It's Hot in Dubai

Today was our extended layover in Dubai. And let me say, that it was hot. Now, in SE Asia, it was very warm. Humidity was through the roof there, making it gross and sweaty wherever you went. In Dubai, it was instant misery once you left air conditioning. And with my motivation to see a lot waning once that happened, I wasn't sure what we were going to do with today.

We walked outside and took a cab to Emirates Mall. There, we saw Ski Dubai and decided against actually skiing. We had Cinnabon for breakfast (yum and gross at the same time) and then meandered around in the air conditioning for six hours. Those hours included going to see Wall E, the new Pixar movie, and by the time it was all said and done it was now 4:30 PM. We caught a cab to Jemeirah beach, hoping to see the Burj Al Arab along the coast. However, today there was a haze hanging over the city, possibly from the sand blown into the atmosphere. We managed to stay outside for an hour or so, before getting another cab to Dubai Creek Park. We walked and walked and walked some more, all the way back to our hostel after stopping a couple times for food and water. It was so stinking hot out, I cannot emphasize that enough. Misery. We managed to also see the Burj Dubai, the tall tall building that is gigantic. It is a monstrosity.

We were done with Dubai and ready to go, so at around 10 PM we collapsed and slept, with an early wake up for our flight to London.

Bangkok, Thailand - Day Three & Dubai, UAE

With today being the last day in Thailand, and with the need to leave by 4 PM for the airport, it was time to get moving early. With us that doesn't always go over so well, but we were up and ready to go by around 10. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho were the top two destinations of today, as they were both astounding views from the street. This required a walk to the Sky Train, a boat ride up to where we had been before, and we were there. Wat Pho was first, seeing as it was closer to the river.

This temple was really neat. The Buddha inside of it was gigantic, and lying down. I was amazed at the audacity of a belief to build gold statues as big as they possibly could. It was really a sight to behold. Along with a giant Buddha, it had a lot of structures that fit the region we were in. We didn't spend way too long at Wat Pho, but it was definitely worth the visit.

Up next was the Grand Palace, which required a bit of walking to make our way around the miles of wall that surrounded it. I was required to wear pants, so I had to rent clothing in order to see it. The Grand Palace was built in the 1700's when Thailand was known as Siam, and it features a mansion and a large temple, including the supposedly famous Jade Buddha. Not sure why it's famous, but it is. Understanding Buddhism would have helped a bit on this trip. But it's not like it mattered all that much. Despite the length of the wall surrounding the whole palace, it only took us around an hour and a half to see the whole thing.

After the Palace, we stopped for some food from a street vendor that would come back to haunt me, hopped on a boat taxi back down the river, and with a couple more hours to kill checked out two of Bangkok's shopping centers, Siam Paragon and MBK. Both were crowded, gawdy, and pretty much like all Western malls. So it was nothing new to see, really.

With that done, we returned to the hostel and got a taxi to the airport for our flight to Dubai. The flight itself wasn't bad, but upon arrival we discovered just how hot it is in the desert in July. NEVER GO. Along with that, we had to take a bus to the terminal (took forever) and then waited an hour for our luggage, then another 45 minutes for a cab. And it was so hot that I was a sweaty mess all the time. So gross.

Bangkok, Thailand - Day Two

The previous night featured a great sleep, as our new hostel - named Lub d Bangkok, whatever that means - was comfortable, clean, and quiet, all elements that brought a great deal of rest. It was now going to be our fourth different city in South East Asia, and by this time we were used to the little nuances to look out for. Our experiences on the MRT gave us clues about the right places to go and how to best get there. However, today was going to be a bit different, as we were going to get in as many touristy things as possible.

Leaving our hostel, a taxi driver approached us, offering 20 baht to drive us to a bunch of places. Knowing that also would require stopping at various markets or shops to get petrol passes, we negotiated a ride towards the Dusit Zoo, as it was a good 3 or 4 miles from our hostel and a decent starting point to walk down towards other sites. Finally reaching our destination took a bit of haggling, as I opened the door and was ready to get out, but the driver relented after first claiming the zoo was too far. We actually went into the zoo, which was dirty and unimpressive, although did get pictures with elephants. Which I guess is an accomplishment.

