It is probably a bit late for a post on Singapore considering we are now back at the airport with 2 hours until departure to Beijing. (We got emergency exit rows this time ... sweet.)
Singapore has been fun. Hot & humid, I guess you get that in the tropics!! Bit of a strange place with such a mix of cultures. Indian, Malay, Chinese. Seen a bit of them all. Hmmm ... when I go to tell you what we did yesterday I can't remember!!!
We got in Saturday night around 7pm and caught the MRT in to town. Very easy, cheap and quick. Found our way to the Hotel without too many worries. Right next to Raffles but not quite so fancy. Sunday went for a bit of a walk around town and checked out Orchard Road. Lots of shopping for those with money to burn. Crowds to match.
Today we went to Sim Lim square which is a huge IT/Electronics mall. Very cool (yes I am a sad geek). Bought myself a camera filter and another compact flash card. Nothing too exciting but a bit cheaper then you would get in oz. After that walked up to the botanic gardens. Impressive orchid display. Back down to near the hotel and had Japanese for lunch. Awesome food.
Second to last stop was Raffles Hotel to have the famous Singapore Sling in the Long Bar. I was a bit wary considering its reputation that it would be a bit overrated but it was actually pretty cool. Pretty impressive hotel.
Last stop was our hotel to pick up our bags we had left in the lobby and off to the airport.
Looking forward to getting to Beijing. Singapore has been good but it doesn't seem that much different from home really. Very modern & clean. I'm sure once we get to beijing we were wishing we were back in the comforts of Singapore.
Gotta go .. time gonna run out soon.
One More Day
Arrived back in Adelaide this morning at the ungodly hour of 8am after 4 1/2 hours sleep in Melbourne. Feeling pretty special today. Have organised for the last of our extra luggage to be sent over to the UK. Picked up our ferry tickets (St Petersburg, Russia to Tallin, Estonia). Just a couple more errands to do and we are all set to go. Starting to feel a little nervous to be honest! I'm sure it's gonna be a great trip - slightly scary that's all!!
Fly out tomorrow to Singapore at 1pm. Next post from who knows where .....
Fly out tomorrow to Singapore at 1pm. Next post from who knows where .....
Three Degrees
We had an awesome trip up to the Victorian Alps the last couple of days. Drove up Mt Buller where it was three degrees and up in the clouds! Pretty sure it actually snowed there today, the day after we were there.
Anyway .. this is gonna be short as I have 1001 other things to do before I go to bed tonight. Last minute trip prep.
Here are some photos which should be worth a few thousand words.
Two weeks to ski season .......
Autumn colors everywhere ... amazing ..
On the way to Bonnie Doon (of The Castle fame)
Melbourne Skyline
Anyway .. this is gonna be short as I have 1001 other things to do before I go to bed tonight. Last minute trip prep.
Here are some photos which should be worth a few thousand words.
Two weeks to ski season .......
Autumn colors everywhere ... amazing ..
On the way to Bonnie Doon (of The Castle fame)
Melbourne Skyline
Melbourne
Currently in Melbourne, about to head out on a mystery tour up north somewhere courtesy of A.
Its been a while since the last update so I will take you back a bit. Thursday night I flew back from Port Lincoln to Adelaide. I didn't actually think I was going to make the plane because of a few things that had to be organised, but in the end had an hour to spare. Had dinner in Adelaide with a couple of good friends at Ying Chow, was great to catch up with them.
Friday I spent with the marvellous M. We went to the museum to see a wildlife photo exhibition which was awesome. We also went to see Star Wars which was okay. Would be better if they took out all the human actors though ..... Friday night flew to Melbourne and am still here staying with A.
Saturday - Queen Vic markets and down to St Kilda for a look around. Much excitement at Luna Park with a family stuck on the mad mouse being rescued by the fire brigade. I knew those Mad Mouse rides were bad news. Also had a look around Williamstown which was great.
Sunday - Went and saw the Bill Henson exhibition at the NGV in Federation Square. Very cool. Great collection. Also went to the main NGV for a couple of hours. Couple of beers in town and then headed back home to watch the Eurovision song contest. Sad but true. I must admit to falling asleep a couple of times .....
Anyway, thats about it.
Its been a while since the last update so I will take you back a bit. Thursday night I flew back from Port Lincoln to Adelaide. I didn't actually think I was going to make the plane because of a few things that had to be organised, but in the end had an hour to spare. Had dinner in Adelaide with a couple of good friends at Ying Chow, was great to catch up with them.
Friday I spent with the marvellous M. We went to the museum to see a wildlife photo exhibition which was awesome. We also went to see Star Wars which was okay. Would be better if they took out all the human actors though ..... Friday night flew to Melbourne and am still here staying with A.
