Saturday, January 31, 2009

Job hunting...Australia Daying and Birthday Partying



The city of Brisbane. Looks small, but is surprisingly enormous. It's nice and green...still really hot, well...moderate by Australian standards...sheeesh.

Therefore, I took a long look at my bank roll, the surrounding area...and thought....hey...I could live here for a bit.

So, that's just what I attempted to do.

But first...I needed a job...so, I got out my resumes...and hit the pavement...hard...(literally and figuratively). Four days straight...leaving around 9am and getting back by 5pm.

Geez, I never thought job hunting would be so difficult and tiresome. I assumed these employers would take a look at my resume and go...oh...yes of course...we've been expecting you...here's your job...and high pay...ahhh...now that's more like it...ahem...wake up.

But luckily...there was someone willing to take a chance on me.

I was down to my last batch of resumes, and it wasn't looking good. I'm making my last rounds in Brisbane's biggest mall, and tried this last place. By some fluke chance, the owner was there at this exact time. So he was able to look at my resume, ask me some questions...and tell me to come in the very next day. Wow, I thought...I have an interview...yes.



After the good news I gallantly skip home and have a little celebration. Onto the next day...I show up fifteen minutes early, the owner greets me and says...alright...they're making sandwiches. Watch them...then get to it. So I'm slightly stunned, but get right into the mix of things. Making sandwiches, screwing up orders...making people laugh...and having a great time while doing it.

The group I'm working with is very helpful and eventually, my two hour trial run has turned into four and I've already got most of the procedures figured out. The owner takes me aside and lets me know I did a great job and I'm hired. YIPEEEEEEEEEE I yell as I jump in the air...well...not really...but in my mind.



Since I started close to the end of the week, I don't start until next Tuesday...lucky me...I get the whole weekend off and started Tuesday...that was perfect...because it was my Birthday and the infamous AUSTRALIA DAY coming up. Therefore...a great way to celebrate the new job.

Now...onto the shenanigans of Sunday and the monstrous Monday.

Because most "normal" people work on Tuesday...Sunday is the bigger night then Australia Day(monday), but by no means any better. So let's begin.

My Brisbane friends and I rock up to the party at 4pm in the afternoon...and I'm greeted with the biggest, rocking, dancing, drinking crowd I've ever seen...on a Sunday, or celebrating a public holiday for that matter.



It was as if Willy Wonka had just opened the doors to the chocolate factory. People everywhere...covering every square inch of land possible. I just sat there, jaw gaping as I looked around the mass of people...inside...and out. Whoop whoop...time to celebrate...people.

I even meet up with a friend back from Calgary, who's currently living in Brisbane. It was just a great time of catching up, meeting blonde Australian girls, laughing, dancing, yelling and basically letting loose and being a fool.

This entire party went on for 11 hours, until it started pouring rain...then it slowly filtered out, but I loved every minute. I met so many different people in a span of minutes it was crazy. Plus the cheap drinks, or even free drinks from other's added to the enjoyment.

Even though this was the day before my Birthday and Australia Day, it still felt a part of the same day. Australia Day is all about drinking, BBQ's, making friends, acting crazy and basically everyone is jolly and positive. Very similar to Canada Day back home, but alot more over the top.



After the previous day's experiences, my Birthday followed up at a much slower pace, but it sure got going.

After waking up on Monday, January 26, I stepped outside...drew in a big breath...exhaled...looked around...thought...boy...21...(then I heard someone puking) looked over...and there's a guy huntched over...letting it all out. He soon finishes up...then runs after his friends yelling at them to wait up...ahhh...Australia.

Boy this year has been chalk full of firsts, and I couldn't have thought of a better place or way to celebrate my Birthday. So...lets get to it.



I began the day, getting together with the guys at a local pub. I got a few more free birthday drinks, then commenced numerous entertaining events. We played sandle wars, had dance offs and told stories of immense humour.

After we got bored of the bar, we headed off for something to eat. Since it was my Birthday I thought it would be a great idea to have a nice grandificant birthday dinner...so...we went to KFC.

One of the best Birthday dinners ever...hahaha...we ordered a big bucket of chicken...polished that bad boy off, then one of the gang decided to take the bucket and wear it around as a helmet. Pretty funny walking down the street. People sure stopped to take a look.

After KFC...we all decided to split up, so I returned to the hostel...got more free drinks from the people I knew there...then got invited to a house party.