Our next stop was Wat Benchamabophit, or the marble temple. There was going to be a lot of temples these next few days. In case anyone was wondering, "wat" is the Thai word for temple. It was the first of many, but this one was very ornate and over-the-top, as most Buddhist temples appeared. Leaving towards the next destination, the Golden Mount, we were somehow talked into getting a tuk tuk for the day for 20 baht. He took us to various temples, each with a different Buddha mood.

One of the best parts of it, was that one of the temples was open only a couple times a year. We even ran into this Thai man who suggested buying sapphires or rubies and selling them for a profit overseas. Strewn within our temples, were two trips to Thai export jewelry stores and a tailor. I bought a suit (why not?) and Sarah a sterling silver ring - much cheaper than my purchase.

After all that it was now late in the afternoon and I was tired of the dirt and soot of the tuk tuk. The driver dropped us off at the Golden Mount and left us to go on his way. It was definitely worth the time experiencing the economic shake up of the tuk tuk driver. Not a good job to say the least. It was a quick walk up the Golden Mount, and also a nice view of the whole city. We climbed down and made our way towards the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, unsure if they were going to be open or not. Along the way, we passed another big temple and a Giant Swing. These Thais are crazy.

Unfortunately, both our destinations of interest were closed. We found a small restaurant on the docks of the Chao Phraya River at Tha Tien. Tomorrow we would take the boat taxi up the river and explore Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. Tonight, we ate delicious Pad Thai and took a picture of Wat Arunratchawaaram. We had to take a cab to Hua Lamphong to get the MRT back to our hostel. We were both tired from so much exploring. Tomorrow is our last day in Bangkok. This trip is moving by crazy fast.

Bangkok, Thailand - Day One

I woke up on the train feeling refreshed - it had been the best night of sleep, despite a continually rocking felt though out most of the night, plus the light being left on in the car. We got up and just hung out, watching various parts of Thailand go by. Of course, there was no way to know where we exactly were.

The morning passed by slowly, and as time went by, the countryside that had been dotted with foliage began to reveal buildings. The train employees would give us different information as to how much of the trip was left. But it seemed to drag on and on, until finally arriving at Hua Lamphong station at around 3:30 PM, making the trip over 24 hours. Not surprising, however.

Sarah and I grabbed our belongings and headed out towards the station. It was hot, smelly, and the heat from the trains made it much worse. The station itself was one large room, packed to the teeth with Thai people. We were approached by an information lady, and figured out how to get the appropriate money, map, and transport to our hostel. After getting out 3,000 Baht, I went to buy a map of Bangkok for 50. Handing a 1,000 Baht bill to the lady, she gave me a look of surprise and dropped the money. It was too big, but she still took my money and found the change.

We left the station and were approached by one of the many drivers waiting outside who wanted to know where we were going. I told him the address and he seemed to understand. What I didn't know was that he was a tuk tuk driver, which is basically a scooter with room for passengers. It was an interesting drive, but we made it in one piece, dropped our stuff off, and walked towards the MRT/Sky train, with a few things planned.

My friend Gale had drawn up an itinerary for my three days there. Our first destination was the weekend market at Chatuchak. It was an enormous place, complete with anything and everything you might need. There was clothes, pets, food, shoes, and even fake plastic fruit. Sarah and I browsed for hours, overwhelmed by the number of people and the number of shops. We even got lost trying to leave and make it back to the park near that MRT.

Once we were back in a semi-familiar place we made our way to Sukumvhit Rd, a hotspot for shopping. However, there wasn't all that much going on, and it made for a quick stop. We made it back to our hostel pretty early to look up places to go the next two days we had.

My first impression of Thailand was all over the place. It was a dirty and smelly place, as indicated from the tuk tuk ride, and the next few days would only reinforce this opinion. There is a quaint feeling to it, as it is a combination of a unique past with a struggle for modernization. The next two days were going to be interesting, that's for sure.

Penang, Malaysia & train to Thailand

Night two on the train was a bit better in the sense I slept a little more. That night's sleeper car featured no bathroom within it, which gave us more room for luggage. They also played a bootleg of the Incredible Hulk, which I found amusing.

Our stop that day was Butterworth, a station in the northwest of Malaysia. Once our luggage was dropped off, a nearby ferry took us across the water to the island of Penang, specifically to the city of Georgetown. This was the location I knew least about, and our day was mostly spent just walking around the island. It wasn't that big, there really wasn't too much to see - very underwhelming and very hot. The water was also quite dirty, especially near that beach-like areas. Keep in mind there were no beaches, just a bit of sand next to the water.