Saturday - Queen Vic markets and down to St Kilda for a look around. Much excitement at Luna Park with a family stuck on the mad mouse being rescued by the fire brigade. I knew those Mad Mouse rides were bad news. Also had a look around Williamstown which was great.
Sunday - Went and saw the Bill Henson exhibition at the NGV in Federation Square. Very cool. Great collection. Also went to the main NGV for a couple of hours. Couple of beers in town and then headed back home to watch the Eurovision song contest. Sad but true. I must admit to falling asleep a couple of times .....
Anyway, thats about it.
lastminute.com
If you were to log on to lastminute.com you would probably see a picture of me right now. I hate all those pesky little details that you have to take care of before you go overseas for an extended period of time. Paperwork. Photocopying. Deciding what you really want to take travelling .... sorting out stuff so my parents might have some chance of finding something if I need them to. All those fun things. Which is why I am blogging at 2 in the morning - I hate doing that kind of stuff. Aaargh !
All my boxes arrived from Perth on Tuesday which was a relief. All in pretty good order. The odd ding and dent, but nothing too serious.
Apparently our ferry tickets from St Petersburg to Tallin have arrived .... in Perth so I am getting them sent to Adelaide. So if you see me on the street in Adelaide, remind me to pick them up ok.
Tomorrow eve I fly back to Adelaide from Port Lincoln. I have a day in Adelaide before flying out to Melbourne Friday evening to catch up with my two A's. Can't wait. Probably not the wisest idea considering my level of organisation, but hey, you gotta have fun sometimes.
Anyway. Enough chit chat. Ciao.
All my boxes arrived from Perth on Tuesday which was a relief. All in pretty good order. The odd ding and dent, but nothing too serious.
Apparently our ferry tickets from St Petersburg to Tallin have arrived .... in Perth so I am getting them sent to Adelaide. So if you see me on the street in Adelaide, remind me to pick them up ok.
Tomorrow eve I fly back to Adelaide from Port Lincoln. I have a day in Adelaide before flying out to Melbourne Friday evening to catch up with my two A's. Can't wait. Probably not the wisest idea considering my level of organisation, but hey, you gotta have fun sometimes.
Anyway. Enough chit chat. Ciao.
Dialup Dilemmas
Aaaahh - dialup. Remember those days when downloading a single MB would take f*#$g ages - well I have managed to find my way back there!
My folks computer got here two days early so we picked it up yesterday and I got it all setup. It's pretty sweet. 19" LCD, wireless keyboard and mouse, dual layer DVD burner, 200GB hard disk all of which are all way better than any computer I have ever owned! Hmmm ... now I just need to get them to use the thing. I think they have a bit of a steep learning curve in front of them. It is quite interesting to watch people who haven't had much experience with computers : the whole double click/single click thing. The multiple ways of doing things. Let alone anti-virus software, firewalls and spy ware removers !!! It is amazing what you take for granted when you use one of these damn things everyday!!
I also setup the internet for them and have the current dilemma of setting up Mozilla/Thunderbird or leaving them with Explorer/Outlook. I am leaning towards the first combo, but if they need to get help from someone then the second combo is probably the better option. Hmmmmm. Decisions decisions.
Am currently home on the farm. About an hour an a half away from where my parents live. (Have just set up the internet for my brother. Do you see a pattern emerging?) Got to catch up briefly with my three gorgeuous nieces before they all headed out (including my bro & wife) for the night! A case of miscommunications meant that when I finally did get home to visit my brother they weren't going to be in for the night!! Doesn't matter. Have got all day tomorrow before I head back to my folks place.
My boxes from Perth should arrive on Tuesday. I think my parents are probably in for a shock when they see how much crap I have to store. It has been quite relaxing staying at my parents but I need to pull my finger out when I get back there and organize a couple of unsavoury things - tax and updating my cv. Ooooh. Can't wait.
My folks computer got here two days early so we picked it up yesterday and I got it all setup. It's pretty sweet. 19" LCD, wireless keyboard and mouse, dual layer DVD burner, 200GB hard disk all of which are all way better than any computer I have ever owned! Hmmm ... now I just need to get them to use the thing. I think they have a bit of a steep learning curve in front of them. It is quite interesting to watch people who haven't had much experience with computers : the whole double click/single click thing. The multiple ways of doing things. Let alone anti-virus software, firewalls and spy ware removers !!! It is amazing what you take for granted when you use one of these damn things everyday!!
I also setup the internet for them and have the current dilemma of setting up Mozilla/Thunderbird or leaving them with Explorer/Outlook. I am leaning towards the first combo, but if they need to get help from someone then the second combo is probably the better option. Hmmmmm. Decisions decisions.
Am currently home on the farm. About an hour an a half away from where my parents live. (Have just set up the internet for my brother. Do you see a pattern emerging?) Got to catch up briefly with my three gorgeuous nieces before they all headed out (including my bro & wife) for the night! A case of miscommunications meant that when I finally did get home to visit my brother they weren't going to be in for the night!! Doesn't matter. Have got all day tomorrow before I head back to my folks place.
