Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico bounddd! I just recently went to PR with my family for a week, we visited San Juan and Fajardo! Both were absolutely beautiful.

Fajardo - We stayed in the El Conquistador which was by far one of the most beautiful resorts I've ever been to. The resort amenities were fantastic, and the activities in the area were awesome! The resort made it possible for people to enjoy and relax in the area without leaving the resort itself. They provided us with ferry transportation to their private island, Palomino Island, an on site water park, 2 swimming pools, and a huge gym!

On top of that, they had a casino indoors in which i won $7! CRAZY RIGHTTT? haha. I stopped before i got addicted and just lost everything.

Our day consisted of a buffet breakfast in the cafe, soaking up the sun by the pool and beach, adventuring in the local area, and then a pleasant meal at the hotel. I couldn't of asked for a more relaxing hotel!

But a vacation isn't all about soaking up the sun, and sitting out by the pool; there has to be some adventure involved. One of the days we went to El Yunque National Rainforest! Besides the rain, it was good. There were waterfalls, real rock climbing lol, and hiking/nature trails. One of the hiking trails that we went on took about 2 hours round trip, but it was so worth it. You walk for about an hour through the rain forest only to come to a huge waterfall where you're allowed to go for a swim, sit on the rocks, and just relax! I unfortunately didn't have my swim suit so I didn't go in.... intentionally. The water was absolutely freezing. I did put my feet in and walked around, only to slip on a rock and fall in the water; huge shock to the brain as the water was ice cold. Overall it was a great experience, I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one to fall in. The hike back seemed longer and more tiring as most of it was uphill but we made it!!

San Juan - If you look up on all the tourism websites as to what to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Rum/Bacardi Factory is a must see! It was actually really cool there because everything is alcohol based (obviously). They have this huge bar where they serve drinks, and then a really big gift shop where they sell everything from bottles of Bacardi, to magnets. Then they send you on an hour tour where they tell you the origin of the alcohol, how it's made, and how much is produced yearly. It was a little interesting and a bit boring at the same time!

ALL OVER PUERTO RICO! Something that took me a while to get used to was the size of the lizards. I live in Florida and have been to India, so i'm used to lizards but the ones here are huge! At first I thought I was seeing things until they literally turned up everywhere! They are really fat and look scary. When my family and I were walking behind the hotel near the pool area, there was a huge lizard "structure" just in the grass, and at first I thought it was a sculpture just there for decoration, UNTIL it started to move!!!! :O It was just a huge Iguana just minding its own business, one of the most randomest things i've ever seen!

REGARDLESS. Puerto Rico was awesome (: Definitely go and visitttt!

It's never too late

WOW! it's been forever since I actually updated my blog and I'm sorry for those who read this and followed me! But I'm back :]

After China, i went to England where i got to spend time with my friends and family, and then finally reached home sweet home, FLO-RIDA <3

I've been home for just over a month now and it feels so great to be reunited with my friends and family. It was kind of weird at first, everything seemed hazy and make belief, kind of 'too good to be true' but now i'm used to it.

Going to sleep in my own bed, not living out of a suitcase, and driving my car was amazing! I was so grateful for the small things: leaving my toothbrush in the bathroom instead of packing it up, and choosing clothes out of a closet instead of a suitcase. IT FELT GOOD.

Journey home: it was a mission and a half to get back home with the offloading, airport conveyer belts not working, taxi's, compensation, and delays, but i finally made it home. My friends came and visited me that night and it was such a surprise. They came running to the door and gave me a hug, it was SOO good to see them again and reconnect. Although we stayed in touch while I was gone, there was still so much to catch up on. The next day, they all threw me a surprise party in which my friends from highschool came, it was like a reunion. Although the surprise was kind of ruined, it was good to see everybody. We all talked, shared stories, and ate food. Perfect day!

