'Catch 22'

Looking back at my blog entry around this time last year, it horrifies me slightly to see that not much has changed! I am still baking and knitting (just new location: London, and new project: teacosy!) and desperately hoping that this information might somehow find its way to Kirstie Allsopp or her producers. Granted, a lot has happened in the past year, not least the fact that I have quite literally travelled around the world- an experience I do not regret one bit, but I can’t help thinking that I am no further ahead in life than I was a year ago. I of course now have the gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) of hindsight, and there are probably a few things I would have done differently had I known what I do now. (I will warn you now, this is probably not going to end up being my most positive entry to date, but if you can’t moan in your own blog, then where can you?!)

So I have moved to the Big Smoke, more commonly known as London, in the hope of seeking my fortune- a modern day Dick Whittington if you like. For the last three weeks I have dedicated myself fully to the task of finding a job. On a positive note, I have now managed to narrow my job search down from anything to two areas. As I have explained in previous blogs, I have always had a passion for music and so as a result I have been looking and applying for jobs in this area- mainly administrative with music and arts organizations and orchestras. The other area that has recently grabbed my attention is Conference Production (exactly what is says on the label). This area in particular excites my inner geek- being able to research and produce my very own event from scratch? Great! It will probably involve an element of international travel. Perfect!

Now, as I mentioned, I have applied for several jobs in these areas and so far have received mainly rejections, and the odd ‘no reply’, and most of the reasons for ‘not taking my application further’ have been related to my lack of experience. Fair enough for the Conference Producer roles- that is perfectly true and it is a very specialist area, which involves a great deal of responsibility on the part of the producer, and trust on the part of the company. But for the administrative roles, not only do I have experience (ok, possibly not as much as other candidates) but also, as a job it’s hardly rocket science! Sorry to belittle anyone who works in this area, but what I mean by this is that the skills required are ones that can quickly be picked up by most people with a degree. The other issue I have with this reason is that it puts in me in a ‘Catch-22’ situation: I’m not getting the jobs because I have no experience, but until some takes a chance on me and gives me a job, I will never have the necessary experience!

I think this just demonstrates how high the competition for jobs is these days. When I chose to study History at UCL, I did so because I thought that it would give me a good head start when it came to looking for a job- a solid degree with transferable skills from one of the best universities in the world. The problem is these days that having a degree isn’t that unusual anymore, and in fact what makes people stand out, especially in the areas I am looking for, is actual work experience in a business environment. This is the one piece of information I really wish I’d known a year ago. Everything you do in your year out has to be carefully considered if you want to make finding a job at the end of it easier. As I said, I do not regret for one minute going travelling, and I think that was the most positive and beneficial thing I did on my year out, as it improves confidence, teaches independence and communication and shows that there is more to you than just your degree. However, I wish that I spent a bit more time thinking about what sort of career I wanted to get into once I got back from my travels, rather than putting it off. If I had, I might have considered taking on a temporary job that would not only have funded my travels, but also given me the all important business experience. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed working at Hoopers and Rural Insurance and I met some great people and made some great friends. I also did learn some valuable skills, but compared to some of the people I am up against in interviews, and what these companies are looking for it’s just not enough.

Having said all that, I am a great believer in ‘everything happens for a reason’, and had I done things differently a year ago, it possibly would have changed a lot of things. I might have chosen not to go travelling, instead choosing to carry on working, and of course, I would not have made half the friends I did, or had any of the experiences I did, so it that respect, I have no regrets. Also, my career ideas have changed over the last year, so even if I had thought about it more, it might not have helped much anyway. For now though, I am just plodding on and hoping that eventually someone will see my potential and give me a chance.

‘You are what you tweet’ (Alex Tew)

I’m getting into social media. Not because I want to, but because I feel I should. It’s the way the world is going- the 10 o’clock news, and newspapers now provide old news, thanks to the instant reporting on social media sites. The riots throughout England that were all over the news this week were mostly coordinated through social media and networking sites. Although on the one hand it’s great that it can be used to unite people over a common cause it is, however, terrifying that it can facilitate acts of mass violence. And the speed in which this can happen is even more terrifying. Despite this, social media does have less negative uses, such as being a place for people to raise awareness of charitable causes etc. It is also becoming more and more important to businesses for recruitment, especially in the media sector, which is the area I want to get into. So for the sake of my own future, I feel like I have to get involved, or else get left behind.

To be honest I’m a bit scared of it all and I don’t agree with the idea that everything one does has to be reported and therefore is free to become public fodder. Twitter, especially provides this sort of platform. I can understand, to some extent, why celebrities and companies use it, as it is a great way to advertise a brand and reach out to millions of people. For celebrities, it allows for their own views to be published, and not be skewed by the mass media of tabloids and gossip columns. I am aware, though, that this can still get them into trouble, as it is a place for people to state their uncensored views and opinions, which aren’t always in line with the status quo. But for the ordinary Joe Blog on the street, I really don’t understand who could find what they had for breakfast or what a ‘mad night out’ they had interesting, which is why I tweet reluctantly and with the realisation that not many people will care what I have to say.

The other thing I can’t get my head around, is the fact that Twitter allows you to communicate one on one with celebrities. With Twitter, unlike Facebook, you don’t have to be friends with or ‘follow’ people to engage with them. You simply write to them. And they can write back. And although I can see that some people would argue that this is no different to sending a fan letter, I argue that it is massively different. For starters, the whole world can see what you write, unlike a private letter, and also, with Twitter only allowing snap statements due to their character limit on Tweets, people are more likely to reply as it takes less effort. I also think the way people view social media is different to any form of media that has come before. Because the general public are getting more involved in making news and shaping the way people communicate, they expect more, and feel that they are no different to celebrities and politicians, for example: it is breaking down the barriers between celebrity and human. I know this can be seen as a good thing and call me old fashioned, but I quite liked it when celebrities were untouchable. It made them more interesting, but now that you are able to know everything about them through the likes of Twitter, you realise that actually they aren’t always as interesting as were once made out to be.

I realise that I sound rather hypocritical as I myself am taking advantage of social media in attempt to advance my position, but I do so reluctantly. It still unnerves me that anybody in the world could access this blog if they so desired, (although I admit not many people do, and not many people would bother to look for it) and I do feel a bit awkward about talking about myself and my views. But as I said, I feel like I have to try and make some mark in order to get noticed at a time when there is such high competition for jobs. There are some aspects of social media which I like. I don’t have a problem with Facebook, which in my opinion is the original and best form of social media. I love the fact that it is almost like an online diary: somewhere to sort out your social life, store your photographs and a great way to keep in touch with old friends. All this with the comfort of knowing that only people you want to get involved can (dependent on your privacy settings, of course, which is a constant concern of my mother, even though she has no idea how ‘the internet’ works). All in all though, social media is an unstoppable force, so for now I think I’ll try and embrace it.

Carpe Diem!

I realise my last post was rather negative, but in the last week my outlook has seen a turnaround. I am becoming what my friend Hannah calls a ‘yes person’. Something as simple as saying ‘yes’ more often is definitely making me feel more positive about life, as after all if you open yourself up to possibilities, more opportunities come you way. This was demonstrated this weekend, and as a result reinforced the benefits of ‘carpe diem’-ing, that is, seizing the day.

The weather this summer has been typically British: wet and grey, so I was not going to miss the opportunity of catching some rays this weekend, which could potentially be the only sun we get for the rest of the summer. After a failed attempt at a croquet party at my house (an extremely underrated sport in my opinion) I very willingly accepted an invitation to a barbecue at Hannah’s house in Leeds. Normally I am reluctant to travel to Leeds as it means getting a bus. It’s not a very long journey, but the sorts of people who get on the bus to Leeds, without meaning to be rude, aren’t the most normal people in the world. But this time I decided to say yes, without hesitation, and it turned out to be one of the most fun weekend’s I’ve had in a long time, and in a way gave me back the focus I needed. So armed with scones and a bottle of Pimms I braved the journey.

