August 23, 2008
This is probably my last blog entry ever. I just don't see the need to blog my life when I'm just at home. I mean I can probably blog the rest of my life right now anyways. Here it is: I go home on Monday. Start my job next Tuesday. Rinse and repeat for some amount of years. Meet a girl who does not completely annoy me and give her a ring as a prize for that. Kids come out of her and she becomes annoying but now I'm stuck with her. Everything is more expensive as a result of living with kids and a woman so I really have to keep working until the kids grow up and go to college. College is a rip off so I have to work even harder. I work and then the kids graduate and go on trips around the world, which I am jealous of. They get home and start working. I laugh in their face about the reality of life. I retire years after that to travel the world once again. So you see there is really no need for me to ever blog again after this.
Ok so I'm not really that depressed about the real life situation thats about to start. I'm beginning to accept that fun life dies a violent death and after that there is real life. This kinda sucks but at least I'll be making money. It could also be worse, since I actually do have a job and my dad is my boss. Lets not talk about me having to start work though because its upsetting me.
So San Diego then. I've been here about 4 or 5 times now and its always nice. Well once it was cloudy the whole week but that isn't the case this time. Its been sunny every day. Tim has to work so I drive him to work in the morning and then he gives me the car and I go to the beach all day. Then around 4 or 5 I pick him up from work and we get some food after that.
Last night we went to a Dave Matthews concert. Everyone brings tons of food and tailgates in the parking lot before the show. Also, everyone is a huge 'Dave' fan and calls him by his first name like they know him personally. Its usually these people's 14th or 15th 'Dave' outting. They even have competitions about it. It goes something like this. EveryDaveFan comes up to me and says 'Hey man where you from?' I say 'Me? Oh I'm from Annapolis.' 'Oh awesome man. So you must really be into Daving then. You came all the way out here just to Dave?' (Dave can be used as a verb if you didn't know.) Then I say 'Well no I just happened to be here and it was going on so I thought I would check it out.' EveryDaveFan says condescendingly ' Oh thats cool so this is like only your 10th or 11th Dave?' I respond with 'no actually, its just my first one.' EveryDaveFan is shocked 'Your first Dave? Your FIRST Dave? I didn't think a first was possible! This must be my 15th or 16th Dave' So after arguing 'what came first, the chicken or the Dave?' for a bit I decided it was time to go in. The show was pretty good but we sat kinda far away. The first 5000 seats or so were filled with 15th time Davers. I was there with Tim and two other friends so we still had a good time.
Ok so I guess now is the time when I reflect on my trip and discuss how I have changed as a person and all that lame stuff. Well I'm not sure I have changed that much, I just realized that everyone is actually very similar to me. There are similarities in everything else too. Bathrooms smell like urine, the line for the womens room is 100 times longer than for the mens (especially at the Vatican when the girls walk in and realize there is no toilet, just a hole), sleepy people on the metro nod their head over and over again, oh and the metro smells bad everywhere too. I was never really shocked by anything I saw save a few moments of pure stupidity, but there is plenty of that in the US so it wasn't that shocking.
I also realized that most people in America work too hard to the point that they don't know why they are doing it. Its like real life makes Americans become work machines that don't know when to turn off and enjoy anything. Not everyone is like that but there are definitely some. Italy might be on the other extreme, but they at least know how to enjoy their lives.
I got to see an experience a lot during this trip and I have no regrets about it. I'm glad I spent all of my money on it. I got to see things I never thought I would see and meet so many nice people from around the world. It was really a great experience and one I couldn't possibly forget. Its been fun but now its real life time. I don't think its going to be all bad.
- Alex
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The last Hurrah - Melbourne and Sydney
August 16, 2008
Tomorrow is my last day in Australia. This is sad. The trip is pretty much over. This is terrible. I have to work for the rest of my life in about 2 weeks. This is depressing. I can't believe this crap.