Our train was scheduled to leave at around 2:45 PM, and would take close to 24 hours to reach our next destination of Bangkok. Upon first arrival, it was just two cars, the engine, and some other random car. Four cars to take us all the way to Bangkok? That couldn't be right. The rest of our day was spent trying to get luggage sorted within our seats, and be ready to sleep for the night. The train wasn't all that bad - there was a good bit of room, a large window to watch the countryside go by, and only a moderate amount of dirt littering the floor. Funny that a long train ride only cost around $40 US a person. I think. It wasn't expensive. The debate that Sarah and I had was over the food. Were they going to add a food car once we got to Thailand? By the time we got to the border we were quite tired and hungry, so it was going to be a necessity.

We were lucky after leaving Malaysia and going through Thailand passport control, making it our third country in four days to be greeted by a waiter taking orders. Food at last! On top of that, there had been some Malaysians selling food outside the passport area. So we ordered food, which turned out to be quite good for something you get on a ghetto train. We spent the night talking to two Americans who we met from the West Coast who were sitting next to us, before calling it a night around 10 PM. Our last night on a train!

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

The previous night marked our first train-sleeping experience. And while our room was pretty comfortable, that didn't mean I got much sleep. Thanks to the shoddy nature of the tracks/train, the ride overnight was incredibly bumpy. I probably managed around four or five hours of sleep (if that).

Needless to say, we had a full day in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. And considering that it was 6 AM, nothing was open, giving us nowhere to leave our luggage for the 14 hours or so we had to spend here. We decided to get a hostel for the day, and considering it was only around $6 US, it seemed like the best way to spend our day worry-free.

It took awhile to make it to the hostel - the directions they gave were right, but the street names were incorrect. After lugging my luggage up three flights of stairs - an exercise that was miserable, considering my bag weighs around 50 lbs - we were took a quick nap and were off for the day. The first stop was the Kuala Lumpur tower, and we took a quick ride to the top. That and the Petronus Towers were the top two stops on our list. Other than that, KL was just another place to explore. It was a relatively clean city, although much dirtier than Singapore. Then again, so are most places in the world.

We made it to the Petronus Towers after a quick walk. It sits on top of a large commercial centre, which felt good to sit in thanks to the air conditioned nature of it. After a few pictures at the Towers, we kept on moving. I had read about a bird park in Kuala Lumpur that was supposed to be interesting. So we got off the sky train and made our way through a long and windy road to our destination. I'll admit that it was a pretty cool place - although perhaps not as interesting as I first thought. We were both pretty exhausted, so we walked back to the sky train, back to the hostel, and back to Sentral KL station for our next overnight ride.

Singapore

So it was a wonderful reunion last night at the airport. I picked Sarah up, we hopped in a cab and returned to the hostel that I had scouted out earlier. Not the most upscale place by any means, but it did the job. We would only be there that night. The next day was our only day in Singapore, so we tried to make the most of what little time we had. First on the list was picking up the train tickets from the train station, a short walk from the MRT stop. The clerk at the hostel had recommended getting a cab, but I thought that was nonsense. After a thirty-minute walk, the ticket had been purchased at an old style train station. It was run by KLM, the Malaysian train company. It featured old, grungy-looking food vendors, and made you pay for the bathroom. The important thing now was our first mission for the day had been accomplished.

We didn’t have much of a plan for the remainder of the day in Sinagpore. After all, what is the country known for? It seemed like an Asian mixing pot, with people of all different lineages walking around. I had an Eyewitness Travel guide that gave a few tips. There were a couple of neat looking temples that we were keen on going to. But the Harbourfront was closer so we made our way there first. There, the next option was to choose between Sentosa, an island just south of Singapore, or Mount Ferrar, which was more like a hill by the time we got up there. It offered a decent view of the city, which was a cluster of skyscrapers off towards the northeast. However, it wasn’t much more than that, and we didn’t last very long at the top.

Once we had descended the mountain on the cable car, it was time for Chinatown. Visiting Chinatown in any place can become a repetitive experience, or it can provide a new glimpse at Chinese culture in some random part of the world. In this case, it was simply reminiscent of most other Chinatowns that I’ve seen (predominantly Sydney’s). We quickly stopped at a temple, whose name escapes me, plus a large shopping complex that had Asian-centric stores. Nothing too special. It was bloody hot outside as well.