Anyways, these past 2 weeks have been so great and hectic at the same time. My family from England, and California came into town to visit so they were staying at our house. As usual, the disney runs, touring, shopping had to be done so it was constant trips to the theme parks and outlet malls. Its always nice to have family over especially when all the kids get together and joke around, play cards, and have crazy adventures. The only bad thing is at the end when everybody leaves because the house is so empty and quiet. Kinda depressing. 

But the best thing to do is just focus on the good times and know that it will happen again real soon.

Beijing, China

Basically, I thought that I could always tolerate cold really good, but that was until I came to Beijing. When they say its cold here, it literally is. Lets put it into perspective, the iPhone is touch screen, and is activated by the body heat of your fingers... well my hands were so cold that none of the buttons worked when I pressed them! When I leave to go outside, I honestly feel like a walking marshmallow. I put on so many layers that I become really plump and like waddle when I walk LOL.

My outfit consists of: 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of pants (leggings, thermal, jeans/sweat pants); 4 tops (tank top, thermal, another thermal, long sleeve); 1 huge jacket (with fur inside); scarf (made of wool); hat (covers the ears); ski gloves - Normally it takes me a while to choose my outfit in the morning, but not in China. Instead it takes longer to actually put on all the layers. The coldest it got to be was -14 degrees Celsius.

Apart from the weather, everything is great!!! To my surprise, the food wasn’t too bad, I ate LOADS of vegetables, and I mean loads. Vegetables that I have never heard of or even thought about trying. And they do really good soup here... perfect for the temperature outside. But, all those “rumors” you hear about China, and how they eat everything that moves (besides humans).... well they are actually true! I went to the local park where they had a festival going on, and they were selling fried roaches, scorpians, worms, and spiders!!! IT WAS SO GROSS. You should of seen the look on my face when I saw all of this.... I was about to throw up. I wanted to see somebody actually eat it but nobody around me was... until i turned around and saw this guy putting a scorpion in his mouth. I literally just stared at him, my jaw dropped in shock. There are just some things I’ll never understand! Apparently it’s a delicacy and they only eat it on special occasions.

On a lighter note, I managed to do everything that I wanted to do in the 10 days that I was here: The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace! Everything was so beautiful! I had a tour guide that showed me around because it was literally impossible to walk to each place... especially in this weather. She told me the history of the places, and took me to the important parts of each site.
The Great Wall: It was about an 1 1/2 drive from where I was staying and it was about 3-4 degrees colder, but I knew this already so I came prepared with an extra jacket, pair of gloves, and hat! I took the cable car up to the Wall, climbed it, and then took the slide down! While I was climbing, I had to stop a few times to catch my breath! There were so many steps and they were super steep, and scary. A couple times I had to grab the edge of the wall to keep my balance. It was a great work out though - I talked to a bunch of random people along the way to keep myself occupied. And obviously took loads of pictures! There was a group of Philippino people on my tour as well which were extremely friendly so we took the slide down together! It was basically a luge ride going down where you sit in this buggy, and have a stick to gear it! The breeze in your face didn’t feel that great but it was fun.

On the days where I didn’t have many plans, I basically chilled; watched movies, walks, dinners etc. My friends that I was staying with introduced me to some of their friend so we went out for dinner a few nights and spent time with them. 

There’s a huge language barrier in China. Most public places have everything translated into English but it doesn’t matter when the people can’t speak English. The taxi drivers don’t even speak English so getting around was very hard; I had to get the address of the place written in Chinese and then show it to them so that they’ll understand. But it was a great learning experience, it allowed me to plan different alternatives and realize that “there’s always another way”

Malaysia

Last minute plans always work out for some reason, if you are easygoing and go with the flow, everything just seems to fall into place. One of my friends that I was planning to stay with had cancelled because she was going back home for Chinese New Year so I was just going to stay in a hotel, but then another opportunity came along. This other girl from GYLS, who attended camp the previous year, offered to host me at her house. I had never met her before or talked to her for that matter, but we were connected through GYLS so we had mutual friends. She opened her arms wide opened and allowed me to stay with her and her family in KL. It was one of the first times that I didn’t feel lonely at all because we hung out all 4 days I was there - It felt good to have a conversation outside the words “how do i get here, how much does that cost, what is this?”