Melbourne was pretty nice, but actually cold. At least Brisbane got up to about 75 during the day. When I got off the plane in Melbourne it was about 45 degrees and rainy. It rained on and off the whole time I was there. Being cold isn't a big deal, but being wet and cold isn't too much fun. I have stuff for rain, but not much for the cold. I pretty much walked around the city when it wasn't raining. My hostel was nice but I didn't meet too many people. Everyone in my 10 person room decided to go to bed about 10 pm every night. Lame. I did get to see a film at the Melbourne International Film Festival the first night I was there though. Since it was cold I decided on 'A Christmas Tale'. Sounds like a happy movie right? Nope. It was about 3 hours about a French family that had all these depressing problems. To make it worse it really wasn't that interesting and it was shot in French so I had to read subtitles the whole time. The nextday I went to Victoria Market which is this huge market right near my hostel. I did a little shopping for stuff and then checked out the casino. After donating $50 in 45 minutes to the casino I went back to the hostel a little upset with myself.
The day I left for Sydney was kinda annoying. First the shuttle bus that I paid for said I wasn't outside at 8:30 am so they just decided to leave. I went outside at 8:20 to make sure I didn't miss it. This kinda made me mad and I had to walk to the station. Then the free hostel bus service in Sydney didn't answer the phone so I had to buy a $15 train ticket. Also made me mad. Then the train to the city broke for a half hour. Also made me mad. Even better, I lost my hostel voucher because I had to take it out of my bag for the phone number of the hostel so many times. This wouldn't be that bad if the hostel had my name in their system like they should. I go to the hostel and they can't find my name and I can't find my voucher. This makes me mad. Luckily there was an STA Travel agency nearby so I went to them and they got me a new one. I was in a bit of a bad mood though. I dropped my stuff in my room and went out to the city. I saw the Opera house and walked across the harbor bridge and all that then after that went back to my room.
I met a bunch of people in this hostel. There is a French kid, Loris, who I have been going around the city with. Today we went hiking in the Blue mountains. They are called the blue mountains because some oil in the trees make them appear blue in the distance. We saw some wild kangaroos and some really pretty views but it was a lot of walking up and down a mountain. When we got back to the hostel there was some old creepy Australian guy in the room. Not scary weird but just kinda weird he is there. He was talking to the English girls in the room and telling them how much England sucks but said he has never been there... so... yeah. I think now its dinner time for me. I guess I should have a big night tonight because its my last real night here. Tomorrow night I have to wake up early to go to the airport. Australia for 2 weeks is just a tease.
San Diego on Monday.
- Alex
Tomorrow is my last day in Australia. This is sad. The trip is pretty much over. This is terrible. I have to work for the rest of my life in about 2 weeks. This is depressing. I can't believe this crap.
Melbourne was pretty nice, but actually cold. At least Brisbane got up to about 75 during the day. When I got off the plane in Melbourne it was about 45 degrees and rainy. It rained on and off the whole time I was there. Being cold isn't a big deal, but being wet and cold isn't too much fun. I have stuff for rain, but not much for the cold. I pretty much walked around the city when it wasn't raining. My hostel was nice but I didn't meet too many people. Everyone in my 10 person room decided to go to bed about 10 pm every night. Lame. I did get to see a film at the Melbourne International Film Festival the first night I was there though. Since it was cold I decided on 'A Christmas Tale'. Sounds like a happy movie right? Nope. It was about 3 hours about a French family that had all these depressing problems. To make it worse it really wasn't that interesting and it was shot in French so I had to read subtitles the whole time. The nextday I went to Victoria Market which is this huge market right near my hostel. I did a little shopping for stuff and then checked out the casino. After donating $50 in 45 minutes to the casino I went back to the hostel a little upset with myself.