Then we went to Little India. I wanted to have some Indian food, but we decided to look for the Sultan Mosque, an interesting looking mosque that was perhaps a 1.5 kilometer walk from the Little India MRT station. We arrived and saw that it was closed, after briefly getting turned around, unable to find the right street to go on. Once we made it, we decided that we were tired and went to the train station for our trip to Malaysia. The MRT took us to our hostel, where we had left our luggage, grabbed our belongings, hopped back onto the MRT and found a cab driver to take us down. We were an hour early, and had some chicken curry at the run down food court, which looked more like a bunch of street vendors. The station was out of place in the modern city like Singapore. We hung out and chatted up with two Canadians who had spent a good deal of time in Kuala Lumpur – the city where we would wake up. They passed along some useful traveller tips, like what to see or do in just a day, seeing as though we were only passing through.

After a decent wait in the non-air conditioned station, people started to line up in preparation for boarding. It was an interesting array of people getting ready to board the train. A few white people here and there, but the vast majority were of a darker complexion – most Malaysians are like that, I would learn. We passed through the border security with no problems and took a long walk to the end of the platform to find out train. I had decided to book first class, wanting to risk nothing in terms of how shoddy the Malaysian train system was. Turns out it wasn’t that bad, and we bordered our sleeper car despite orders not to. After a five minute spell of unpacking and getting sorted in our tiny bunk-bed room (complete with bathroom) and relaxed. Unfortunately, this was about the time when the lights went off, along with the air conditioning. Thinking rather quickly and unsure of what to do, we jumped off the train, leaving all our stuff minus passports and valuables. Not sure what was going on, we sat on the platform as a Malaysian train official spoke into a walkie-talkie, obviously trying to get something sorted out. Sarah and I speculated as to what could be going on, but were shocked when he jumped on the train and it took off, taking our stuff with it. Panic set over me a bit. While half the train was still there, why did the first eight cars leave?

This issue didn’t last too long, as ten minutes later, the train came back. I think they were trying to add an extra car for the seats. Whatever. We were back on and took off for Kuala Lumpur that night.

Melbourne-Singapore

There's not much to say about today. Was up by 7, hit the tram back into the city, decided to "walk" to Southern Cross Station from a random tram stop. Big mistake. I had to drag my luggage across four or five blocks, before locating the bus back to the airport. The ride was uneventful, but despite being two hours early for the flight, the line was massive. I struck up a conversation with an English bloke who had quite an interesting story. Turns out he is a mining engineer on holiday, after having worked the last year in China and Tasmania. His next job? Burkina Faso. I thought that was sweet.

After a few delays, I got on the plane, and we took off for our seven hour flight. It wasn't bad, and they had us in the 'Pore by 5. I sit now waiting for Sarah with little idea of what to think of this country. I saw a lot of flags, some adverts for some kind of patriotic holiday, and that's it. Kind of reminds me of Taiwan so far. But all I've seen is my hostel, the MRT, and well, the airport. More tomorrow, although I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, considering I don't have an adapter for my laptop. Although getting to see Sarah in t-minus 4 hours is amazing.

Day Three in Melbourne

Man, it's cold here. Have I whinged enough about that yet? Because it sucks to try and see a city when the drizzle is coating your Australia beanie, making the rest of you feel cold and wet. I toughed it out though, setting out for another day - my last full day in Australia.

I had trouble sleeping, but made it out of bed and onto a tram at around 10 AM. Again, there was nothing planned for today, something that has proved to be alright by me. My first move was towards the Queen Victoria Market, a large open air area near the outskirts of the CBD. It was underwhelming at best, essentially Melbourne's version of Paddy's Market. Not a big deal, and I passed through. I stopped at a random cafe, read the paper, had a coffee, and didn't even think where to go. I wandered down Elizabeth St, but had the urge to see another part of the town, so I walked up a different street. I was lacking in ideas - but I also had my camera. So I headed towards the MCG (exaggerated towards) and snapped a distant photo that you see up there. Federation Square caught my eye, so I made my way to the Information place to grab any kind of inspiration. There was a part of me that wanted to check out the Great Ocean Road, but the combination of the weather and the outside chance of catching my friend Katja, I wanted to stick around. Plus, who doesn't love a good rain?

