Open Season!

Even though I haven't posted near enough in the last few months I felt it would be fitting to celebrate the end of my travels (for now!) with one last blog post.

And I've opened the blog for everybody to read so I don't care who sees it! Although I haven't opened it up to search engines...would you believe there are people sad enough to employ minions to trawl the internet looking for mentions of their name? Talk about self-obsessed!

I returned home after a good 14 months of being away last Wednesday. It feels like the whole time I was away and the person I was, was just a dream. I saw so much and did so much and met some fantastic people. I also encountered the scum of the earth, but I suppose you have to take the good from the bad. It makes me appreciate the friends and family and good people I know even more after you have to deal with slimeballs or narcissists or liars and cheaters and people called Charlie. And my first impressions of him were correct he IS only mean to his staff. Mean and condescending and horribly rude and just downright ungrateful.
I do think working for a monster like him has scarred me, and I apologise for anybody in the future I bitch to about my time spent at that hell hole.

I'm a better person for it though, and in turn I can be a better person because (as if I didn't know already) it really shows you how not to do business and how not to conduct yourself. How not to treat the people you rely on is another good one.

On a more positive note, the fantastic people I've met along the way more than make up for the black hole which was my former employer. THese people have taught me things, showed me new perspectives and experiences and even cared for me. I am grateful that I even met them and if they ever find themselves in my neck of the woods I would very much like to repay the favour.

I've been to beautiful waterfront cities and icy wonderlands, been to dirty old towns and heaving cityscapes. People have asked me to pick a favourite but I can't because in a way they each had something that was my favourite.

I have a few regrets, but they mostly pertain to money and material possessions. I don't regret meeting any of the people I did (except for two of them) and given the chance there would be little I would do differently if I were to do it again. My big mistake I think would be buying return tickets then not using them, and not being as early with some travel preparations as I should have been. Not staying in the same room as a junkie-thief is something that was out of my control, unfortunately.

I probably will be bitter about some stuff for a long time, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy myself. I had a fantastic time just living and as I've said all along the most important thing to me is living the culture and the life of the place I am in. I only did a handful of tours while I was there, and only two of them were for more than one day. I'm proud of travelling solo and getting to all the places I got to, and I'm still chuckling at all the anecdotes and funny travel stories I have collected along the way.

Not everybody is cut out for travelling like this-but too many people don't give themselves the opportunity to find out. I have learnt so much about the world and the people who live in it along the way-and at the expense of what? Missing the latest season of Australian Idol? I am GLAD to have missed out on meaningless bullshit like that. You never realise how much the world is about more than just your little patch of earth until you leave it. It may be different for Americans and people from the UK but I realised Australia doesn't even register on most other countries radars, no matter how much our media and government try to tell us so. On the flip side, you may not realise how insular your country is until you go somewhere that doesn't report on the goings on from there...
One thing I loved, was watching an American news program and they had a section 'world news' and the entire section of the programme was dedicated to interstate events. Apparently in Alaska 'world news' means the lower 48 to them.

I love Australia I think it is an awesome country. But I don't have the rose coloured specs on like I had before. There are countries out there that do stuff way better than us. There are countries that some would argue are more beautiful than hours. There are people more friendly or hospitable than ours. I think Australia has a nice balance of everything, and I don't think I've come to anyplace yet where I would be content to settle down and live until my final days in.

But the world is a big place-I may just have to keep looking.

Thankyou everyone for reading and you never know I could be writing again soon ready for another adventure.
xxx Lisha

Penang, Malaysia

I don't want to sound ungrateful but I really would rather be elsewhere...I hate resorts and I really don't like being sunburnt. It's my fault I got sunburnt but not my fault we're here. The idea was for it to be a relaxing holiday but when I've spent the last year and a bit being 'on holiday' I just want to be home. Well, I want to be with Darren but if I can't be there then home is the next best place. I just can't enjoy myself while I miss him so much! Haven't been able to post for a while cos I haven't had regular net access and when I have, I seem to have forgotten my log in for it! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and posting over the many months-I appreciate it :). Happy days and all that-who knows where I'll go next. Suggestions welcome!

What are my favourite vegetables?

Asparagus, squash (pumpkin), zuccini, potato, beef.

Ulston

View from opposite kfc in penrith of the snow out ulston way....it's so pretty here. And getting cold. Nothing compared to what i've seen before but i feel less prepared for this cold :(. Also feeling homesick i want to be home now..,

Cheltenham races

I cant believe nobody dressed up with facsinators or anything! I felt right out of place when i turned up with a head thingy and all the girls were wearing jeans and ugg boots...all the lads were in flat caps though. It's like races here are all about the winnings and not the show-unlike aussie races. I won £120 although i came out about even... Oh well-it was all fun!

Look what I found!

On the ground outside...lucky me! Going to Cheltenham races this weekend so I hope that's not all my luck gone. Can you believe it's been a whole wear since I left? The time has gone so quickly I don't feel ready to come back home- there is still so much to see and do! Darren bought me a gift certificate for the hairdressers because I was moaning about my damaged hair so I'm off to my appointment now. Hope everyone is alright (or, areeet, as they say over here...)
Xxx Lisha

No photoshop involved.

And the english wonder why their food isn't more popular around the world...

One reason to love Stockholm...

