Farewell Riverland, it's been emotional.. Literally

So I've finally left where I've spent the last 3 months of my life, in a town called Kingston on Murray in the Riverland in South Australia. I was staying in a (shit) hostel called Nomads on Murray. When I first arrived I got work straight away, enjoying job after job for the first few weeks. That was short lived, as for some reason the hostel manager decided to stop giving me work for no apparent reason. I was here with no job for a month at one point, yet seeing new people come in time after time and taking work which should have been mine. After a couple weeks I went in and spoke to her to see what the dance was. She apologised, said she didn't realise, she didn't see it from my point of view and that she would sort it out. Great, no danger. So a week goes by and I see more new people getting work over me.

Tony had some work, not much, but he wasn't out of a job as long as me. But when an opening came up at his job and he saw new people on the bus he was raging, so he text her a message asking what the hell was going on. She text him back that the reason she wasn't giving me work is because she can't have me standing around all "catlike" (?????)

This really upset me as any job I've had I've always worked very hard, because I know out here as you're casual labour they don't hesitate to get rid if you're not pulling your weight. Anyway, went in for a rant and the shouting and swearing route got me what I wanted.

Next thing she tries to purposely rip me off with rent by $600 dollar! Duno what her problem was. Either way, we're well outta there! Hurrah!

We had a call from our pal saying he had work for us in Maffra, Victoria. With the little money we had we'd blow pretty much everything on getting there so it was a risk. Bollocks to it, bought a decent motor for $1k and then we drove down here and checked into the hostel. At $170 each per week AND it was dorms (!!!!!) it was a no goer from the start. We spent two nights in the hostel and we were so miserable!! All we wanted was somewhere to relax and chill out and have a natter and when you're sharing a room with 8 others its impossible. We'd just spend all day sat in the car discussing how miserable staying in dorm rooms makes us. We'd leave the hostel as soon as we woke up, then return only to sleep. Haha sad bastards!

Well we've worked two days at the job so far. We just walk or crawl down rows of lettuce and pick out the weeds. We get paid $930 dollars per week, each. Easy money!!!

Yesterday we'd decided enough was enough and we needed to get out of the hostel. We drove around for hours looking at caravan parks, campsites, estate agents (which were all closed!!).. As a last ditch attempt, after thinking we'd tried all the keywords on Gumtree, I took a punt at 'house share', thinking having our bedroom would be enough, we wouldn't mind sharing the rest of the house. Well we dropped lucky! I just dialled the first option that came up from the search and as it turns out the guy answered straight away, we went to see the house, $180 rent between us, fully furnished, ready to go. We arranged it there and then and we went to collect our stuff. And the best part is it's a five bedroom situation with no one else living here. Place to ourselves. Good times!

... Our own gaff, a great paying job, a car, brew, smoke and an XBox. Ahhh this is the life..

Forgotten Cambodia Tales

I hate that I stopped writing the blog. It's great to have a record of my stories and adventures. I love looking back and reading my accounts of the things that I've been up to that I may otherwise look back on with a hazy memory or have completely forgotten. When I think of something that I've previously done in the nine months of absent blogging, I'll have to randomly drop it in a post.

For example, yesterday I remembered when I visited a floating village in Cambodia. This village was completely surrounded by water thus making it mandatory to get there by boat taking approximately thirty minutes to arrive from the mainland. All the wooden houses were built high up on stilts so that in the wet season the locals homes wouldn't be washed away. When I paid my visit it was dry season, so there was some land to walk on once you got there.

I was with my pals JP and Kate. We'd heard there was a school at the village with plenty of children, so we thought it would be nice if we took some sweeties to share out between the kids. Before we reached the village, we decided to have a leisurely boat ride through the nearby lagoon. I call it a boat, it was a tiny little wooden situation with a local woman with an ore as the driver, and if you so much as thought about peering your eyes to the side you'd be arse over tit in murky water and swamp critters.

So between us we had two big share bags of sweets for the children. This ride through the lagoon lasted at least half an hour. We were sat there looking at these bags of sweets. We thought it'd be fine if we just opened one bag and had one each, just for a taste, y'know, just to check and make sure they weren't poisonous before we gave 'em to the sprogs and all that! Needles to say, girls will be girls and we smashed off the whole bag of sweets.. And we might have opened the other bag for a sneaky couple too!