The day I left for Sydney was kinda annoying. First the shuttle bus that I paid for said I wasn't outside at 8:30 am so they just decided to leave. I went outside at 8:20 to make sure I didn't miss it. This kinda made me mad and I had to walk to the station. Then the free hostel bus service in Sydney didn't answer the phone so I had to buy a $15 train ticket. Also made me mad. Then the train to the city broke for a half hour. Also made me mad. Even better, I lost my hostel voucher because I had to take it out of my bag for the phone number of the hostel so many times. This wouldn't be that bad if the hostel had my name in their system like they should. I go to the hostel and they can't find my name and I can't find my voucher. This makes me mad. Luckily there was an STA Travel agency nearby so I went to them and they got me a new one. I was in a bit of a bad mood though. I dropped my stuff in my room and went out to the city. I saw the Opera house and walked across the harbor bridge and all that then after that went back to my room.
I met a bunch of people in this hostel. There is a French kid, Loris, who I have been going around the city with. Today we went hiking in the Blue mountains. They are called the blue mountains because some oil in the trees make them appear blue in the distance. We saw some wild kangaroos and some really pretty views but it was a lot of walking up and down a mountain. When we got back to the hostel there was some old creepy Australian guy in the room. Not scary weird but just kinda weird he is there. He was talking to the English girls in the room and telling them how much England sucks but said he has never been there... so... yeah. I think now its dinner time for me. I guess I should have a big night tonight because its my last real night here. Tomorrow night I have to wake up early to go to the airport. Australia for 2 weeks is just a tease.
San Diego on Monday.
- Alex
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Headed to Melbourne
Aug 9th, 2008
Tomorrow I'm off to Melbourne. Brisbane was really amazing. There might not be tons to do in the city during the day, but there are a million things to do within 2 hours by car. I got to see some amazing stuff because of Sarah.
The third day I was here I decided to go to the zoo. They let you walk around with kangaroos, play with koala bears, and feed elephants. It was a lot of fun because of the contact with the animals. The kangaroos were really funny. They are kinda like a cat or a dog, they love you to scratch around their ears and their neck. Then the just plop down on the ground and lay in the sun. Some times they dig holes for no apparent reason.
The next day I just walked around the city with Sarah to see what happens in Brisbane during the day. Its a small city but it was fun just checking out the shops and going different cafes. We got a bunch of food and then met up with one of her friends for some tea. I don't really like tea that much but its ok I guess.
Friday we went to a place called O'Rileys. Its a rainforest in the mountains. These beautiful birds just come and land right on you if you have food. I must have had 7 of them on me at one point. Then we hiked through the woods and went through the tree top walk. We climbed all the way to the top of one tree because they have ladders and little tree forts. After the trees we hiked a few more kilometers to some waterfalls. After jumping around the rocks a bit there the girls decided they wanted to go in a pool before the waterfall. I said it was too cold, but I attempted to get in too. It felt like someone had a put a thousand blocks of ice upriver and let the water flow through it to us. It was the kind of cold that immediately makes your lungs close and pain shoots straight through your muscles to the bone. It definitely did not feel good. I got out pretty quickly and fell asleep on a rock in the sun for a bit.
Today I went to Moreton Island. I thought I was going to do that a few days ago but it didn't work out. It was a lot of fun. People just drive 4wd trucks around all day through the paths. One truck got stuck and we had to help it out. I was also trying to call Julianne all day to say happy birthday but between no signal and no answers at home it didn't end up working out. So happy birthday Julianne. It was a bit cold since its winter and all but we still managed to do some swimming. We swam in a fresh water lake called the blue lagoon and then went up to the highest point on the island to look at any marine life we could see in the waters below. We saw some dolphins and some sea turtles but no whales. It was still amazing regardless. The sky and ocean were such a deep blue they almost blended together at the horizon. We also got to drink from a freshwater spring right on the beach. You just dig down about 6 inches and freshwater starts pumping out of the sand. We just cupped our hands and drank right off the beach. We took the boat back around 3:30 and I met up with Sarah and Jordan after that for a goodbye dinner.Melbourne tomorrow.
- Alex
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Australia
Aug 5th, 2008
Well, I finally made it to Australia. The flight was fine other than the woman who talked entirely too loud to the woman next to her the entire flight (pretty annoying at 3 am). It was strange to get off the plane in Sydney to 40 degree weather after being in 100 degree heat the day before. I still can't get over this winter in August thing. It gets dark around 5:30 here. Its almost depressing that I will have 2 extra weeks of it being dark early this year than I have to. Oh well, I think everyone at home is still jealous.