At the house party we watched the fire works...got a free BBQ...more free drinks...games, and many other fascinating plots.




Soon enough...it was getting really late...I had to work the next day...didn't want to be too much of a zombie for my first day...so called it a night.

Australia Day/Birthday...complete and utter debauchery.



It was a pretty intense Birthday...the people, time, date and atmosphere. Who knew that the 26th was not just an important day for me, but an important date for a country.

This year or even trip, sure hasn't disappointed. From getting my first job to bungy jumping there has been much instore...and even more to come.


*Side Note: Since I've commenced work, my trips to other places will be slightly slowed. However, I will still keep up the blog, writing a new post *EVERY SUNDAY* So check back every Sunday for a view into what my life's been like that week.

ENJOY*

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sweat Sweat and more Sweat


My first stop in Australia was Darwin. Located in the upper northern region of Australia this sweltering inferno of sweatiness was something else.

Being that it's Darwin's wet season, the city its self...absolutely dead. I had a few good wanders through the city, but after being completely drenched in sweat and gobbling up Gatorade's like they were going out of style, there's not much else.

Also the skies began to open up, therefore I decided to move along, where it will be nice and dry, no moisture to speak of...in the city of Cairns.



What I didn't realize to check...was the weather. I ended up going into the eye of the hurricane. Torrential down pours, flooding in the majority of the city, 188mm of water and a cyclone 50 km off the coast of Cairns. Hmmm...well...at least this is the first time I've ever witnessed flooding and a tropical storm.



It was pretty fun, walking the streets of Cairns with this enormous spray of rain. Almost like someone had turned the shower on full blast and plugged up every drainage. Then it would stop for a small bit, just so you could relax...them WHAMMY...right back at it...WHOOOOOSH. So ya...I got soaked.

Therefore, time to head to the hostel...chill out and wait for the weather to pass.



Still, the day wouldn't be completely "washed away"(hehehe) as the hostel organized a large get together. It was a great time to meet everyone staying at the hostel and to see a little of the city. We got free t-shirts, dinner and a couple drinks for 10 dollars...so you really can't complain...that is...until I got home and realized...oh great...my wallets gone.




Luckily, nothing..."extremely" important was in it. Just 50 dollars, my drivers license, student card and hostling international card...you know...the basics. Still...loosing or getting something stolen sucks, but hey...its another experience I've never had, and it makes you learn. Basically, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

The next day I was pretty bummed about the whole lost wallet as I tried tracking it down, therefore I needed something to shake things up...you know...basically rock my world. So then what better way to do that than something...uber extreme.

Like Bungy Jumping...boooyah.



This wouldn't have happened unless I met these great guys and girl the night before. One of the guys I met the night before threw me the idea of bungy jumping...I thought to myself...heck...I've never done anything really extreme...let's shake my foundation...so I agreed.

Therefore, the group of us rented a car, drove up to the bungy jump place and commenced operation...jump of life. To tell you the truth...I wasn't that fazed by the drive there, the sign up and the walk to the top. Maybe it was because I was just ignoring that I was actually doing this, but as soon as I strapped on the bungy cord and started making my way to the edge...wow...the emotions just started flooding. I thought to myself...geez...I'm actually doing this...I must be crazy.



I brought my toes to the line...tried not to look down...and then the lady started counting me down to jump...



Afterwards, I was still in shock...it was such a rush and an inexplainable experience that I was speechless. I literally couldn't find the words to explain it.


It was funny how I turned numb to the whole thing...until I got some food in me, then I snapped out of it. Wow right now...that was the best thing ever.

Next part of the day, was to take a nice relaxing drive out to a picturesque waterfall location. It was pretty cool driving around North Western Australia, seeing the vast array of trees, bananas and unique vegetation in the area.



Not only did I see all the green, I noticed two names, that I'm sure I've seen before.Edmonton and Innisfail...hmm weird.



Now this was a huge debate for me. Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. I knew I wanted to and how awesome it would be, but just the expenditure of the whole thing was putting a little damper on the idea. However, after thinking about it, talking with others, and being able to find the cheapest dive place in the area...I signed up.

Boy oh boy am I glad that I did. 3 dives...perfect weather conditions, a beautiful sunny day, the calmest waters I've ever seen, and so clear you could see the bottom 15 meters away. BOOOYA...this is why I love diving.