After stopping at information, I headed across the Yarra, snapped a few photos, and surprise, surprise, made my way towards the Casino. At this point, I was cold, the rain was picking up (from a mist to a light drizzle), and I needed warmth. I also made the decision to actually go inside the Casino. I managed to track down a cloak room, dropped off my backpack, and wandered around the huge place. It was ridiculous - so many card tables, slot machines, and other rif raff that I find unnecessary. And pointless. A good way to waste some money, in my opinion. I've never gambled at a casino, but poker at Joe's has been enough to ward me off for awhile.

Once I was fed up with the Casino, I made my way up towards Flinders St. I stumbled upon the Melbourne 360 building. Seeing as that I always tend to go up tall buildings (Auckland, Sydney, Taiwan), I decided to make it a trend, and took in a quick view of the city from high up. An example below:

Where to next? At some point I decided that I wanted to catch the free tram that took you around city circle. Found that after a short search, and cruised the city for about 20 minutes, listening to the bits bits of history a taped voice brought over the tram's airwaves. Finding myself hungry, I jumped off for a quick bit, which was a gross chicken burger. Managing to resist the desire to have another coffee, I walked down some other random road, caught another tram out towards a place called Royal Park. The sun was finally out, giving a bit of warmth to the day, but still gross. There was nothing but a set of public toilets and a tennis court in this park. I was close to my hostel and toyed with the idea of turning in early, but I resisted and carried on, hopping on another tram towards the city. I jumped off, walked around for a bit longer, but then the rain started again, I realized that I was quite sick of Melbourne, and I then found the tram that took me to my hostel where I now sit. I had the goal of trying to get things squared away for the trip, which I have managed to do. From here, not sure how often I can post. Will try to lots. Hope everyone is doing well, where ever they are and whatever they are doing.

Day Two in Melbourne

Today was my first full day in a city that must be what Seattle is like. Cold, wet, and rainy, especially during the winter season. I woke up this morning in my small room that reminded my of a fancy prison cell. That's what most hostels tend to be like: cold, uninviting design that is a simple step up from the grungy underbelly of a gaol (Australian spelling for jail - weird, I know). After my flight here and hauling around a suitcase weighing in at 26.6 kg, I knew that I would have to rearrange what I was taking along. This meant finding a post office, a simple task as it was perhaps a five minute walk to the nearest location. I bought a box with tape, threw my clothes in, and decided to make the return, drop off the package, and to take the next tram into the city.

Having spent very little time actually planning what I was going to do, I headed in with little idea of what was on. I first decided to head towards St Kilda, a suburb known for its beach. I went there and was instantly freezing, as the wind was billowing in from the sea, making for a chilly walk onto the pier. I only made it halfway, stopped in a overhang, made a couple of phone calls, and decided to head back to the main drag. Wasn't all that much to do in St Kilda, after all. I picked up a Boost juice before jumping on the next tram, with my next destination Crown Casino, which I've heard is a big deal.

I hopped off the tram right in front of the casino, and wasn't let in. I had to check my bag, and ended up getting lost in the maze of advertisements and lights, with a mall and food court tossed in there as well. With little desire to actually head into the casino, as I see gambling as a giant waste of money, I headed out to cross the Yarra River, and ended up using the Sandridge Bridge (reminding me of Sandbridge). It was a bridge built in honor of the Aboriginals and other people who live in Australia, as there glass panes listing what country people are from, how many are there, and what languages they spoke. An interesting experience. With no destination, I decided to take advantage of my daily pass and just jumped on a random tram which was heading towards Malvern. 'Sweet', I thought to myself, 'a town named after a suburb back home', which I know isn't true. I was on the tram for awhile, then decided to just jump off and head back towards town. I got back off near the Domain, which is like every other domain I've been to in the southern hemisphere: a big park. Across the Yarra, I could see Rod Laver Arena, along with the MCG, two iconic images of this city. In 1956 Melbourne had hosted the Olympics, hence the name of this area being Olympic Park. I had read about an Australian sport museum, and being slightly interested in athletic events, made the decision to try and head there when I could.

