Apologies to all!!

I have been very bad at updating in the last two weeks, but I have been so busy I do apologise...my blogs from now on may not be as detailed as I now have to pay for the internet useage!! So I have not got hours to write...however, this is what I have been up to in the last few weeks...it has been CRAZY...

Friday 14.03.08

Adam and I wake nice and early and head to Federation Square to catch the ferry to Williamstown, sadly as soon as we exit the city, it is rather dull only docks, no pretty views...but it was fun to do. We arrive at Williamstown and then take the $6 bus tour around the town, with a mental man who has lived there all his life. He doesn't need a microphone he is so loud and we hear...to the left is this to the right is that!! It is a beautiful seaside town, the buildings are all heritage, so you can only build something that looks exactly like the previous exterior!! Its immense and the whol renovation thing gets me excited. After the tour we go for lunch at La Porchetta...I have a yummy pesto pasta!! Scrummy. We then hit the beach and at 40 it is bloody hot!! And we sweat it out! The beach is gorgeous, so shallow we can just sit and chill in it. We head back late and I cook dinner. I go out with the coaches in the evening, we go to a pub and then onto a club, but I am majorly overdressed in my heels when everyone else is in flipflops!! A good night but I am very tired...

Saturday & Sunday 15.03.08 - 16.03.08

The Formula One Australian Grand Prix!! Yes I did feel involved, I spent both days at the beach in the 35-37 degree heat lapping up the rays and listening to my ipod!! It was so nice to chill, I didn't get bored and I could hear the cars from the beach, as Albert Park is not that far! And it is where I work which is pretty cool. I cook my first Spag Bol as well, simple, nothing like my Daddys amazing version, but I got some veges in so I was happy!!

Monday 16.03.08

Today, I try and lose some weight out of my suitcase, but not with much luck, I want to keep too much stuff! lol and the new things I have bought just do not want to go in!! I have safety week again and I have some of my favourite classes, its sad as it is my last lesson teaching them!! It has all gone sooooooooooo quick!! I do have the giggle though, I was teaching my little 5 year olds to reach rescue and how they can throw floating objects to someone in danger. In the practice one of my favourites...Pascale throws a float and smacks one of the other kids on the head!! You had to be there but it was soooooooooo funny, I was nearly drowning I was giggling so much! I cook Adam Chicken Paprika for dinner, he loves having me as a chef lol!!

Tuesday 18.03.08

Last day at work, and it was an emotional day!! I had waterbabies to start, which flew by then we head fun week the rest of the lessons! This involved 15mins swim and 15mins play! And us instructors could play too...I loved going down the water slide!! haha!! The kids loved it and all of their swimming has really improved so I am very happy. Jaz told me she loved me at the end of her lesson, it made my day!! At lunch, Jayne bought me fish and chips which was really nice of her! And the afternoon shift was just as good, with my lippy kids finally tryong hard!! Emotional leaving, Jack the legend supervisior said I would definately be missed and that I was welcome to come back any time!

In the evening, Adam and I went out with Charlotte my mentor and Jonny, Adam's friend. We went to a realy Aussie bar, and on my last day I found all the hot aussies!! lol where had they been?? We had a few drinks, got pretty drunk and then headed to Cheerz again where we had a major boogie! Disgracefully, I have no recollection of the evenings events...when we left or how we got home, but thankfully Adam looked out for me so I was ok!! I am not getting that drunk again!!

Wednesday 19.03.08

Last day in Melbourne...I felt so ill in the morning and so dehydrated and the water in this country out of the tap is not cold like England so I was stressing! I crawled out of bed still a little drunk and went to work!! So hard, I remembered now why I never drink and go out when I have teaching the next day it was horrible!! The lessons went quite fast but the 2 hour coaching dragged on forever!! I just wanted to curl up and die!! But I made it and cooked when I got home!! We watched the last gossip girl, and then I packed which took me like 3 hours as it always does especially trying to cram everything into a bloody backpack!! Not happy!! I finally get to sleep about 1am!!

Thursday 20.03.08.............The OZ EXPERIENCE BEGINS!!

