li>"thongs" = flip flops</li>
<li>"dunny" = toilet/outside toilet</li>
<li>"root" = f*ck</li>
<li>"yakka" = work</li>
</ul>
<div>
There's a super concise Aussie slang dictionary you can check out <a href="http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html">here</a> for even more words too.<br />
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P.S. This little video just recently published on Youtube gives you a little overview from some genuine Aussies. (And for my more conservative readers, keep in mind, Aussie's LOVE to cuss)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/K6sn8u0GjQ0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Add me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/brooke.rooney">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/lilblondetrav">Twitter</a> :)<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
-Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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</script>Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-17484338980814758622013-06-16T13:23:00.001+10:002013-06-16T14:06:33.113+10:00Cheers to the Best Family in the WorldSo, as I'm sitting here wondering how on earth to get over my recent month-long writer's block, I noticed that today is June 16th...Father's Day! For those of you who don't know...I AM THE ULTIMATE DADDY'S GIRL. Now don't get me wrong, I love my momma bear just as much, but...there's always been a special link between me and my daddy and it doesn't matter that I now live on the other side of the world from him...because that bond will always be there.<br />
<br />
In ode to Father's Day in America (that's right, Australia has Father's Day in September) I've decided to not only give thanks to my daddy, but to the rest of the whacky, crazy, beautiful Rooney family as well.<br />
<br />
<b>*WARNING* </b><br />
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<b>*THIS BLOG CONTAINS EXTREME SAPPINESS AND HEART-FELT WORDS. </b><b>IF YOU HAVE A WEAK HEART DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS BLOG*</b><br />
<br />
On March 10th my parents and little sister took the ultimate plunge and traveled all the way from Knoxville, Tennessee to Sydney to come visit me. And let me tell you...IT WAS INCREDIBLE seeing them again. Even though living in today's world while traveling means that you can call them whenever you want, text, Facebook, and Skype...it's just still not the same. And 9 months without a hug from my parents...needless to say it was quite a loud reunion when they came stumbling out of customs...<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">~To My Little Sister~</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
Britt, little b, Britters, Brit-a-ny...I love you like crazy you wild little thing. It's hard to believe you'll be 21 this year AND starting your third year at Uni! I'm so happy to see you become a foxy little lady the older you get and I can't wait to see what else there is in store for the two of us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1w7qSb8-kgMrIelMPvBi-qcLovjooNJwf8kE0ANJH39bvVF5PyC26zyiqVykW9N93GRAqE1KrvJ1giCRfAA_gjxGnj841SSxuZWiNaS3AXmgk7mE_CEmqvrU3aYqJYHv-uyu_PwfDrM/s1600/me+and+britt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1w7qSb8-kgMrIelMPvBi-qcLovjooNJwf8kE0ANJH39bvVF5PyC26zyiqVykW9N93GRAqE1KrvJ1giCRfAA_gjxGnj841SSxuZWiNaS3AXmgk7mE_CEmqvrU3aYqJYHv-uyu_PwfDrM/s1600/me+and+britt.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thank you for choosing to spend your 2013 Spring Break in Sydney with me. You have no idea how much that meant. I'm glad you got to see this place and experience this way of life and since HERE you're at the legal age to go party, I'm glad you came out that last night with Gussie and I...even if it did get a little crazy :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibexyr-f7JEJzUfJ-DoISfmglqBdSDwU2w4jKYdINTP0Q_hCxSiFN7KLPSHFHcwMqHbrKmLFjew9A61XcRb2EajS63ZC_eJl76jAhy5PYWkPPQq5tDf6THs3PmUW0SuTBk0mT6X4WUsrs/s1600/me+and+britt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibexyr-f7JEJzUfJ-DoISfmglqBdSDwU2w4jKYdINTP0Q_hCxSiFN7KLPSHFHcwMqHbrKmLFjew9A61XcRb2EajS63ZC_eJl76jAhy5PYWkPPQq5tDf6THs3PmUW0SuTBk0mT6X4WUsrs/s1600/me+and+britt3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Stay strong and stay YOU. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>College is the time to learn and explore and discover, but always make sure to stay true to who you really are.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Make sure to love hard - so hard you might even fall on your face...but it's totally worth it in the end. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>And as soon as you turn 21 this year...GET OUT THERE AND PARTY YOUR PANTS OFF FOR ME :)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi28ppr6yPYB2Dg7NzBYwVotncuGU-jlmdPNExenscyzCpTy5aOmuE4eVjIdamXVhwZsQFMdxVNjK5pu4IIOwE5UJ7S7lrrIjm3V3JXf_5HTgtr-ku_9aHJYRFmZgnyojN7JJkKo8-1I/s1600/me+and+britt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi28ppr6yPYB2Dg7NzBYwVotncuGU-jlmdPNExenscyzCpTy5aOmuE4eVjIdamXVhwZsQFMdxVNjK5pu4IIOwE5UJ7S7lrrIjm3V3JXf_5HTgtr-ku_9aHJYRFmZgnyojN7JJkKo8-1I/s1600/me+and+britt2.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
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"For there is no friend like a sister,<br />
<div>
In calm or stormy weather;</div>
<div>
To cheer one on the tedious way,</div>
<div>
To fetch one if one goes astray,</div>
<div>
To lift one if one totters down,</div>
<div>
To strengthen whilst one stands."</div>
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Love you forever and always <3</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">~To My Momma Bear~</span></b></div>
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I got so incredibly lucky to be born to a wonderful mother like you. We've had our ups and downs - we've butted heads and laughed so hard we both started to cry. Such great memories, momma bear. I'm glad to say that the older I've gotten, the more our bond has strengthened. I feel like you're not just my mom now, but another sister, and a best friend when I need you to be. You're full of the best advice and kindest, heart-felt sentiments - ESPECIALLY when I need them most.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpwO2_6LM1FfAWrM70OZ5aAAIhQnI67_JGUZCLSdVQ8CvMNxrk5Tcn5b00gpybFwYbDFxqH2q9bSVP9TXGYiVWG8aX6mPJDgS9qxZF9KVPQlJEFtruzc0BnQQkjEOU376ttoAqsARjYo/s1600/me+and+mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpwO2_6LM1FfAWrM70OZ5aAAIhQnI67_JGUZCLSdVQ8CvMNxrk5Tcn5b00gpybFwYbDFxqH2q9bSVP9TXGYiVWG8aX6mPJDgS9qxZF9KVPQlJEFtruzc0BnQQkjEOU376ttoAqsARjYo/s1600/me+and+mommy.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know you were the one who had the most trouble letting me go when I decided to throw all caution to the wind and begin the solo backpacker life. I know it scared you, and I remember all the fears you confessed to me about it. But, looking back on that now, I think it's truly incredible for you to be so kind and accepting of my way of life now. It may not be what you and daddy initially had in store for me, but I think you'd agree when I say that it has all definitely turned out better than any of us could have hoped for.</div>
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I'm SO incredibly thankful that you and dad and Brit took the time to come all the way out to Australia to see me. And I was even extra proud for you guys to come out with open minds about everything. You guys were so accepting! And then when me, you, dad, and Gus went to New Zealand so you could see my favorite city on earth...yeah, that was the icing on the cake of an incredible vacation. You and daddy are the best parents a girl could ever ask for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuD1OUPbtiiSdYgstCLgncTbkLe9wIvg4iKwGnFP4zxjnqbRGnyvNfefWpuJ94cBC_8xxohZcKBSJ99W2Q6jcldnFELdRBd7xOwITCcRsT-r3TpUz6SifOPqltmQPxJ7AXtFoQsJTQEc/s1600/P3160072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuD1OUPbtiiSdYgstCLgncTbkLe9wIvg4iKwGnFP4zxjnqbRGnyvNfefWpuJ94cBC_8xxohZcKBSJ99W2Q6jcldnFELdRBd7xOwITCcRsT-r3TpUz6SifOPqltmQPxJ7AXtFoQsJTQEc/s1600/P3160072.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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"I got to grow up with a mother who taught me to believe in myself. What a rare gift that truly is."</div>
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Can't wait to see what the future holds, momma bear. I love you unconditionally <3</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">~To My Daddy~</span></b></div>
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And last but not least...it's time for a sappy moment about my daddy. The number one man in my life, first and forever. My role model and my confidant. Dad...I cannot possibly begin to thank you enough for all of the lessons you have taught me over the years - especially the ones that I wasn't so willing to accept when I was younger. Whether you realize it now or not, but those lessons and every word of wisdom you gave to me then, I've incorporated into my life now. Yes, believe it or not, I WAS listening ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKcal-RVH7qo3CgsQlUTptnBs2n-tIrIkwRX3Tg9gaVyfLMMYXM36fWyy6Vf6fL0FZwnMzQeG3oTQYkrn9YQqXWFzQGG8EmI7nibRu_ozsRBH_HBEyxtlI1kRw5uy0AyLeEcblMRzJcs/s1600/me+and+daddy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKcal-RVH7qo3CgsQlUTptnBs2n-tIrIkwRX3Tg9gaVyfLMMYXM36fWyy6Vf6fL0FZwnMzQeG3oTQYkrn9YQqXWFzQGG8EmI7nibRu_ozsRBH_HBEyxtlI1kRw5uy0AyLeEcblMRzJcs/s1600/me+and+daddy2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm extremely glad that you came out to Sydney to see me, mostly because I think it was you who wanted me to come and live back at home the most. And for you to come out here and see Sydney, experience the way of life on the Northern beaches, and see just how happy this country makes me...well I could see it in your face from the very first day - in that moment you knew. And in that moment I think you accepted it all, and threw yourself head-first into Sydney life. Especially getting back in the surf...I can't wait to get you back out here again!</div>
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But daddy, I must say, you and mom have done one hell of a job raising Britt and I and molding us into strong, confident, independent young women. I couldn't have possibly imagined a better father than you. It's super, SUPER hard being so far away from you guys now, but I must say...I think the four of us are closer now than we have ever been before. We talk all the time, and I love that I can confess my fears, worries, and concerns to you and always know that you will give me honest feedback and advice. It's more comforting than I can possibly put into words that I always have you there, no matter what.</div>
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"A dad is someone who:</div>
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-is his daughter's first love</div>
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-will be there for you no matter how bad of a mistake you've made</div>
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-will stand up for you when you need him</div>
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-will give you hugs and a shoulder to cry on whenever you need it</div>
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-promises you that you'll always be his little girl</div>
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-loves you so much that he'll sacrifice whatever is needed to keep you happy and safe"</div>
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I'll always be your little girl, daddy. I love you <3</div>
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Alright guys, enough of the cuteness. I just figured it was about dang time I told my family just how much I truly love them and appreciate EVERYTHING they've done for me.</div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-39728593317939051322013-03-08T11:46:00.001+11:002013-06-28T17:34:17.086+10:00How A Certain Someone Discovered that "Lord of The Rings" is a Direct Path To My HeartIf you've ever met me in real life then you are without a doubt aware of my ridiculous obsession with anything and everything Lord of the Rings.<br />
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And for those of you to have yet to meet me in real life...I'M OBSESSED.<br />
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So engrossed with it, that from now on, you should only think of me as "Brooke, the fanatical LOTR fan". In November 2011 (at the end of my so-called "Epic Trip of a Lifetime") I found myself traveling through New Zealand...WHILE COINCIDENTALLY STALKING THE FILM CREW OF THE HOBBIT.</div>
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Yup, you heard me right. I started in Auckland and made it all the way down to Queenstown at the same time Peter Jackson and the rest of The Hobbit film crew was there. (Yellow dots are all the places I stopped along the way)</div>
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While I was there I got to be a part of the first tour ever let back in to Hobbiton (aka The Shire) since filming commenced for The Hobbit years earlier. I cried like a little baby...</div>
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I stopped in the National Park to hike across the mountain they used in the movie as Mount Doom...</div>
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And in Wellington (the capital of NZ) I did an incredible LOTR tour with the best group in the world, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/wellingtonmovietours.nz" target="_blank" title="Wellington Movie Tours NZ">Wellington Movie Tours NZ</a> where we re-enacted many of the famous LOTR scenes filmed around the city.<br />
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But enough of my ranting (I've had a few coffees today)...because I'm not here to write about my 2011 New Zealand trip. I'm writing this blog post because of the most kind, thoughtful, and incredible gift ever given to me in the history of my 22 years on this planet.<br />
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On December 1st, 2012 Angus and I had only been dating each other for a few weeks when I got a text from him telling me that we were going on a trip on December 10th and I was going to need my passport. Naturally...I flipped. "Where are we going???" I replied. "It's a surprise," was all he would tell me. He did tell the family I was staying with, however, and they instantly began to psyche me out. Telling me that I would love visiting Ayers Rock, even though it wasn't that romantic, and I shouldn't be upset if it's only to somewhere like Melbourne or Canberra. So for ten days I sat and worried about where Gus was taking me, and for ten days Gus, the Smith family, AND MY OWN PARENTS kept it a secret from me, my mom completely messing with my head when she told me "I hope you know some French!"<br />
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So when the morning of December 10th rolled around, I packed a small bag for two nights and anxiously waited for my ride to appear. Susan said she had never seen me look so scared in her entire time of knowing me.<br />
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Soon enough, my phone rang and when I went outside...there was a sleek black car and driver waiting for me who took my bags and began the long drive from the suburbs to the city to pick Gus up from work. By the time we made it I was so nervous I could hardly speak. Gus got in the back of the car with the biggest smile I've ever seen. I knew my fear was etched all over my face. I tried to play it cool, but I literally couldn't speak as my stomach flipped around inside of me.<br />
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When we made it to the airport, Gus grabbed our bags and as we walked through the front doors, he turned around and handed me a crisp $10 New Zealand note.<br />