During my stay, Niresh and I did so much walking! We took the public transportation as well, but the bus was ALWAYS packed. We went everywhere exploring KL: Petronas Twin Towers, Menara KL Tower, Little India, City Walk, Malls, and the exhibition of international bears. Taking pictures at these places was fun because at the Twin Towers and the Menara KL Tower, we did the typical poses where you pretend to hold/push the tower, it was funny. After we started doing this, the people around us started to do it and asked us to take their picture. I joked around and said that i should start charging for my amazing photography skills :P Anywaysss, at the City Walk, there was a random large inflatable armchair just sitting there, and we had asked these kids to take a picture but they thought we wanted a picture of them so they smiled and posed; it was super funny. 

The following day we went to Batu Caves which had the “World’s tallest Murugan Statue”. At the caves we held a snake around our neck, prayed at the temples, walked around, went to the reptile exhibit, carried some parrots, went up a 250+ flight of stairs, and watched monkeys steal food from people. 

On my last day, it was a really laid back morning; slept in and took it casually. In the late afternoon we went to this company called “MindValley” and had a tour of the place. It was the most relaxed work place that I have ever seen. The whole atmosphere was so inviting and laid back. Completely well decorated, full of colors, and the workers walked around barefoot. After that we went to eat some lunch, walk around the mall, and went to this street where they sold everything for really cheap. They had branded purses, wallets, clothes for really cheap; the quality obviously wasn’t there but it’s great for short term things. It’s a great tourist attraction since they get to shop for really cheap, but they obviously get ripped off because they can’t bargain properly. As soon as they see a tourist, they put the price up a couple hundred ringgit’s. If you are malay and you talk to them, then they give you a reasonable price. I learned how to say “how much” in malay so that they would think that i’m a local, but it didn’t work. They just laughed and said, i know you’re not Malaysian! LOL. It was worth a shot. 

By the time we went to sleep it was about 1:30AM, and I had to wake up at 6 o’clock to catch my 9 o’clock airplane. Have i ever mentioned how much i dislike morning flights? Complete rush and no sleep. No bueno.

Airport: After I checked in, got something to eat, went through security etc, I saw a starbucks so i though mhhhm, let’s get a frappicino, and it’ll last me for while I’m on the plane. 20 minutes until my flight leaves. I get my frapp and headed towards my gate (right around the corner), I go in all smiley, and they say “sorry no liquids allowed”!!! and I’m like uhh, i bought this at the airport, after security, and then they repeated “no liquids allowed”. -__- I was not a happy camper at this point. I had to down my frapp, which gave me several brain freezes and then rush on the plane! STORY OF MY LIFE.

Singapore

Fun/interesting/shocking facts:

• NO CHEWING GUM - they don’t even sell it!
• People here finish high school at 16 and then go to Junior College
• They wash tractors/ cranes before they go on the road
• When it rains, they dry up the streets with a huge machine
• When boys turn 18, they are drafted in the military - no exceptions
• No eating/drinking on public transport
• 24 hour Starbucks
• MCDONALDS DELIVERS 24/7!!! ****

Anyways, on that note: Singapore is really cool; apparently the must things to do are shop and eat! On the first day i went to all the malls ( i didn’t buy anything) but i just looked around; it was very expensive compared to Florida and ALOT of their restaurants are 24 hours (i’m not sure if thats a good thing lol). The food is yummy but i rather not see how their food is made... i’m used to just ordering at a restaurant and the chefs do their business behind the scenes and then it’s presented to you, but not in Singapore. They make everything in front of you, which is good in a way since you know exactly what’s in it, but seeing it being prepared, sometimes you rather not know.!