Our slight pangs of guilt quickly depleted. When we arrived at the village the children were out of school and playing football in the dusty dirt track that ran between the two rows of huts. Kate lifted out the bag of sweets and BAM! Kids came flying at her from all angles. Snatching the food, swinging off her, pulling at her dress, climbing on her. They were relentless! She looked a bit shook up. Ah well, guilt free!

We went into the school there, it was only one classroom, but this was a proper building made out of bricks and mortar and it had all the gear you needed in it. It was by no means high tech, but it had a blackboard, benches, etc. I noticed a plaque at the entrance of the school and a couple from Shrewsbury had it made for them. Go team England!

Another thing I've thought of! Again in Siem Reap in Cambodia, myself and a girl I met at my hostel, Amy, met and got chatting to a monk at the temples. He said he ran a class teaching English to children so many times a week and he asked if we would like to attend. So a few days later we went down and met the monk at his home. He invited us in and it was the Cambodian equivalent to a bed sit. It was about the size of a standard double bedroom, with his bed in one corner and a bit of a kitchen area on the opposite side. I didn't notice a bathroom, though I guess he'd use a bucket for that. He sat us down whilst he waited for the children to arrive and he told us a bit about himself and what he does in his spare time. All he did was read, and I don't mean just normal books, I mean proper intellectual books on philosophy, physics, politics... All in English. We asked him to read out an extract so we could get a grasp of how hard these books may be to read. "no", he says, and pulls out a 500 hundred page stonker, "I have this book memorised". And so he did. He read out at least two pages worth completely from memory. I was impressed!

We went out to the classroom which was comprised of the gap between his house and next doors, with a wheely white board at the head of the enclosed alley, with say ten benches lined up behind one another reaching back to the front of the two houses. I'd say there were about thirty kids in total, aging from about seven to ten years old, some of them having nowhere to sit. Definitely an incentive to get there early! They had text books but it was just a book with paragraphs in that they just read from, they were learning about tenses but from that thing there was no way, it barely made any sense to me. The monk asked us if we would like to take the class, and so we did. Amy went to the front to teach whilst I sat at the back with the stragglers. They were really confused and asking a lot of questions, some I couldn't answer as with having the language barrier I sometimes struggled to gasp what they needed help with. However, at the end I gave my group a test to see if my efforts had been of any use. Well blow me they all got it bang on. I felt great knowing that I'd helped a few kids, even if it was minor. Plus I managed to bag myself four ten year old Cambodian husbands there too, result!

After the class we regrouped in the monks house. We chatted some more and he asked our thoughts on the class and so on. Whilst he was talking I noticed a little brown worm wriggling around at my toes. I kept toe flicking him away but he kept coming back. He was no bigger than about 6cm. Next thing I know the monk is screaming at me, "NOOOO DO NOT TOUCH IT!!!". I shat myself didn't I, thinking 'balls, I've offended a sacred creature or something'. Apparently it was a very deadly snake and even at that size, one bite and I'd be brown bread. His way of dealing with this highly poisonous specimen was not to kill it or chuck it out the door, oh no. He just picked it up with a pencil and put it in the bin. Great.

Guess who's back!!!

So it's been a while since I last updated the blog, nine months to be precise! What can I say, I've missed keeping you guys back home updated on my trials, tribulations and downright weirdness.

With me and Lee breaking up I thought it insensitive of me to continue the blog, but the time has come to continue keeping you regularly updated on my antics! Get excited bitches!I have nine months of blogging backed up so no doubt this post'll be a stonker so apologies in advance.

*Get a brew and a bickie*

I left off before I arrived in Chengdu, China. In a nut shell: I saw pandas, 'twas amazing, except I noticed they have a tendency to enjoy slouching with their legs akimbo whilst playing with their shit stained rusty bullet holes. Still adorable though! I also finally experienced a Chinese phenomenon called 'KTV'. It's basically glorified karaoke, except you get your own private rooms, the size depending on the amount of people in your party. Inside the room is your mike and tv set up, along with disco ball, maracas, little drums, tables, couches etc.. It's great! I'm not usually one for karaoke but I was lovin' it! That was a fun night. Otherwise (from what I can remember, it is slightly hazy), the rest of the time in Chengdu was spent on a session. Go to bed at 8am, wake up at 4pm, get the tube to McDonalds, then just come back and do it all over again (probably the reason why my time there now seems rather hazy).