My boxes from Perth should arrive on Tuesday. I think my parents are probably in for a shock when they see how much crap I have to store. It has been quite relaxing staying at my parents but I need to pull my finger out when I get back there and organize a couple of unsavoury things - tax and updating my cv. Ooooh. Can't wait.
Home With The Folks
Well I managed to survive my plane flight home today, despite feeling very seedy at times. Luckily it isn't a very long flight.
It's good to be back "home" with the folks. Should be a nice relaxing week. Can't wait. The last month has been pretty mad with finishing work, organising the trip to the UK and moving out of my flat. Madness. I am looking forward to sleeping in the same bed for a week (that isn't a sofa bed or a foam mattress on the floor!)
We ordered a computer today for my parents. Get it Tuesday. Should be fun getting them all set up to keep in touch with email while I am away. I did the same last time I went overseas, but it wasn't exactly a resounding success. Admittedly they were using my old computer (486DX33) so it wasn't a speed demon nor easy to use!! Hopefully this time will be better.
It's good to be back "home" with the folks. Should be a nice relaxing week. Can't wait. The last month has been pretty mad with finishing work, organising the trip to the UK and moving out of my flat. Madness. I am looking forward to sleeping in the same bed for a week (that isn't a sofa bed or a foam mattress on the floor!)
We ordered a computer today for my parents. Get it Tuesday. Should be fun getting them all set up to keep in touch with email while I am away. I did the same last time I went overseas, but it wasn't exactly a resounding success. Admittedly they were using my old computer (486DX33) so it wasn't a speed demon nor easy to use!! Hopefully this time will be better.
Slightly Hungover
At the Adelaide airport waiting for my plane to Port Lincoln.
Feeling a little rough this morning. Went out last night with A and a couple of guys from uni. The end result a rather hangover this morning. Not quite as bad as my last trip home .... but damn close. I hope you are going to work today B .... Worse still this internet access doesn't have a seat and standing up seems to be a bit of a chore so this entry won't be long !!!
Got in to Adelaide about half three yesterday arvo. M picked me up while A headed off with a couple of friends of his. We ended up catching up later as they stayed in Adelaide last night. It is a little strange being back in Adelaide. Strange but good. Nice to catch up with old mates. Even if I am paying the price now !!!
Was actually pretty lucky to catch the plane this morning. Didn't set my alarm last night and thankfully A woke me up. Otherwise I would've slept through until about ten (ie about an hour after my plane left!!!!)
Hmmmm. Might go and sit down now.
Feeling a little rough this morning. Went out last night with A and a couple of guys from uni. The end result a rather hangover this morning. Not quite as bad as my last trip home .... but damn close. I hope you are going to work today B .... Worse still this internet access doesn't have a seat and standing up seems to be a bit of a chore so this entry won't be long !!!
Got in to Adelaide about half three yesterday arvo. M picked me up while A headed off with a couple of friends of his. We ended up catching up later as they stayed in Adelaide last night. It is a little strange being back in Adelaide. Strange but good. Nice to catch up with old mates. Even if I am paying the price now !!!
Was actually pretty lucky to catch the plane this morning. Didn't set my alarm last night and thankfully A woke me up. Otherwise I would've slept through until about ten (ie about an hour after my plane left!!!!)
Hmmmm. Might go and sit down now.
Goodbye Subi
Well I move out of my place this morning. We are heading down south for a couple of days to Margaret River and then coming back up to fly out to Adelaide.
The worst part will be going back to a dialup connection! Aaargh.
Hopefully see some of you soon.
Gotta go - still a bit of packing to do (including the laptop!)
The worst part will be going back to a dialup connection! Aaargh.
Hopefully see some of you soon.
Gotta go - still a bit of packing to do (including the laptop!)
Spiffy New Title
Pretty cool huh. Well, okay, it isn't earth shattering ... but at least it doesnt look like every other blog now.
Check out some cool photos I came across at www.coreyfishes.com. FWIW my faves are in the night portfolio, although the animal condition is also pretty cool
Check out some cool photos I came across at www.coreyfishes.com. FWIW my faves are in the night portfolio, although the animal condition is also pretty cool
Getting There
Woohoo - I sold my car! After the first day (Thursday) of it being in the Quokka (the local free classifieds paper that EVERYONE gets) with no calls, I was a little worried. Got a couple of calls yesterday (thank God) and today I had two people offer me $200 less than the asking price within 5 minutes of each other, so I ended up getting what I asked - CASH. Sweet. I was starting to worry that I would have to spend Monday morning trolling up & down the used car strip trying to hawk my car. We went there on Tuesday to see what a second hand dealer would give us and it wasn't pretty. Ended up getting about $1500 more than I would've trying to flog it to the yard, with a shit load less hassle. Two words - thank f**k.