First stop was Rod Laver Arena, home to the Australian Open. It was dead quiet there, although a door was open, allowing me to walk around in a circle. Since it is the offseason, there is a monster truck rally going on, not tennis. I declined the idea to book a guided tour, and instead walked around the rest of the tennis centre. Before that, I bought a ticket to the Melbourne-St George NRL match, which was going to take place just a few hours later. There wasn't much to see around the tennis centre, so I walked towards the MCG. I found the sport museum pretty easily, and took about an hour looking at the history of sport in Australia, although it was very Victoria-centric, focusing mostly on Cricket and AFL, the two big sports in these parts. After that, I was hungry, and headed to a decent pub for some fish and chips. I killed time there, having a coffee and trying to warm up.

By the time I had finished my coffee, the weather had gotten worse. With lack of a better phrase, it was freakin' cold out. I bought a stupid beanie with the Australian flag on it, which ended up being a good call. I then found myself back on the tram, ready for some rugby league.

The game was underwhelming. I'm not a huge fan of the sport, but had decided that it would be worth checking out. And for $12, it wasn't terrible. Until it started raining. That was not good, although the hat paid dividends, keeping me warmer than I would have been. I left early, as even a mid match fight didn't hold my interest too much. The Storm dominated as well, providing even less entertainment. It took me about 30 minutes to make it back to my hostel, where I sit typing this latest entry. Only 5 flight to go til I am back in the US. Hot dog.

Bye bye Sydney

In the craziness of what has been the last few weeks, between preparing for leaving, applying for jobs, saying goodbyes (the list goes on), I've been unable to live up to my one post a day goal. So now, I'll hope to keep a close account of the trip Sarah and I are about to embark on. For those keeping track, I'll be visiting 10 separate countries in the next 25 days:

Australia
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
England
France
Switzerland
Ireland
USA

It's going to be a whirlwind tour, and one that I will enjoy.

That being said, saying goodbye to my friends in Sydney was quite hard. It's been a great year - and a difficult one at that, but it was just an incredible experience. I was blessed with the chance to meet people from all over the world, get to know people who weren't like me at all, and to enjoy spending time with them. I hope to see at least some of them much sooner than I think I will. They are all such great people and have made my Sydney experience so much better. I keep thinking about the great relationships that I had from JMU, and now this? I am lucky indeed.

As of now, I'm in a hostel in Melbourne where I will be staying until Wednesday morning when I fly to Singapore. So it'll only be two full days, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to pass the time. The Broadway Musical Wicked is being shown here, and I thought about checking it out, but there isn't a show until Wednesday. I might take in a Rugby League match tomorrow. Definitely things to do here. But I kind of wish I had just made it a longer time in Sydney.

I got into Melbourne today at around 3. The airport is a good distance away from the city, but I managed to easily find the bus into town. I hadn't really thought about getting directions to my hostel, so I just jumped on a train up towards North Melbourne station. I got off there and realized that I had no idea where I was. And that isn't a good feeling. I found a map that listed very few street signs and just started walking. Before I started to panic, a cabbie spotted me, a clueless tourist with a huge bag (26 kgs) and stopped for me. I instructed him of my destination, which he had to look up on a map, and we were off. We reached the hostel in about five minutes, and I realized I would have never made it. I checked in, dropped my stuff in a tiny two person shared room (the beds are probably a foot and a half apart), and grabbed the tram into the city.

The next couple of hours I strolled around centre city. There's a lot of shopping down here. I toyed with the idea of going to see a movie, but Mamma Mia by myself? I don't think so. I just walked through the shops and crowds of people, felt cold, and decided to come back to my hostel for conduct some more research while paying for overpriced Internet. I did buy travel insurance as well. Which is a good thing, apparently. Tomorrow will bring a new day and more of a new city. The first of many.

A Quick Update

In the craziness of what has been the last few weeks, between preparing for leaving, applying for jobs, saying goodbyes (the list goes on), I've been unable to live up to my one post a day goal. So now, I'll hope to keep a close account of the trip Sarah and I are about to embark on. For those keeping track, I'll be visiting 10 separate countries in the next 25 days:

Australia
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
England
France
Switzerland
Ireland
USA

It's going to be a whirlwind tour, and one that I will enjoy.

That being said, saying goodbye to my friends in Sydney was quite hard. It's been a great year - and a difficult one at that, but it was just an incredible experience. I was blessed with the chance to meet people from all over the world, get to know people who weren't like me at all, and to enjoy spending time with them. I hope to see at least some of them much sooner than I think I will. They are all such great people and have made my Sydney experience so much better. I keep thinking about the great relationships that I had from JMU, and now this? I am lucky indeed.