I got to Brisbane around 3 pm and met up with my friend Sarah who I met teaching English in Italy last year. I put my bag in a locker and we went to meet up with her friend Jordan for some coffee and avacado toast.
After coffee we just walked around the city. I looked for kangaroos the entire time, but there apparently aren't any in the city. I'm thinking that I am going to have to go to a zoo to see them, because 2 weeks isn't really enough time to see 3 cities in Australia and venture out into the true bush.
Today we went to the Gold Coast. We went to the local part of the beach where its nicer (the benefit of knowing locals). The sun still feels plenty strong here in the 'dead of winter'. The dead of winter is still about 70 degrees during the day and hot in the sun. The water was a bit cold but warm enough to swim. We went in and got used to it in about 5 minutes. Contrary to what my mom thinks, I didn't get attacked by sharks as soon as I touched the water. I'm still alive.
We then took a walk in a national park and I saw a bush turkey. They are pretty funny looking. I also got to play with cockatiels because Sarah's family has two of them. They are really friendly but bite a bit right now because its nesting season.
Tomorrow I am going to try to go to Moreton island which is a sand island right off the coast. You can drive a 4 wheeler there and go sand toboggaining. Its also pretty common to see whales there in August because its their migration period.
- Alex
Well, I finally made it to Australia. The flight was fine other than the woman who talked entirely too loud to the woman next to her the entire flight (pretty annoying at 3 am). It was strange to get off the plane in Sydney to 40 degree weather after being in 100 degree heat the day before. I still can't get over this winter in August thing. It gets dark around 5:30 here. Its almost depressing that I will have 2 extra weeks of it being dark early this year than I have to. Oh well, I think everyone at home is still jealous.
I got to Brisbane around 3 pm and met up with my friend Sarah who I met teaching English in Italy last year. I put my bag in a locker and we went to meet up with her friend Jordan for some coffee and avacado toast.
After coffee we just walked around the city. I looked for kangaroos the entire time, but there apparently aren't any in the city. I'm thinking that I am going to have to go to a zoo to see them, because 2 weeks isn't really enough time to see 3 cities in Australia and venture out into the true bush.
Today we went to the Gold Coast. We went to the local part of the beach where its nicer (the benefit of knowing locals). The sun still feels plenty strong here in the 'dead of winter'. The dead of winter is still about 70 degrees during the day and hot in the sun. The water was a bit cold but warm enough to swim. We went in and got used to it in about 5 minutes. Contrary to what my mom thinks, I didn't get attacked by sharks as soon as I touched the water. I'm still alive.
We then took a walk in a national park and I saw a bush turkey. They are pretty funny looking. I also got to play with cockatiels because Sarah's family has two of them. They are really friendly but bite a bit right now because its nesting season.
Tomorrow I am going to try to go to Moreton island which is a sand island right off the coast. You can drive a 4 wheeler there and go sand toboggaining. Its also pretty common to see whales there in August because its their migration period.
- Alex
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The problem with being alone
Aug 2, 2008
I thought being this far from home alone I might feel a bit lonely. That is not the case at all. I guess I don't even really think about it. The biggest problem is that I can't laugh when I see funny stuff. Yesterday, for example, I was walking through the metro and disney Hong Kong had an its a small world promotion going. The little people on the wall looked just like the ones from the Orlando one except the asian to white ratio was swapped. So I'm walking through the subway and they are playing the song its a small world, these little asian cartoons were all on the wall and all these tiny asians were walking past me as I towered over them. I really did start laughing. Maybe this doesn't sound that funny but it was really funny to me at the time. If someone else was with me we could have laughed together and it would have looked normal, but I was alone laughing as I walked so I must have looked a bit strange.
