catching up a little

It's been crazy busy here these last couple of weeks - with me getting back from my trip, immediately jumping into work, and then my friend arriving shortly thereafter.

I am now working [almost] full time at the Virus Research Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital. I like it a lot - I show up at 8am, and leave when I am finished with my work for the day, which can be as early as 1 pm, or as late as 330-4. Its very laid back, and I am pretty much on my own (unless I need help, and then my supervisor will show me what to do, or explain things to me). I will be working there for the entire semester - which means no classes ever again (AWESOME!). My project is looking at gonorrhoea and why it is becoming resistant to the one class of drugs that we currently have to treat it. So basically, I come in every day and prepare my samples, and program the machine, and set it all to run. The machine looks for mutations in the DNA which may be responsible for gonorrhoea's resistance to the antibiotics. And hopefully, when the research is all done, I will get to publish a paper *crosses fingers*

Other than that, I have been spending a lot of time with my friends! Two weekends ago, Mel, Jacqui, and I went to Greazefest (based on the movie) so it was all 50's cars, hairstyles, music, and fun! We had a really good time wandering around, listening to the music, and watching Mel get her hair done =)





They even had a dance floor in front of the stage, and luckily, I met one of the guys from swing dancing, so guess what we did?


About a week and a half ago, my friend, Andrea, arrived! I originally met her in Perth because she was traveling on the opposite trip from me (she had just come from SE Asia, and I was just going) so I invited her to stay at my place if she ever made it to Brisbane! And here she is! We have been having a lot of fun - last weekend we went to the Ekka, which is a big carnival/fair that Brisane has ever year.



I do have to say that I had never seen chainsaw racing before:


Me eating a dagwood dog (really just a corndog):


And the best part about the whole thing: the petting zoo! Tons of baby animals everywhere!








We also went to Surfers Paradise, and got lucky with some really nice (but cool!) weather.

Andrea sleeping on the beach:


You'd never be able to tell I wasn't in Miami (except for the beanie!)


And why its called Surfer's Paradise:


So thats whats been keeping me busy lately. And for your viewing pleasure, heres a picture looking down my street from the other night:



BTW, Andrea (the one that's related to me!) will be here in 22 days!

woo! internet 2 days in a row! amazing!

not too much new today.. we went to the killing fields yesterday and tuol sleng, which was the school that was turned into the prison. What an awful place, and what awful history. They built a monument to house skulls of some of the people who died in Pol Pot's regime (the Khmer Rouge) and it really makes you sad that people can be capable of such atrocities (and this was only 30 years ago).

We also went to a couple of markets yesterday, and the National Museum.

Today we are planning on going to the Palace, the Silver Pagoda, and getting manicures and pedicures done (4$ for both!). Veronika and I are also going to book tickets (or maybe a tour of the Mekong Delta) to get to Saigon, that will hopefully leave tomorrow. I want to be in Saigon by Wednesday to dance! Yay!

Yesterday morning, the minibus picked us up from our guesthouse, for the trip to the bus station. Veronika and I are heading to Phnom Pehn! So we get on the new bus, and it is supposed to be a 5 hour ride - leave at 730am, get in at 1230. Except that we needed to stop 3 times for toilet and food on this journey! Ugh! So we really didn't get in until about 1:30. Each time we stopped, we were swarmed by people asking us to buy things as soon as we got off the bus. "Miss, would you like to buy one of my books?" or "Miss, buy a postcard." etc etc. And when we arrived in Phnom Penh it was no better, except that now everyone was selling accommodation. It was so bad that you had to force your way off the bus and then they followed you, offering taxis. So finally we made it out of that mess, and flagged down a random tuk tuk, who still took us to a different place than the one we requested! But we said no, we really do want to go to the one we want, so he ended up taking us there.

Phnom Penh is a much bigger city than Siem Reap, but still just as poor, and just as dirty (both in garbage and dirt). There are no garbage bins anywhere, so garbage piles up on the streets, and when it rains (which is does every night because we are in the rainy season) the streets all floor because there is no drainage system whatsoever. We are constantly asked if we want a tuk-tuk or moto, and there are tons of children roaming the streets trying to sell things. Yesterday we were just walking around for a bit, and trying to find Wat Phnom. We got directions from one of the drivers, and then he followed us the entire way making sure we were going to correct way, and then giving us some history about it. All so that we would agree to book him as our personal driver for today.

And I have to say it worked. His English was pretty good, and he really wanted to drive us around all day to the Killing Fields, to the S21 museum, to the Palace and the markets. He is picking us up this morning at 9am, and dropping us back home whenever we are done - all for 15$. =\ We found out yesterday that his English is so good because he used to be a teacher, but gave it up because there is no money - he makes better money being a tuk-tuk driver. Awful.