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"WE'RE GOING TO NEW ZEALAND?????" I screamed, sheer joy exploding through me. "SERIOUSLY??"<br />
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He laughed but wouldn't tell me which city until we got to the check-in counter and I got the ticket for Wellington, the capital.<br />
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We made it through security and all the way to the Qantas lounge with Gus STILL not explaining what it was we were going to Wellington for (though I was more than okay just to be going in the first place). We got into the lounge and had a glass of champagne and some snacks...when Gus pulled out two tickets and slid them across the table to me.<br />
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They were two tickets to the FIRST-EVER, WORLD-WIDE, PUBLIC SHOWING OF THE HOBBIT AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 12TH.<br />
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I literally screamed out loud like a little Justin Bieber fan when I saw them, causing half of the lounge to turn and stare at us...but no way on earth did I care. I couldn't believe my eyes. Gus was flying me all the way from Sydney to Wellington, NZ to take me to a midnight premier of The Hobbit, a movie I had been waiting literally a decade to see since the last Lord of the Rings movie was released.<br />
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I was shocked/surprised/ecstatic...and desperate to share my joy with the world. I called my parents immediately (who had already known about this) and as I sat on the phone screaming, all I could think was "this is WAY better than an engagement". Seriously though, I don't think my engagement day will beat the surprise and joy I was feeling at that moment in time.<br />
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Gus explained later that he wanted to do something special for me because he knew how much Lord of the Rings meant to me. And he had seen a few of my friends making fun of me on Facebook because The Hobbit was going to premiere in America, almost two weeks before it would premiere in Australia. And since they filmed the entire movie in Wellington, that was where the first ever public premiere was going to be held.<br />
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We boarded the flight and made it to our hotel in downtown Wellington just before midnight. The next day Gus had booked a Lord of the Rings tour throughout the city, but since I had already done one in 2011 (above pictures) and it was raining like crazy there...I told him to cancel it.<br />
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So instead, Gus being the most ridiculously awesome man on earth, he surprised me with a helicopter tour over the city. It was my first time ever in a helicopter...<br />
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Then we roamed the city, visiting the WETA workshop and stalking Peter Jackson's studio where all the movies have been filmed.<br />
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And that night Gus surprised me, YET AGAIN, by taking me to dinner at Peter Jackson's favorite restaurant in Wellington where we had a three hour dinner before our midnight movie premiere.<br />
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I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging or gloating about all this, because that's not the point of all this...I just can't get over the lengths Gus went to to make me happy. Especially with us only knowing each other for less than a month.<br />
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It wasn't until this trip to Wellington that I really began to let my guard down around him. I have a lot of walls and a lot of trust issues from my past (who doesn't?) and this...well this just proved how much he cared.<br />
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Any guy could take me to a midnight showing of a movie or buy me a cool poster of it. But Gus, knowing how much Lord of the Rings meant to me, knowing how unbelievably happy it would make me...went above and beyond. I'm not used to guys going lavish for me, nor do I ever expect it...but it was the thought behind every little thing he did that made me realize just how incredible he was.<br />
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And made me 100% sure that I could trust this boy with something I hadn't given to anyone since my massive break up in 2010...my heart.<br />
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<3<br />
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-Little Blonde Traveler<br />
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Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-38314529959223602412013-02-22T11:55:00.000+11:002013-06-28T17:33:50.301+10:00How a Little Bit of Luck and Meeting the Right People Can Go a Long WayAs I mentioned in my earlier post <a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/how-life-took-me-from-gold-coast-to.html" target="_blank" title="How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney">How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney</a>, it was the sheer kindness and generosity of the Smith family that brought me to Sydney. They had originally bought me round trip tickets so I could go back to Surfer's Paradise, but after only my first two days in a suburb called Manly, I knew that this was a place I would much rather live.<br />
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I hadn't seen Susan or Maddie since the summer of 2011 when I was Maddie's summer swim team coach, and I had never actually met the father, Warren. Yet still, Mrs. Smith flew me down so that I could watch over Maddie while she and Warren went to Thailand for a week and a half. Not only did they kindly pay for my flight, but they had a spare bedroom made up and ready for me, and gave me the keys to their car to drive around while they were away.<br />
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My first night in Manly they took me out to their favorite fish and chips place near the beach and even though in mid-October Sydney was MUCH colder than up in Surfer's Paradise, I still had a blast seeing the family again and being around fellow Tennesseans. And it was incredible to see how much Maddie had grown since seeing her last! I'm 10 years older than her and she's almost taller than me!!<br />
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While spending my first week in Sydney, I took Maddie and her friend down for an afternoon at the beach and on the way back home, I stopped at a random cafe to grab a coffee. I noticed how busy the place was and asked the guy making my coffee is he was the owner. Turns out he was. We got to chatting and within the length of time required to make a coffee, I had a new job, starting as soon as the Smith's got back from Thailand.<br />
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I was stoked.<br />
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The week and a half taking care of Maddie flew by and before I knew it the Smith's were back in town. I announced my decision to not fly back to Surfer's Paradise and in complete surprise, the Smith's were just as happy for me. So happy, in fact, that they immediately offered for me to stay at their house with them free of charge for as long as I needed. Again, I was absolutely blown away by their kindness.<br />
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I started working at the cafe part-time, making enough money to survive (especially since I didn't have to pay for most of my food or rent - again, thanks to the Smith's). And ironically enough, it was through the cafe that I started making a lot of new friends.<br />
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Being an American, let's just say that my waiting services were MUCH HIGHER than the other waitress's. I was kind, attentive, and worked as though I was going to get tips (which is NOT common in Australia). And because of my friendliness, a lot of regulars and locals started to know me as the "Girl from Four Olives Cafe".<br />
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And it was through the cafe that I met two super awesome people: Angus and Luke.<br />
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Luke and I quickly became good friends, and since he was quite older than me, he became a mentor of sorts. Not only did he take me around in race cars and introduce me to a more "fancy" side of Sydney life...<br />
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...but he became someone I could talk to about all my fears and worries...and receive confidence, guidance, and wisdom in return. He was there for me when I had a lot of concerns about what I was doing with my life, where I was going, and what in the world I was going to do next. For his friendship and willingness to show me the true meaning of Aussie generosity, I don't think I could ever thank him enough.<br />
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And then one day in November at the cafe (exactly one month from me arriving in Sydney) I was minding my own business when a very handsome and energetic man walked up to order a muffin and a coffee from me. I had seen him at the cafe before, and for some reason or another, that particular morning we happened to hold each other's eye contact for a bit longer than usual. Then he left and I went on with my shift...until about twenty minutes later when I walked outside to greet a new table and there he was. The same cute guy, with a friend, sitting down to order more breakfast and another coffee. "This can't be a coincidence," I remember thinking to myself.<br />
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Angus (Gus) proceeded to be the most needy customer I ever had, making me run back and forth to get cracked pepper, avocado, Vegemite and everything else in between. But I had a sneaking suspicion that he was just trying to find ways to keep talking to me (since it was VERY busy at the cafe that morning) and by the time he and his mate finished up breakie, I made up my mind and in a rash moment of confidence, told him that he should add me on Facebook so we could catch up sometime.<br />
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<b>(TIP TO THE LADIES OUT THERE: Telling a guy to add you on Facebook first is usually a much better option than giving out your number, because this way you can kind of suss the guy out through his profile.)</b><br />
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Gus seemed to be very taken aback by my forwardness, but quickly wrote down my name and when I got off my shift a few hours later, I had a message from him waiting for me. And on a whim, I decided to take up his offer for dinner...<br />
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And we haven't looked back since.<br />
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He started off just showing me the sights and experiences to be had in Sydney, and in between all of that I began to fall quite hard for him.<br />
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It's almost the end of February now, and I still can't believe so much has happened to me since moving to Sydney on October 17th. I will never forget the absolute kindness of the Smith family, nor will I ever forget them. I consider them all to be part of my family now, and I know that time will never change that. All three of them mean the world to me.</div>
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Luke and I still keep in touch when he meets Gus and I on the weekends for breakie and he and I still chat like little high school girls about life and relationships. </div>
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I'm writing this near the end of February and Gus and I are now officially dating and still going strong. He makes me so happy it's a tad bit ridiculous, really. But I don't want to say too much about him just yet because my next post is going to be about a very VERY special thing he did for me and my very strange obsession with Lord of the Rings.</div>
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Until then...</div>
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-Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-56934271600598082702013-02-12T13:16:00.000+11:002013-05-20T12:44:43.433+10:00Why 2012 Was My Best Year YetIt's a pretty surreal feeling when I scroll back through my blog and my picture albums on Facebook. From where I was this time last year in 2012 to where I am now in 2013...well, I'm literally on the opposite side of the earth and in a completely different mindset.<br />
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Since I had blown my entire life savings in 2011 while traveling through South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand...from January 2012 to the beginning of July 2012 I was working an 8-5 job on the weekdays, and working a part-time gig on the weekends all to save up for my ultimate trip to leave the country and move to Australia. But the "corporate world" soon had me depressed and longing for world travel and in February, I took $1,000 and two weeks off to visit some friends in Europe.<br />
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I visited Amsterdam, Netherlands:<br />
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Barcelona, Spain:<br />
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And Aalborg, Denmark: </div>
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<br />
But after I returned to the States, I had to bite the bullet and work and save, work and save...<br />
<br />
I lived in a condo with my two best girl friends, Sarah and Carolyn but other than that, was quite a social recluse, constantly fantasizing about where and when I was going to leave Tennessee next. In the end, I decided that I wanted to apply for a one year Working Holiday Visa in Australia. $175 and 24 hours later, my visa was accepted and I had up to April 2013 to arrive in Australia for my visa to begin.<br />
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So then I had to decide the hardest question of them all...WHEN?<br />
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I did some math and realized that I would have around $7,000 by July (which included selling my car and computers and other electronics). My family is famous for our annual July 4th party so I decided that I would make my departure date a week later on July 10th. I also realized that since I had a few grand, I was definitely going to make a few pit-stops along the way before arriving in Australia.<br />
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That's when I got to work looking at my flight options and ultimately decided on this schedule:<br />
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-San Diego for one day<br />
-Oahu, Hawaii for one week<br />
-Kauai, Hawaii for two weeks<br />
-Oahu, Hawaii for two days<br />
-Bali, Indonesia for two weeks<br />
-Jakarta, Indonesia for one week<br />
-Then arrive in Brisbane, Australia and figure things out from there.<br />
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The night before I left, I decide to throw a last minute going away party, which turned out to be the worst decision I could have made. Because EVERYONE I loved and cared about most in Knoxville showed up to say their goodbyes and give me their well-wishes...which made me realize just how much I had taken all of their love and support for granted over the past years.<br />
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But the next day I stemmed the flow of tears as I said goodbye to my parents, slung my massive backpack over my shoulder...and began my Epic Adventure of a Lifetime.<br />
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<br />
...And that's where my this blog began. At the very beginning of my adventure.<br />
<br />