I had fun times there and also hard times. Choosing to leave Lee was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I hate the way I did it, just leaving him there in a strange country by himself, but I also knew it was something I had to do. Thankfully, it really has been the best decision for me. I'm a much happier person now, in a much happier place and I've learnt so much about myself and who I am. Had I not have done what I did I would never have had the opportunity to do that, so for that I am thankful. Unfortunately Lee refuses to speak to me anymore, which is a shame, but from what I can make out he has met someone and he is really happy too :)

So after that debacle I decided I needed to get my behind to Thailand and get to a beach and do some serious relaxing. Relaxing I did. I was so laid back I was horizontal. Just what I needed. I didn't spent long there, I think around a month. I only managed to get to Bangkok and a small town called Hua Hin. I was traveling alone for the first time, well, it was the first time I'd ever done anything for myself really, before this I'd never stood on my own two feet, so to say it was scary would have been the understatement of the century. I didn't yet have the confidence to travel around too much. I was weary and felt more comfortable seeking solace in familiar places rather than moving on every few days into the unknown.

Naturally the first thing I did when I got to Bangkok was make a beeline for Topshop (of course, what else?!). Straight after Topshop I had to take a visit to MAC and buy myself the brightest red lipstick I could find. Mad how much a bit of lippy can cheer you up and give you confidence!

After experiencing Bangkok for a few weeks I needed to get away from the hustle and bustle and get myself to that beach I was talking about to feel some sunshine on my skin. I chose the closest beach on the map which was in a tiny retirement town called Hua Hin. The first day I arrived it was raining hard and the water was up past my knees. I was walking for ages trying to find my hostel. I was walking past a bar when I heard, "hey girl, get in here and we'll buy you a beer!". I went into the bar and got chatting to this group of English men, say about my dads age. They'd all retired here or had their own little businesses. To cut a long story short, one of the guys, a Geordie lad paid for me to stay the night in the room above the pub. He said it was because when he was in the army his Sargent was a scouser and he was an amazing man who really helped him out when he needed it. He said he never got to thank him as he got moved somewhere and he's never been able to make contact since. So his way of thanking this Sargent was to help me out because I was scouse. He was my saviour that day, I was having a hard time. By the way, the room was LUSH.

The day after I found my hostel stayed there for two weeks and saw only two other people. I was in an 8 bed dorm by myself the whole time. I was worried about getting lonely but that was some seriously good, well needed me time. By day I'd wake up and go and lay on the beach, in the evening I'd walk to the night market and get a chocolate and condensed milk rotti (YUM X1 thousand!!!), then head back to the beach. On my way I'd always stop at the 7/11 and treat myself to a can of Fanta. Id always go back to the same stretch of beach which I knew would be silent and peaceful at night. I'd sit there by myself for a few hours just watching and listening to the waves crashing against the rocks and watch what would seem to be the everlasting storms far out at sea. Ahh reading that back it makes me want to cry, oh dear I'm crying haha! What's wrong with me! I'm just picturing myself sat there on my tod, Aw poor me. I'm so thankful of that time though, it really changed me. Anyway, enough self pity! I really enjoyed getting used to my own company in Hua Hin. Thailand was a massive learning curve. I realised I wasn't an absolute useless mare and I was capable of surviving in this big, scary world all on my lonesome. I don't need no one me, I'm hardcore!!!

So after Thailand (which I will return to and see properly one day!), I headed to Cambodia. Love Cambodia. By this time I felt a lot more confident and comfortable with doing things alone, speaking to people, traveling around every few days... I was starting to find my feet - and it felt great. I got pretty much everywhere in Cambodia. Seeing Angkor Wat and the other temples in Siem Reap was breath taking.

My friend who I'd met up with who I'd met in Chengdu was an absolute temple buff. So of course he just had to get to Angkor Wat for sunrise. I wanted to see this, but I knew the view wouldn't be as amazing as that of the top of Adams Peak! (see previous posts) I'd have rather have stayed in bed to be honest. But being the trooper I am I agreed to wake up at 3am and cycle on my own in the pitch black to meet my mate there and make sunrise. To those that know me well you'll know how horrifying my sense of direction is, so a bike ride that takes over an hour is never going to end well let's be honest. After falling off my bike not once but twice trying to dodge imaginary lying dogs, and after cycling 20 minutes in the wrong direction, I finally made it there in one piece and in time for sunrise with a half hour to spare! (It wasn't as good as Adams Peak).