Another great part to the dive was, I turned out to be the only certified diver that day. So I got a little special attention and didn't have to wait around for anything...if I wanted to dive...I was first priority.

I thought diving in Thailand was great...well...diving on the great barrier reef, made diving in Thailand look like playing at a childrens park then going to Disneyland.



I was blown away with the enormous amount of sea life down there. It was like diving into a massive aquarium. The reefs and the fish were amazing, stuff I've never seen before or just seen pictures in books. I saw sharks, turtles, enormous fish as big as me and coral...wow coral as far as the eye can see and unique only to here.



This is exactly why I'm glad I've taken my dive course and why I love diving, just seeing all this life up close and very personal. I even got to follow an enormous sea turtle for about 10 minutes. Now snorkling is good, but you just can't possibly do something like that.

Another bonus about scuba diving...you meet tons of different people. So I met a group of awesome Australians so that night, we shared in some drinks, laughs and a good night on the town. It's crazy to think that by taking one step forward...all these other doors open up.

Well...first couple weeks in Australia and I can already say...love the country...the heat is intense like nothing I've ever felt before, a little expensive, but all in all great fun. Now I'm off to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and another great part, my Birthday is on the same day as Australia's national holiday...it's going to be pretty crazy.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The last of South East Asia



It's all said and done. South East Asia is now in the past, and Australia is the current and the future. However, there's still a few stories to be told about my last days in Asia, and here's the recount of how it went.

First off...Kuala Lumpur. A city of cities...not quite sure where to classify this baby...so lets just start from my last time here.

*Doc Brown steps out of the shadows...he motions for you to come forward...as you draw closer you see the Delorean. Doc tells you to jump in, then leans over and says..."when this baby hits 88 mph you're going to see some serious s**t"...then with lights flashing and buttons beeping you shoot off with a flash in the night*

There's my attempt to bring you back to the past...anyway, back to my first arrival in Kuala Lumpur.



The rain just started coming down, I was tired, dirty, unshaven, lost and now...wet...great. Eventually, after asking 5 different locals for directions, getting more lost, making my way back I finally decide to just trust my gut. Turns out...my gut was pretty smart...I found the places I was looking for. So after arriving at 5:30am I found a place I could rest my weary fluffy head at 8:20am.

After a few hours of snoozing, it was time to walk the city...oh let me just find a pay phone...turns out I look for a couple hours, find hundreds of pay phones, buuuut none work...hmmm...nice system KL.



So I decide, it would be best to just go out and explore the city. I find a bunch of great shops, a chocalatery, tons of skyscrapers, huge shopping malls and the Patronus Towers(don't know why, but they alwayse remind me of Harry Potter)

As the hungry monster starts to settle in, I make my way to little India, where I find this great little restaurant run by this little old man. Great food, good price...I'm fucking set. A crazy upside down type of city, with a flair for the theatrics and great food. That was my first experience with KL.

Now...THE RETURN(sounds like some low budget horror flick)

A little more familiar, I end up meeting these two Canadians on the trip from the airport...STORY TIMES SUPREME ensue.

With these newbie KLer's and myself knowing a little about the city, we end up doing a full night of exploration. Seeing more of the skyscrapers, malls, towers and finding some more great restaurants and drinking holes.



After exploring a little more of KL my opinion kind of remained the same. A bustling China Town, a spicy little India, numerous grand looking skyscrapers, deluxe malls and a vast change from one block to the next. You can go from rich, business types, to the poorest of the poor in under five minutes.

Now...it's time to leave.

Again bus is the comfiest and most affordable way to travel in Malaysia...that is...when it works...let me explain my little...BUS OF DOOM.

First, trying to buy the ticket.(It reminds me of those old Disney movies where Goofy ended up making a complete fool of himself while the voice over guy explained things that seemed oh so easy)



Tons of people selling tickets everywhere, but trying to pick and chose your ticket price is a little more difficult. Everyone saw me come up, and immediately, the prices started skyroacketing...well...I'm not having any of that. After bargening...heckling and laughing...I finally find a little stand that sells me an affordable ticket. Righto...got some time to kill before I take off, perfect.

I think its a good idea, that since I've already got my "GOLDEN" ticket...I should spend the rest of my money on food...because...well...I don't need anymore of this Malaysian paper. Hmmm...will this come back to haunt me? I just don't know(Foreshadow anyone?)