My Saturday afternoon was spent just sitting in a garden with a couple of friends, a barbecue and a jug of lovely Pimms…the very definition of Summer. Sometimes there’s nothing better than sitting doing nothing with friends. There had been talk of going out later on, which I was initially unsure about, but as saying yes to the Leeds barbecue plan had turned out so wonderfully, I decided to risk it and say ‘yes’ again. We were meeting up with some of Hannah’s friends from university, people I had never met before, which provided the opportunity to make some new friends of my own. Since returning from travelling, making friends has become one of my favourite past times. I enjoy striking up conversation with strangers, as often you meet some really interesting people. In fairness, they’ll probably never be life long friends, and in fact, you’ll probably never see most of them again, but you never know… Anyway, we danced the evening away at Hi-Fi, to some soul, motown and rock and roll classics before hitting McDonalds (which I definitely regretted when I weighed myself this morning) and then home, well, Ashley’s spare room.

I had fully intended to go home the next morning, however Hannah rang to inform me that she had a spare ticket to Party in the Park, ‘Britain’s largest free pop party’ apparently. Again, my usual self would have probably said no, but hell, I was on a roll. YES. And it was great. The line up included Tinchy Strider, Jay Sean, Example, Pixie Lott, Olly Murs, The Wanted and JLS, among others. Example and Olly Murs were surprising highlights in my opinion, and of course JLS were pretty amazing. For most of the afternoon I felt very old, the average age of the people that surrounded us was probably about 15, but when JLS arrived on stage, I’m ashamed to admit that I did regress to being an over excited teenager again.

The issues I have been having recently with regards to job hunting and my life in general, are because I have been unable to choose one career to focus on. This weekend, however, made me realise that I my original career choice of radio production or something music related is definitely the way forward. It is something I can see myself being good at and really loving, which is an added bonus. Its obviously a very competitive choice so I will have my work hard, but hopefully with my new ‘yes’ mentality, I’ll make it.

My final YES of the weekend was to Chinese and pub quiz. I am embarrassed to say that despite three university degrees between us, we could only manage 16 out of 38 and failed miserably to make the required paper aeroplane. Shameful, but a lot of fun. I am definitely looking forward to saying yes more.

Back to life, back to reality.

Now that I have returned home from my little trip round the world, I am sadly faced with the harsh reality that is life. I desperately need to find a job. More than just a job, I need to start my career, which is hard as I have absolutely no idea what I want to do anymore. Before I went travelling, I felt like I knew what I was going to do on my return…I had a plan. I was going to pursue a career in the media, specifically radio, or in the music industry, and I still would like to do that. It’s just that there are so many other things I want to do and to achieve before I settle down in a career. It doesn’t help that I have two very successful older sisters to live up to. With the fear of being the disappointment of the family, I am starting to feel the pressure mounting.

Taking three months to go travelling around the world was supposed to give me some perspective and help me decide what I wanted to do with my life. It was also supposed to get the whole travelling thing out of my system so that I would be ready to focus all my energies into my career when I got home. Three months, though, was sadly not long enough to satisfy my need for adventure, instead it was just long enough to whet my appetite for more. There are so many more places I want to visit- South East Asia, South America, Europe! And I know I would love to live in another country or two in my life. One of my biggest regrets in life is not studying French at A-Level, as I really wish I was fluent in a different language. This was highlighted during my travels, by the number of people I met who could speak more than one language, so at some point I would love to live in a non-English speaking country. If I could find a job that would allow me to travel, therefore, that would be the perfect situation so on that note I considered, for a while, pursuing a career in journalism, or more specifically, travel journalism. I can write and I like to travel… what more do you need? Apparently it’s not that easy though. In order to get into the industry, you need to have had writing published which means freelancing. Not the most lucrative business, especially when you’re just starting out. And it’s also quite a bizarre notion that you can start your career whilst sitting in your bed in your pyjamas, one that I am still trying to get my head around.

I have also been applying for jobs online. I have sent many a CV and cover letter out in the last few weeks however for most of the applications I have not even had a reply, let alone an interview! At the beginning of my online job hunt, I began by only applying for jobs in journalism and at various travel publications. A friend from university had suggested this as the key to success as applying for fewer jobs means you can really focus your application on the specific job, rather than just sending in a generic application that will probably just get overlooked. This is a good idea in theory, but when companies give you an application form to fill out that makes it hard to sell yourself if you haven’t already established your career in journalism, it is easy to get disheartened. And then very desperate. I am now applying for jobs left right and centre: anything that takes my fancy which means I am now even more confused as to what I want to do. Each day I set my sights on a different career…journalism, music producer, PA, events manager. I know I need to decide on one career and follow it, but I’m scared I’ll choose the wrong one.

Another problem I seem to be having is with my degree. I chose to study History at university because when I was 18 I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life (as you can see, nothing has changed) so I thought doing an open degree such as History, which has no set career option, would open more doors to me, and hopefully one that would lead to my perfect job. However, since applying for jobs in areas that I am interested in, namely media and the arts, no employer seems to want a History degree. Maybe I need to get some more qualifications? A masters? In all honesty though, I’d rather not go back to university, mainly because I can’t afford it, but also, because I feel my days as a student are over, for the time being anyway.

So you see, with so many choices I really only have one option, and that is to wing it. After the last few weeks of desperate job applications and tearful conversations with friends over several bottles of wine, about how I’m obviously a jobless failure, I have come to the realisation that I am just going to have to go with the flow. Obviously, I will keep applying for jobs, but as soon as I scrape enough money together I think I’ll head for the Big Smoke and see what happens. Life is an adventure after all.

The Land of the Free and the Home of MacDonalds

I realise this is a bit late in coming as I have been back in England for almost three weeks now, but I thought I should probably fill you all in on my thoughts and experiences of the Land of the Free, that is the USA.

I landed in LA and immediately had to come to terms with the massive difference in lifestyle compared to Fiji. Coming from a place where the people are so laid back, they’re practically lying down, LA was a definite shock to the system. Everything in America is so full on and over the top, that just walking around and soaking in the atmosphere is exhausting. A lot of this, I think, can be linked to the concept of the ‘American Dream’; the idea that everybody can make something of themselves as long as they have passion and are prepared to work hard. This lends itself to a plucky, ‘can do’ attitude and a lot of very enthusiastic people, which at times can be a bit sickening. America is also a strongly capitalist country, and even the merest whiff of Socialism causes people to go running for the (Hollywood) hills, as has been demonstrated by Obama’s recent attempt to introduce an NHS style health care system to the States. As a result there is a massive gap between rich and poor, noticeably more so than in the UK, and nowhere is this more apparent than in LA. I stayed in Hollywood, just off Hollywood Boulevard, and my hopes of glitz and glamour were quickly dashed as it is very disappointingly underwhelming. The area itself is quite rough, very dirty and not the sort of place you would expect to find A-list celebrities hanging out at glamorous premieres. I was also warned by many of the people staying in my hostel not to go out on my own at night, and even in the day to be careful. This immediately put me on my guard and made me incredibly wary of anyone wearing a hoodie (in Hollywood, that seemed to be every second person) and any cars driving past with tinted windows (again, more common than you’d think). I think this was probably slightly over the top, but the general vibe I got from LA was quite threatening. I decided therefore to head for Beverly Hills and Santa Monica instead- much more civilised, definitely my cup of tea, and immediately you notice that this is where the wealthy people live. Sadly, Beverly Hills was disappointingly average. Again, not the glitz and glamour you are brought to believe. I found this quite a lot with California in general- everything is so over the top that one’s expectations for things are so built up. The reality, however, is usually quite underwhelming. Santa Monica, on the other hand was much nicer- warmer with a good beach and great shopping.