That same day me, my friend JP and his friend Kate decided that we'd hire a guide to learn the full history of the place. The guide was very knowledgable and passionate and clearly loved his job. However, he did tend to go off on a tangent, plus he wasn't capable of walking and talking. It took us over an hour to actually get inside the temple as he kept stopping to engorge us with his knowledge. He asked if we wanted to sit down for 5 mins. I expected him to shut up during this time but he kept going to no avail. Next thing I know I'm waking up with my face in my hands, slobber on my chin, and I look over at Kate and she was fast asleep too, haha. I spent the rest of the day trying to contain my giggles and I kept busting out laughing in the guys face. Why is everything so hilarious when you're tired?? Poor man.

Another great place in Cambodia was Sihanoukville. I'd decided I'd spent a little too much recently (thanks Topshop!), so I thought I'd get a job. The 'Dolphin Shack' was my new place of employment. It was a bar on the beach. I worked as a promo girl. My job description was to hand out flyers and free shots from 7pm - 11pm, then after that get pissed! I had a tendency to dance on the bar every night. It wasn't mandatory but it was fun! The boss ended up dubbing the top of the bar my 'office'. He still messages me to this day and says he misses me not being in my office haha. I worked there for I think just shy of two months and I had a whale of a time and met some amazing people. Wasn't a bad deal, free accommodation, free food and as much booze as I could drink ;)

Next I went to Vietnam and Mum and Dad came out to visit!! It was fantastic seeing them and getting them to travel around with me. I even managed to get them on an overnight sleeper bus! Haha. My Dad wasn't impressed initially but to his surprise he got a good kip in :) ..We did all the usual tourist stuff which was nice as I'd kind of lost interest in seeing sights etc since I'd been by myself, not sure why. But we had a lovely two weeks together and all three of us had the inevitable tears (sorry Dad!) when they had to leave. But they are coming out to Australia to visit me in Sept/Oct and we're gonna rag it round in a camper van convoy and mow down some kangaroos, woohoo!! Can't wait!!

So after Vietnam I went back to Sihanoukville on my way back to Bangkok to catch my flight to Aus. I stopped in at the Dolphin Shack to say a last goodbye to what was left of my pals that were still there, then overnight bus back to BKK, then caught my flight to Australia!Soon as I got on the aircraft I was surrounded by Australians and I began questioning my motive as I suddenly realised I couldn't bare the Aussie accent. I guess it grows on you, I don't really notice it now. I arrived in Melbourne and went to live with a lad who I met at the Dolphin Shack with him and his pals. I was there for a month and had some great laughs. I also experienced my blondest moment to date. We were having a stoner conversation about playing scrabble. My Dutch friend said it would be unfair as he isn't good at spelling in English. My friend Ria said she can speak German and so could he to a similar ability so they should play in German. After being quiet and just listening for a while, I suddenly pipe up, interjecting with, "yeah, but where the hell are you gonna find a German scrabble board around 'ere?!'. Needless to say I got the shit ripped out of me for a good while.. Anyway moving swiftly on...Sadly I couldn't find a job in Melbourne and I was desperate for money. I heard Aus was expensive but I wasn't prepared for just how so. The cheapest box of fags you can pick up is $18, a vodka cranberry was $12. Jesus.

I spent days ringing round rural working hostels to see where had availability and farm work going. I finally decided on a place called Nomads On Murray in Kingston On Murray, South Australia. It's been the worst thing and the best thing all at the same time. I've had pretty much eff all work, I've almost come to blows with the hostel manager, I pay $175 p/w when there's no water in the pool, there's no drinking water and you have to buy your own shit paper. Piss take! But I did meet my boyfriend here, Tony, and he's an absolute angel so it was definitely worth it.

So this pretty much brings me up to the present day! (Thank God I hear you say). The plan is now to save as much as possible and buy a camper van for our second year as its much easier to make money that way as you open up so many more doors job wise with having your own transport, plus no overheads, only fuel. Then if we save enough we will take a holiday to Bali before we start our second year, then get back over here and strap on the nose bag and eat some serious work!!!!No doubt there'll be nothing to report for a while as its just the same dance here, but I am officially blogging again. Yay! Xxx