The place we are staying is really nice. Veronika and I are sharing this huge room with two double beds, with air-con, and a fridge, and a huge bathroom with hot water, and even TOILET PAPER! Ahh, the luxury! Except we found that the electricity goes out randomly several times during the day for half an hour at a time (or more). Blech!

We are only staying in Cambodia until we get our visas for Vietnam. We applied for the yesterday, so we will have them back Monday night, and Tuesday we will be on a bus for Saigon. Which gives me a couple more days there before I fly home on Saturday!

Greetings from Cambodia!

Gosh, I don't even know where to start! I finally have some time on the internet, and soooo much to catch up on!

I booked at minibus from Bangkok to Siem Riep in Cambodia for 250 Thai Baht (the equivalent of 7.5$) So the minibus picked me up at 7am yesterday, and picked up a couple of others, and off to the border we went! Itw as about a 3 hour trip to the border - not bad at all. But then we had to wait for an hour or so while one of the other girls on the bus got her visa done. (Luckily, I already got my Cambodia visa while I was in Bangkok). At that point, we got back in the minibus, which took us to the border, where we had to get off and walk across on foot. No big deal - stamp out of Thailand and stamp into Cambodia.

But once we got to Cambodia, they took us to the bus station and there we waited in the dusty place, with no a/c, for hours on end. They kept telling us the bus was coming, the bus was coming, but then kept pushing back the time that it was going to come. (The whole plan of that is to frustrate people enough so that they take a taxi to the city, which costs about 80USD and is a three hour ride). Finally, after waiting for 2.5 hours, a bus actually showed up. So we all got on it and then waited on this non-airconditioned bus for some more time to pass (they were waiting for more people to show up so the bus would be full). Then they decided the because the bus wasn't full, they werent going to have someone drive it to Siem Riep. So we all got off the bus again. Bah!

However, one of the girls that I was on the minibus with spoke Cambodian! How fortunate for us! So she complained and complained, (because we bought tickets for the entire way) and finally they put the 3 of us from the minibus into a taxi... and then added 2 others!

So to say it was an uncomfortable ride would be an understatement. There were 4 of us in the back, traveling at fairly high speeds, over unpaved, rocky roads! Then, about halfway, we stopped, and all got out of the car, because one of the tires was hissing air! So then we waited some more at this little convenience type store while the driver took the car to get the tire changed (We were kinda worried he was going to disappear with our stuff).

But eventually it was fixed, and we arrived in Siem Reap. Veronica and I are sharing a very nice room for 15USD a night =) I couldn't believe how fantastic this place is. You know you've been traveling for entirely too long when you get excited about air-con, toilet paper in the bathroom, and hot water! I can't remember the last time I have had any of those luxuries! (All my last hostel had was bedbugs! YUCK! and freaking itchy!)

So today we hired a tuk tuk to drive us around the temples at Angkor Wat for the day. He will pick us up at 9am, and we have the taxi for the entire day... for a whopping price of 12USD. Crazy!

Still no pictures =(

I'm sitting here at an internet cafe in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is just downstairs from my hostel. KL is not a bad place, better than Singapore was, though more crowded and dirty, but more to see and do, I think. I met a fellow traveler this morning in the bathroom, so the two of us explored the city today, and ventured down to the Batu Caves. Still no pictures, because I can't plug in my memory card, but maybe at the next stop.

I had an awesome lunch of spicy beef and coconut rice, and am looking forward to dinner =) Everything is pretty cheap here - I'm staying in a 4 person down, and it costs about 4 bux a night, so thats pretty good. We went to the butterfly garden today, and the Batu caves, which was really neat, and who knows what's on the plan for tomorrow.

I arrived this morning at about 4am from Singapore on a bus. Didn't know where I was going to stay, but luckily there was a hostel right across the street. I have definitely had pretty good luck with everything, so I am hoping that continues. It will make for a very awesome trip!

Monday/Tueday in Singapore!

Hi All!

Its 9:10 am here in Singapore and I am slowly getting ready for the day. Its been a couple of very long days lately and last night I finally got more than 4 hours of sleep.

Yesterday I met Karla, and she and I explored the city. Its pretty, but as I had heard, a bit dull. Nothing too exciting about Singapore. Its not especially clean, not especially fantastic, so I won't be staying here too long. Karla and I wandered around, trekked through Little India which has lots of shops, and the Arab district, saw the Merlion (which was under construction for cleaning), walked through the Esplande, and worked on our tans ^_^. At about 4pm, we headed towards the Singapore Night Safari (which was a train ride to the bus station, and then a bus to the park). We had lunch in the mall in the bus station, and even though it was mall food, it was super yummy. We made it to the park, and I got my ticket, and met Charmain in line (who just so happened to be staying in our hostel at BetelBox)

Singapore Night Safari is really just a zoo (with nocturnal animals) in the dark, which sounded like a really neat idea. We went to a show, Creatures of the Night, which was one of the big things that the park advertises. It wasn't too bad, though it was kinda short. Afterwards, we walked some of the trails - a leopard trail, and a fishing cat trail. Then we hopped on the tram for a nice ride around all the other enclosures - saw tapirs, lotsa different kinds of deer, a couple of rhinos, some hippos, etc. It was kinda interesting, but you couldn't take any pictures because everything was in the dark! The whole zoo was kinda like playing "Where's Waldo" with the animals - they are not so easy to find in the dark =P

So today we are off to Sentosa Island, and I think tomorrow I am heading off to Melaka (Malacca/Melacca/ Malakka/etc) in Malaysia!

and on my way to singapore!