As of now, I'm in a hostel in Melbourne where I will be staying until Wednesday morning when I fly to Singapore. So it'll only be two full days, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to pass the time. The Broadway Musical Wicked is being shown here, and I thought about checking it out, but there isn't a show until Wednesday. I might take in a Rugby League match tomorrow. Definitely things to do here. But I kind of wish I had just made it a longer time in Sydney.

I got into Melbourne today at around 3. The airport is a good distance away from the city, but I managed to easily find the bus into town. I hadn't really thought about getting directions to my hostel, so I just jumped on a train up towards North Melbourne station. I got off there and realized that I had no idea where I was. And that isn't a good feeling. I found a map that listed very few street signs and just started walking. Before I started to panic, a cabbie spotted me, a clueless tourist with a huge bag (26 kgs) and stopped for me. I instructed him of my destination, which he had to look up on a map, and we were off. We reached the hostel in about five minutes, and I realized I would have never made it. I checked in, dropped my stuff in a tiny two person shared room (the beds are probably a foot and a half apart), and grabbed the tram into the city.

The next couple of hours I strolled around centre city. There's a lot of shopping down here. I toyed with the idea of going to see a movie, but Mamma Mia by myself? I don't think so. I just walked through the shops and crowds of people, felt cold, and decided to come back to my hostel for conduct some more research while paying for overpriced Internet. I did buy travel insurance as well. Which is a good thing, apparently.

University

I've totally dropped the ball. This I know. So much for a daily update on my thoughts of Australia. I'll do what I can for the next ten days, perhaps beyond. I've been saying goodbye to friends every now and again which had proved to be an emotionally draining exercise. It's different now than leaving JMU because I knew that I would see those friends again. Or at least the ones I wanted to. These friends I hope to see again, but don't know when or where that'll be. Talk has emerged of a reunion in some country at a uncertain time, but we'll have to see what goes down.

Today I'll be looking at the experience I've had with University in Australia. After completing a four year degree at JMU, I wasn't really sure what to expect from a Graduate level course. I knew straight away that it would be a bit easier simply because the subjects I was set to study fell into what I was interested in - namely books and sport.

The outlook of Uni here is quite different. First of all, there are far fewer Universities throughout all of Australia. Which makes sense, considering the population boasts a bit more than 20 million people. So the need for more Universities isn't close to the same as it is in the US. The whole college experience is quite different, with many students commuting to a campus in or around the Sydney area, and far less people coming from afar.

The year I took classes I learned how frustrating and slow the whole processes can be here. Lecturers have some of the "no worries" attitude that you see in the rest of the country. They'll turn in grades and hand back assignments whenever they feel like it, leaving you with little time to know what your academic standing is. The hours I spent in class each week was also much shorter, with just two hours of work per week per class. That meant a grand total of eight hours a week for four classes, a full course load for just 14 weeks. Not too shabby. I spent perhaps twenty hours a week between doing my readings and time in class all together. This, on top of working twenty hours a week made me pretty busy.

There were definite shortcomings in the experience I had. One of the biggest issues was the lack of fluent English speakers. This affected me during the first semester more than the second - and while it isn't necessarily a negative, it brings down the quality of education when not everyone can contribute on the same fashion. At the same time, it was impressive to have so many Chinese students in class who could more than hold their own with a second language. As I have said before, I wish I could do that.

On the whole, the experience was worth it - but mostly because of the extra things I did on the side, the friends I made, and the country I lived in. The education alone wouldn't have cut it, but because of the extracurriculars that I've picked up along the way, it's been an enlightening time.

What's a Hotel?

That is a good question my friends. In the US, you say hotel, and that is what it always is. Accommodation. A place to stay for one night, perhaps two, maybe more. In Australia, they have those. But it is means bar.

Take the Marlborough (pictured). It's a bar nearby, and there isn't even a hint of rooms. But nearly everywhere you go you'll see (insert random name) Hotel. And it means bar. They serve lots of beer, have sport on TV, and that is that. It's been an interesting part of my time, because no one will ever really refer to a place like that as the such and such hotel, but rather, just its first name. For example, the Marlborough is affectionately called the 'Marly' by those who frequent it. I have spent many hours in there, usually in the morning watching a sporting event that is on live from the US where is is the night before. Then of course, nights out at various hotels, where my friends would get kind of drunk. There is also the Landsdowne, home of the famous $10 meal that Dave and I would always get - Chips, Chicken Schnitzel, and Mushroom sauce served with a ice cold Coca-Cola. I will miss those the most. Delicious food with good people.

I haven't been able to come across why a lot of these establishments are called hotels. I heard somewhere that it used to be a law in Sydney that places that served alcohol also had to provide accommodation. Not sure if that is valid, but it could be. Bottom line is, they are plentiful in the harbour town, and you definitely can't stay there overnight.

Language

I've already dropped the ball on my grand plan to post once a day about Australia and its funny little customs. I got a little bit lazy. I'm sorry.

One of the fears of going to live in a foreign country is the language barrier. Not knowing the language of the place you are going to spend a year or more of your life can be challenging.

Fortunately for me, that was not the case. But there has been a lot of lessons about what Aussie's say. They use 'the Queen's English' as one of my co-workers put it. Certain phrases that I've picked up, such as 'no worries', 'no dramas', using hey or eh as an interjection, and much more. It's been an interesting view of their culture - both listening to the words they say and what different things mean. The bathroom is the 'toilet', 'washroom', 'loo'; all very British-esque. I am aware that isn't a word.

Becoming aware of my accent was another interesting aspect of language. Because we (Americans) are usually used to hearing the same twang, it doesn't really hit us that we have an accent. I like to joke and say that I don't have one - well I really don't. A taxi driver from Kuristan told me that I have a 'beautiful' accent one time. I was flattered, but still didn't give him an extra tip.

I'm not particularly sick of the Australian accent. I wouldn't say that I can emulate it very well either - although it would be fun to come back to the US and pretend that's how I speak. It would be funny.

The flip side to the language experience has been the number of people who are fluent in two languages (or more). I am jealous. I have friends who speak, aside from English, Russian, Spanish, German, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Hindi, and many more. No, it's not just one person, but different people who speak these languages aside from their native tongue. It fuels my desire to live overseas in a foreign country, speaking a language I don't know. It's going to be hard, but I will do it. Hopefully.

Happy Birthday, USA. Here's to you

It's that time of year again. The Fourth of July. Or as I like to call it, Freedom day. Because that's why America was started right? A bunch of old gits wanted their freedom. Also known as the rich men that didn't want to pay taxes. So they riled everyone up, got them to hate the British Crown, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I will reluctantly concede that there is much more to it than that. Alright, perhaps a lot more. But a recent (being this year) realiz(s)ation of mine is that the United States of America as we see it today is quite different than the one that our forefathers (the old gits) set up way back when.

Political rant aside, now I can make it to the point of my post. I don't think of July 4th as much of a holiday; usually I hang out with some friends, enjoy fireworks, and then call it a day. Simple stuff really, and I see no need to make a huge fuss over the events that transpire. However, seeing as though I'm abroad, in a country that clearly wouldn't be celebrating it, I decided to go out and celebrate it American style: you guessed it, I went to McDonald's.

Where did the inspiration come from? Let's just say everyday this week I've been asked "what are you doing to celebrate the Fourth?", a question raised by my predominately Australian co-workers. A simple shrug was all I had. One of them was trying to come up with ideas for a Fourth of July themed birthday for one of his friends (all Australian) and I was of no help. All I could think about was grilling burgers and shooting off fireworks. Today's inspiration led me to the golden arches, where I sat and pondered the greatness of our country, and how we leave our mark across the globe through either a fast food restaurant or the bombs we deposit (drop) on some unfortunate country that has wronged us. The chicken sandwich (burger) that I ate reminded me of the obesity and laziness that many people in our country embrace, and as I tried to choke down my french fries, I realized that I was nauseated by what I was trying to eat. So I tossed it in the garbage - pretty much bringing things full circle, by doing what all great Americans do: create lots of rubbish (garbage). And now I sit before my computer, depositing these thoughts in a small corner of the webosphere (my new name for the Internet) wondering what the 5 people who read this actually think of the Fourth of July and my nonsensical ramblings.

My time in Australia is drawing nearer and nearer to a close - which is shocking. Time has passed by faster than I can remember. So many great things have happened in the past year, many of them marked with the great people I have met here. As I wonder what tomorrow (or two months from now) may bring, I've decided to try and think of one thing to write about per day that is unique to Australia and try and spit out 500 or so words. Stay tuned for that. It'll be, as we Americans like to say, awesome.