After two nights in LA, I definitely felt it was time to move on and so I decided a trip down south, to the warmer climes of San Diego was in order. I took the train, which was altogether a much more enjoyable experience than train journeys back home. Like an airport, you deposit your suitcase at the station and then collect it again once you reach your destination. There is none of this racing to find a space on the luggage racks at the end of the carriage, or battling to squeeze your bag into the overhead compartments, where it obviously won’t fit. It’s also a lovely way to see a bit more of the country. Arriving in San Diego, my first feeling was one of relief. It was immediately better than LA- it was cleaner, the people were friendlier and the weather was much better. I can only describe San Diego as a really nice city, ‘nice’ being the operative word. It felt very wholesome and quaint America. Whilst there I went to a farmers market in one of the suburbs, and it was your typical American family day out, right down to the live country band playing. I also visited Old Town San Diego which, again, was a typically American experience. Instead of allowing it to be an old colonial Spanish town, it has been turned into what I can only describe as a Disney attraction, without the rides. People were dressed in nineteenth century outfits and every building had been turned into a museum: you could visit ye olde post office, ye olde cobblers, or ye olde Tibetan souvenir shoppe….everything just felt very fake, which is a shame because it probably could have been a beautiful old town. I found much of California like this: whereas a country like Australia, which also has very little history, focuses on the attractions they do have (namely beautiful beaches, and great weather), America seems to take the little bit of history they do have a really ram it down people’s throats in an incredibly unsubtle way. It definitely made me appreciate the history of our own country.

My final stop in America was San Francisco. This was definitely my favourite place in California- it was nicer and less scary than LA, yet was edgier than San Diego and had some of the quirkiness of a European city. I did a lot of walking which was hard work as there are a hell of a lot of hills! In fairness, the hills dictated my route around the city…I took any route that didn’t involve climbing up them! On one of my days in San Fran I visited Haight, famous for being a hippy hang out in the 1960’s, where the likes of the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin (don’t worry, I hadn’t heard of them either) lived. Haight is best described as a cleaner, quieter Camden with great little boutiques, lots of bookshops and quaint little cafes to sit and while away the day. It also leads into Golden Gate Park. This is home to the majority of the city’s museums, but it’s also a lovely place to just sit. Although in the middle of this busy city, it is surprisingly quiet and peaceful. I was only able to spend a couple of days in San Francisco, but of the three places I visited in California, it was definitely my favourite. I also met some great people here, none of them American.

I am aware that my view of America, does not seem overly positive, but actually looking back on my ten days in the states, I did have a really good time, and I definitely have some fond memories of it. This is mainly because of the people I met. It wouldn’t be fair to say I disliked California, I just feel no desire to return: I feel like I have seen as much of it as I need to. Maybe this is very narrow-minded of me, and I am open to being convinced otherwise. I would like to visit other parts of the US though, especially the Deep South, just to see how they compare. Maybe then I’ll be converted to the American way…

'Excuse me sir, do you have the time?'...'Its FIJI TIME'

I am currently recovering from a week in Fiji. Recovering from a week of doing more or less nothing apart from a bit of snorkelling and a lot of sunbathing. Its pretty exhausting doing nothing! Having said that it was an amazing week and I met some really great people. Fijians are so friendly: you can't walk down a street without at least ten people shouting 'Bula!' at you. ( This is their equivalent of 'g'day mate!'). They are so helpful as well, and lucky for me there were lots of lovely gentlemen on hand to carry my suitcase wherever it needed to go. Pure bliss!

To make the most of my week in Fiji, I decided to do a spot of island hopping. Fiji has three hundred and twenty two islands in total, most of them uninhabited and a lot of them are teeny tiny. They are nearly all, however, the picture of a paradise island with white beaches, clear blue waters and lucious green vegetation. Heaven. The first island I visited was Coral View. This was up in the Yasawas, the furthest group of islands and approximately a five hour boat trip from the main island. When we arrived we received a traditional Fijian welcome which involved singing and a lot of shaking of hands! I soon discovered that Fijians absolutely love to sing, especially at Coral View. They literally sing about everything. Lunch, dinner, hello, goodbye: you name it, they have a song for it! The vibe here was very laid back, and all the staff were so friendly that after the two days were up, I was almost reluctant to leave, and in fact some of the people I arrived with decided to stay longer. In one guys opinion, deciding to stay on the island was like having a girlfriend: you know there's probably someone better out there, but you decide to stick with the one you've got. (Needless to say, he didn't have a girlfriend!). I decided to tear myself away in the hope of finding something even better in the shape of Korovou resort.

At Korovou I sadly did not get the same melodic welcome as at Coral View, however that was because I arrived on a Sunday and nothing happens on Sunday apart from going to church. It is God's day. They more than made up for the lack of entertainment on the second night though, where we were treated to a fire dancing show. It was all very exciting: topless men dancing with fire in little grass skirts. At one point they even set the floor on fire. Literally! I have to say that I was very impressed with the dancing skills of the Fijian men. Its a shame that British men aren't the same. Unless, of course, they've got a few pints down them! After the fire dancing there was a bit of audience participation (as there was at all the resorts, in fact). We all had to get up and do the Bula dance. This is basically the Fijian Macarena. Same moves, the only addition is that you have to shout 'Bula!' as you jump round, hence the name 'The Bula Dance'. At this point I did feel like I had been transported to a British holiday camp along the lines of Butlins. But everyone got involved and there was always the chance of winning a few free drinks.

The final island I stayed on was South Sea Island. This really was a tiny island. It looked as if it could get washed away at even the hint of a slightly bigger wave than usual. You could actually walk around it in two minutes and, according to one of the girls I met, hop around it in three and a half. What it lacked in size was made up for in hospitality though. Again, the staff were so friendly. We had a candlelit dinner on the beach followed by crab racing (highly competative and taken extremely seriously) and, of course, Bula dancing. Later on we all chilled out round a campfire, sang songs and drank lots of kava. Kava is the Fijian drink of choice. It is not alcoholic, as many of the islands are actually dry, so alcohol is forbidden, but it is a narcotic so will have some effect. It mainly makes your tongue go numb and gives you very strange dreams apparently. It is made from the root of a plant mixed with water and unfortunately it just tastes like muddy water. Not very pleasant.

On my last day in Fiji I went on a day sailing trip around the magical Mamanuca islands. I was lucky enough to do this trip for free as I had bumped into a couple earlier in the week who had paid for it, but were unable to do it on the day as they wouldn't have time. I did have to make a few changes to the ticket though, which involved a nerve wracking experience of me having to pretend to be someone else. As many of you know, my acting skills are not great and I was sure I was going to get caught and thrown overboard. Luckily it all ended well. This sailing trip was amazing. Not only was there unlimited free food and drink (I definitely made the most of the free cake!), but we also got to visit the island where 'Castaway' was filmed, visit a real life Fijian village (yes, it was as patronising as it sounds) and take part in a kava ceremony, which was a pretty big honour apparently. All in all, not a bad days sailing!

Life in Fiji, especially on the islands, is very different to the way of life I and most of the other people I was travelling with are used to. None of the islands had hot water, so it was cold showers for the week, and on Korovou, there was no electricity, apart from between six and eleven at night. This meant no phone signal or internet access and therefore no Facebook! It was actually quite nice. There was no point worrying about trying to get in contact with someone, because you literally couldn't. Instead you could just spend your time enjoying the simpler things in life. Such as sunsets. By god, I saw a lot of sunsets. In fact I think the majority of my Fiji photo album will be of sunsets! They were very pretty though. We also got to enjoy having time to do absolutely nothing. In Fiji, people run by Fiji time. This tends to be at least half an hour later than any of the clocks on the island. In fact, there aren't many clocks on the island. Although we all used to joke about Fiji time, it was a fully accepted method of time keeping amongst the locals. I once asked one of the locals what time it was, so I could work out how long I had to have a shower before the sun went down and we were plunged into darkness. He simply answered, 'it's Fiji time', as if that was a perfectly reasonable answer. It was very easy to get used to though, and by the end of the week my body clock was definitely set to Fiji time. It nade arriving in busy LA a bit of a shock, and definitely prolonged my jet lag I think! I'm getting over it now though and am enjoying the last stretch of my round the world adventure...