If you've followed along with my blog, then you know about my experience falling down the waterfall in Hawaii, or the thieving monkey in Bali. If you don't know these stories, then I've created links to all of my blog posts (in chronological order) below...<br />
<br />
BEFORE:
<br />
<ol>
<li><a corporate="" grind="" href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/my-last-day-of-corporate-grind.html" target="_blank" title="My Last Day of the ">My Last Day of the "Corporate Grind"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/mixed-emotions.html" target="_blank" title="Mixed Emotions">Mixed Emotions</a></li>
</ol>
HAWAII:
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/my-first-few-days-in-ohau-hawaii.html" target="_blank" title="My First Few Days in Oahu, Hawaii">My First Few Days in Oahu, Hawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/my-week-in-oahu.html" target="_blank" title="My Week in Oahu">My Week in Oahu</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/my-first-impression-of-kauai-hawaii.html" target="_blank" title="My First Impression of Kauai, Hawaii">My First Impression of Kauai, Hawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/how-i-discovered-moodswings-of-poseidon.html" target="_blank" title="How I Discovered the Moodswings of Poseidon and His Ocean">How I Discovered the Moodswings of Poseidon and His Ocean</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/so-much-to-see-and-do-in-kalalau.html" target="_blank" title="So Much to See and Do in Kalalau!">So Much to See and Do in Kalalau!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/a-native-american-sweat-lodge-in-hawaii.html" target="_blank" title="A Native American Sweat Lodge in Hawaii">A Native American Sweat Lodge in Hawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/homesickness.html" target="_blank" title="Homesickness">Homesickness</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/how-to-fall-down-waterfall.html" target="_blank" title="How to Fall Down a Waterfall
">How to Fall Down a Waterfall
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-ultimate-sea-kayak-adventure.html" target="_blank" title="The Ultimate Sea Kayak Adventure
">The Ultimate Sea Kayak Adventure
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/our-first-night-at-polihale-beach.html" target="_blank" title="Our First Night at Polihale Beach
">Our First Night at Polihale Beach
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/not-best-experience-at-polihale.html" target="_blank" title="Not the Best Experience at Polihale
">Not the Best Experience at Polihale
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/how-i-learned-to-hitchhike.html" target="_blank" title="How I Learned to Hitchhike
">How I Learned to Hitchhike
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/saying-goodbye-to-hawaii-and-hello-to.html" target="_blank" title="Saying Goodbye to Hawaii and Hello to Two Days of Travel
">Saying Goodbye to Hawaii and Hello to Two Days of Travel
</a></li>
</ol>
INDONESIA:
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/why-hostels-are-key-to-successful.html" target="_blank" title="Why HOSTELS Are the Key to Successful Travelling
">Why HOSTELS Are the Key to Successful Travelling
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/surfing-indian-ocean-for-my-daddy.html" target="_blank" title="Surfing the Indian Ocean For My Daddy
">Surfing the Indian Ocean For My Daddy
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/how-to-partybali-style.html" target="_blank" title="How to Party...Bali Style
">How to Party...Bali Style
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/monkeys-in-indonesiathey-own-place.html" target="_blank" title="Monkeys in Indonesia...They Own the Place!
">Monkeys in Indonesia...They Own the Place!
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-wonder-of-ancient-temples.html" target="_blank" title="The Wonder of Ancient Temples">The Wonder of Ancient Temples</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012_09_01_archive.html" target="_blank" title="Ripcurl Anyone?">Ripcurl Anyone?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/this-post-has-been-long-time-coming.html" target="_blank" title="This Post Has Been A Long Time Coming...">This Post Has Been A Long Time Coming...</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/why-you-should-seriously-avoid-water-in.html" target="_blank" title="Why You Should SERIOUSLY Avoid the Water in Indonesia
">Why You Should SERIOUSLY Avoid the Water in Indonesia
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/my-jaunt-through-jakarta-city-where.html" target="_blank" title="My Jaunt Through Jakarta - The City Where Blonde Hair Is a Traffic-Stopper
">My Jaunt Through Jakarta - The City Where Blonde Hair Is a Traffic-Stopper
</a></li>
</ol>
AUSTRALIA:
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/my-first-week-in-australia-and.html" target="_blank" title="My First Week in Australia and the Generosity of Strangers
">My First Week in Australia and the Generosity of Strangers
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/how-to-start-life-in-australia.html" target="_blank" title="How to Start a Life in Australia
">How to Start a Life in Australia
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://littleblondetraveler.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/how-life-took-me-from-gold-coast-to.html" target="_blank" title="How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney">How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney</a></li>
</ol>
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So, to re-cap...</div>
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2012 has without a doubt been the best and most influential year of my life. And I can't wait to get back in the swing of things and update on the crazy experiences that have fallen my way while here in Sydney...</div>
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But in the mean time, I'll post this picture as a sneak preview...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKXr271cEYoRlONLRuLtB2_EuKaNG1nfJQ4Ql4MjNr1Pq0KvL1GnPuR3T-xcSAUe5PJIQb-rHfk0Cw6RaSrzXrf45BvTpNgsT8UjTJegNZo0n8zCaitDaNoT28Gspnzh_RSGo5B0y2qQ/s1600/sydney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKXr271cEYoRlONLRuLtB2_EuKaNG1nfJQ4Ql4MjNr1Pq0KvL1GnPuR3T-xcSAUe5PJIQb-rHfk0Cw6RaSrzXrf45BvTpNgsT8UjTJegNZo0n8zCaitDaNoT28Gspnzh_RSGo5B0y2qQ/s400/sydney.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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-Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-19097959382295350792012-12-18T16:40:00.001+11:002013-06-28T17:32:42.802+10:00How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to SydneyIt's been over a month since my last update...pathetic on my part, but my god has my life suddenly jumped into the fast lane.<br />
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For all of September my life consisted of working at night, working in the morning, partying and sunbathing all day, and then repeating it all over again.<br />
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I set up my first AU bank account and within the first month saved almost 1,500 Aussie dollars. I was making great progress.<br />
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And not only that, but after just a few weeks at the hostel, I had fallen head over heels for a very crazy, handsome, funny guy from England named Luis. He and I instantly hit it off and before we knew it...we made our relationship official on Facebook. It had been almost two and a half years since I had been in an official relationship with anyone and it felt good to get back in that rhythm after so long. When you live at a hostel, share the same room, and work with that person...it made our relationship seem more serious than it was. It was like we were literally living with each other and for the first month everything went extremely well.<br />
<br />
But in the second week of October, I got fired from my job changing beds at the hostel because my night job was making me too tired to work in the mornings. But then that next night, I quit my night job at the club because the owner was doing some shady business and I didn't feel comfortable working their anymore. So within 24 hours I found myself out of both my jobs and without any idea of what I was going to do next.<br />
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I was a swim coach back in Tennessee in the summer of 2011 and one of the families I had met were now living in Sydney and needed a nanny to take care of their 12 year old while they went to Thailand for a week and a half. So, they offered to fly me down to Sydney on October 17th. I happily accepted the offer and spent the next week and a half having a blast with my friends in the hostel, partying hard, making memories, and enjoying the time with my new-found boyfriend, Luis.<br />
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<br />
But all good things always come to an end...<br />
<br />
And the day before I was scheduled to leave for Sydney, I realized that I probably wasn't going to come back. The Smith family had provided me with a roundtrip ticket, but other than Luis...I had nothing to come back to in the Gold Coast. No place to live or to work and that's when Luis and I began to realize that our little fantasy, whirlwind relationship, probably wasn't going to make it. He was a backpacker just like me, who had left his country because of a heartbreak, just like me. And even though we connected and had an amazing time together...the reality of our situations was very clear. And neither of us were willing to give up our dreams to make a compromise.<br />
<br />
I had a great last day with everyone and Luis took me to Seaworld before I packed my bags and left around 6 in the morning on October 17th for the airport.<br />
<br />
Even though I was absolutely heartbroken having to leave my home for the last month and a half, it was very exciting to travel again.<br />
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Just me and my backpack :]<br />
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<br />
<br />
~Little Blonde Traveler<br />
<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-62846119120676409592012-11-14T02:09:00.000+11:002013-06-28T17:31:28.536+10:00How to Start a Life in AustraliaEver wanted to become an Australian...or at least a temporary one? Well here's my way to do it!<br />
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<b>First step: Establish a place of living.</b></div>
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After spending the first week being stranded at my friend Tim's house, moving to the Backpackers Surfers Paradise Backpackers Hostel Resort was the best move I could have made. It was just a block away from the beach and a short fifteen minute walk to the heart of downtown Surfer's Paradise. </div>
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From the outside the hostel looked...well, pretty shitty if you ask me. A giant old brick wall surrounded the whole front of it, where a giant basketball court was situated in the middle with all of the dorm rooms and the kitchen and bar fanning around it. Then off to the side, behind the Office building was the pool. Behind the pool was a four story building where all of the apartment rooms were, and in the basement of that was the TV room, game room, exercise room, and sauna. And scattered throughout the whole complex were couches, hammocks, and picnic tables a plenty. </div>
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Another really awesome aspect about most hostels (especially throughout Australia) is that the employees are usually foreign travelers as well. And let me tell you what...staff can make or break a hostel. Seriously. Last year in Cairns, Australia the entire staff was German and refused to socialize or even to speak to anyone who wasn't German. It made the cool hostel a little less awesome and I'll never forget that. But here...well that was a completely different story. </div>
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The staff that I met my first few days was pretty much all from the UK but funny and wild as hell, who went out of their way to include me (and the other newbies) in activities and just normal goofing around. Within 24 hours I felt like I had found myself amidst a little family.</div>
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The hostel I was living in also catered to the social life (as you can glimpse in the above pictures). As most hostels do, they had two nights a week where a group called the Big Night Out pulled up in a giant bus and took us to town where we bar hopped four different bars all night. For the price of $30 you got your entrance into all four clubs, a free drink at each club, half price drinks all night, and a free bbq dinner that night at the hostel. WHAT A FREAKING DEAL. </div>
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Yeah...that picture is just one of the larger nights we had for Big Night Out at our hostel. We kept setting records!! :]</div>
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In addition to the ridiculous amount of partying floating around, the hostel also had a volleyball tournament every night and the winning team was given free beer from the hostel bar. Sometimes the games got so intense we had some injuries...but it was always a blast. And a really great way of meeting the new people in the hostel. </div>
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<b>Second Step: Find a job (or jobs) and begin working ASAP.</b></div>
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My dad always told me "Network, network, network. It's the key to success." And well, I couldn't agree more with him. Jasmine, one of Tim's roommates that had helped me out so much the week before, also ended up scoring me an interview at one of the nightclubs on the main strip in Surfer's Paradise for some work. So, my third day at the hostel, I got up bright and early, got dressed, and hopped on the free shuttle bus into town with my fingers crossed...</div>
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Now, I hadn't asked much about what the job was, because Jasmine had explained that I'd pretty much be working as promotion girl outside the club, trying to get people to come in. Sounded easy, and something totally up my alley so I didn't bother questioning it. But the one thing I should've asked was "What kind of club is it?"</div>
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For those of you who aren't familiar with Australian nightlife in the famous Gold Coast and Surfer's Paradise...let me tell you that it is NOTHING like Tennessee. The girls's working behind the bar at these clubs either wear only a bra and cheeky boy shorts, or a corset. THAT'S IT. And most of the girls who worked outside only had to wear skinny little dresses and heels. But when I walked up to my interview...I realized that it was at a strip club! Now, for those of you very Christian and Southern...DON'T PANIC. </div>
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I kept an open mind throughout the interview and by the end of it walked away as a newly employed girl! I was hired to work outside as the promo girl for a whopping $21 an hour!! After midnight it went up to $22 and on Sundays it was $23! Gotta love Australian pay rates!</div>
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Now, my job was pretty simple: wear a nice black skirt with a red top or a dress, heels, and smile pretty. EASY PEESY. And after my first two weeks there, I was promoted to a hostessing position inside where I was given a headset and managed the floor. But the best part about all of this...it turned out to only be a topless bar! And I didn't have to wear anything like the bartenders had to at the other clubs. In fact...here's what I wore my first weekend...</div>