I arrive back at the counter plenty of time before my bus leaves. They look at my ticket, scratch out the platform number and put a new one. Ya that's reeeeeeeeeal comforting. They point me in the direction of the new platform and say You go there.



So I head down to the carbon monoxide sweaty pit of death and begin to wait...and wait...and guess what?...you guessed it...wait some more. Until eventually it's well past the two o'clock departure time.

I ask around...but no one knows where the bus is...so I head back up to the booth...where a little discussion ensues...they offer me my money back...I reply I need to get to Singapore...they take me back down to the pit and tell me to wait a little longer. Ya...thanks...way to instill a little confidence.

I suck in a little more of that tasty carbon monoxide...with sweat pouring down my back and a scraggly old man puffing smoke in my face...this was pretty much the most comfortable I've ever been. Until finally...YESSSS...BUS TO SINGAPORE.




I make sure it's actually heading to Singapore...board that bus , flop into the big seat and we take off...only to go around the block...and come back. Um...excuse me...weren't we leaving? Great...I'm all ready to go...but now we have to make sure all the seats are full.

Departure time 3:45pm...hmmm an hour 45 later...not bad.

After a long journey I arrive at the Malaysian border...walk in, get my passport stamped and walk out...only to find...the bus no where to be found. Luckily there's numerous other passengers waiting as well...so then I don't feel so bad. Still I'm hoping the bus driver just didn't decide to take our money and run. But lucky for us...he didn't...he just got lost...hey buddy...aren't you a BUS DRIVER...ya thanks...didn't notice that you needed to know where you're going.

We all hop on, and no more then five minutes down the road...Singapore customs...time to get out and get another stamp. This time I make sure I know where to meet the bus. Go in...forget about filling out the entrance card, return to the back of the line, and finally make it out of there...only to find...no bus. Hmmmm...is this Deja Vu? I don't think its a big deal...until I finally realize...there's no one else here.

All were from singapore...sooo you do the math...THE DRIVER LEFT ME...ya guess he didn't like my previous driver joke. Now, I just need another ride to Singapore, lets ask around...someone will give me a lift in.

Nope...no one will dig into their hearts and give a poor stranded Canadian a ride into Singapore...unless...I pay...two dollars...or...five Rupiah(Malaysian currency)...Oh good I have that...right? Hahaha...oh ya...I thought I didn't need that...uh...do you take cookies?

With no ATM around, and no cash in my wallet I'm screwed...no one will take someone without money.(also they don't believe I have no money) I negotiate...I talk...I...beg...still nothing. Then I remember about the few Canadian coins I have lying arond...maybe they'll take that

Lucky for me...they do. Phew...thought I might have to hitch hike my way in.

At the train station I catch my second lucky break...the last train of the day. Who would have thought that leaving KL at 2pm I would be catching the last train of the day in Singapore.




Finally, I arrive at the hostel steps...look down at my watch. 12:27am...hmmmm...leaves at 2pm arrives at 12:30...niiiiice 10 and a half hours ain't bad.

Oh...should I point out...the length of a regular trip from KL to Singapore...5 hours.

Actual lenght of trip...10:30 hours

Getting left at Singapore customs...catching the last train of the day and hoping to find a place to stay at 12:30am...Priceless

There's somethings that you just can't control...for everything else there's laughter.

Now...one thing I'm hoping for...is a little more luck. I couldn't book the hostel online, so I'm standing out front and what do I read...no rooms available after 11pm without email confirmation.

Fingers crossed...well.......here goes nothing...as I reach forward and ring the bell. London bridge is falling down rings over the speaker................................silence...........................still silence..........finally....the door slowly creaks open...a old lady emerges from the darkness...she immediately asks if I have a booking...I reply no, but catch her with my explanation right before she closes the door.

I eventually convince her to give me a room and what a relief. Yes she may have overcharged me, but hey...I was glad I had a room.



Next couple of days were spent killing time and trying not to kill the checkbook. I went on a few excursions, but nothing that thrilling. I was starting to just think of Singapore as...well...nothing...it was just "another city". That is...until I met Johnny. A crazy, 10 year traveling, rambling, intense story teller guy.

This older Danish guy came a waltzing into the hostel one day with a story about everything, that I thought he was crazy. But, boy, did he ever open my eyes to soooooo much more of Singapore.

As I mentioned previously, I thought the guy was crazy. He just came into the room and immediately began into this little rant. I was just looking at him, nodding my head hoping he'd go away...that is...until he mentioned a cheap place for food and drinks.....Then, my ears perked up. Oh what the heck...he's harmless enough.

That night, we explored mostly little India. Found numerous small places to eat, chat with locals and share some stories. He also took me to an authentic Curry grinding place. Boy the smells in that place were intoxicating. Fresh curry just staring me in the face.




More exploration and even more unique little shops, big malls and small local cafe's. Johnny, was also a great mentor in helping me out with travel tips, planning excursions, the works.



Finishing off the night was something I never thought I'd do. Drinking a beer, sitting on the corner of a street, chatting with friendly locals and looking across at a Singapore Cafe. Wow, something else.



Because I had such a unique experience with Johnny, I decided to tag along the next day as we went on a 12km walk around an isolated rain forest. But get this...it's in the heart of Singapore.



You could just lose all sense of where you were, walking in this enormous protected rain forest with tree's spreading out as far as the eye could see. I would have never thought we were in the heart of Singapore, even though, you could walk up a hill and see the skyscrapers.



I saw monkeys, lizards, birds and very few human beings. Again, good ol Johnny boy pulled out all the stops. Not only was it a perfect day, it was an exhilarating walk aswell.



I was really debating weather or not to go on the walk, but I'm glad I did...sure beats watching movies all day.

Finally...it was time to say goodbye to South East Asia. Four months already gone...geez it's gone so quick.

Next stop on the adventure list....Darwin, Australia.

The heat, the outback, the many adventures left to enjoy.

Friday, January 2, 2009

B....B....B...BALI



Well this leg of the journey and all its wonderful adventures wouldn't have been possible, without the help from my beautiful parents...so...just wanted to give a shout out to them...now (stretches out) let's get away from all that mushy stuff and get to the "real" action.

It's crazy to think that you get an idea...it sounds good, so you act on it, and all of a sudden BAM...you're in a brand new country. (I'm diving right into Bali, as I'll do a separate post on Kuala Lumpur) Flying into Bali was one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen. The shinning beaches, the surf breaking below and the shimmering blue water which surrounded either side of the landing strip. Pretty good set up if you ask me.



Next...it was trying to find a place to stay. Of course, I looked at all the places to stay in Bali and thought, geez, no biggie, I'll just roll up and find a place to stay in a snap...hmmmm...guess I forgot it was new years. So after I got scammed by the taxi driver, I began my gigantic adventure of finding a place to stay.

Three hours later, full of rain, soaked to the bone, but still with some life left to me, I found a place. This was lucky, because I was just about to say...screw it and pay a large sum of money for a big hotel room. But, that didn't need to happen, I found a hole in the wall place and a room for 7 dollars, I was set.

Then, I open up my bag to get a towel to dry off and...BAM...staring back at me with this greenish brown toothy green...a nice looking...cockroach...yum. So I swat that little bugger away, only to realize...hmmm...I don't really know where it went.(hopefully not still hiding in my bag.)

After drying off, I decide to fight the rain once more, and find a place to eat. Ends up being an awesome find, as I not only make friends with the owner, get a couple free drinks, but also get 20% off my bill. Great guy, and made sure I knew there were big plans for new years too.

My next day was spent exploring the magnificient piece of land of Bali. Of course I wasn't able to explore the entire island, but I was able to view many beautiful beaches in the surrounding area. The one downside in staying in the main central hub is there are millions of cars buzzing around, people constantly yelling at you trying to sell stuff and strips after strips of malls and big chain hotels...the good thing...it doesn't take long to walk away from it all.



After a small walk I was able to find a nice secluded beach. It had a great view of the surrounding beaches and clear blue water.



Soon I had garnered enough sun for one day and decided to explore the other regions of the beach. Here I was surprised to find loads of garbage, shipwrecked boats, a dead turtle, and three dead puffer fish. Earlier in my scuba days, I learned that puffer fish die after three attempts of self deffence(puffing themselves up)..hmmm I wonder whats causing all their deaths. Still cool to look at...specially the fresh one I found...and I know it was fresh...because I poked it with a stick...geez how else are you supposed to know?



Time to make my way back, and get ready for the crazy happenings they call...NEW YEARS EVE.

For dinner I had a great meal of calamari, salad and a drink for 5 dollars. Then it was off to visit my owner friend at the bar/restaurant Bali Rama. Imediately when I arrive he gives me a free drink of Baliese alcohol called Arak(50%) We jump in right where we left off the night before. Soon I find out many interesting stories, how he used to bartend for Carnival Cruise lines, how he got the business and his plans for the future. I literally thought of my Grandfather in Calgary when we were discussing all his restaurant plans and maybe because I had him in my mind, I thought of a great idea. "Would you like some help tonight?" I asked the guy. Sure he said.

So lo and behold, I landed my first foreign job. My task was to bartend and bring people into the restaurant by inticing with free drinks. Standing outside the restaurant behind a bar and telling people about the great deals, reminded me of my lemonade stand days. However, this...was much tougher. People just wouldn't believe that a white guy, like myself would be giving away ANYTHING FREE. Hmmm...my million dollar mouthpiece wasn't going to allow me to fail that easily.

I changed up my tactics and soon enough, people started warming up and pilling into the restaurant. I was more happy with the look on the owners face as payment, but he insisted I could have anything free that night. I did endulge, but it did't stop me from slipping 15dollars into the owners hand at the end of the night.



All right...bartending in Bali...check...now...off to the new years eve party. My craziest new years to date, buzzers, hats, horns, dancing and even balloons falling from the rafters after the countdown. (I had actually been thinking earlier that day how I'd never been to a new years party that had balloons falling from the ceiling...well check another one off the list)



The one thing this new years party didn't have...which I know someone would enjoy(nudge, nudge) It didn't have that annoying song that gets over played and played and played every new year to no ends...I forget the name of the song, but...oh great...just got that annoying tune stuck in my head.

Anyway, after the combination of dancing, drinking, counting down and more shenanigans, it was off to the beach for some fireworks. I grabbed an ice cold beer and just sat watching the fireworks explode overhead. A perfect time to reflect on the year and think about plans for the future. Good bye 2008, welcome 2009...definitely a great start to the new year...the beach...the weather...the fireworks...my nice cold beer. Now time to make my way back through this horrendous and treaturous traffic.



Whilst making the slow percession home, I finally came across an opening which could move me forward. So in one giant swoop of a stride I tried making it to that spot first. Unfortunately for me...so did a moped...SLAPITTY SLAPPITY...I get rammed right into the side of my leg...YESS...CHARLIE HORSE.

Luckily it wasn't anything serious...just me needing to limp a little to walk it off...also a great bruise for the next day. The best part was the girls face on the moped. I got knocked down and got up, then she asked me if I could walk...well...me being my witty self replied..."I can't feel my legs...oh no...I'm going to be paralized for ever"(this is still while standing)...sadly she didn't get the joke.

After all the shenanigans and basically doing nothing...it was time to get serious...time to do something intense...something I've never done before...something called...SURFING.



I signed up for this great class with an authentic surfer from Hawaii, especially after he gave me 10% off I was good and ready to go and hit the waves.

And that's literally what I did...hit the waves...face first...back first...side first and of course...belly first. But eventually...WOAH...I'M DOING IT...and then again and again and...SPLASH...hmmm maybe I was getting a little too cocky.



Still, the rush of surfing is unlike anything else. When you get up on the wave and take a look down and it's like you're walking on water, with the wind in your face...enthralling. I can now see why people find this addicting. Once you get up once, you want to get back up there and do it again, and again and again. You just don't want it to stop.



But, eventually it had to come to an end...lucky for me however, I had the afternoon lesson as well.

This turned out to be more than I could chew. I thought, learning to turn, taking on bigger waves and a few more surfing skills would help me alot. Well...in theary they probably would, but all that ended up happening was me getting beat up and bullied by the waves for three hours. I got dunked, drenched, dragged on the ocean floor and pretty much any other verb envolved with water. On the other hand, I did get up a handful of times on bigger waves and learn a few turn maneuvors, but when I get to Australia...I'm going to stick with the kiddie waves.



After surfing, I slowly draged my bruised, battered and soar body back to my little shanty where I was able to lie down and see a nice...ooozing green...yellowish red tinged...oh...my friend the cockroach. So I chased him between the door and squished him up...didn't want anything crawling into my mouth while I was sleeping...I've eaten rat...but juuuuust not ready for cockroach.



Good thing this was my last night in Bali.



A unplanned trip, turned into a beavy of adventures. Bali is definitely on my recommendation list. As I gazed from the airplane window out over the Baliness below, I thought...great plan, glad I came.