I came at the right time to these Asian countries because its the Chinese New Year on the 23rd of Jan! People go crazy decorating everything, and it’s really big - year of the dragon! Chinatown was decked out in decorations, and people were selling gifts, cookies, fruit, other traditional items for the new year. I went to China town twice: the day I arrived and a few days before new years. There was a huge difference! IT was soooo busy towards new years - literally chocoblock! If you’re claustrophobic, i suggest that you go earlier in the year haha!
But anyways, I met my friend, Cathleen, from GYLS camp, in Singapore and stayed with her for a few days! It had been 2 years since i last saw her so there was so much to catch up on and talk about. We hung out, went to the Night Safari, dinners, shopping etc. The Night Safari was SOO cool - I’ve only been to the zoo during the day but this was on a whole new level. It was a separate park thats only open during the night - you got to be so close to the animals, walk the trails, be attacked by squirrels, & ride the tram. Our tour guide person who provided commentary on on the tram was from the Philippines and he said the funniest things ever, i think it was his accent.!
OH, and I can officially live in Singapore and be considered a “local” because i tried DURIAN. It is by far the most disgusting fruit I’ve tasted in my life... no joke. I’ve been told that it smells so bad and tastes so bad, but i was like nahh it can’t be that bad, BOY I WAS WRONG. This was just to a whole new level, seriously. The smell lingers, and the taste is unbearable. But since i tried it, I’m considered to be a brave soldier. Never again, i learned my lesson. 

When you go to these Asian countries, you just have to visit the local zoo - its just a necessity. No matter how many zoo’s you’ve visited in your life, nothing beats the asian zoo’s. I got to feed an elephant... it was so cool! I watched the rainforest show, took pictures with the animals, and watched the white tigers swim in the water. After a couple of hours, I got to the giraffes. I took a picture and all of a sudden it started POURING down with rain... random as ever! There was no shelter around so i found a tree and went underneath. A couple minutes go by and I decided to just walk in the rain but then this guy came up to me and gave me his umbrella and told me that i could have it - it was the nicest thing ever. I still have the umbrella (great way to block the sun). The rain continued for a few hours but i made my way back to my hotel where I then went to the gym and ate dinner. 

SENTOSA ISLAND :D it was kinda lonely going alone to an island/beach but there was nothing I could do. It was absolutely stunning! There was so much to do there: explore the gardens, luge riding, gondola rides, universal studios, underwater world, butterfly exhibits, indoor sky diving, walking etc. I swear I walked for miles and miles, my feet hurt so bad by the end of the day. It was funny seeing so many ‘American’ things; There was a TGIF, Chili’s, and Universal Studios - I felt like i was back home again!

I took loads of pictures of the flowers; shaped hedges; the marine life; and the merlion. Thank god it rained towards the end of my visit there otherwise it wouldn’t of been enjoyable; the humidity level sky rockets here as soon as it rains and it just makes everything unpleasant.

I remember that night coming home was a mission and a half. I had decided to go to the local bar to eat and watch the tennis match, the Australian Open. I didn’t even look at the time or anything, and once I was done it was already 10PM... which meant that I had missed the last shuttle bus that took me to my hotel. So instead i took a train back, but i didn’t have enough money on my travel card so i had to top up, since i was only there for one more day i knew i wasn’t going to need an extra $10 so i topped up $5, but there was no $5 top up, $10 it was. Then i took a train back to the closest station (orchard) to my hotel, and was just going to take a taxi from there instead of walking late at night alone. Then I realized that i had no cash on me since i just topped up, and taxi’s don’t take credit card, so i went searching for an ATM machine. I found one but they only had $50 and $100 bills left, and they only gave me an option to take out $100, so i was like oh this is just great. I got out some money, and before i went into the taxi, i asked if he had change for a 50, and he said no. So i walked to the closest service area (7-11) to get change but they said they couldn’t open the til. At that point i swear i was going to punch someone haha, but she said if i buy something then it’ll be okay. So i bought some candy and she broke my 50... i got into the taxi and arrived at my hotel. Keep in mind, that i’m walking back and forth from the station to the taxi stand in the rain! That was my adventure for the night.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay in Singapore, i tried new foods that i wouldn’t of even imagined eating back in Florida. Cathleen, my friend from GYLS was absolutely amazing, it was really great seeing her again after a few years and she took care of me for the first few days of my stay! Also, coming during Chinese New Year was cooool! Besides the overcrowded streets, it was really nice to see all the decorations and see how other cultures celebrate events.