I wake at 5:10, shower, makeup and get out. Saying an emotional goodbye to a very sleepy Adam! I meet the bus at the Art Centre, and meet the first few people! Everyone is foreign and quite a bit older than me which is a little worrying!! But soon younger Irish and English arrive and we have a ball!! It is immense! Our driver is called Golem (well Luke he is called that after the Lord of the Rings) and he is mental...I swear he is on drugs. Our last pickup is in St. Kilda and then we are off the Wilson's Promotory - the most southernly part of main land Australia. I see my first wild Kangaroos and a Wombat that the lads decide to put sunglasses on!! It was so funny! Next we stop in Foster, a little town with about 10 shops for some lunch. Then we head back into the National Park and go for a walk. Here we start to chat and get to know each other a bit more...you notice the 'trying to hard to be funny' characters, the genuine and the chavs straight away!! But all in all everyone is pretty cool!! There are a dutch people too and it makes me think of Cynthia (miss you) and I decide it best not to attempt to act like I know anyhthing about Holland as my Geographic knowledge is very poor!! It starts really sunny, but turns rainy and bad very quickly, and the Squeaky Beach (yes that is its name and yes the sand squeaks) no longer seems fun so we bundle into the mini bus and head to Lakes Entrance. I have a standard meal wih chips and decide against any alcohol!! At the hostel, my first experience, the rooms are dated and basic, but clean, so my own sheet doesnt have to come out just yet!! haha!! We all chat and I speak with Ali, who is with her boyfriend Rob, she is the most like me a party girl at heart and travelling on her gap year, so I plan to sit with her tomorrow!! We are the only two English girls!! So we shall stick together!!

Friday 21.03.08..............Lakes Entrance - Lake Jindabyne

Today, we are up really early!! And the boys do not surface, so Golem drives us off without them! We are wetting ourselves, he seems very serious!! He goes backfor them whilst we watch the sunrise along 90 Mile Beach. We find out the boys all got hammered at the beach, that two of them weren't allowed back into the hostel and that they were taken back by a police car and had to sleep on the beach!! So so funny! They were a state the next day!! The drive to Lake Jindabyne was about 3 hours so we all snoozed to chilled music!! Then we hit the Snowy Mountain and OMG were we all awake, the scenery went from flat fields to sheer mountain drops and on windy roads, where only one car could easily fit we were going around so fast!! Al and I did think we were going to die!! It was amazing views but soooooooooooo bloody bumpy like the worst pot holes, I can't believe the trailer with our luggage stayed attached!! We cross the border between Victoria and New South Wales...exciting as I now feel like I am really travelling!! Woohoo! And so far it is awesome.

We get to the lake in the afternoon, and Ali, Rob and I decide to go Tubing (Rings) on the lake! For half an hour it was absolutely freezing but fun at the same time!! Rob did nearly get beheaded by the rope though which was amusing for us to watch! In the evening we had amazing all you can eat salad bar...was so nice to have lots of vege!! Then we played pool and witnessed a fight where this guy lost a few dreadlocks! We then all grabbed some alcohol and went for a party in the lads room. We played drinknig games till the early hours and then crashed!! Everyone is really friendly, there is a bit of a UK/Rest of the world divide but its good!! I am enjoying soooooo much!

Saturday 22.03.08

We crawl up and enjoy a full english all you can eat! Yummy!! I was loving it!! We then had a few hour drive to Canberra (sleep time) which is the Captial of Australia between the two major cities Melbourne and Sydney. Golem gives us a brief tour around the Parliament building which was short but sweet and then we go to the War Memorial! This was a bit more solemn but good to see as we didn't do much on the Aussie involvement in the War when I studied them! I found a few Parish's too!!

We grab lunch in a huge department centre, sadly my pasta actually tasted like sick...so I could not eat it but the Diet Coke went down a treat!! Next stop Sydeny, we watch Anchorman and sleep until we reach the city. Everything is named after London...Hyde Park, George Street, Williams St...etc...its like being at home, without the weather and the chilled out life!! That evening I see Olivia and Georgie again, missed them its was soooooooooooo lovely to see them!! I was so excited! Then I headed for my free meal to THE GAFF a major backpacker bar! I had a yummy beef pie and then we partied in there all night....me and the Oz Experience Lads (10 of them 1 of me!!) as Ali wasn't well! It was free bar between 10-11pm and it was like a scrap but I got 4 glasses of Goon so I was happy and very merry. Livi and George arrived in the evening and we partied hard on the tables.....so much fun!! Also I met the guy who co-ordinates all the Oz Buses so that was cool!! We went to another place after, but hit the sack around 3am I was sooooooooo tired!!