A Sailors Life for Me!

So I have just spent the last two days sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and now I am hooked on a life on the seas. It's just so relaxing and a great way to sea some of the most beautiful sights in the world.

In fairness I did have a bit if a shakey start and suffered a small amount of sea sickness- I had to take a cheeky chunder over the side of the boat on the first morning but after that I gained my sea legs and was fine for the rest of the trip. I was, however, the only person out of the thirty-two passengers that managed to throw up and as a result I was the butt of a few jokes for the rest of the trip, especially amongst the crew.

On our first full day on the Whitsundays we got up at the wonderful hour of 7am (great) so that we could make the most of the island. And I have to say, it was most definitely worth the effort of getting up at that ungodly hour. The sand is the whitest sand I have ever seen. This is apparently because it is made of around 99% silicon. This also makes a good exfoliator, and my legs did feel a great deal smoother after a little frolicking on the beach. The water was so clear as well and luckily for us, we had a cloudless sky. It really was the picture postcard view of paradise. Sadly we only got to spend a couple of hours on the beach, but I could have spent the whole day there.

In the afternoon we went to a place called Luncheon Bay where we did a spot of diving and snorkelling. I attempted the diving and managed to complete two out of the three skills, however the sheer unnaturalness of being able to breathe under water meant I panicked slightly and didn't go ahead with the dive. Louis, the diving instructor, seemed a bit upset that I gave up. I may give it another go in the future, now that I know what to expect, but, I was happy enough just snorkelling, and I managed to see a lot of beautiful things, just floating on the surface.

On the last day, we did more snorkelling, this time much nearer to the Outer Barrier of the Great Barrier Reef. Here I managed to see a lot more of the famous corals, and got to swim with the fish (literally, not in a scary mafia way). It was so peaceful just floating around watching all the coral moving in with the motion of the waves, and the fish swimming around, without a care in the world. It is definitely hard to feel stressed out in this environment. I must say though, the reef itself wasn't as impressive as I thought it was going to be. The colours weren't as vibrant as they look in postcards and photos, and there wasn't that much of it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place?! Still, it was amazing to see.

The rest of the two days was spent on the boat. Boats are very sociable places. I suppose this is because it involves a lot of people sharing a very small space. I had so much fun, and the crew that took us were sp much fun. We of course played the obligatory 'forcing people to eat a spoonful of vegemite'game. In this case, based around a game of 'fact or bullshit'- if you got the answer wrong you had to eat a spoonful of vegemite. Luckily I managed to avoid this. Maybe it was because they realised that me, being chunder central, probably shouldn't eat something as vomit enducing as vegemite. Thank god.

Anyway, the trip is over and I am back on dry land. Already, though, I am longing for the seas. I'm also sad because this means my last week in Australia is approaching. I'm really starting to get attached to this land down under. The people are so friendly and the weather is lovely. Next week I move onto Fiji though. Maybe that will be enough to make me forget Australia!

Hi-di-Hi Campers

I have just returned from a trip that is a must do for all backpackers travelling up the East coast. That is, camping on Fraser Island. I know most of my friends reading this will do a double take at this as under normal circumstances I do not camp. But Fraser Island is apparently the closest thing to paradise I'll probably see, in fact it's aboriginal name, k'Gari, actually means paradise, so how bad could it be I thought?,

Fraser Island is one of the biggest sand islands in the world which is amazing to think considering it is covered not only with beaches but also rainforest. It is one of the top 20 world heritage sites in the world which means it is protected and so certain things are not allowed on the island- you can't introduce any new species of plant or animal onto the island, and devlopment of building on the island is greatly restricted. In order to preserve the island, flushing toilets are also very rare and this was the first obstacle I had to overcome. Although the campsite we were staying on had flushing toilets, everywhere else on the island were long drop style toilets. They actually weren't that bad- just don't look down! For that matter don't look up either. This is a lesson I've learnt in Australia, as you're almost guarunteed to see something you don't like. Our guide, Kirk, had told us that 7 out the 8 most poisonous snakes in Australia live on Fraser Island, along with a whole host of deadly spiders. Great. There are also wild dingoes roaming around the island, and lucky for us it was mating season so they were particularly active while we were there.

Our first night on the campsite was very interesting. As I said, wild dingoes roam the island, and on our camp there were 5 that had made it their home. Under normal circumstances they are fine if you just ignore them. We were taught about dingo safety which basically meant stand up tall, don't look small, don't wave your arms around and shine a torch in their eyes. If you fall over or run, you're basically screwed. In the evening when everybody was around the camp fire they didn't bother us much, they were just looking for food. I did have a mildly terrifying moment in the middle of the night though, when I had to make a toilet trip. I had to wake up one of the people in my tent to act as my dingo buddy and we started the 5 minute trek to the toilets situted on the other side of the camp site. Almost as soon as we stepped out of the tent, we bumped into a dreaded dingo. We desperately tried to blind it with my tiny little head torch, and backed away slowly. It was having none of it however, instead proceeded in stalking us round the cars until we made it back to the safety of the tent. In the end I just had to go in a bush- something I haven't done in a while. I learnt my lesson for the second night and drank enough cheap wine (aka goon) to knock me out for the whole night.

Despite the fact that it seems like everything on Fraser Island is trying to kill you, it is actually one of the most beautiful places I've been to. We were really lucky with the weather, and managed to sit in our bikinis for 2 out of the 3 days we were there. We saw some amazing sandblows- this is where masses of sand are steadily being blown over the island, and are beginning to engulf parts of the island, trees and all. We paddled in some of the purest water you'll find anywhere and swam in some beautiful lakes. We even spotted sharks and sting rays from Indian Head. It truly was paradise. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. And although I'm still not convinced by camping, by the end of the trip I was definitely getting into the swing of things. I even started to enjoy it!

How to Make Friends...

When I decided to go travelling I also decided to take the leap and go on my own. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but that was mainly because for the first month or so I would be meeting up with different people: Natalie in Hong Kong and Vicky and the girls in New Zealand. The real test would come when I arrived in Australia. Even then it didn't seem that scary as I spent a week with Ben, but now that I have left Sydney and am working my way up the coast, I have been completely on my own, apart from a couple of days with uni friends, Iain and Lauren, and will be for the next five weeks. AAaahhh! Scary!

Travelling on your own can be a bit lonely, especially when you see something amazing that you want share with someone else. For example, the other day when I was in Surfer's Paradise, I watched the sunset on the beach which was beautiful. As there was no one to say this to (apart from a strange, slightly overweight man doing star jumps, who quite frankly I didn't want to engage in conversation) I just had to take a photo, which is never really the same as seeing the real thing. It can also be quite tiring, especially if you're moving around quite regularly, as in order to make friends you have to make an effort all the time. Not just to be friendly, but to be normal as well!! Its definitely been an effort trying to hide all my quirks that hopefully my friends at home find endearing, but strangers definitely wouldn't. Such as my nack of telling very pointless stories. That certainly does not help on the making new friends front.

Despite this though, there are positives to travelling alone. You get to call the shots and decide where and when you want to go places. There have definitely been some places that I have been glad to move on from, sometimes a bit earlier than intended, where other people might have loved. Its also great because sometimes you just want some alone time, and you can do that without worrying about leaving another person on their own. The main positive though is that being on your own makes you more approachable to other travellers. Even though people told me that loads of people travel alone, I was still surprised at just how many do. I was also surprised that it's usually girls that travel alone, whereas boys tend to travel in pairs (and actually, the ones that travel alone are often a bit strange! Not always though, I must hastily add). As everyone is doing more or less the same route, you keep bumping into the same people in various hostels or on different buses along the way. I seemed to keep bumping into this one couple loads bewteen Byron Bay and Brisbane, and its nice to see a couple of familiar faces, even if you don't even know their names! I have met a couple of really nice people who I know will be in the same place as me at around the same time further up the coast, so its definitely a comfort to know that I'll have someone to hang out with later on.

Its amazing the sorts of friendships you make while your travelling. Most of the time, when you meet people you only ever see them for about two days, but in that time, you can build friendships almost as strong as ones back home (albeit, not as long lasting) mainly because you have to. I have been on a couple of nights out with people I have literally met a couple of hours before, yet once we've all got a couple of drinks down us, it feels as if we've known each other forever. And as quickly as you met them, you move on, with the high possiblilty that you'll never see each other again. It does make a night out a lot more exciting.

I have to say that travelling alone has had its highs and lows. I'm finally getting into the swing of meeting people, and as a result I definitely feel a lot more confident in social situations. I think I'm going to enjoy my next few weeks travelling, but I am most certainly looking forward to getting home and having a more familiar night out with friends I've known longer than an hour!

I come from a land down under. Where beer does flow and men chunder.

I'm in Australia!!! Well I have been for the last two weeks but this is the first chance I have had to actually sit down and write about it. So far I have been to Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Surfer's Paradise (definitely not what it sounds like...loads of sky scrapers and not many surfers!). Whilst I've been here I have been trying to draw similarities with New Zealand and in fact Ben, who had the pleasure of putting me up in Sydney, asked which I preferred. The answer is that there is no comparison. Both places are so different. New Zealand is all about the scenery whereas here, its all about the surf. Well, surf among other things but the whole way of life is very different here. It's so much more laid back. As far as travelling goes, Australia is definitely more party orientated as well, which is fun but not very good for the purse strings!

So I started my Aussie Experience in Melbourne. It not a big city, but to be fair I didn't spend that much time in the city. Melbourne is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road which is about 300km of scenic coastal driving. I decided this had to be done, so took a day trip which, although provided some great photo ops(especially of the 12 apostles- 12 massive rock formations in the ocean, looks better than it sounds,)was overall slightly disappointing. I mean after a while, each bit of coast line looks much like the next. Definitely not something you need to spend 14 hours looking at! I imagine if you were with some friends and had your own car it would be much more fun, but as it was I was with 14 strangers in a rather uncomfortable mini bus. The next day I took another day trip to Phillip Island which was much better. I got to hand feed some kangaroos ( who are deceptively big and can be slightly terrifying...they have massive feet!), and watch the penguin parade. This is when hundreds of tiny little penguins waddle up the beach after a hard day's fishing. They were so cute! And it was very tempting to smuggle one into my bag. I really don't think anyone would have noticed...

In Sydeny I caught up with Ben and saw all the major sights, including the Opera House, The Bridge and of course Toronga Zoo- the main attraction!! Everything in Sydney is very expensive, in fact its expensive everywhere in Australia. Especially food, which is rather annoying. Apparently its because people get paid so much here. Someone working in McDonalds here can earn about $14 an hour! I am seriously considering moving here permanently! The lifestyle is so different to home especially in Sydney. I think its because although it's a major city, within 10 minutes on the train you can be on a beach. Everyone is so chilled out as a result. I've also noticed that everyone is so fit here! I did the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk which takes you about 1.5km along the coast, passing through different beaches. Almost everybody that passed me was jogging. Most of them men. Most of them topless...yes there's definitely an attraction to living in Australia!

So from Sydney I moved onto Byron Bay ( I survived the 12 hour bus trip) which was good fun- met a lot of people there, had a couple of good nights out- but definitely glad I only stayed for a couple of days. Byron is basically about the beach and the nightlife, and for the two days I was there, it rained almost constantly. Definitely not beach weather. Its pretty much the same here in Surfers' (again, more rain) except there are quite a lot of good shops. Not so great for living on a budget.

I'm moving steadily up the coast and have a few activities planned, namely camping on Fraser Island (don't worry, I opted for the campsite that has a flushing toilet and a shower) and two days sailing the Whitsundays. I'm praying for good weather there though as I imagine two nights on a boat in rough waters could potentially be memorable for all the wrong reasons...

New Zealand: The Highs. The Lows

I've left the land of the Kiwi's (named after the birds we discovered) and am now officially down under. I thought I'd give a little sum up of the highs and lows of our New Zealand adventure, so...

Highs:
Colin the campervan, of course. It goes without saying that he was the hero of the holiday. So trustworthy, didn't break down once despite the slight battering we gave his left wing mirror.

Location-wise, Queenstown was by far the best place we stayed, purely for its young, lively vibe. The mighty Fergburgers also played a role in shooting this town to number one, along with the teapot cocktails that we slightly regretted the next day. Wellington came a close second though, again for the fact that there was a bit more life in the city and it actually contained more than a petrol station and convenience store.

We saw so many beautiful things, and of all the tourist attractions we visited, Milford Sounds was the one that definitely lived up to the hype. Truly beautiful and so peaceful. The drive to Wanaka was also amazing. The scenery was so dramatic mountains and waterfalls surrounding the road. Incredibly awe inspiring and has actually made me want to sit down and watch Lord of the Rings (possibly even the extended version) which I would never normally contemplate doing.

Lows:
Well the main one was the lack of shower. Going three days without a shower was a novelty at first, but after the third time I just felt disgusting. Also, the stealth missions into hostels just to use the facilities did get rather tiring after a while.

Another low was the weather. Although it didn't rain all the time it was permanently cold, and none of us were really prepared clothes wise. Night times were the worst as Colin literally turned into a freezer- you could see your breath. The weather did add to the atmospheric feel of the place though allowing for some very dramatic photos.

All in all though, the three weeks in New Zealand were really good fun. I would definitely recommend the whole campervanning experience as it makes getting around such a sparsely populated country so much easier. I think the girls would agree with me too.

So now I'm in Australia, starting the next leg of my adventure alone. Don't worry though, I've only been here for one night and have already made a couple of friends and consumed far more alcohol than I ever intended to. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come...

Rule Britannia...

We're coming to the end of our New Zealand Trip with only two more sleeps in Colin the campervan. The last week has been pretty chilled out after the manic driving round South Island to make sure we saw all the top tourist attractions. We have even managed to stay in one place for more than one night!

Our trip to Milford Sounds last Tuesday was lovely: so peaceful, and we had the perfect weather for it, cold but sunny with an incredibly blue sky. I think I almost took more photos on the 2 hour boat trip than I have the whole time I've been in New Zealand! After staying another night in Te Anau (where we were rudely told to move on by some locals, and we defiantly decided to stay put) we moved on to Queenstown and booked into a holiday park for three whole nights! Such luxury. We definitely made the most of the shower facilities that's for sure. Queenstown is very different to most of the other places we've been to in New Zealand. Although still rather small compared to most of the towns and cities in England, it is very vibrant and full of young people. Right up our street. In the winter it is a ski resort, and although we are between seasons it definitely had the apres ski feel (not that I would know, I'm just taking Lottie's word for it!) The first thing we did when we arrived was to try out the legendary Fergburger that the girls had heard so much about in Australia, and it truly was legendary. The burgers themselves were massive, and we made the mistake of ordering fries as well. As a result we could not move for the rest of the day!

My sister and Jason (aka bro-in-law) also happened to be in Queenstown at the same time as us so came along to see what living out the back of a van was like. They were considerably better dressed for the weather than we were with warm jumpers and thick coats which were definitely needed in the freezing temperatures (it got down to minus 2 at one point- not the sort of temperatures I had in mind for my sunny round the world trip). I think they were pretty glad of the comforts of their motel once they had seen the pig sty we have been living in!