New Zealand in a nut shell

Okay, where to begin! So much has happened over these last couple of days. There was so much to see and very little time but I managed to still do a lot. I am currently staying with some platinum partners, Robyn and Tony Grinter! They are absolutely amazing; they took me around to all the sites and showed me the touristy and local areas. While in Auckland, we went to One Tree Hill which is a volcanic area. From the top you could see the entire city and of course sheep in the local field. I really wanted to go here because my favorite and pretty much only tv show that i watch is called One Tree Hill, so it just seemed appropriate.
Apparently on the west side of New Zealand, they have black sand. I’ve never seen this before; I’m used to the brownish/white sand in Florida so it was soo cool seeing something different. Since it was later in the evening, the sky was gray and the water seemed cold, it gave the place an eerie feel. In addition, for the FIRST TIME ever, i saw a horse ride across the sand. I thought this only happened in movies but no, it was reality. The horse just galloped across the sand jumping over the logs that were lying there. 

Paradise Valley Springs: This is basically a wilflife park where you can feel NZ’s wild animals: wild pigs, alpacas, horses, donkeys, ducks, trout, and sheep. But the really cool part was being able to pat the cubs! They had two which you could pat, each 5-6 months of age. It was kinda scary being in the same pen as them because normally they are trained really well and they kinda just stay in one place, but these ones were different. They would walk around, brush past your legs, try and go for your ankles/sandals, and jump up on you! One of the other baby cubs was in this cage and it had big holes in it, enough for its paw to fit through and a human hand. I was kinda impatient to wait my turn so i stuck my hand in the cage and touched it, nothing happened for a little while until it just snapped at me and i quickly pulled my hand back. My heart was beating so fast! Don’t worry i still have 10 fingers! 

Skyline Rotorua: Basically, this is an attraction for people of all ages; those who like rides, enjoy a pleasant meal, and/or like a great view. I liked all of the above and had the opportunity to experience it all. We took the gondola ride up the side of Mt. Tarawera  which overlooked Rotorua and then stopped at the entrance of gravity thrill ride, the luge. Its basically a 3 wheel cart that you steer down a hill on different courses, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. You can adjust your speed according to your comfort level; the first time I went, I went extremely slow around the corners just because there was a huge chance that i would fall out, let go of the steers and go flying off. The second time around, I had way more confidence and went faster - I even went up to the intermediate level :D. Since i was holding on so strong, my hands were hurting so bad afterwards, i felt some blisters forming. 

Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park: Kiwi, what New Zealanders are usually called, are the native birds of NZ. At this place you could see kiwi’s in the conservation area; since they are nocturnal animals, they are put into a really dark room; unfortunately, i didn’t see many, most of them were sleeping but i did see one or two. NZ doesn’t have any snakes, alligators, or pretty much anything dangerous so the only reptiles they had were lizards! 

Te Puia: This is where the bubbling mud pools and geysers are located. Besides the fact that it rained while we were walking around, it was really cool to see it all. You could feel the heat given off from the geysers from the top of the pathway! The Pohutu Geyser is one of the famous active geysers that erupts to about 30 meters tall; normally you have to wait a while for it to erupt but while i was there, i saw it erupt 3-4 times! I guess it was my lucky day :] 

Waitomo Caves: GLOWWORMS! haha. There were three caves: Waitomo Glowworm, Ruakuri, and Aranui. In all three of the caves we learned about the worms, and then learned about the caves itself (stalagmites, stalactites). As we walked around, we weren’t allowed to touch anything since the oil on our fingers/hands would disrupt the growth of everything, and we couldn’t take pictures in the first cave because it disturbs the worms. Apparently it’s good luck if water drips on you.... i got a lot of water on me! Hopefully it follows through... so far so good :D 

Waiheke Island: One of many islands in NZ, we went for the day. It was a 1 1/2 hour drive from Hamilton and then a 45 minute ferry ride to the actual island. We did the car ferry which was really cool because we drove right on the ferry and parked... you can probably tell that this was my first time doing this :P Anyways, arriving on the island, it was lunch time so we drove to this huge vineyard and italian food; the pizza was sooo good! Driving around the island to the different bays; walking on the beach; walking through the forest pretty much sums up the day! The water was so calm at the beach as we walked along - a little hot but the wind was blowing quite strongly so it wasn’t too bad! Time seemed to fly by so quickly while being on the island; it was absolutely beautiful though! It literally had everything there, you didn’t need to leave and since it’s secluded, it was even cooler; a great getaway. 

 

Stepping out of my comfort zone

Seriously, that’s pretty much all I’ve done while traveling. I’ve had my fears and complications but it’s something I had to stick through and make the most of.
Traveling alone can be boring... in fact, most of the time it is boring. But i’ve reached that stage where I know that I’m alone and i’ve accepted it... it just makes me more independent i feel. Also you meet some really cool people when you travel alone cuz you have no choice but to be random and talk to strangers.

Anyways, back to my adventures recently:

Sydney Harbor Bridge (Australia) = you know that really tall bridge in Australia that cars go on??? Well i kinda climbed that. 1,439 steps, 134 meters tall; It was on my bucket list so i kinda had to do it... I was super scared at first because i didn’t know what to expect, oh & because I’m scared of heights. Being at the top was just spectacular, it was a 360 degree view of the entire city! While being at the top, i told myself not to look down since it wouldn’t help with the whole fear thing.. but that idea kinda got thrown out the window. At that point i started looking for sharks in the water. I didn’t see any but i did spot out a stingray minding its own business swimming along the edge of the harbor. 3 1/2 hours later I was down at the bottom, taking off all the gear and purchasing my photos at the store.... wow! what an experience. Definitely mind blowing and worth it, its something i can cross off my bucket list and something i can tell my kids when i’m older!

Auckland Sky Walk (New Zealand) = I hear that all tourists must either do the Sky Jump or Sky walk! I’ve always wanted to sky dive so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity, except for the fact that i have a concious and all i could hear in the back was my mum’s voice saying “DONT YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT”. Instead i did the sky walk which is where you go all the way to the top of the tower and walk along the edge with only a harness on... scary stuff right there! After doing the bridge, i thought i was kinda unstoppable... that was until i reached the top of the tower. At least on the bridge if you fell, you would fall on stairs, this time if you fell, you’re a dead man/women. But all was successful, i got to see the volcanos, islands, yachts and buildings.

Mountain Biking (Woodhill - New Zealand) = I went with a Platinum Partner, Sue who lives in Auckland. She had asked me if I liked biking and i thought about it and was like, of course, i bike all the time (this was around celebration type of biking - nothing harcore but i thought i could handle it). Anyways, we went to the mountain range and it was a little wet from the rain but nothing stopped us. We rented some bikes, helmet and gloves and started the adventure. They always said the first 10 minutes would be the worst... they were right! I was literally out of breathe as i biked up and down hills in the forest! You know when you’re running and people say they “hit the wall”, well thats how i felt but to a lower level. I managed to only fall off my bike 4 times! got some cuts and bruises but no broken bones.... SUCCESS! Anyways, by the end of it, i felt like a pro. I was quicker at pedaling, a professional at changing gears and semi good at making the jumps. It was a lot of exercise and calories burned but definitely worth it! I’m so glad I did it. 

Kayaking (Hamilton - New Zealand) = Basically, kiwi’s (new zealanders) are known for their outdoor activities. I’ve never kayaked before so i thought why not. Mind you, my biggest fear are sharks. I know that there aren’t any sharks in the river or lake but i think it’s just the water in general, there’s a SLIGHT chance. And also, you can’t really see in the water so you don’t know whats swimming underneath you. Besides that, i got on the water and kayaked. I didn’t know what to do or how to turn, stop, go faster until i was actually on the water heading towards a bunch of lilypads. I didn’t want to get stuck, and panicking would just make everything worst so i just prayed to god that nothing would happen. I’m alive and writing this now... so all was good! I got the hang of it after 5-10 minutes and it was extremely peaceful on the lake; there were ducks swimming around hoping that you would feed them. & now i would like to think that i’m a pro kayaker with super arm strength :]

Melbourne to Sydney

Unfortunately I left Melbourne, and i feel upset :/ I met absolutely amazing people that i KNOW that i can never forget. I went there knowing one person, and left knowing like 15!! They all took care of me and took me out all the time - I had time to relax, have fun, and try outrageous things!
-I’ll remember when i talked to the taxi driver and got him to sing in the car - I told him that i wouldn’t leave the car unless he did
-I’ll remember trying to push Jassi in the water at the beach but instead i fell in
-Walking around Kmart at 2AM

-Jumping on the trampoline and falling all over the place

On the bright side, I got to reunite with Katie :] my high school friend! It felt so weird seeing somebody I knew from back home... I could talk to her about friends back home without having to explain everything since she knew everyone. It’s the small things that make the biggest difference. I arrived in Sydney late at night, no dinner, extremely thirsty, and traveling to the middle of nowhere: Formula 1 hotel at Olympic Park. Anyways, we got to the hotel and was obviously hungry because it was around 11pm, since it was in the middle of nowhere, nothing was open, and i mean nothing. NOT EVEN MCDONALDS (The branch in this area closes at 5pm - WTF). So what do Katie and I do..... Wander the streets looking for food (no luck); instead we just took pictures and strolled back into the hotel lobby.
The following morning/afternoon (by the time we woke up & got ready), we tried to make a plan but became quite indecisive. Instead of planning that day, we started to plan the next couple of days. We literally sat at McDonalds for a few hours stealing their wifi (checking e-mails, facebook, researching, flights etc). Yes, at that point, we had no life. We got our act together and decided to actually do something so we wandered the streets of Sydney and came to the conclusion that WE HAD to go to Outback Steakhouse while being in the outback, it was just something that had to be done. Arriving at the restaurant super excited to eat, we saw that it was closed!!! “ONE MORE HOUR UNTIL OPENING”. -__- In the mean time we went to some chocolate cafe called “Cheeky Chocolate” - wish i highly recommend - and got some “thickshakes” and played monopoly on the ipad... we were truly living the life.
That night, we had plans to go out with a friends friend (so many connections), so we headed back to the hotel to get ready/freshen up a little, and then headed out to a middle eastern restaurant (don’t remember what it was called because it was all a dream). At first I was a bit skeptical of the place, but its the smaller restaurants that always have the best food. BOY WAS I RIGHT, that was some goood foood!