Sunday 23.03.08

We don't surface till 10am so nice to sleep in a bit! The hostel Base Backpackers is huge and funky, with a party atmosphere so I like it! And its very clean!! Well the kitchen not so much but I have had to just get over ym dish cloth fear...I now touch them...but never dry stuff with the teatowels!! Ewww...they can dry on their own!! We have a subway breakfast and meet Brian from our bus. The whole group of us go for a walk from the Lonely Planet and it takes us around all the sights...we are just walking though the Royal Botanical Gardens when suddenly, pow....there is the Sydney Opera House...I actually can't believe I am here in Sydney!! Its amazing. We walk round the dock...Circluar Quay and then round to Sydney Harbour Bridge. We look at the market and grab a milkshake...we then go the The Rocks, where there are bars and restaurants, finishing with a walk around the Town Hall and Catherdral!! Its immense! The city is cool, very busy, and with wicked shops but I have no money to spend on clothes and I definately cannot fit anything else in my bloody bag!! Ali and I get $4 off each of the lads and go and buy ingredients for Spag Bol-veg included!! Woohoo!! We buy loads and then get back to the hostel and try to plan our travels!! Ali and Rob are doing it for around the same time...they are really awesome and a wicked couple so it will be really nice to travel with them!! As well as meet so many other people!! The hostels are great...you chat to everyone, say hi when you walk past people just strike up conversations all of the time!! I love it I have no worries about doing this on my own!! And I've only just started!! We make so much Spag Bol...which is great so we have left overs for lunch and dinner the next day...result that was serious mony saving...$4 for 3 meals!! I love it!!

Monday 24.03.08

I get up early, as I went to bed at a reasonable hour and go in search of Peterpans with Ali and Rob...we walk all the way up George St...in the wrong direction and this road is like the length of Regent Street! I was so not happy, although we did get to go to the information centre so I found out the good stuff to do in Sydney in these few days!! We finally get to Peterpans only to queue for 1 and a half hours to be seen! We go back to the hostel still thinking about all the trips and the money and then have our Spag Bol left overs!! Yummy! Ali and Rob leave to see their cousin and I go to backpacker world and see the deals there...shopping around! I think at the end of it I will choose Backpacker World - $849 and I get free accommodation too!! In the evening I get dressed up, still a little stressed about money and then I find Livi and George aren't up for going out!! So I have to get changed, take off my slap and then we sit and chill and catch up!! George is no longer with her boyfriend, and I think Liv and Pav are hanging :( sad for them!!

Tuesday 25.03.08

I decide to get up early, I am at the travel centre by 10am and I book all my Australia Activities, plus I get hold of Zac Parish and book my Kiwi Experience in New Zealand too and get over $250 off the price!! Oh yeh!!!! At 3pm Livi is sick of my stressing so we go for the costal walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach, however, it turns out to be rainy and horrible so we only make it to Coogee I was not happy! o we head back, I cook dinner and save the rest in my TUPPERWARE...which has turned out to be the ultimate saviour for me!! I love my two boxes!! haha!!

We sleep in the evening and then get dolled up for our night out!! We only get to the club ajoined to the backpackers however, and we are very over dressed but BUFF so we pull it off!! We join in with the french canadians in the trivia night!! And we drink lots and have fun, I am encouraged into the dance off to win the team extra points it is sooooooo funny...pictures will follow I am sure...and I clearly one!! haha! We also won the quiz (not that I helped at all) but I got free drinks all night for dancing!! Awesome!! We still went to sleep early 1:30am!!

Wednesday 26.03.08.............Last Day in Sydney with Livi and Georgie :(

We get up earlyish again and head for Circular Quay to get the ferry to Manly Beach...the views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are AMAZING...and we get some nice boat pics! We bathe on the beach and then decide to wander around the small seaside town...it is really lovely and really makes me think of holidays!! We grab a milkshake....mum you would love the banana milkshakes out here!! They are immense!! I buy a new diary as I have too much to write in on each day!! And we head back.

We get dolled up and straight to the gaff but sadly we are 10mins late for the free meal...gutted. We go to Harbour Bridge its beautiful, all the lights reflect off the water and it is really upmarket...I don't feel like a backpacker for once...more on holiday with the parents!! I get some awesome pictures and then we head back to Scary Canary and meet with the lads to spend our winnings from the quiz and party! We grab some pasta and meet the American Rugby team touring!! I get to sleep at 2am.......why do I do this??