Australia

This country is soooo huge. I got a bit spoiled in Korea. 

I wanted to be at the top of the country one day, and the bottom the next, it was no problem, just a super affordable bus ride away and a couple of hours with my charged ipod, and I was set.. but here is just unfathomable and expensive to do such an expedition. I was talking on skype to a friend who is in a little dot on the map called Kintore. It's a speck, really. A red, dusty speck. A bit of a dream to photograph, with this amazing spectacular earthen colour, and the local people so full of character. So i had this bright idea to pop over and hang out there for NYE... bzzt! 

Her father (I was over at the family's house for din dins and catch-up time) told me it was an $800 ish/ 2 hr flight to Alice Springs, and then a 7 hour drive.

Nevermind.

But I really, truly would love to head out there.

This family is sooo awesome. I worked for them when I was in University on my days off from school, and they are the most well-traveled people with the biggest hearts, and actually run this really amazing organisation called World Outreach, so the father was in Pakistan during the floods, told me about the amazing sights in Calcutta, and want me to come with them to Bangladesh on their next trip there. Of course I'm so in. It's really inspiring to talk to people like this and to know that i'm not completely bonkers to want to see so much of the world.

Photos

a dude blinking in Japan. I was dissapointed with this shot at first ...but now I really love it.

If you want to check out more photos, I'm doing my best to pop a new one up on this business everyday -> http://snap-krackle-pop.tumblr.com/

and one of my favs to check out is this Korean jem ->
http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/

It's exactly what the title promises.

SHARKS

So this is my surprise!

I got driven to the local aquarium (it's pretty radical), and after exploring and going through there for a bit, we were led over to another area to put on wetsuits, given training on how to use the equipment, and then sent into the aquarium waters with the sharks, fish, GIANT sting rays, and a whole other smattering of sea life.

FUN!

What a rad present for Christmas. So stoked my brother listened to me saying I didn't want any present I couldn't pack into my bag with all my other stuff (I don't even know what country I want to live in next year yet), and he was really workin' the creative juices and came up with this gem!

Soup-rise

As I mentioned before, I'm back home for a stint over Christmas, and slightly beyond. I've got a job and am working managing a photography studio while I'm home (it's not as glamorous as it might sound), and am taking the day of work wednesday because my Christmas present from my brother is some sort of a surprise. 

I L-O-V-E surprises! Sometimes ... often... more than whatever it actually is. So all I know is i need a swimsuit, towel, and sense of adventure. My brother is a pilot/ likes engines, so I'm lead to the following conclusions:

#1.Parasailing

#2. Scuba diving (he recently got his master divers licence for scuba diving)

#3. Jet ski adventure

#4. Something lame and not nearly as bourgeois like a surfing lesson.
#5. skydiving into the ocean.

sooooo curious to see what it turns out to be!! They even tried to tell me today what it is (I've been told what to bring, that it's been paid for and can't be changed to another day, and that we're meeting at the beach). My family is RADICAL.

On another note, my parents (mostly Mum) are completely bonkers for Christmas tradition, and two of the biggest are baking way too many treats, and buying a new ornament each year to represent the year past. I have two this year; a camera, and a globe! The plan, cheesy as it may sound, is to mark a little 'x' on all 26 or so countries I've been to up to this point on my life and then breeze past it next year! I have this desire to get to 30 countries before I'm 30, so my bike ride through the middle east next year will be perfect as long as I can raise enough money for this amazing event. (http://followthewomen.chipin.com/follow-the-women)


I'd ideally like to donate some of my photography, and have a show while I'm in Australia and donate the proceeds to the event, but it's a lot of organisation which I'm finding a little hard to juggle with a job, family-time, Christmas, and catching up with friends I haven't seen in the last few years, but HAVE to do since I'm really passionate about this cause.

I want to go back to Turkey

Aussie Adjust

I've been back in Australia for 2 days now, and am finding that I have to adjust being back home more than I ever thought I would have to... whoops.

I miss speaking Korean - I've been speaking it daily for the better part of a year now, and I keep wanting to use it in conversation like I'm accustomed to doing; but stop myself a breath before, because I know it'll mean nothing to whom I'm speaking with. I think mostly though, I'm getting accustomed to small talk again - I'm so used to the largeness of Seoul, and the lack of wasting time. Everything there is 'bbali, bbali', which means 'quickly, quickly', so here I am back on the lovely Sunshine Coast, where everything moves at a comfortable and slow sunny day pace, and everyone stops to have a chat to you. I know it sounds like a dream, but it doesn't mean you don't have to adjust to suddenly being back at home with the parentals, and a culture that you haven't lived in for more than 6 years. 

I definitely like who I've become though - traveling has made me more world-conscious, knowledgeable about mostly random and quirky things as well as the odd useful tidbit, and have a gathering of amazing friends stretched all over the world. I am SO stoked to be home for Christmas, and honestly, really happy to have a break from the whole 'figuring out where to sleep' thing I had to do everyday, as well as having a break from sleeping on the floor of my friends kitchen. I don't mind any of that stuff, but it's great to have gone from that, to now stretching out in a queen sized bed, and my white cat following me from room to room and sleeping on the pillow next to me.

In China

This airport in Guangzhou sucks balls yo.

no computers (i have mine), nowhere to charge anything unless you want to over pay for a coffee in the random Blenz here.

Somehow i got bitten by (but in return killed) a persistent little mosquito. The air here has a fun haze.

Word to the wise: never fly China Southern Airlines if you have more than a minute amount of baggage - they jack you up the arse if you have more than 20kgs total baggage - see a previous post. ALL i could bring was my bike and skateboard and my carry-on luggage. Poo. I'll get clothing in a week or so.

Air China + Bike

Frig.

I saved a lot of money taking a dirt cheap ticket from Southern China Air, and now I see how they make all their money - I've been calling them on and off for the past hour or two, and the whole language barrier makes things even more exciting as you can imagine.

Turns out I'm allowed 20kgs for my TOTAL baggage. Shit baller. I'm takin my bike. I might not be able to take much else. Good thing I found out now before I get to the airport, and just assume it's something like 2 bags each at 23kgs, or the beloved 36kgs two bag allowance that just makes thing un-stressful and 'easy packins'.  They (China Southern) charge $30USD PER kilo over the limit. Talk about getting screwed from behind.

Thank God the Korean mail system is so affordable. I can mail 20kgs home for $40USD. Mind you, that does take two months on a ship, but whatever, I am used to not having much with me anyways. 

Anyone else like to try and find fun ways to get away with more? Lucky it's winter here in Korea, cos you can be sure that I will be layering my clothing like I'm heading for the Arctic, rather than the searing heat of Australia!

The one (tiny) plus, is that my bike box can be as large as 2 meters by 1.5meters, so I guess my bag and my bike are going together in one box. whoopee. Awkward baggage, here I come!

Speaking of all of this, I recently discovered something interesting. There's a whole conglomerate of something known as 'third culture kids', which is basically kids who have grown up traveling and don't particularly identify with one particular culture. It's actually defined a little broader than that, saying it's kids who have grown up in a culture that isn't the same as their parents, but I think the definitions lend themselves more to the traveling kid thing. Check it out.