Day two of the adventures with my other american half - I had to sort out my Chinese visa by going to the consulate and handing them my paperwork and passport before 12 o clock, which obviously meant an early morninggg! Getting up was the hardest part ever because it felt like you only just got comfortable and there just wasn’t enough sleep happening. Besides the point, there were some complications on the way with trains (got off wrong station, walked, went back, finding the place - the usual) but we got there on time with 10 minutes to spare!! - the added pressure helped. A huge sigh of relief as that was finally over and done with - slurpees from 7-11 to relax? I THINK YES <3

Next stop was the Sydney harbor bridge and Opera house - along the walk we found fellow Americans; not just any though, black and yellow’s! They were literally decked out in their steeler’s gear: hat, shirt, shorts, towel, everything! We talked to them for a little and it turns out that they were planning to buy a property in Celebration... small world or what?! All the sight seeing was finally over, my feet were aching, we were cranky, so we got some fooooood! We found a place called “Star Bar” near Town Hall train station; IT WAS DELICIOUS. The ambiance made you feel like you were at MGM studios with the famous people and decorations hanging. Anywhooo, that night was loads of fun! Went out with some friends again but this time we went to eat, and played some Aqua Golf - and no this isn’t golf underwater LOL! What an experienceee - similar to Top Golf in England! You literally get a bucket of golf balls and you hit them into the water but you have to try and hit specific targets (all represent different things - you can win prizes). I learned that I’m not good at golf... I think i’ll stick to tennis!

Anyways, time flew by and before you knew it, it was the 5th of Jan.... Katie had to return back to Melbourne :[ but what would i possibly do in Sydney alone for a few days.... NOTHING, so i booked a ticket to Melbourne back with her :D We ended up being on the same flight coincidently, & because I had such great luck, our flight was delayed due to “engine problems” - not exactly the first thing you want to hear before getting on the flight.!

& the adventures continue

Where do I begin??

• MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
• Cinema's
• Parties
• City / sight seeing
• Christmas / New Years
• Shopping

Let's work backwards and refresh my memory! NEW YEARS! I felt like I was living in the future, experiencing new years before everyone! A group of us went to this Desi night at the club where we danced bhangra, met people, and had fun. We had two outcomes for the night, well three actually...
1. Watch the fireworks
2. Go to the beach
3. HAVE FUN!!! :]
It was approximately 11:40, only 20 minutes til the new years fireworks, we were walking towards federation square, 5 of us. Along the way we had some complications (funny) and had to sort out some things (witnessed some fights etc), and then the clock struck midnight. We were on some random street in the city, BUT we still saw the fireworks :] Number one - CHECK.
Anyways, after that, for some reason, we were tired. We walked around, went back to the club, got something to eat, and walked some more. Walking with heels = hard. We took a bus all the way back home (30-40 minutes). We were going to go to the beach but it didn’t make sense to go since the boys were wearing jeans and dress shoes so it would be inconvenient, but don’t worry, we still got to check it off the list.

 That morning when we woke up, we got ready and headed down to the beach! Spent a couple of hours there and had lunch at the local cafe - it was so much fun!! Of course a beach trip is not successful without burying someone in the sand ;)
OF course #3 was easily swiped of the list!

It’s offical... I’m moving to melbourne. The place is amazing along with the people, I don’t want to leave :[

Today is the 29th of December, a little bit after Christmas, and just before New Years. It's a day where India lost the test match at the MCG :[ Day 4 of the match, the day that I attended the game. 

The crowd was going wild as India was bowling and the Aussie's were batting; all the indians waiting patiently to hear the ball hit the wicket. Rivals up roared in the crowds as the Aussie's chanted and the Indian's sung, so much patriotism. As for me, I sat there in the freezing cold, waiting for the sun to come out! I didn't know anything about cricket, I just wanted to go for the experience, but after a few hours of being there, my mood changed. I had a new value for the sport, so much dedication and patience was involved in this match. I sat there for 6 hours watching ball after ball and fight after fight. I didn't know anybody there so of course I talked to the randomers around me; most were Aussie but I finally came to find a few Indians! In the section next to me though, it was filled with Indians. All of them had their face painted, carried the India flag, and shouted out chants. There were the occasional fights between the two countries but it was all fun and games. Unfortunately, India lost at the end... :[ But the overall experience was amazing, I’m glad that I went!