Anyways, yesterday I bought a ticket for the US olympic soccer friendly match against Cameroon. I also get to see the Ivory Coast play the Netherlands. The ticket cost $280 for club level 2nd row or $36 USD. Yeah I treated myself to the best ticket they had. The first game starts at 5 pm so I am going to walk around the city and maybe go to some museums before the games.
I also went and saw the Giant Buddha on one of the other islands yesterday. It was pretty awesome. Just a huge 100 foot Buddha sitting at the top of about 400 stairs in the mountains. I stayed there for a bit then came back to Hong Kong for some dinner.
I got food at this small restaurant where I couldn't read the menu. I just pointed to pictures. I was the only white person in the room for a while, then one more came in. I just sat by myself, another downside of being alone, which was kinda weird because I had nothing to do while waiting for my food. I got some sort of fried rice and some crab rolls for about 11 dollars total including tip (I wasn't sure if I was supposed to so I did). Then I went and got ice cream. The ice cream cost almost as much as my whole dinner. Damn Hagen Daaz. I decided against sitting at a bar alone and getting a beer because I wasn't in the mood to meet people so I took the ferry back across the harbor.
I got a lemon tea and listened to music while looking at the skyline. I still can't get over the skyline at night here. New York has nothing on it. Its the coolest city I've ever seen at night. After a little while this girl started talking to me who was doing the same thing. Her name is Dani and she is from Hong Kong. She told me I looked 16. I wasn't too happy about that. I asked her about good places to eat and what its like living here. She thought it was funny that I had a book about Hong Kong and said it was crap. I tend to agree with her on that although its better than nothing. Around 11 I went back to my room and did some laundry then it was bed time.
Australia tomorrow night!
- Alex
I thought being this far from home alone I might feel a bit lonely. That is not the case at all. I guess I don't even really think about it. The biggest problem is that I can't laugh when I see funny stuff. Yesterday, for example, I was walking through the metro and disney Hong Kong had an its a small world promotion going. The little people on the wall looked just like the ones from the Orlando one except the asian to white ratio was swapped. So I'm walking through the subway and they are playing the song its a small world, these little asian cartoons were all on the wall and all these tiny asians were walking past me as I towered over them. I really did start laughing. Maybe this doesn't sound that funny but it was really funny to me at the time. If someone else was with me we could have laughed together and it would have looked normal, but I was alone laughing as I walked so I must have looked a bit strange.
Anyways, yesterday I bought a ticket for the US olympic soccer friendly match against Cameroon. I also get to see the Ivory Coast play the Netherlands. The ticket cost $280 for club level 2nd row or $36 USD. Yeah I treated myself to the best ticket they had. The first game starts at 5 pm so I am going to walk around the city and maybe go to some museums before the games.
I also went and saw the Giant Buddha on one of the other islands yesterday. It was pretty awesome. Just a huge 100 foot Buddha sitting at the top of about 400 stairs in the mountains. I stayed there for a bit then came back to Hong Kong for some dinner.
I got food at this small restaurant where I couldn't read the menu. I just pointed to pictures. I was the only white person in the room for a while, then one more came in. I just sat by myself, another downside of being alone, which was kinda weird because I had nothing to do while waiting for my food. I got some sort of fried rice and some crab rolls for about 11 dollars total including tip (I wasn't sure if I was supposed to so I did). Then I went and got ice cream. The ice cream cost almost as much as my whole dinner. Damn Hagen Daaz. I decided against sitting at a bar alone and getting a beer because I wasn't in the mood to meet people so I took the ferry back across the harbor.
I got a lemon tea and listened to music while looking at the skyline. I still can't get over the skyline at night here. New York has nothing on it. Its the coolest city I've ever seen at night. After a little while this girl started talking to me who was doing the same thing. Her name is Dani and she is from Hong Kong. She told me I looked 16. I wasn't too happy about that. I asked her about good places to eat and what its like living here. She thought it was funny that I had a book about Hong Kong and said it was crap. I tend to agree with her on that although its better than nothing. Around 11 I went back to my room and did some laundry then it was bed time.
Australia tomorrow night!
- Alex
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