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After my first week of work at the club (I was working from 8 at night to between 3 and 5 in the morning) I was approached by one of the girls working at the hostel that changed beds in the morning. She and her sister were leaving the hostel in a few days which meant that her position would open up. She woke up every morning at 8:30 to change all the beds of people who had just checked out that day. She wasn't getting paid hourly, but her rent was being paid for. So she was working to live for free. </div>
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Well, me being the little go-getter and penny-pincher backpacker I am, I immediately walked up to the owner, Brad, and offered him my name in the hat to fill the position...</div>
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So, low and behold, within the first 10 days of me moving to Australia I had a place to stay and TWO jobs!!! HELL YES.</div>
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<b>Step three: Make a family with your friends.</b></div>
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Traveling the world can be pretty damn lonely...especially when you do it alone like me. But the beautiful part is that I'm never the only one. Everyone else in the hostel are lonely, scared travelers as well and when you get together...well the combination can be explosive. Within my first few days of being at the hostel I had begun to form a family with everyone there. </div>
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...but the real kicker...the part I had no idea would ever happen here...was that I had finally fallen for someone. Fallen very very hard. :]</div>
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...But that's for the next post. </div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-33128702234683317872012-11-03T19:47:00.000+11:002013-06-28T17:30:17.914+10:00My First Week in Australia and the Generosity of StrangersI landed in Brisbane, Australia on the evening of August 26th, 2012...a very important date to remember since I will have until exactly August 26th, 2013 to live and work here.<br />
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It was hard to believe that I had actually made it to this point. After almost two months of backpacking through Hawaii and Indonesia I had finally arrived in Australia (aka my launching point to backpack the world).<br />
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Last year when I had backpacked through Brisbane and Cairns, on the flight in between the two cities I made quick friends with an Australian named Tim and for almost 11 months we had kept in contact...and waiting for me at the Brisbane airport was he and his new girlfriend to pick me up and take me to his home almost an hour south in a town called Gold Coast, Australia.<br />
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He had promised me in January of 2012 that if I ever decided to come back to Australia for a more long-term visit, he would happily house me for free for as long as I needed to get situated and on my feet. I was more than thankful to accept his offer and was crazy excited to be there my first night.<br />
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He had an awesome little mattress/bed set up in one of the extra rooms...and perfectly fit me and all my travel stuff :]<br />
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The next day he took time off work to show me the popular areas of Gold Coast, get me an Australian cell phone, start hunting for possible jobs...and to let me see the famous Surfer's Paradise Beach.<br />
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Everything was going great. I was excited to have a few days to relax without having to worry about work or money and recover from my month and half of adventures in Hawaii and Indonesia. Tim worked an hour north in Brisbane and that's also where his girlfriend lived...well after my second day, he went up to work...and didn't come back. Leaving me alone with his three roommates: Andrew (aka Ridley), Jasmine (aka Jaz), and her boyfriend Jeremy. </div>
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But thank god, those three people were absolutely AMAZING to me. They took me to the grocery store so I could buy food to eat while I was in the house, they taught me how to cook Kangaroo meat, and showed me around the city. I will forever be gratefully indebted to those three...who made sure that my first few days in Australia were going to be worth it. </div>
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After a few days there I knew that I would need to get an official Australian RSA (which is like an ABC license to serve alcohol back home in the States) and while I was at it I also took a barista training class...just in case. And after two days of classes and testing, I had all my qualifications! </div>
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Near the end of the week I realized that I was going to need to get out of that house eventually (since Tim was still AWOL and I was starting to feel super guilty bumming rides and favors and help from the three of them) so I started planning...</div>
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Initially I was going to buy a car with the rest of my money, then pick a city to live in and start working. My choices were between staying in the Gold Coast, moving an hour up to Brisbane, or going down to Byron Bay (where I had heard only amazing things). But after talking it out with Jaz and Jeremy, they made a valid point that it would be better for me to secure work and a place to live somewhere BEFORE buying a car. </div>
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So I hoped on the internet and started doing some serious investigation into hostels and apartments...but in the end I realized that whatever city I chose, I would need to make friends first so a hostel was the way to go. After calling around to a few I found one down at Surfer's Paradise that had a weekly rate discount...and immediately booked a week.</div>
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The next morning I packed up my few belongings (and without letting Tim know anything that I was doing) I said my goodbyes to Jeremy and Jaz before they took me in their truck to my new home.</div>
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After just a week of knowing them I knew I was already gonna miss the hell out of them and their kindess...true Aussies right there!! </div>
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But Jeremy helped me bring my backpack into my new domain...Surfer's Paradise Backpacker's Resort. And within the first thirty minutes of being there...I knew that I had made the best decision. </div>
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What I didn't know was how much love, friendship, and good times were in my horizon...</div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-21803775084720366692012-10-19T16:52:00.001+11:002013-06-28T17:29:13.764+10:00My Jaunt Through Jakarta - The City Where Blonde Hair Is a Traffic-StopperAfter two straight days of staying in my hotel room, I finally felt well enough to attempt to explore a bit of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. I took time getting ready, making sure to wear the most conservative outfit I could pull together, and stepped out into the big, dirty city.<br />
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...to find the city COMPLETELY empty.</div>
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No joke, I saw only two cars pass me down the stretch of road my hotel was on. I kept walking around the corner and down another block to the massive, famous mall...and found only Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Starbucks open. It took me a little while to realize why the streets were so empty...RAMADAN.</div>
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For those of y'all who don't know what Ramadan is, I'll take a nice little quote from the internet to better explain it to ya. "Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim lunar calendar. For those 29 or 30 days, Muslims, as a spiritual exercise designed to bring them closer to God through contemplation and humility, but not without joy and festivities, are required to abstain from food, drink and sex of any sort during daylight hours. They may indulge in all three at night, and often do so with gusto: Ramadan is in Islam what Thanksgiving is in the United States, an extended occasion for socializing, celebrating, and loving." So during the few days that I was in my hotel, the more serious part of Ramadan was occurring near the end of it, and most of the people in the city had gone home to celebrate with their families and loved ones.</div>
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The next two days I became close friends with the Starbucks staff, and managed to find a store open to buy plenty of gifts to send home to the family. By that point I was feeling like my old self again - though purposely avoiding Indonesian food and fruits. So after my four days in the hotel were up, I was more than ready to get out of there and spend my last four days in a hostel 15 minutes away. And the hostel was SO COOL. </div>
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<a href="http://jakarta-backpackers-hostel.com/">http://jakarta-backpackers-hostel.com/</a></div>
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I instantly made friends with a group of people from the Netherlands and within the first two hours of being there, had a bunch of people to go grab dinner out on the town with. Yay for socialization!<br />
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The next morning the Dutch group had gone, but I had overheard a girl asking one of the hostel employees about places to go/things to do around town. Now, I had been wanting to go get a guided tour through the slums of Jakarta, but when I looked at the prices it just seemed a bit too much for my backpacker blood. (Normally I don't do guided tours in cities because I'd rather go explore myself, but in the slums in Jakarta, a city infamous for terrorist bombings, I decided not to go by myself.) Anyway I approached the girl that had asked the questions and ended up teaming up with her and her guy friend that she was traveling with. Her name was Nanna and his name was Martin, both of which were from Denmark. All three of us had fair skin, light blonde hair, and all three of us INSTANTLY connected.<br />
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So, on my second day in the hostel, the three of us set out on a long day of Jakarta exploration. And man was it an adventure! Ramadan was in full swing for the last few days of it and so the city was now alive with constant celebration. We found ourselves in the middle of a square full of families, bike riding, silly hats, and so much food my stomach almost burst (but not from being sick this time ;])<br />
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...yes that is a man riding a stationary bike to power the make shift mini ferris wheel for the children!</div>
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But it was in this square, amidst the mass of people that things started to get a little...weird. When you travel in Asia as a fair skinned person (especially as a blonde) you start to notice a lot more attention than you would receive back home. In Seoul, South Korea the year before people had actually stopped to take pictures of me as I sat at a coffee shop, but Jakarta was about a 100 times more intense than that. </div>
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Because of all the negative talk about Jakarta, tourists don't really go there...like, ever. All of the bombings, and terrorists and stealing and poverty has kept the majority of Indonesian tourism very very far from the capital, and because of that...people would actually point and stare the moment they saw the three of us. </div>
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We were such a rare site that we actually got invited/pressured to join in on a family photography session! And then for the next ten minutes we had to take pictures on all of their phones with each one of them separately! <br />
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We finally broke away from the square to head to the famous monument in the middle of the city. The giant park all around the monument promised us a lot of room to get away from the crowds of people wanting pictures...but we were sorely mistaken.<br />
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...These little girls were too shy to ask to take a picture with me, so their mom asked instead. I couldn't say no!! They were so sweet. Then more kids wanted a picture with both Nanna and I, so we had Martin snag some pictures of it...</div>
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We easily took more than 30 different pictures with families and children in total that day. The first five times we laughed and laughed our heads off, and took it as sincere compliments, but after the 10th time, it starts to wear on you. We REALLY didn't like it when parents and grown men tried to take pictures with us. We actually said no a few times, but then there was this dad who squatted down a few feet from us and made his children take pictures of us a few feet behind him on his phone. So, rubbing it in his face, we motioned for the kids to come sit down and take a picture with us instead.<br />
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By the end of that night we were absolutely exhausted. The next day was a one of relaxing in the hostel (but the air condition was broken and the place was completely infested with mosquitoes and I counted no less than 30 bites on my legs alone!<br />
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Nanna and Martin left to go back home the day before I left for Australia, but we had one last night to enjoy each other's company and have a nice dinner. I really connected with those two.<br />
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The next day I wandered a bit around town by myself, before catching my 5 a.m. flight to Brisbane, stopping along the way in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to change flights. And on my 8 hour flight to Brisbane I made friends with someone that absolutely changed my life.<br />
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But after all that adventure, I finally landed in a town where fair skin and blonde hair, was no longer a traffic-stopper.<br />
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P.s. here's a nice little picture of my new purchase while I stayed at my hotel in downtown Jakarta...can't wait to wear it when I travel to other Muslim countries!!<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-38994716572133799252012-10-14T12:40:00.001+11:002013-06-28T17:28:22.110+10:00Why You Should SERIOUSLY Avoid the Water in IndonesiaThe day after I completed my epic hike up Mt. Batu in the middle of Bali, it was time for me to take a 2 and a 1/2 hour plane ride over some more islands to the capital of Indonesia...Jakarta. There was only one problem: I was becoming INCREDIBLY sick.<br />
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And not the kind of sick that once you go to the bathroom, you feel better...I mean the kind of sick that keeps you in the bathroom for hours wishing that all you could do is sleep whatever it is off for hours.<br />
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But I didn't have that luxury. In fact, I only had two hours before I had to be at the airport to catch my flight.<br />
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I was sitting in my hostel restaurant determined to just hang in there until I was on the plane and then in Jakarta, but the next time I went to the bathroom...there was blood. I was literally throwing up blood. Beyond panicked, I went to some of the employees in the kitchen to ask them where the nearest hospital was, explaining to them that I also had to catch a flight in a few hours. And me, in my American way of thinking, assumed that the hospital would make me late for my flight (because it takes HOURS in normal hospitals back home just to be seen). So then I started frantically planning to arrange another flight to Jakarta a few days later...but that day was the beginning of Ramadan...the biggest Muslim holiday in the world. And I was in the most heavily populated Muslim country in the world as well. Yeah, I was starting to realize that I might be royally screwed.<br />
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But one of the kitchen girls guided me to her scooter and drove me just four minutes away to a "Tourist and Surfer Hospital" right near the beach and told me to go in and that she'd wait for me outside. So, weak as hell, and already needing to use the bathroom again, I walked into the clinic and was received by the most kind and gentle doctor ever. There was only a reception desk and then one room with a door where the doctor conducted his interviews with his patients and luckily, he spoke very very good English. (A hard thing to find around most of Bali)<br />
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After probing my stomach with his hands, and asking me a serious of un-flattering questions...he prescribed me four sets of different pills that I needed to take twice a day. His diagnosis: I ate fresh fruit that had been washed in the local water, and my Westernized little body was not prepared for the onslaught of bacteria that accompanied the delicious mango.<br />
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Awesome.<br />
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The doctor, being an absolute sweetheart, also wrote a letter to the teller at the airport check in, asking to place me in a seat as close as possible to the bathroom, since I would probably be needing it while traveling to Jakarta. But by the time I made it to the airport an hour and a half later, the pills the doctor had given me had worked to keep all the "bathroom necessities" out of the way while I traveled. Thank goodness.<br />
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By the time I landed in Jakarta, all I wanted was to get to my hotel (which I had booked for the first four days instead of a hostel because I absolutely had to have my own bathroom and bed for a few days). I was warned about the deceptiveness of taxi drivers in Indonesia (especially in the capital) and was fully prepared to counter-offer relatively low when one taxi driver was explaining how long it would take to get through downtown where my hotel was. I informed him that I was quite aware of Ramadan and that there was actually no traffic on the roads for the next few days...And so he begrudgingly accepted my bags and flew down the empty interstate (I mean at speeds of at least 80 mph back home) until we arrived at my very chic hotel, in the middle of the dirtiest and creepiest street I've ever seen. But as soon as I was inside the front doors, I fell in love with the strange, fun, and quirky designs throughout the hotel<br />
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...And this is where I stayed for the next four days. Not leaving my room except to go downstairs to the 7-11 type shop to get food and water. And man did I write.<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-76986205139260326432012-10-11T12:18:00.002+11:002013-06-28T17:27:39.670+10:00Hiking a Volcano to Watch a Bali SunriseHello my readers!!<br />
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Yes, can you believe it, I'm actually writing a new post!! We can all agree that it has been FAR too long since my last one. The reason being is a combination of working two jobs in Australia 7 days a week, finally being somewhere where I'm comfortable, and...to be honest...being a little hesitant to express my true feelings on this blog.<br />
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I began writing this blog in hopes to express my true feelings about my travels and my experiences in other countries...but I have a tendency to be a little blunt, so to speak. And as a writer, I'm constantly searching for ways to better strengthen my literary voice. But after one of my lasts posts I had to be reminded of how vast and different my audience with this blog is...and how carefully I need to monitor how I write, and what I choose to write about. I agreed with the advice, but I would by lying if I said that it didn't affect me. I guess you could say that I kind of lost the drive for a little while...<br />
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But I'm hoping that all of that is over now.<br />
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My last two or three days in Bali I started feeling a little...sick. Stomach always gurgling and always needing to run to the bathroom every few minutes, but I figured it would pass after a day or two and there was no way I was going to let that ruin my last few days in one of the most amazing places on Earth. SO, I pushed through and decided to do a 3 a.m. sunrise hike up to the top of a volcano in the middle of the island of Bali. It was something I've wanted to do my entire time in Indonesia and my friends from my hostel Ben, Pat, and Pat had rented scooters and all decided to do the hike with me.<br />
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So 3 a.m. rolls around all too quickly and the three of us bundle up to jump on the scooters and drive the hour north towards the volcano. However, in all of my brilliant thinking, I forgot to bring warm clothes to hike a volcano. My blonde-haired brain thought "oh, it's Indonesia and super hot all of the time. Why would you need to bring something other than shorts and a light pullover?"<br />
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The moment we got on the scooters I instantly regretted my sad sad decision-making skills.<br />
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By the time we made it to the base of the volcano it was just before 4 a.m. and I was absolutely frozen stiff. All three of us were, but I was the one wearing the least amount of clothes. But we paid for the guided tour up the mountain and started our trek before the rest of the groups had even gotten there.<br />
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That's right. I'm wearing my pajamas to hike up the freaking Batu Volcano. But it was SO COLD, and it was all I brought from the hostel by the beach. But I push through and continue the hike up. </div>
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Half way up we all start getting really hot and take off most of our layers, wearing just t shirts and shorts for the majority of the hike up. But then things started to get intense. And going the last two days not eating or drinking much, and being properly sick, I suddenly became very very weak. So weak, in fact, that our tour guide had to hold my hand and pull me up for the last 30 minutes of the hike. </div>
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But since we had started so early ahead of all the other dozens of people doing the same hike, we were able to grab four seats in the little shanty built on the very top. Our tour guide made us coffee and steamed eggs and toast next to one of the steam vents. It was so delicious! Except once we stopped moving...my body began to freeze all over again and Ben snapped a wonderful shot of me that perfectly illustrates my torment sitting in the tent, waiting for the freaking sun to rise...</div>
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Yeah...yay hiking!<br />
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So we eat our breakfast and then join the rest of the crowd outside to wait for the sunrise...the only problem is that the sun is rising BELOW the cloud layer since the volcano is so damn high and we're ABOVE the clouds haha. So as we're all freezing and waiting, a giant family of monkeys come sprinting up from the inside of the (in-active volcano) and start stealing everyone's bread and sandwiches!!<br />
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But once the sun rises the view is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!! And all four of us had splurged to pay a little extra to do a hike around the rim of the volcano after sunrise. And my god was it worth absolutely every penny...and then some!</div>
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Yeah. Absolutely incredible, right? It's impossible for my words and pictures to capture even a fraction of the energy I felt doing that hike. I'll tell you...two of the best ways to truly feel alive is 1) skydiving and 2) hiking a freaking volcano above the clouds. </div>
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After the hike the way down was MUCH easier than the hike up. Though I was still so weak that my legs almost gave out a couple of times. But afterwards we got to take a picture in front of the massive beast of a volcano we had all just hiked together...</div>
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Mt. Batur was a beast of a hike...but we all did it. And it was well worth every single curse word, tear, and bead of sweat that came out of all of our bodies. </div>
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An amazing memory I'll never forget.</div>
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And you'll be hearing from me in my next post ASAP. I swear it. ;]</div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-62029719487805892052012-09-09T12:28:00.000+10:002013-06-28T17:25:55.744+10:00Ripcurl Anyone?When I arrived in Bali, Indonesia my father (who has become slightly addicted to StumbleUpon) sent me a bunch of cool surfing videos from spots around the island for me to go check out when I had some time. One of the spots he mentioned was a beach on the very southern tip of the island called Padang Padang Beach. The videos looked awesome and when my dad did some more research he found out that the massive yearly Rip Curl Padang Padang Surf Competition was on during the whole two weeks I was there!<br />
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So naturally, I gathered up a few people from the hostel and we all split a taxi to head down to Padang Padang (pronounced pah-dong pah-dong) the next morning. And low and behold, we happened to pick the day the surfing competition was on!!<br />
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Ripcurl advertises the competition for anytime during the month because they're waiting for the perfect swell to come in. Once they spot it, they officially hold the competition for the day...thus their slogan "It's On When It's On".<br />
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The four of us got there around 8:30 in the morning, and there weren't many people (or vendors) settled up yet. So we headed down the creepy, tiny staircase that's carved in between two massive boulders...and arrived to the most gorgeous beach I had yet to see in Bali!<br />
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So as I'm sitting in front of the big Ripcurl structure where the judges, announcers, and other surfers are waiting, I look up to see none other than Bethany Hamilton...the famous Hawaiian surfer who had her arm bit off by a shark!! I literally screamed like a little girl when I saw her, but only managed to grab a small shot of her.<br />
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Just an hour after I took this picture, she paddled out to surf the waves, becoming the first-ever female to surf in the Padang Padang Ripcurl competition. The beach was screaming and clapping when she was done. It was a very amazing thing to see.</div>
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As the morning faded into the afternoon, the already small beach became absolutely crowded with people from all over the island who had been waiting for the competition to finally happen for weeks. Two of the guys I had come with from my hostel had climbed up on a big rock with a bunch of other people to get a better view for taking pictures, but me and the guy from Germany decided to stay down on the beach and tan while we waited for the competition to kick off. We were quite a ways up from the waterline, but we DID NOT plan things out very well at all.<br />
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As a HUGE swell came in, both of us were far too busy taking pictures with our big cameras to realize that big waves out there...meant big waves on the beach as well.<br />
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In the blink of an eye, a massive wave crashes onto shore...headed straight for us. We both had our cameras strung around our necks, but we had our backpacks, towels, flip flops...and my iPod on the sand. I managed to grab everything up before the waves reached it (my cat-like reflexes have quite a lot to do with that). But as the wave slammed up to my knees, my iPod that I've had since 9th grade came unplugged from the headphones and plopped right into the water. Once the wave receded I was able to grab it, but I knew that I was going to have no luck getting it to work again. 7 years worth of music...GONE.<br />
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I had my self pity party as we both packed up what was left of our now soaking wet stuff and headed over to the big boulder to find the other two guys. The beach was absolutely PACKED at that point, the waves were huge crashing against the shore, AND high tide was rolling in slowly but surely. Within the hour, their wasn't going to be too much of a beach anymore.<br />
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So we climbed up the massive rock and manged to score some more amazing surf pictures of the competition.<br />
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All in all, being able to witness a surfing competition first-hand was a pretty incredible experience. Every day I continue my travels I have more respect and admiration for the sport and everyone in it. </div>
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And, I felt like I was doing something for my daddy that he's always wanted to do...a damn good feeling I must say. </div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-67920143973206856712012-09-02T17:22:00.002+10:002013-06-28T17:24:58.126+10:00The Wonder of Ancient Temples I'M BACK ONLINE!!! I flew from Jakarta, Indonesia to Gold Coast, Australia exactly a week ago and my friends who had hooked me up with a free bed in their house had no internet! But I just moved to a new hostel down the road and low and behold...I can blog again! :]<br />
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So, without further ado...I introduce you to the beauty of the ancient temples in Bali, Indonesia...</div>
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Coming from the Bible Belt of Southern United States of America, I was not introduced to other religions or cultures or other ways of life growing up. Things were white, Christian, Southern, and American in Knoxville, Tennessee. It wasn't until I traveled to Singapore last year, at the age of 21, that I saw my first real Hindu and Buddhist Temples.</div>
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I was blown away by them then, but the ones that I saw there weren't old. And absolutely nothing like the ancient Hindu Temples in Bali. </div>
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After meeting up with a friend of mine who is from Brazil, we toured all throughout the center of the island of Bali where most of the most ancient temples are located. And we were absolutely blown away by the details, the wonder, and the energy of each temple. Whether they were designed for the sea gods, for the monkeys, or for the mountain gods, they were simply STUNNING.</div>
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Yes, these places actually exist on Earth. Incredible, right? </div>
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I am not a religious person, but walking across these sacred grounds that have been around for thousands of years...truly humbling. I found myself stopping time and again to have a personal quiet time between me and who I believe is up above. It was very peaceful and an encouraging atmosphere for even the non-believers to experience what it's like to have faith. </div>
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BUT, there were a few big downsides to these temples.</div>
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1) They were absolutely filthy. All of Bali is absolutely disgusting, trash and rubbish piled up all over the streets and sidewalks. And I had hoped that being at these ancient, holy sites I would finally see the cleaner parts of the island...but I was sadly mistaken. Even at these temples there were giant holes dug throughout the grounds where they threw their trash before setting it on fire. But even those measures didn't clear away all of the trash and debris. </div>
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2) The Temples (at least the larger and more popular ones) have been turned into massive tourist hot-spots. Just to walk to the entrance of a temple you have to fight through a horde of women and children all trying to sell you some sort of trinket or sarong or bracelet. Then, even inside the temple there are vendors trying to sell you fresh coconut or Hindu statues everywhere. The desperate hassle to sell you something doesn't even stop there. And while the sites are still used for religious purposes, tourists are the majority of people inside the ground. Taking pictures everywhere and being loud, and completely ignoring the signs that ask you to stay away from certain holy areas. All in all most of the tourists treat these temples as just another place to take pictures...not caring that it is holy, sacred ground for the people of the area and Hindus everywhere. That really started to bother me at the last temple we went to. The blatant lack of respect absolutely sickened me. AND the fact that the Indonesian people allow things like that to take place. At the big cathedrals in Barcelona, Spain tourists were allowed into only the very front areas, reserving the rest of the space for the worshipers. I like that idea a lot better.</div>
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3) I've noticed throughout my travels through Asia that women are still deemed much less important than men, but it wasn't until I was reading a sign in front of one of the temples that I realized the full extent of it...</div>
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A woman during her menstruation is considered filthy and unclean and therefore, are forbidden to enter the "sacred" and "holy" temples. Now, allowing their temples to be overrun by trash and rubbish and vendors trying to sell you something at every turn is apparently acceptable...but a woman on her period? Well apparently that's where Hindus cross the line. Call me a feminist, but still...RIDICULOUS in my opinion.</div>
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But the experiences of touring through those temples, wearing the required sarongs, and running into the wild monkeys was definitely once in a lifetime. </div>
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And I promise you won't have to wait very long for my next post...so stay tuned! Because this girl has internet now!! :]</div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-28380871710324927022012-08-30T09:17:00.001+10:002012-08-30T09:17:39.847+10:00A Little Update<div><p>Hello everyone!! I wanted to write this update to explain why i havent had a new post in a while. </p>
<p>I landed Sunday in Brisbane, AU safely and my friends were waiting at the airport to pick me up. Then we drove about an hour down south to the Gold Coast where my friend has a house. Thanks to their incredible generosity theyre letting me stay here for free for as long as i need to get a job and get settled since ill be living in AU for the next year. The only downside is there is no internet at the house! I got an Aussie phone and am using it to write this post. As soon as i can i will find internet to continue filling yall in on the wonders of Indonesia!!</p>
<p>Youll hear from me soon...</p>
<p>Little Blonde Traveler</p>
</div>Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-57898782742851465032012-08-25T14:04:00.002+10:002013-06-28T17:24:15.843+10:00Monkeys in Indonesia...They Own the Place!So, aside from the occasional zoo, I have never seen monkeys in a "real-life" atmosphere. I.e. I've never seen monkeys not in a cage before. You always see on movies set in Asian countries monkeys running all around, but I hadn't seen a single monkey in Bali until I went down to the very tip of the island to the Uluwatu Temple.<br />
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I went alone, and all around the entrance to the temple are signs warning you about the monkeys. And people offer to walk around the temple with you to guard you from the monkeys...for a fee, of course. I figured, hey, the monkeys can't be that bad! I stashed my sunglasses and necklaces in my backpack. Checked to make sure all my zippers were secure and hidden, and then headed into the temple with my camera in hand. And this is what I found...<br />
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I had a monkey come very close to attacking me at the very beginning. He was being groomed by some other monkeys and didn't like how close I was getting with my camera I guess. He ran at me, barring his teeth, and started yanking at my sarong (which you're required to wear to enter the temples). I held tight onto it and stared him straight in the eye, keeping my face and voice as calm as possible as I said, "No." After a few seconds of tense stand off, he lost interest and went back to the other monkeys. I ran like hell out of that area only to stumble across an annoying group of French 20-something-year-olds who were messing with a large family of monkeys. Then, in the middle of all of it, the alpha male reached into the pockets of one of the guys and stole his wallet!!</div>
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Smart monkey!! The French group, panicking, kept trying to entice the monkey to let go of the wallet by throwing food at him, but the monkey just ate the food with one hand and kept the wallet in the other. Then, as the French people started to get angry, the alpha male walked over to one of the other monkeys...AND STARTED HUMPING HER WITH THE WALLET IN HAND!! Oh my gosh, it was probably the greatest thing I saw all day! The French people were freaking out, but the rest of the group of people that had watched were laughing their heads off. Serves those dumb French people right.<br />
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Main Lesson: DON'T MESS WITH THE MONKEYS...or they'll sure as hell mess with you.<br />
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After I left them to keep perusing around the temple, I stumbled across the most adorable thing of all time. A group of juvenile monkeys were playing in a small pool of water...and it was so hilarious that I had to take a video of it!<br />
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A few days later I headed up to the middle of Bali to a town called Ubud. In Ubud is the very famous Monkey Forest where hundreds (if not thousands) of monkeys run free. It's obviously become quite a big tourist attraction and I was hesitant to go in at first...but I'm glad I did. Because I was able to snag these amazing photographs and memories...<br />
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So what I learned through all of these monkey encounters...they're not as cute as they look behind the cages. They are seriously intelligent, cunning, devious, and slightly-dangerous animals and should be treated as such. My word of advice if you ever find yourself around wild ones: Enjoy them, but never EVER underestimate what they're capable of. </div>
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Afterall, they are our distant relatives, right? </div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-82418081512405814952012-08-24T13:38:00.002+10:002013-06-28T17:23:14.074+10:00How to Party...Bali StyleAs a solo female traveler, I have a certain amount of rules that I've created for myself to adhere to while in foreign countries. One of those rules happens to be not to party...but when I'm with a group of people that I trust, I give in a little bit. I never get anywhere near as drunk as I would with my best friends back home, but still...sometimes it's good to let loose a little bit. And luckily, my first full day in Bali I stumbled across some of the most amazing people I've ever met...<br />
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The Boys:<br />
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Ben (Switzerland), Dan (Australia), Pat (Canada), Chris (Canada), Alex (U.S.A.), and Nik (U.S.A.)<br />
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And The Ladies:<br />
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Judith (Netherlands), Stacey (U.S.A.), Alicia (Singapore), and me!<br />
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After a full day on the beach we all went back to the hostel and met up with even more people before all heading out to a bar sports bar down the street to watch the Olympics. And let me tell you what...going to a bar in a foreign country like Indonesia, to sit there and drink with 9 other people, all from totally different countries, and all cheer on each other's teams for the 2012 Summer Olympics...absolutely incredible. I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to get those feelings and memories out of my head. I haven't been as happy as I was then in a long, long time. :]<br />
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After an hour or two watching the Olympics we all decided to head to a better bar and after some LONG walking, we stumbled across an amazing little bar with bean bags to sit on...on the beach.<br />
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We all smoked some Hasish (don't know if I'm spelling that right), which we call Hookah back home. Had a few drinks and just talked and goofed off like we had all known each other for at least a few months, not just a few hours!!<br />
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After the beach Judith headed back to the hostel but all the others were ready to go to a club. I was still sleepy (even though I had slept like 15 hours the night before) and wasn't really in the "SHOTS!" kind of mood, but everyone kept bitching at me to stay so I did...peer pressure!<br />
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Now, for those of you who aren't aware...Bali has had a tumultuous history with the night life nearly a decade ago. On October 12, 2002, the main club street in Kuta, Bali was targeted by radical Islamist group. A man with a bomb in his backpack walked into a crowded club and detonated the bomb, instantly killing dozens while the rest fled outside...which is where an even more powerful car bomb in a van on the other side of the road from the initial bomb was detonated, killing hundreds. In total, 202 people died that night and because of this horrible piece of history, the nightclubs have very extreme security measures now.<br />
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With the past in the back of our minds, we headed into a popular club, determined to have an absolute blast...and by god we did!!<br />
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Needless to say, we all had a blast that night and (even with a little bit of drama thrown into the mix) we all left as even closer friends than when we began. </div>
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This was only my first real day in Bali and I was already having the time of my life...how could it possibly get even better than this? But, somehow...it did :]</div>
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
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<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-35613450977668810582012-08-23T17:23:00.001+10:002013-06-28T17:22:28.600+10:00Surfing the Indian Ocean For My DaddyI woke up before 7 a.m. on my first full day in Bali feeling like a new woman. I had grown accustom to waking up when the sun rose during my two weeks of camping in Kauai and even here I found that my body was still wired that way. Breakfast at the hostel is from 7:15 until 12 (perfect time for the travelers that like to party) and so I grabbed my laptop and headphones and silently crept out of the sleeping dorm to go get my breakfast and Skype with my parents.<br />
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After a yummy breakfast of freshly blended watermelon and pineapple juice, toast with mango jam and honey, and a big cup of coffee, I was able to have a few hours of alone time to catch up on things with my blog and Facebook and Skype the family back home before the rest of the hostel woke up and came into the restaurant area too.<br />
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A few hours later I was walking down to the beach with Ben (from Switzerland), Pat (from Canada), Stacey (from New York), and Dan (from Australia)...all of us who met the night before in our dorm room. The beach was only about a 6 minute walk from our hostel, but Pat and Ben had been renting their surfboards from the same guy about 20 minutes down the beach who would give us all a good deal.<br />
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My dad has been a life-long surfer and taught my sister and I how to surf at a young age, so I was excited to surf in the Indian Ocean...but the moment I saw those waves I panicked. They were NOTHING like waves in the Gulf of Mexico back home and I quickly chickened out. The guys each rented their own boards and all of us got our own beach chairs. Stacey and I relaxed on the chairs while we watched the boys go out and get absolutely pummeled by the waves.<br />
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But after a few hours the boys came back in, exhausted, and had their surfboards available. Now, I was still shaking in my boots from those waves out there, but I knew that if my daddy were here...I'd be out there attempting to surf those waves with him in a heartbeat. And like I've had to remind myself nearly a dozen times now...I came all this way to experience new things and do things I'd never get a chance to do back home. So, damnit, I better suck it up and do it for my daddy!!<br />
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And so I did. And by god it was scary. I lasted out there only about 20 minutes, but was able to get one good ride in. And Ben saw it as proof! haha. But afterwards I was so stoked I didn't care that I had scratches on my stomach from the wax, or that I had lost one of my earrings. I just couldn't wait to get online and tell my dad what I did.<br />
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But more than anything, I wish he had been there to see it.<br />
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Love you and misses you bunches, daddy!<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-80997211472683083342012-08-21T23:38:00.003+10:002013-06-28T17:21:38.074+10:00Why HOSTELS Are the Key to Successful TravellingI have said it time and time again to friends and family since my first travels through Asia and Oceania, and I will adamantly repeat it on here a million more times if necessary...HOSTELS ARE THE MOST INTEGRAL PART TO SUCCESSFUL SOLO TRAVELLING.<br />
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Now, I know what you Americans are thinking. "Hostels?? Like that horror movie where everyone gets tortured to death?"...or..."Hostels?? Aren't they disgusting and full of sex and drugs?"<br />
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Now, Americans, stop it. Right now, wipe all of those preconceived notions out of your head. Hostels are the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to travelling, especially with solo travelling. These are all my own personal opinions, of course, and you don't have to agree with me...but at least hear me out and give me a chance to explain myself.<br />
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I landed in Bali, Indonesia around 10 in the morning absolutely exhausted from barely sleeping during my 30+ hours of travelling to get there. I made my way to my hostel that I had found and booked online (at hostelworld.com) and quickly checked in. But I couldn't actually have my bed until after one o'clock which meant that I had a lot of exploring to do to keep me preoccupied. But seriously, check this place out...<br />
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Not bad for around $25.00 a night, aye? Now here's the general set-up with most hostels:<br />
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-They offer dorm room-type sleeping for the cheapest prices (Between $15 and $30 usually. Mine was a tad bit expensive). Sometimes female only dorms are offered but cost more than mixed dorms.<br />
-They also have private rooms that sometimes have their own bathrooms, but they cost way more.<br />
-Bathrooms are always communal and only sometimes split up by sex. That's showers, sinks, and toilets. This one in Bali was for both boys and girls.<br />
-Some hostels offer free breakfast and some don't, and the free breakfast at this place was the best I've ever had by far.<br />
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So there are extreme differences between hostels and hotels, but the reason hostels are so amazing, in my opinion, is the fact that they are abundant with other solo travelers. Especially when you stay in the dorms.<br />
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These dorms at The Island Hotel in Bali were beyond fantastic, with 12 beds per mixed dorm, but each with their own reading light and slightly-private dividers. Definitely my favorite hostel (in terms of privacy and cleanliness) as of yet.<br />
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And low and behold, as I was unpacking the remnants of my backpack into my drawers beneath my bed, the wonder of hostels quickly showed itself when two girls walked into the room and instantly struck up a conversation with me.<br />
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Judith, a beautiful woman from the Netherlands, and Stacey, a lively woman from New York (but living and working in China during the summers) instantly befriended me. Within a few minutes of talking, they invited me down to the beach with them to hopefully meet up with some of the other guys from the dorm who had gone surfing for the day.<br />
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I was beyond physically and mentally exhausted from all the traveling, but I knew that I couldn't pass up on an opportunity like this. Especially an opportunity to meet new people. Not to bash my amazing hosts in Hawaii, but meeting new people from other countries is the reason I travel, and I couldn't pass up meeting and hanging out with two amazing girls like this! (Plus, you so rarely encounter other female travelers that you can't really take the opportunity for granted. Hostels and world solo traveling are definitely more of a guy thing on average.)<br />
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As we walked to the beach I realized that the two of them had just met in the dorm the day before...and this is the magic of hostels. Those who travel alone are never truly alone when they go out of their way to stay in hostel dorms like this. It's like an instant sort of bond between people...but I'll explain more of that later.<br />
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I'm glad I went to the beach with the girls that afternoon because I quickly learned the art of negotiation with the locals in Bali. If I wanted a beach chair and umbrella, I could get one very cheap, but it's always best to haggle down the price. We ended up getting a lounge chair each for around $2.50. Crazy, right? Back home if they offer it it's for like 20 or 30 dollars! So I enjoyed my time and we all talked and napped before heading back to the hostel a few hours later.<br />
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When I went back to the dorm to finally snuggle in bed to call it a super early night, I met the two other guys from the room we were supposed to meet up with on the beach but never did: Pat from Canada and Ben from Switzerland, both 25 and both solo travelers until they met in the dorms a few days earlier.<br />
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The four of them were going out later that night, but I knew my physical limit and had to graciously decline. Tomorrow night, I told them. And they told me they'd take my word on it.<br />
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Now this is just a slight example of the wonder of hostels, but it's a good introduction for what is to come in my next few blogs. Because the people I met in this hostel...we all became tighter than a family within just a few days. But you'll hear more about that soon...<br />
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~Little Blonde Traveler<br />
<br />Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-68601444557848063082012-08-19T20:55:00.003+10:002013-05-20T12:53:26.593+10:00Saying Goodbye to Hawaii and Hello to Two Days of TravelOne of the hardest things about travelling is having to say goodbye. Whether it be goodbye to new people you met, old friends you visited, or the place itself...saying farewell is always a challenge. And Kauai was no different.<br />
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After the four of us had made it up to the top of Koke'e we only spent one night in the freezing cold before we realized that we all wanted to cut the trip a day short. So, we packed our things and set off to hitchhike back down the mountain. Two hours later, low and behold, the same weird Canadian couple that had camped with us in Polihale ended up picking us up and taking us back down the mountain. What luck! From there we caught a two hour long bus ride across the island to Phil's farm.<br />
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The next few days back in civilization went by quickly, and a new friend I had made while in Kalalau ended up being a gracious host and providing me with my first real, hot shower in almost two weeks! It was beyond glorious. And then, I practically glued myself to a bar to watch the Olympics I had missed the first opening days of. I freaking LOVE the Olympics and was a little upset to miss so much of them.<br />
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But before too long I had to say my goodbyes and catch my LONG flights to Bali, Indonesia. A few hours before my flight out Phil, Maisha, and I all sat at an amazing little coffee shop to say goodbye.<br />
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But the goodbyes weren't sad, because Phil and Maisha were about to head off on their own epic journey in a week and we had plans to all meet back up again somewhere in South East Asia at the beginning of 2013. So it won't be a very long goodbye.<br />
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I made it to the airport to catch my short flight back to Honolulu where I spent one last night with my old friend Grant, where we sat up watching the Olympics with his roommates before bed. Then, in the morning I treated him to a big breakfast as thanks for his hospitality before saying goodbye (yet again) and catching my 11 and a half hour flight to Manilla, Philippines.<br />
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On the plane I sat next to one of the kindest, most genuine woman I have ever met named Emily. Emily was born in the Philippines but is now a U.S. citizen and lives with her husband in Honolulu. We talked nearly the entire trip about her family, and my family, and my travelling plans. She was absolutely blown away by all of my travel plans and only had encouraging things to say. By the time the flight was over I felt like she was a new mother to me and in fact, after she and her brother had walked with me out to the main terminal, she pressed twenty five dollars in my hand against my protest. "Use this to get something to eat," she told me. "And take care of yourself, girl". Seriously, my heart almost burst from her kindness.<br />
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And then I prepared myself for the ten hour layover in Manilla. Normally, a ten hour layover isn't too bad because it's always in a huge international airport with plenty to do and see...but this airport was HORRIBLE.<br />
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I had to go through security all over again to catch my connecting flight, but ended up bonding with a backpacker couple from America on my way through. They were headed to Jakarta while I was headed to Bali. On our way back through security I encountered a first ever experience...the line was split in half...men through one scanner, and females through another. SO WEIRD! I guess it makes sense since the security is really old so they have to do actual pat downs and females need to pat females, but still...strange.<br />
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The terminal we had to wait in was super small and only had three little food stands. But they had "laptop stations" all over. Big desks with chairs and international outlets for you to use the power and wifi for free. That was really nice. And that's actually how I began updating my blog after two weeks in Kauai!<br />
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I ate some food and caught up on the Olympics, meeting another man from America on his way to Jakarta for business and had a really nice chat with him before we all boarded our three or four hour flight to Jakarta. The flight was alright, but freezing cold and very turbulent, and we landed in Jakarta just after midnight...and my flight to Bali wasn't until 6:30 in the morning. Which means I had to spend the whole night in the Jakarta airport.<br />
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For those of you who don't know anything about Indonesia, it has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world. And all I've ever heard in America is horror stories about it. But as I made my way through customs and immigration to collect my luggage, I had no problem or bad looks at all (and I was wearing shorts). In fact, after I went through immigration the guy who checked my passport ended up asking me to dinner/breakfast. And we turned out to have a blast talking together!<br />
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Yeah, this is what it looks like after you travel for over 30 hours!<br />
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But after saying goodbye I boarded my quick flight to Bali and landed in the craziest, dirtiest, loudest, most amazing city I've ever been in...just wait till you hear more!!!<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-54110239666606696632012-08-18T22:48:00.000+10:002013-05-20T12:53:33.001+10:00How I Learned to Hitchhike We left our campsite with all of our camping supplies and food on our backs before 10 in the morning. The original plan was for a friend to come pick us up from our campsite to drive us up to Koke'e and go camping and hiking with us for the next few days. But late the night before we got a voicemail from him...he wasn't going to be able to make it anymore.<br />
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He was very apologetic, but we were kind of screwed. It was the night before we were scheduled to leave and Matt and Kelsea had taken the truck back to the farm earlier in the day. The farm is on the exact opposite side of the island. There's no way any of Phil or Maisha's friends could come pick us up, and Mike didn't have a car. So there was only one option left...<br />
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Hitchhike.<br />
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Now, back home in Tennessee NO ONE hitchhikes. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's illegal throughout most of the mainland, if not all of it. It's just too dangerous. All of the horror stories you hear and the freaky stuff that happens...especially if you're a female. It's just out of the question.<br />
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But here, in Kauai, apparently everyone hitchhikes. As we started our walk out of the beach campsites Maisha was telling me about how she, her mom, and her three brothers used to have to hitchhike all the time when she was younger. Sometimes they just didn't have a car. And people would always pick them up. Phil didn't have a car for his first few months on the island and also had to hitchhike everywhere. There are so very few people on the island, and everyone trusts each other...you'll always have a local pick you up at some point.<br />
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So I grew a pair and agreed to attempt hitchhiking. Plus, I was with three other people, so I'd be safe. But that was the problem they were all worried about. Hitchhiking with two people is generally hard, but four...it had them all nervous.<br />
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But I kept my hopes and spirits high and we were only on the main road for about 20 minutes before a woman in an old jeep pulled over to pick us up. She was a yoga instructor from Florida who was in Kauai for some yoga instruction type thing. She was so nice and happy and before long all four of us were dropped off safely back in town at a shrimp shack for lunch.<br />
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The road up to Koke'e was right across the street, so after lunch we put on all of our gear again before heading up the road, our thumbs out for every car that passed. A lot of empty trucks kept passing and as the minutes continued and the road grew steeper and steeper we started to get anxious. But finally, a small SUV pulled over and we all hoped in. It was a dad and son who had just flown in from Australia. They had their two suitcases in the back and because we had so much gear, I had to sit in the trunk with everything while the other three squished into the backseat.<br />
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It wasn't comfortable, but the company was fantastic. The dad and son were initially from Boston, but had been living in Sydney for the last two years and stopped in Kauai for a few days on their way back to the States. I was able to talk to the dad a lot about Australia and the differences and he gave me some good advice about Sydney. The son did not seem happy at all that his dad had picked up a bunch of hitchhikers his age, and didn't utter a word. You could tell the father was aching just for some conversation.<br />
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And as we drove up to Koke'e I became unbelievably happy that they stopped to pick us up because the road got really narrow, windy, and it would have been nearly 5 or 6 miles of hiking uphill before we got to the big Waimea Canyon Lookout Point where we were dropped off at.<br />
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Waimea Canyon has been called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific by some, and I had heard a lot of great things about it before getting there. But let me tell you what...laying your eyes on it is an entirely different experience.<br />
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We realized (too late) that we still had another four miles to go before we got to the campsite at the top of the mountain next to all the trails. The four of us started walking but because the road is so narrow we had to stop at a lookout point and wait there. But an hour rolled by and no one had stopped. So we decided to split up and Mike and I started walking.<br />
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Thirty minutes later we saw Phil and Maisha waving to us as they passed in a car. They had gotten picked up, that was good, but we were still walking. And the chacos I was wearing had dug some nasty holes into my feet that were starting to bleed and Mike's bad ankle was starting to cause him to limp. So we had to stop and wait.<br />
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Another hour passed, and just as I was about to give up on the kindness of humans, the most amazing older couple from Texas stopped to pick us up. And boy were they happy to chat with us! They had two daughters our age who had just left after a week in Kauai with them. They kept chatting all the way until they dropped us off at the campsite where we saw Phil and Maisha sprawled out on the grass waiting for us.<br />
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Then the couple wanted a picture with us so they could send it back to their kids. And then they told us the most small-island story of the trip...four days earlier when they had taken their daughters to the airport, they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker who was also on their way to catch a flight. And the reason they stopped to pick her up was because of her short, beautiful, curly blonde hair...and her name was Roquel. The same Roquel we partied and camped with for the entire time in Kalalau!! Hahaha. Incredible, right?<br />
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Hitchhiking is quite an incredible experience, and I would recommend it to anyone in a heart beat...as long as it's in an area where it's common to do. And the man from Boston/Australia had told us that his older son backpacked through Europe for a few months, and he picked us up because he would want his son to be picked up by safe people all the same. And if I'm ever in the situation where I can pick up a bunch of travelling hitchhikers...I'm doing the exact same.<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-12394598740839329032012-08-18T22:11:00.002+10:002012-08-18T22:11:58.439+10:00Not the Best Experience at PolihaleI apologize for taking nearly a week to write my new post. Just as a reminder, I'm writing all of my blog posts between one and two weeks AFTER these events have already taken place. That way it's easier for me to keep experiencing things so I have more to write about! Currently, I'm sitting in my hotel room in Jakarta, Indonesia listening to the Muslim prayers blaring in the street outside and watching fireworks out of my window. I got a VERY bad stomach bug in Bali a few days ago and I'm desperately trying to recover. But that means I get to update y'all! So here we go...<br />
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I wish I had more super positive things to write when it comes to Polihale Beach...but after three days there Phil, Maisha, and I were more than ready to get out.<br />
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I was told by everyone that Polihale Beach is one of the hottest places on all of Kauai (especially in the summer) but our second day there it rained for nearly five hours straight. And apparently it never rains for more than an hour anywhere on the island during the summer. So that day was spent either huddled in Phil's tent, in Phil's truck (that Matt had brought the day before) or under the tarp we rigged up above the picnic table in our camping area. Not the best way to spend a full day camping on the beach. I think at that moment we were all wishing to be back in our cave at Kalalau.<br />
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The next day most of our friends had to leave us for the real world leaving just Phil, Maisha, Mike (the local we met in Kalalau) and I behind to adventure alone. We just lounged around on the beach and hung out, taking some more Hawaiian medicine because we were bored. We were all just ready to leave the beach the next morning and drive up to Koke'e to camp and hike the mountains for the last few days of our trip.<br />
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Late on our last night at Polihale we had a couple from Canada drive up to our campsite and ask to camp next to us. We had no problem with it, but they were...a little strange. And not just in a French/Canadian way (no offense!) but in a just born strange kind of way. But we continued enjoying ourselves regardless and headed to bed really late in the night.<br />
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I was the first person to wake up the next morning (because the Canadian couple had been so loud packing their things back into their car before they left). I wandered over to our picnic table to snack on some fruit for breakfast before making the fire for our oatmeal...when I realized that two of my personal items were missing from the table.<br />
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Phil's portable, phone-charging, solar panel was still on the table, along with our food and other items...but my underwater video camera, and Costa sunglasses my father had bought for me were gone. I had left them on the table since the first day there, so that they could be within easy reach whenever I needed them. My camera I had used for our first week was very low on battery so I had pulled out this cheap, underwater camera my father had bought for me a few months ago to take pictures and video with instead. And I have never owned a pair of expensive sunglasses in my life, but the day before I left my daddy had taken me out to buy them for me. The only large item I let my parents get for me. And now they were gone.<br />
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I think it was a combination of the exhaustion of almost two weeks of camping, change in my diet, the heat, the weather, the no-showering, and the homesickness that wore me down...but it was having those two items stolen that made me break down. I've never had anything stolen in my life. And those glasses were from my daddy...man, I lost it.<br />
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Phil and Maisha woke up and tried to help find the things, but they were gone. We didn't know if it was the Canadians that took them on accident with the rest of their stuff, or the guy that came around in the morning taking out the trash. But no matter what, they were gone.<br />
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But after a good cry, and Mike coming over to cheer me up with a good pep-talk and then pancakes and sausages for breakfast, I was feeling better.<br />
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I had to suck it up.<br />
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They were gone now and no amount of anger or tears was going to bring those things back. My only choice was to brush it off and move on.<br />
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And that, my friends, is why I don't have any pictures of Polihale to show you. Bummer, I know. But there are plenty of pictures in posts to come...I promise.<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-78178881020245082952012-08-13T12:26:00.001+10:002013-06-28T17:20:37.595+10:00Our First Night at Polihale Beach<br />
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This time when the six of us beached our three kayaks onto
Polihale, NO ONE CRASHED! But just to be sure, Mike let me bail out of mine a
few feet from the beach while he beached it, and I swam in like a little pansy.
But after the fiasco I encountered trying to beach at Kalalau I was not about
to go through it all again. Thank goodness I had Mike and Kelsea had Eric (she
also swam to shore with me). Phil and Maisha beached theirs like pros (of
course). </div>
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When we landed I learned more about Polihale Beach. It was
absolutely packed that day, full of cars (A site I hadn’t seen in over a week!)
and tents and literally close to hundreds of people. Apparently there was a big
celebration going on. And mostly only locals go to Polihale because you can
only drive to the beach if you have a 4 Wheel Drive. It’s an absolute monster
of a road to get in, and then to drive a car on the sand takes some horsepower
as well. </div>
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As we were gathering up the kayaks and hunting down a spot
for us to camp for the next few days, every single person in the group told me
to keep my shoes on as I walk around. There are vicious thorn trees all over
the entire beach and when people drag firewood across the sand, the little
thorns fall everywhere. I couldn’t possibly imagine why such nasty trees were
near the beach, let alone on Hawaii (all the plant and animal life is so
beautiful and peaceful here and these trees were so scary looking). That’s when
Phil explained that when the first Christian missionaries had come to Hawaii,
they planted thousands of these trees in front of the beach in order to keep
the Ancient Hawaiians away from the place. The Hawaiians used to party there a
lot (they still do) because it was a sacred beach to them, but their
celebrations were part of their religion and culture. And the Christian
missionaries didn’t like that one bit. So they planted these foreign thorn
trees in order to keep them away. </div>
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How messed up is that? Like, I could see building a big
fence or guarding the beach or something, but these people planted trees. Trees
don’t grow overnight. These freaking missionaries wanted to keep the Hawaiians
away from there for GENERATIONS. That, to me, is beyond messed up…something as
permanent and continuous as planting trees. But I’ll tell you what, I think all
of us got serious satisfaction from hacking those things down for firewood…and
they burn better than any other wood I’ve encountered to date. So…SUCK ON THAT,
MISSIONARIES!</div>
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Anywho, we managed to find a little campsite with a picnic
table next to bathrooms and a shower and away from the massive crowds on the
beach. We were all beyond excited to have running water and showers…until we
realized that the reason no one is camping around there is because the showers
don’t work. At least the sinks and the toilets did!</div>
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We all set up camp. I had my hammock, Phil and Maisha had
their tent, Eric had his tent, and Mike and Kelsea had their own separate
sleeping arrangements on the ground. Then we had to wait…because Matt was
driving in Phil’s truck laden with our box of new supplies for the next week of
camping AND hopefully some nice little goodies. </div>
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Eric and Phil went fishing with some spear guns down near
the reef a mile or so off shore while the rest of us just relaxed and hung
around. It was freaking HOT at this beach and apparently that’s exactly what
Polihale is known for…the unbearable heat. </div>
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Then, our other angel came straight from heaven...with Phil's truck full of ice-cold beer, hot dogs, and all the making for smores. Matt pulled up to our campsite and we all went crazy haha. It was great to have him back in the group. </div>
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Shortly after Phil and Eric came back to the camp with 8 fish they had speared out of the water...tonight we were going to feast! Beer, quinoa, fresh vegetables, and fresh grilled fish. Then smores afterward for desert. God it was a great day!<br />
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~Little Blonde Traveler</div>
Little Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324922328597414474.post-23825857287874432152012-08-11T11:05:00.000+10:002013-05-20T12:53:55.042+10:00The Ultimate Sea Kayak AdventureAfter 8 days of camping in Kalalau, we were ready to embark on the next leg of our journey...kayak nearly 26 miles around the Nepali Coast.<br />
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Since Sean, the Aussie that had paddled into Kalalau with me, had bailed on us earlier in the week, we found ourselves one man short. But thank goodness, Kelsea volunteered to hike the 11 miles back in on Friday night so that we could all kayak to Polihale Beach on the other side of the state park around the north shore of Kauai.<br />
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When Kelsea had left us the weekend before she joked that she would bring us a big box of pizza (since we knew that we'd be dying for some "real" food after more than a week of camping food). I had also begged her for a cheeseburger (because apparently that's all I could think about while camping). So Friday afternoon, all three of us were intensely anticipating Kelsea's return...because we knew she'd bring us something, we just had no idea what that something would be.<br />
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Just a few minutes before sunset, Kelsea arrives at our camp...carrying a literal pizza box in her hands!!! That amazing woman had hiked 11 miles with a bag of 8 giant slices of pizza for us...and a cheeseburger for me! I think I nearly fainted on the spot. (She hadn't actually carried the pizza box the whole way, but had folded it up into her backpack so that she could pull it out before camp and freak us out like she actually hiked the whole thing with a pizza in her hands.)<br />
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After a night of feasting, and super full bellies, we all packed up the majority of our stuff before heading to bed. We were going to get up at 5 so we could get on the water by no later than 6. The swells get pretty gnarly at Kalalau so we wanted to be able to get out there with no problems. And I definitely didn't want another disaster beaching it like I had with Sean.<br />
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The next morning I took down my hammock and packed my little bag and all my belongings in my dry bag before helping pack all the food and cooking supplies. Once we had everything strapped and situated onto the two kayaks, we all took a deep breath, and took the plunge.<br />
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Maisha and Phil helped push Kelsea and I out to sea...and it was a success! Then we floated close to shore waiting for the two of them to get out there and join us. After that it was pretty smooth sailing from there. We were paddling with the current and since it was still so early in the morning, there were hardly any swells to fight. And the scenery...my god the scenery from the kayak was absolutely incredible.<br />
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After about an hour and a half of kayaking we stopped at another beach to meet back up with Eric and Mike. And luckily, they were more than happy to split up so that Kelsea could paddle the front of their boat with Eric in the back, while Mike hoped into the back of mine. It was just going to be a lot easier to have all three guys at the back of all three kayaks.<br />
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It was around 9:30 in the morning when (after some serious meditation with Mother Earth) we finally saw our first pod of wild dolphins...and they just kept coming. We were literally only a few miles from our destination at Polihale when nearly 50 dolphins were swimming and jumping and flipping all around us. A few little babies too! So then we all decided to jump out of our kayaks and get into the water with them...<br />
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And the day quickly turned into the most amazing/special/magical day of my life.<br />
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~Little Blonde TravelerLittle Blonde Travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17849815545827810798noreply@blogger.com