I havent had much time to update while here in Perth, and there is a charge for the internet, so I have been doing other things. But Perth was good - not too much to see in the city, but some good spots for dancing at night. I am looking forward to leaving the cold weather behind and seeing the sun again. Should be good!


My flight tonight is at 530pm, and I get into Singapore at 11pm. And I dont have a hostel, so hopefully it will work out!

Wednesday, June 25th

Greetings from not-so-sunny Perth!

I left my house yesterday morning at 5:40am, to catch the first bus of the day. I was running a couple minutes late and had to run for the bus stop, but I still made the bus - YAY! However, I missed the train by about an entire minute - I watched it pull away. But that was ok, because I was still plenty early, so I caught the next train, and made it to the airport.

The flight to Perth was uneventful - long though (5 hours and 15 minutes-ish). I called the hostel when I got here, and they gave me directions on how to get to the hostel. So I hopped on the shuttle and made it here without any problems. The weather yesterday was actually pretty nice, not nearly as cold as I was expecting. I hung out around the hostel for a while yesterday, got settled in, and then took a nap to sleep off a very bad headache.

After I got up from my nap, I hung out with some of the people here, and then we all went out. The Mustang Bar has a "backpackers night" on Wednesday nights, where you pay $5 to get in, and that includes a bar-b-que dinner and a pint of beer. Awesome deal. So I ate 2 yummy hotdogs and was stuffed - I didn't even finish the hamburger type thing. We stayed there all night, listening to the live band and dancing some. Good times! And then I got home about 2am, and started getting ready for bed.

Sundays are my Cooking Night

and this week, I will be eating the curry that I made:



My flatmate is the one who taught me and it is super easy to make, and absolutely fantastic. I made about 4 or 5 meals worth, when I then store in the fridge and reheat throughout the week. <3

This weeks curry:
several large potatoes (that are cubed and cooked in the microwave)
a can of corn
a can of 3 bean mix
an onion
chick peas
a tomato
garlic
various spices to taste (ground coriander, red chili pepper, tumeric, and salt)

All it takes is some grilling of the onion, and then you basically mix everything else in and thats it!

And when its all done:


OM NOM NOM

Classes have officially ended! Wahoo! ... but now I will be stuck at home writing my papers, and studying for the final exams. (One paper due Wednesday which I finished today, and one paper due Friday, which I haven't started yet.)

My exam schedule looks like:

Sat 14th June: Public Health (1:30pm)
Tue 17th June: Biological Lab Analytical Techniques (8:30am)
Fri 20th June: Mycology, Parasitology, Virology (1:30pm)
Mon 23rd June: Bacteriology (8:30am)
Tue 24th June: Foundations for Health Professionals (5:30pm)

And then I am outta here!

...

I thought this previous Thursday was my last day at work, but I received an email asking to me come in on Tuesday, which is good, because that is all I have planned for the week, except studying (and maybe a trip to the grocery store)

...

So this weekend was relaxed - I went into the city Friday evening and walked around Southbank. I went to the "Lifestyle Markets" which had a bunch of crafts and things for sale, but nothing tremendously exciting. Nearby, there was a jazz club with students from one of the universities performing.





I listened to that for a while, and it was pretty good, and eventually I caught the bus to go to swing. It started off slow tonight, but got much better. I danced with a bunch of people, and had a great time all around =) Two of my normal swing friends were MIA, but I got a ride home from Helen so I didn't have to take the bus home. Yays!

Saturday was just spent writing my paper, and playing on the internet. Still putzing around with my trip: where am I going, where am I staying, do I want to do this tour or that, how will I get there, etc etc. My latest plan is:

Brisbane -> Perth -> Singapore -> train to Phuket for some diving -> flight to Bangkok -> bus/train to Siem Riep, Cabodia -> bus/train to Phnom Pehn -> bus/train to Saigon

Today was much the same, except that I was looking into planning the trip around Australia when my sister comes to visit in September. *So super excited* I found what looks like an awesome awesome tour of Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, and Kata Tjuta, which includes sleeping in the middle of the desert, taking a swim in a billabong, and a camel ride.

And just in case you are not sure what Ayers Rock/Uluru is: