Bali’s booked!

Bali Round # 2!

Some mates and I have booked a ten day trip to Bali in August/September Sooooo excited! We’ll be dividing our time between Kuta and Ubud. For those that aren’t familiar, Kuta is the main “city” in Bali – lots of hotels, shopping and partying. Very touristy, and filled with Australians. One of my friend’s sister’s lives in Ubud in a place without running water or electricity – that’s where we will be staying. It’ll be challenging but incredibly interesting. Hopefully I can hack it!

Other than that, I’m really not sure what travel plans I have! I’m contemplating going to Sri Lanka in December – it’s a relatively cheap holiday and I haven’t been in 5-6 years. It would be super interesting to see the changes since the end of the civil war. For next year I’m still throwing around plans about moving to Europe for a few months. Has anyone done that? I’m looking into programs that set up work and accommodation for you – so if anyone has experienced it, please comment and let me know!

Something I try to live by.

Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone.

Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived.

Live in the present, and make it beautiful.

Where to next?

Well, I’ve been back for 6 weeks and already I’m thinking, “where shall I go next?” Another trip to Bali is underway, scheduled for August. I’m considering going back to Sri Lanka in either June or December, but nothing is for sure.

In terms of big trips, I’m thinking of going on another long one next year. June 2014 I’ll be graduating, and I have six months to kill before I pursue post grad studies. My sister and I plan to go to the UK next June/July to do some sight seeing, and I’m thinking I might do 3-6 months in Ireland after. I’m going to look into internships, and if I can’t find any, I’ll just get a working visa.

Some people might think this is crazy – to just jump into the deep end and see where you go. I don’t think people realise how easy it can be to decide to change your life and environment. Take risks, people.

Homecoming

The most difficult thing about travelling is coming home. It’s so bittersweet – while you yearn for more adventures and experiences, it’s always great to come home to the country you love and see the people you’ve missed. However, the worst of it is settling back in to your old environment and getting into a routine.

I’ve been back in Australia for one month and one day. It feels like forever ago that I was on the other side of the hemisphere enjoying myself. Upon return I had to click back into “reality” and find a house, get my classes sorted and other tedious things. After spending over $20k on my travels, I’ve returned in a state of poverty – it’s so hard to get back on your feet! Advice to travellers: include money in your budget for when you return to your home country. There is nothing worse than being broke and desperate! It’s incredibly hard to fund my drinking when I’m a pauper.

Other than that, it’s good to be home. Seeing my family and friends, the beach and just getting to hang out and be a bit of a bum is really lovely. Back at work, back at school and I’m honestly loving life. I’ve learnt that while travelling is amazing, and I doubt I’ll ever stop, it’s important to live and enjoy the place you live as well. Explore and do new things. It’s come to my attention that I’ve seen hardly any of Australia, and it’s definitely something I wanna do. If you have a weekend free, pick up your shit and drive somewhere new – do something new. Don’t let yourself be consumed by travel plans and saving – take time to enjoy where you are – right then and there. 

Closing Reflection

How do I summarise and reflect on my experiences over the last 6-7 months? I really don’t know, but I’m going to try.

Firstly, I want to thank all the people (who probably won’t read this) that made my experience so amazing. Not only the friends I made, but also the strangers that showed me so much kindness and friendliness. People internationally have a stereotype that Americans are arrogant, rude and self-centered. From what I observed, those were definitely in the minority. Most Americans, especially in the South and Mid-West, were so welcoming and genuinely curious about us as Australians. Ironically, I often felt embarrassment at the behaviour of Australians when overseas – we have a tendency to be loud, obnoxious and culturally insensitive.

My biggest regret is that I didn’t have longer to travel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to come home, but I think that the U.S. is so big and diverse, you just can’t cover it in such a short time. I’d love to take half a year in the future to drive around, and see the whole country. I’ve been to 15 of the states – there is still a lot more to see within those states, as well as all the others!

Another note I want to make is on traveling with a group of people. Honestly, it’s incredibly complicated when there are more than 3-4 people I would say. You tend to separate and form mini groups, and there is more conflict. While I adore each and every girl I traveled with, it was difficult to maintain a positive, open minded and excited perspective when effected by the moods and attitudes of the people around you. Further more, everyone has different interests and motivations for traveling – so find the people most like you and travel with them!

Summarising my experience at an American university, I’m both impressed and confused by the education system. Never thought I’d say this, but I love the frequent homework and assignments. It means I have to keep up to date (something I certainly don’t do back home) which means I don’t end up cramming like a psycho on caffeine at the end of semester. Also, all the assessments have a lower weighting which means if you do badly on one, it’s not the end of the world. Something I don’t like (and I also can’t believe I’m saying this) is the easiness with which they hand out A grades. I think it gives people a false sense of accomplishment. If half the class is receiving As and A+s, how do you distinguish the truly gifted students? I just think those grades should be reserved for truly excellent work.