They have V energy drink here! I love this stuff and haven't seen it for 10 months since I left australia. As soon as I cracked it the familiar sickly sweet scent and taste were the same as I remembered it...when I was at subway especially I used to drink so much-two bottles for $3 was dangerous. Now, I had this little can and it kept me up all night! That, and worrying about how I'm going to get back to England from here. But that's all sorted and I didn't have any V today so I should sleep like a pig tonight! Anyway, back to 10 months...that's a scary thought...think about it, somebody could have fallen pregnant and had their baby all in the time I've been away and I would have missed the whole lot. It's bad enough I've missed my brother engagement but pretty much apart from that and the baby all that's happened has been bad stuff like people dying! I suppose life goes on whether I'm there for it or not so just as well I'm not there for the bad stuff and hopefully good things start happening again once I get home.
Ergh this has to be the lamest blog ever- I apologise!
i'm just getting worried because my time over here is running out and I'm scared I'll be lost when I get back home. A few of the paddys crew will be in sydney in december so that will make it a bit easier but as much as I like travelling I like putting roots down and becoming familiar with a place and making connections there. I like the stability...it's comforting when you're a long way away from 'home'. I should leave it and think about it later. Enjoy the rest of my time away while I still can.
I didn't get to go to Octoberfest...not the opening weekend at least. Didn't get to go to Helsinki, either...which is a real shame but there will be other times I'm sure. However I get to go to Oslo, Norway which is cool. Munchs 'The Scream' is there so I could go see that! It's getting late so I had better get off to sleep.
Take care all! Will post with photos when I get a chance.
xxx LISHA

And what does one put on massive swedish flatbread?

They love stuff in tubes here. Tubes like these or those plastic tubes that chubb dog food sausage comes in. Anyway, these turned out to be filled with flavoured butters. I was hoping it would literally be bacon or lobster or stilton paste. So yeah...that was my trip to the supermarket. I would have bought swedish meatballs but since the boat hostel doesn't have a kitchen i wouldn't be able to cook them.

What is this?

Massive swedish flat bread...with a picture of the traditional wooden horse of sweden.

Ri-friggin-diculous

€150 for being 10kg over? Stupid ryanair only lets 15kg on flights. 10kg is nothing. I bet the guy behind me weighed more than 10kg above me but because it's no his gut he doesn't get charged? I bought souvenirs with my money not cakes and pies and i have to pay THAT MUCH cos it's in my pack not on my gut? I posted over 10kg of stuff home today as well! Didn't pay as much as €150 for it either. Should have posted more if i had realised :( stupid ryanair...€15 for the first 10kg then €15 per kg thereafter. Angry!

Breakfast, paddys style

Most delicious breakfast...not least cos i was very hungover that morning...

By request...

The smashed tyre that i had to change the other day...the hubcap didn't fit back on so when the bosses saw it they didn't realise it's a new tyre (that was fully inflated and not flat like the old one) they just thought i had hit something and lost the wheelcover!!

See, I am eating right!

We cooked dinner tonight...roast lamb, veges with cheese sauce, baked potatoes, and a boiled egg. Yummmmo!

Travels!

Well, my time at Paddywagon has almost come to a close. I had to give a date for when I wanted to finish up so against my earlier wishes I chose 31st August. It's not like I have any set plans after that I have to be out in time for...it's just an arbitrary date.

So, I thought I might go drop off my bags and stuff with Darren and go somewhere cool for a week. Right now I can get return flights to Stockholm for £20, so that looks like a winner. I'd also really like to go to Morocco but I don't think I can get affordable flights there. Plus I heard Morocco is quite similar to Turkey so I'd like to go somewhere a bit different.

Just having a week out and about travelling by myself again (like old times?) and chilling out. Taking photos, buying tacky souvenirs to post back home, checking out beautiful scenery and food and culture. If I can get some money coming back in I think that's a plan for the next few months, to keep Penrith as my base and just take week long side trips. Paris would be fantastic but I would like to be there with someone else, you know? It's a shame Pierre who lives here with us has just gone back to France for a week now, otherwise I'd tag along with him when he went back-that would be the coolest...I love seeing different places from the perspective of the locals. I don't know why I'm so anti-tourist, because I love my Lonely Planet just as much as the next money-belt-toting, socks-and-shorts-wearing, padlocks-on-all my-zips brand of tourist.

When I was waiting about in Belfast on Wednesday I saw an advert for jobs picking apples in Co. Armagh. I'm going to call them up and see if it pays cash and if it does I'll do that for the first few weeks of September for a laugh then get on with my travels. Just as long as I'm not spending as much as I'm bringing in then I will be ok. And as long as I have all my accommodation paid for in advance! That's the only thing that saved me from sleeping on the streets in New York city when I ran out of money.

I have to say though, that I really hate Dublin.

Like, really really.

I'm so glad I came here because there are so many fantastic people I wouldn't have met otherwise and so many awesome things I've gotten to do because I've been over here but what's not to say that if I had gone somewhere else I wouldn't have met equally as awesome people or done just as cool things? Your experiences are what you make of them...I've been lucky to be in the right place at the right time for a few things, and to have gone out and looked for interesting situations but if I can do it here I can do that anywhere.
Living here in Paddys in Dublin has made me a horrible person. I am grumpier, ruder, less patient and bitchier than when I first came here. I can see that change in myself and I HATE IT. I hope on the flip side that I have become an easier person to share a room/house with and I'm more adaptable to strange situations but how can I be an easier person to live with if I'm grumpy and impatient?

Blas I'm just crapping on...

...and

don't forget your wellies!!!

Top o the mornin from v festival!

Festival camping, living off beer and nachos and dressing like it was dark when you got ready are some of what you can expect. Photos of that later!

Blindman behind the wheel...

Random things i see in dublin part 5...Waiting in traffic on o'connell st bridge.

What the mange?

Random things i see in dublin part 4...snow peas in the local supermarket, supervalu. Mange in french can be considered a mildly offensive word...in some contexts. I prefer to call them snow peas.

Georgian...but not the ones at war

Random things i see in dublin part3...georgian style door knock on a typically georgian style door (not shown). Very `dublin'.