Whilst we were in Queenstown, one of the most important events the world had seen this decade, nay century occurred. That is of course, the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And although we were, of course, not in the homeland, we weren't going to let that stop us getting all patriotic and teary eyed. Our original plan was to buy some scones, drink tea and generally be very British in the back of our van. Apparently though, the Kiwi's don't have the same passion for scones as we do and we couldn't really find any that were up to scratch. Instead we thought, sod it, why not? Lets go for another Fergburger. Let's unite the Kiwi traditions with British, afterall we both share the Queen as our Head of State. So that's what we did. This time I opted for for a Southern Swine burger, which had bacon as well as beef. I'm not sure this made it anymore British, but I like to think it did. We settled down in our campervan at 19:30 New Zealand time and did not move until gone 1 am, except for a tactical toilet break just before Kate emerged from the Rolls Royce, looking stunning of course. The New Zealand news channel covering the wedding actually broadcast the BBC coverage so thankfully Huw was able to lead through the events beautifully. It was a great night, and after the coverage was over, we all plotted how to snare Harry. If Kate the commoner can do it, why can't we. So once we return to England we are all going to be stalking Harry's every move.

Anyway, after the excitement of the wedding was over we headed to Lake Tekapo for a couple of days. The thing we have found about New Zealand is how small everywhere is. On the map, they fool you into thinking these places are going to be massive by writing the names in bold lettering. In reality, most of these places are simply a few coffee shops, a convenience store and a petrol station. There isn't even anywhere to buy clean knickers! Nightmare. I have to say, as much as I have enjoyed spending the last two and a half weeks with trusty Colin, when we had to undertake another stealth operation to shower in the local YHA which was tiny and therefore made it very obvious we were intruders, I realised, I cannot wait to stay somewhere where you can just roll straight out of bed and into a shower. I'm also looking forward to somewhere that doesn't rock violently when someone turns over in the night. Thanks Colin, for your trusty service, but I'm kind of looking forward to saying goodbye to you. Sorry.

A Basic Guide to Campervanning

We arrived in South Island early Friday morning and have already covered quite a lot of ground. Literally. On Friday we drove to Abel Tasman National Park which was very picturesque. Very much 'picture postcard' land. We got a sea taxi around some of the coastline, and saw some seals before bing dropped at one of the beaches so we were able to walk back to the campervan. It was an 8 mile walk. I haven't walked that much in a long time, but actually it wasn't too bad. We did it in just over 3 hours. I like to think that was a record, though in reality probably far from it. We've also visited some caves and a glacier, but the weather has been pretty bad so we didn't actually get to see much of the glacier. Everyone says its 'spectacular' though, so I suppose we'll just have to believe them.

Since this is a campervanning holiday, I suppose I should talk a bit about life on the road. It's great. Really great, as it means we have complete freedom to just take off and leave a place on the spur of the moment if the weather is crap (which we've been doing quite a lot lately). The only time it gets a bit dodgy is when we have to find somewhere to park up for the night. Because we have a toilet and cooking facilities in our van, we are able to freedom camp, i.e park up wherever we like, unless it says otherwise. This has resulted in us staying in a wide variety of places, some lovely, some not so. So since we've arrived, we've stayed in two campervcan sights- lovely but we had to pay, down by a river- free but very cold, a pay and display carpark- that was a bizarre experience- and also a couple of roadsides. On Friday night, we decided to freedom camp on a lay-by on a mountain road, just outside the caves we were planning to visit. When we pulled up, I have to say I was slightly reluctant to stop, as it had all the makings of a horror movie...four girls, alone, on top of a mountain....great. We managed to shake of the fear, although when Vicky and I had to go out to turn the gas supply off, it was quite terrifying...it was literally pitch black . I don't think I've experienced darkness like it before! After that little expedition, our evening of horror took a turn for the worse. At about midnight, a massive storm started. There were gale force winds and torrential rain. At several points throughout the night we genuinely thought the campervan would topple over. We were also worried, because none of us could remember whether we had parked at the edge of a cliff...definitely something you should check before pulling up for the night! We managed to survive the trauma, however the weather has sadly not improved much.

Aside from the occasional scary nights on the streets, the whole campervanning experience is great. It means we can spend whole days in our pyjamas if we like, as a lot of the time we are just driving. We do in fact do this quite a lot. I'm actually surpised at how quickly I've let myself go, especially as the only people I see are the girls I'm travelling with. Most of the places we go are so remote that you're lucky to see a sheep let alone anyone who might judge your hygiene! I stopped wearing make up after the first day, and dry shampoo is my new best friend. I haven't showered in 3 days, and you know what I'm fine with it. In fact, bring on day 4! Judge me all you like, but it's so easy to do! The whole living in pyjamas did get me into trouble last night however. When we arrived at Franz Josef, Vicky and I went in search of a payphone and thought we'd try the pub across the road. Unfortunately it wasn't until I had walked through the door that I remembered I was wearing my pj's, and by that I don't mean a pair of old trackies that could pass for day wear, no I mean polka dots! And to make matters worse, the pub we walked into was really busy and filled with mildly attractive men. Mortifying! We quickly established there was no pay phone, and got out of there... maybe no one noticed?

Anyway, we're on the road for the next few days as we make our way down to Milford Sounds. I cannot actually convey to you all in words how beautiful this country is. All afternoon we've been driving through massive valleys surrounded by huge tree covered mountains, with mist lingering around them. The views are literally breathtaking. I had to give up taking photographs as I just wanted to take one every corner we turned (and the roads are very winding!). It also feels so vast as there popultaion is so small. You can drive for miles without seeing any sign of civiliztion, you meet another car maybe once every twenty minutes and you can drive for a good hour without seeing a road sign. This can be quite disconcerting as often we wonder if we're driving the right way, but most of the time there is only one road we can follow. I expect we'll have maybe more amazing drives over the next few days. I can't wait.

Land of the Kiwi...fruits?

I arrived in Auckland on Friday and had my first ever hostel experience which was mildly terrifying. When I arrived I was shown to my room (nice but very tiny) where someone was still in bed, which was fine but I didn't really know what to do, so I just grabbed some fresh clothes and darted out the door. I managed to make it into Auckland city centre but realised I had no idea what to do once there as I had left the trusty Lonely Planet Guide behind in my panic to get out of the hostel. Luckily the main tourist attraction in Auckland is very visible- the Sky Tower, which is by far the biggest building in the city. Once at the top the views were amazing, not only of the beautiful landscape, but also of people doing the terrifying Sky Tower drop. This basically involved lowering a poor soul down in front of the viewing tower for everyone to gawk at and holding them there a few moments before dropping them to the ground. Rather them than me! Pretty soon after this I headed back to the hostel and managed to survive the night pretty unscathed.

On Saturday I met up with the girls (Vicky, Lottie and Hannah) and we picked up the campervan- our home for the next three weeks. It was a very exciting moment, well documented with plenty of photos. I'm actually pretty impressed the campervan: much better than I imagined. Its small and compact but surprisingly roomy and fits us all in pretty comfortably. Even the toilet is not too gross, although we had to empty it for the first time yesterday. Not an experience I am looking forward to repeating, though we will have to. I'm definitely learning to love public toilets!

So since we've been in New Zealand we have done a whistle stop tour through North Island. From Auckland we went to Rotoroua- a town famous for its Mauri heritage and thermal springs, which makes it lovely but very smelly. The thermal springs emit a Sulphorous gas which smells of eggs. Delightful. ALthough it is supposed to be very good for your skin. Apparently staying in the town for the day is like having a mini facial!

On Monday we were in Taupo which is home to the biggest lake in North Island (possibly New Zealand? Will have to consult Lonely Planet for this though). Vicky and Lottie did a bungy jump here- the highest water touch bungy in the world. Lottie touched the water, Vicky was fully emersed! Hannah and I refrained from the excitement, instead taking the role of photographers, very unsuccessfully. The weather here has been very unpredictable, much like England. It was freezing yesterday and absolutely tipping it down, which luckily didn't ruin our plans to visit the outdoor thermal pools in the afternoon which were lovely. Today has been brighter and warmer as we've headed to Wellington, but we've been told to make the most of it as the weather is only going to get colder as we head further south. Apparently there is snow in Queenstown already, but hopefully it will be gone by the time we arrive next week. I left England for some sun, but apparently you can escape the country, but you can't escape the weather!

Big Buddha, Little Buddhas

I’m leaving Hong Kong today for New Zealand. It’s been a fun week, and as I mentioned I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved the city. I imagine it’s a great place to live and work as there is such a lively atmosphere and it is definitely a city that does not sleep! But with regards to sightseeing one week is definitely enough time to see all the main sights, so in a way I am looking forward to moving onto New Zealand and a new adventure.

So Monday I visited the Peak. I did the very touristy thing of taking the tram up there which is worth doing. It was quite a hairy ride at some points though as the route up there is incredibly steep, but apparently in the whole time it’s been running, I think over one hundred years, there hasn’t been an accident which is good to know! It’s definitely worth it once you get to the top though as the views are stunning. Hong Kong often has quite a hazy atmosphere (I imagine it’s a combination of humidity and pollution) so sometimes is hard to see a great distance from the Peak. Luckily it wasn’t too bad when I went up so I got some good snaps. The size of the sky scrapers and the sheer amount of them still leaves me in awe, even after being here a week. It’s beautiful at night.

On Tuesday I went to Lantau Island and up to the village of Ngong ping, home to the Big Buddha and the Po Lin monastery. Again, I was very touristy and took the cable car up, and again it was so worth it. I did have to queue for over an hour for it though, but the views were amazing. Is definitely not for people who are scared of heights though, that’s for sure, as its 35 minutes of dangling above sea and mountains! Once at the top you can visit the little village, which is obviously set up for the tourist trade with lots of souvenir shops. You can also climb up the steps to the Big Buddha. There are a hell of a lot of steps, but I did it and I think my legs are the better for it. In fact Hong Kong in general is pretty hilly so my legs have has a real work out, that is when I haven’t been using the escalators. Normally where there are stairs there are escalators too, for the very lazy. Sadly not up to the Buddha though. Once at the top, the views are amazing. I was slightly sad though at how touristy this place is. There is actually a restaurant inside the Buddha! How gimmicky! But there were Buddhists visiting, and for them this was probably a real pilgrimage and I imagine it was somewhat ruined by all the people taking photos and posing with Buddha. Also for the monks that live in the monastery. Probably the reason the monastery was built up in Ngong Ping was to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the town below and to live peacefully with nature. That has most definitely been ruined by the easy cable car ride up there! Having said that, it was worth a visit and like I say, I got some great photos which I suppose makes me just as guilty of exploiting this beautiful village!

Yesterday, on my last full day in Hong Kong I went over to some of the markets in Mong Kok on Kowloon. I managed to pick up a couple of bargains at the Ladies Market and even tried out my bartering skills. I say this, but I didn’t have to do much to get the original price knocked down, just say I’d think about it, which makes me think that it wasn’t much of a bargain at all and in fact the price I paid was all it was worth anyway! Still it was fun, although as soon as I started to show some interest in anything, I was pounced on by the stall owner and before I knew it I was entering into some hard bargaining for something I didn’t really want. In the end it was easier to just keep walking.
So it’s been an exciting week in Hong Kong and as I said, although I’ve really enjoyed myself, I’m looking forward to New Zealand. From what people have said its very much like Britain, so hopefully might be like a home from home! I have a feeling I’ll be doing lots of walking, so thank god I bought more sensible shoes before I left. I’m also very much looking forward to the whole ‘campervanning’ experience, although four girls in a rather small space for three weeks may well be a recipe for disaster. I’ll let you know how it goes.

"Erm..Do you speak English?"

I’m in Honky!! I arrived four days ago, and after a pretty boring and long flight the adventure really began when I discovered that my mobile phone does not work outside of Britain. Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t worry me too much, in fact I quite like being uncontactable sometimes, however I was supposed to be contacting Natalie, my sister- in- law and host for the week , to arrange a time and place to meet. Panic did set in slightly when I tried to use a payphone, but couldn’t work out how to dial her Hong Kong number (resulting in a hilarious voicemail on her English phone). Thankfully a lovely Chinese man showed me how and I managed to meet up with Natalie fairly easily. Crisis averted.

So impressions of Hong Kong so far: Everything is massive- there are so many sky scrapers – transport is dirt cheap, even taxis, everything is so clean and efficient, especially the MTR (the equivalent of the Tube), and everyone is so friendly. So many people speak English and all signposts and markings are translated into English so it is really easy to get around. I’ve also noticed that there are still a lot of British influences, maybe because there is still a large number of Brits living here. Even the way people dress is very similar to England; none of the mullets and fanny packs you get with the Europeans and Americans.

Another thing I found out pretty soon after arriving is that Hong Kong is party central! Although alcohol is quite expensive here (more so even than in London) it doesn’t seem to stop people drinking and having a good time! On Friday evening Natalie took me to Lan Kwai Fong, an area full of bars in the Mid-levels part of Hong Kong Island. It has a real holiday feel to it, with the party spilling out onto the streets and people wandering from bar to bar. This goes on all night, but despite this there was no drunken brawling and everyone still remained pretty civilised. I think this is characteristic of Hong Kong Island more than the mainland and other parts of Hong Kong as Natalie and I discovered on a little trip to Macau.

We were very excited about our trip to Macau, which felt like a mini holiday, as in order to get there you have to go through passport control before getting on the ferry which meant getting another stamp in our passports- always a good thing. However, when we arrived our excitement lessened when we realised that getting anywhere on the island was going to be hard. No one really spoke English, and people were quite unfriendly (at one point we got kicked out of a taxi in frustration because the driver couldn’t understand what we were saying.)It made me realised how spoilt we were back on Hong Kong Island, and also how ignorant I, and a lot of English people, are when it comes to languages. A lot of the time, I think we assume people will speak English so don’t make the effort to even attempt to learn the language of the country we are in. So, Macau is famous for being the Las Vegas of Hong Kong with many casinos which attract mainly Chinese tourists as gambling is illegal on the mainland. As a result, there were few English tourists unlike on Hong Kong Island. The gamblers here also seem to take it quite seriously, so Natalie and I decided to skip the casinos and hit the old town in search of restaurants and bars instead. Our evening took a turn for the worse when we tramped around the old town looking for a place to eat that was recommended by Lonely Planet. We could not find it anywhere and eventually we were forced to give up and take refuge in a Portuguese restaurant after a creepy man accosted us on a dark street. This actually worked out for the best as the waiter here was very friendly and gave us directions written in Chinese to a good bar area. The evening seemed to pick up again, until we were once again accosted by more creepy men, this time Portuguese and VERY old. When one of them began to tell me he wanted to have a child with me (he was 70, at least) we knew it was time to get out of there! We definitely learnt from this experience that girls should avoid going to Macau without a man present, and preferably take one that speaks Chinese. Despite all this we did actually have quite a lot of fun, though we were definitely thankful to get back to the civilised Hong Kong Island the next day.

I only have three days left before I leave for New Zealand. I have managed to see quite a lot of the Island and taken lots of snaps, and so far it has exceeded my expectations and surprised me in many ways. I didn’t think I would like Hong Kong as much as I do. Hopefully I’ll get over to Lantau Island tomorrow to see the Big Buddha and across to Kowloon tonight for the night markets...I wonder if these trips will be as eventful as the trip to Macau?

It's the Final Countdown

So, three days until I set off on my travels. In some ways this time has come round so quickly, but the last few weeks, however could not have gone slower! I have spent a hell of a lot of time watching television to cope with the boredom of waiting! I got really into The Good Wife, great US courtroom drama series, and once I’d powered through 2 full series’ of that in a matter of days, Gilmore Girls became my life (incredibly guilty pleasure I’m slightly embarrassed to admit).

Despite all this tv watching and general lazing about, I have managed to progress on the travel preparations. I have practiced packing twice (I am a keeno, I realise, but it has made me realise I will definitely need to reassess the clothes situation if I am to avoid sustaining some sort of injury whilst away!), I have had my hair cut in what I hope is whimsical, hippy style- just like the pictures you see in magazines of cool people travelling- and I have been to the dentist so hopefully there will be no need for any emergency dentistry in back of beyond Australia!

Of course, I have been doing some proper preparation as well. I have a rough idea of what I want to see and do in most of the countries I am visiting, based on what people tell me I absolutely must see. So…

Hong Kong: MUST see the Big Buddha (but avoid the charging bull at the bottom, apparently), take a trip on the Star Ferry at night, gamble my spending money away in Macau, check out some of the famous night markets and maybe take a cheeky little trip over the Chinese border to Shenzhen (although I’m still not entirely clear if I need a visa….this trip could have a messy ending!)

New Zealand: MUST do the Coast to coast walk in Aukland, go to Hobbiton, the Lord of the Rings set, aka Matamata, walk the Tongariro Crossing, visit the Franz Josef Glacier and relax at Lake Tekapo. This leg of my trip appears to involve, in my opinion, an unhealthy amount of walking or as the Lonely Planet Guide likes to call it ‘Tramping’ (definitely not what it sounds like) so may have to buy some proper shoes. I don’t think converse will cut it.

Australia: Starting in Melbourne, I am DEFINITELY going to do the neighbours tour, even if it’s for no one else but my superfan Grandma! Then a little road trip along the Great Ocean Road before I hit Sydney. From there I am basically doing the backpackers’ route up the East coast: Byron Bay, Brisbane, Whitsunday Islands and Cairns.

Fiji: MUST lie on a beach for a week.

USA: LA: heard it’s not the nicest bit of California so I’ll try and make friends with the 90210 cast and hit Beverly Hills. If that fails, I’ll probably just lie on a beach again, maybe hit the wineries of the region. Definitely planning a trip to Las Vegas (although according to CSI, there is a high chance that something sinister will happen here), and apparently San Diego is a must see place. Again I might take a cheeky trip over the border to Mexico, although from what I’ve heard, I’m not sure Tiajuana is going to be my cup of tea, but carpe diem, I suppose! Final stop San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge, and Alkatraz.

By this time I’ll probably be so exhausted from slumming it in hostels for 3 months that I’ll be crying to come home. The thought of it at the moment is actually making me take to my bed to stock up on sleep! Then again, I may actually love life on the road and decide not to come back…unlikely, but you never know.

Anyway, I’ll try and keep you all informed over the next 3 months as to how many of my ‘must sees’ I actually get to see. Bet you can’t wait!

"Home Taping is Killing Music"

I’m on holiday at the moment. Now that I have a full time job I really look forward to my holidays, more so than I ever did when I was at university (the ‘rents will tell you that that is because my time at university was one long holiday, though I beg to differ). I am calling this a holiday, but really it is just a week where I do absolutely nothing. Apart from a little trip to Manchester to visit friends, I plan to do absolutely naff all. It’s during this sort of break that I like to catch up on things I don’t get to do when I am at work, like listening to music. When I was at uni I always used to have some sort of music playing in the background, whether it was the radio or my ipod, but since starting my job I have cut back on my listening hours.

Today I have been listening to Sleigh Bells (an edgy punk duo from New York whose music is v guitar heavy. Love it), James Blake’s debut album: soulful, electronic, beautiful. Album highlight, in my opinion: Measurements. At this very moment, I am enjoying Rumer. Nominated for the British Breakthrough Artist at this year’s Brit Awards and dubbed as the next Norah Jones, her voice, to me, is very reminiscent of Karen Carpenter. Lovely. All of this music has been brought to me through Spotify. This amazing software has completely changed my life, as it means, if I choose, I never have to buy music again. Well, as long as I have my laptop and internet access. It’s a great way to check out new artists without having to spend a single penny. Although it’s great for the listener, how good is it for the artist and the music industry as a whole?

In fairness, Spotify is a great way for new artists to gain exposure, and as its main function is to allow listeners to stream music rather than download it, it is not as damaging as websites that allow people to download music illegally, for free. But it has got me thinking about how much technology has changed the way we listen to music. My generation is the last to have experienced the cassette and I remember when I was younger, taping songs I liked from the radio. I also remember having to listen to whole albums from start to finish, because rewinding and fast forwarding to exact songs was such a faff that it was hardly worth the effort! It has been a long time since I listened to an album in this way. If I listen to one these days I am constantly skipping tracks I don’t like, or re-listening to the songs I love. The thing I miss most about the good old days of cassettes and even the early days of CD’s, though, was the fact that you had to go down to the music shop to buy them. These days you have access to a whole range of music from the comfort of your bedroom. Most people’s music collection is far larger than the number of CD’s they actually own. Call me old fashioned, but I love owning the actual, physical disc. There is something that feels permanent about it; like the music can’t be lost. Unlike having your music in some virtual space on a hard drive in a computer, which feels far less secure to me. I fear, however, that the compact disc is heading towards the same end as the humble cassette: extinction.

And it’s not just the way we listen to music that is changing, but also the way we make and produce it. It seems a long time ago that people marvelled at Daniel Bedingfield’s Gotta Get Thru This which was produced in his own bedroom, but now everyone is at it! On the one hand, it does mean that many more talented people can release their music to the public, which is great, but what does it mean for the music industry as a whole? Is the record company becoming obsolete? As an area that I am looking into career wise, I hope it isn’t. I’m not sure how many people would agree with me though.

Goodbye 2010...Oh. Hello Australia.

2011. A new year. Well we’re 2 weeks in but this post is slightly delayed due to the fact that I have suffered the first mega cold of the year. Anyway, after much thought I have come to the conclusion that I much prefer New Year to Christmas. Christmas is a lovely time for the family which I do really enjoy, but I always find there is such a build up for a day that ends up being a bit of an anti- climax. Also, once Christmas is over with I always feel a sense of impatience for getting rid of the old year and bringing in the new one, and a hopefulness (nay, a certainty!), that the next year will be better. I don’t know why.

I used to be big on New Year’s resolutions: grow my nails, read more books, get fit etc. But after many failed attempts and unused gym memberships I have now learnt not to bother. This year, however, I decided that I need to get my life together. Since graduating from uni I have been drifting somewhat. As I mentioned in my first post I had these grand plans of going travelling, getting work experience and finding myself a job for when I get back. These were very much still in the planning stages and in fact, in the latter stages of 2010, there was a real danger that this was how they would remain, and that I would end up living at home working as a sales assistant forever! But it’s 2011 now and time for me to get a grip and I am pleased to inform you that my travel plans are almost a reality (route planned, and flights to be booked in the next few days) and I have started applying for work experience placements. I feel like I’m back on track.

The main thing holding me back on the travelling front was the fact that I was trying to find someone to go with. But having had several plans to go with various different people at different times, yet having not actually booked anything I realised that I may have to brave it alone. After a pep talk/harsh words from a couple of my oldest, dearest friends, I decided that it is what I should do. And now that I’ve made the decision I am excited, but also ever so slightly terrified. I know quite a lot of people go it alone, and that in reality you are never actually alone because if you do the proper traveller thing, that is using buses and roughing it in hostels, you meet loads of people and make lifelong friends. That’s the idea anyway. But there is a niggling of doubt that this may not happen for me and that I’ll probably end up being the girl on the bus that no one wants to sit next to. I had better start thinking of some good pick up lines if I am to lure some good travelling buddies!

The other worry I have is the actual day to day living side of travelling. Most of my friends and family know that I am not very good at slumming it- I don’t like camping, I can’t travel light and I am not the strongest of people (the idea of me carrying my life on my back for 3 months is laughable to most). But these sorts of trips are supposed to be life changing experiences are they not? And who knows, maybe I will come back a changed person. But if not, I am hoping that I can add a certain glamour to the whole backpacking image and have already starting flicking through Vogue for my must have items for next season. I just hope it doesn’t rain wherever I’m going. And even if my big life changing trip does go a bit Pete Tong, it’ll no doubt provide my dear friends with a good laugh.