For those considering living in another country for any amount of time: DO IT! Besides being an amazing, fun-filled experience, it really challenges you. It forces you to adapt to new surroundings, meet new people and just get out of your comfort zone. Not only is it character building, but it looks good on any resume to say you’ve studied or work in another environment and culture.

To my fellow travelers, be sure to visit America if you haven’t already. To those that already live there, explore your country. It’s beautiful, and I’ll remember only the good things.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Los Angeles

Hollywoooooooood!

Oooh, I did love LA. It was a little superficial, but for the most part the people were chilled out and down-to-Earth. We stayed at a hostel in Hollywood, but we would have preferred to be closer to Venice Beach or Santa Monica pier. Still, it was pretty great.

We were all riding the line of poverty, so we didn’t do too much those few days. Brandon came for the weekend, which was awesome, and we just hung out. The local bar was great (and cheap). We also went to Hooters for some food and a comedy show, which was pretty fun.

Sunday night I flew out.

Viva Las Vegas!

Ahh, Vegas. SO much fun! As soon as I got into the city I loved it. Bright lights, crazy buildings and lots of old people But really, the vibes the place gave off were so positive and exciting, I didn’t quite expect that.

We arrived in the evening, so as soon as we got to our hotel (which had it’s own chapel – yay!) we started getting ready for our night out. We got relatively smashed at the hotel and went out. We met some random guys and they advised us to go to Pure nightclub at Caesar’s Palace. Apparently it’s a place where famous people go and shit, which makes sense because it was rather uppity and like $11 for a drink. It was fun, but we decided to leave after an hour or so. Unfortunately, we went to Hyde nightclub at Bellagio only to find it was shut – apparently not everything is open on a Tuesday? We walked around, took some snaps, and went hope far too early.

The next day we did some shopping, sightseeing and hung out. At night we started round 2. We went to a fancy party at Encore, got our own room with free drinks, and then later got escorted out cos the girls jumped into the pool -_-

Before we knew it, we were leaving. We all wished we had more time in Vegas. The nightlife isn’t really our scene (we like gritty, messy fun) but it was still amazing because of the atmosphere. Loved it!

Dallas Cowboys?

Ahh, Dallas. Alright, maybe we just didn’t have to low down – but Dallas in winter is not particularly eventful. We couldn’t really figure out what to do there. We probably should have gone out on the Saturday night, because we tried on Sunday and it was dead. So, in true Texan fashion, we went shooting instead

We went for the handguns, just to make it a little easier on us. I was surprised at how loud the shots are. Even with earmuffs it hurts your ears quite a lot. The recoil was pretty crazy too – and the casings go flying in all different directions. I shot pretty darn well, albeit from 3-10 metres from the target. We all had a good time, and it was a pretty cool experience.

I think Austin may have been a better city to go to, from what we’ve heard. Dallas was really chill (a LOT of trashy reality TV) and we probably needed it. Texas in summer would be great if we could go to a ranch, go riding, shoot cans, and so on. Ah, well. Still had fun

Nawlins

Uhhh, New Orleans. Easily my most and least favourite place I’ve been to in the U.S.

The city itself is amazing. The vibes and atmosphere are so unique, it has the ambience of a culture hub. We went and checked out the French Quarter on the second day, and it was pretty great. Walking down Bourbon Street, or anywhere in French Quarter, you get to see so many incredible musicians. Jackson Square is gorgeous, and would be so much better in summer. We visited Cafe Du Monde and had some beignets and hot chocolate (YUM!). It’s shocking that these people are just playing on the street, and aren’t making millions while people with no talent are (*cough* Ke$ha *cough*).

The city was starting to get ready for Mardi Gras season, and the girls and I really regret not making our time there align with the festivities. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is definitely on my bucket list!

Unfortunately, I got deathly sick from a viral infection on the 3rd day and was pretty much bedridden for 2-3 days. On the last night I sucked it up and went out, and got to enjoy some of the music and nightlife Bourbon Street has to offer. I didn’t want to leave New Orleans, and I’m definitely going to be going back!

Disneyworld!

We left from Miami and made a two day trip to Orlando, FL. We got there a little late, so we dedicated our first day to lounging around the pool. In the evening we went to a place called Capone’s, which is a Chicago-mobster style dinner/show. They put on a comedy show, sing, and dance while you enjoy an all you can eat buffet and unlimited drinks (yes, including alcoholic). It was really great, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who visits Orlando/Kissimmee.

The next day we went to Disneyworld. It was pretty great in terms of the effort the designers put in to make everything look legit, but it wasn’t quite what we were after. Gina doesn’t like scary/fast rides, which is why we chose Disneyworld over Universal Studios, but the rest of us do. Disneyworld didn’t have  a lot to offer in terms of adult rides – but it was still a great experience.