Have dropped my boxes off at the shipping depot to send to the UK. Mainly clothes & books for work. Very exciting! Nice to have that done though.
Have nearly finished packing all my stuff to send home. Taking it to the freighter Monday morning. Now I just have to do a garbage run or two and spend a day cleaning and I am D.O.N.E.
We are off down south Monday arvo for a couple of days R&R before coming back up and flying out to Adelaide on Thursday. Am on the home stretch for Perth now. It is going to be odd flying out knowing that I probably won't be back any time soon. Very strange feeling indeed. Eeek.
One scary thing. My next door neighbours got broken into last night and their laptops stolen. Same time as we were out for dinner. I share a balcony and walk up stairs with them, so basically it probably came down to 50/50 as to whose door they were gonna crow bar open. Theirs or mine. Now that would've sucked. Didn't feel to good after I found that out.
Anyway, I'm gonna go and have a granny nap now. Sooooo tired.
Meanwhile you can check out my entire life jammed into a pile of boxes below.
Have dropped my boxes off at the shipping depot to send to the UK. Mainly clothes & books for work. Very exciting! Nice to have that done though.
Have nearly finished packing all my stuff to send home. Taking it to the freighter Monday morning. Now I just have to do a garbage run or two and spend a day cleaning and I am D.O.N.E.
We are off down south Monday arvo for a couple of days R&R before coming back up and flying out to Adelaide on Thursday. Am on the home stretch for Perth now. It is going to be odd flying out knowing that I probably won't be back any time soon. Very strange feeling indeed. Eeek.
One scary thing. My next door neighbours got broken into last night and their laptops stolen. Same time as we were out for dinner. I share a balcony and walk up stairs with them, so basically it probably came down to 50/50 as to whose door they were gonna crow bar open. Theirs or mine. Now that would've sucked. Didn't feel to good after I found that out.
Anyway, I'm gonna go and have a granny nap now. Sooooo tired.
Meanwhile you can check out my entire life jammed into a pile of boxes below.
Blog Lives Up To Its Name
Yep. Already there are starting to be some nasty gaps in the update frequency.
Russian Visa. Done. Picked it up from the Post Office the next day. Grrrr. It is very cool though. - all in Cyrillic (surprise being Russian and all). Now we just need the Mongolian Visa which we are going to get in Beijing.
There has been a pretty major change of "pre-trip" plans. We were going to drive from Perth to Adelaide, but this has been abandoned for the flying option (for various reasons !). This is all good, though it does mean we have to get rid of our cars in a bit of a hurry. At least I don't have to worry about trying to sell a car with interstate plates in South Australia. One less hassle.
What does this mean for you the lucky reader. I will be in Adelaide the following nights:
- Thursday 12th May,
- Thursday 19th May, &
- Friday 27th May.
For those of you in Melbourne (which is none of you as far as I know!), I am going to be there from Friday 20th to Friday 27th. Cool.
Anyway, gotta go and continue the nightmare that is packing.
Russian Visa. Done. Picked it up from the Post Office the next day. Grrrr. It is very cool though. - all in Cyrillic (surprise being Russian and all). Now we just need the Mongolian Visa which we are going to get in Beijing.
There has been a pretty major change of "pre-trip" plans. We were going to drive from Perth to Adelaide, but this has been abandoned for the flying option (for various reasons !). This is all good, though it does mean we have to get rid of our cars in a bit of a hurry. At least I don't have to worry about trying to sell a car with interstate plates in South Australia. One less hassle.
What does this mean for you the lucky reader. I will be in Adelaide the following nights:
- Thursday 12th May,
- Thursday 19th May, &
- Friday 27th May.
For those of you in Melbourne (which is none of you as far as I know!), I am going to be there from Friday 20th to Friday 27th. Cool.
Anyway, gotta go and continue the nightmare that is packing.
Not Quite According To Plan
Well we nearly got our Russian Visas in the mail, but thanks to the awesome "don't know their ass from their elbow" combination of Australian Air Express and Australia Post, we didn't. You see I thought I would be smart and use the Express Post Platinum "service". Seems like a good idea, until you realise that in involves both the postal service and a courier service. What could be wrong with what? Well, here is how the day unfolded. I got a courier "we missed you card" left in the post box. Unfortunately the driver couldn't have been assed feeling in that pesky section that tells you where to pick it up from : post office or airport? Says it will be available at 4:30. So I rock up to the local post office at 4:15 to see whether I get it from there or whether I have to go to the airport. Airport is not a good option at this time of day as it involves driving through town in peak hour traffic. The helpful person behind the desk takes the delivery card away for like 10 minutes and then comes back and says, "I'm sorry you have to collect it from the airport." But it is an Australia Post product. "Are you absolutely sure" I asked. "Yep" she says, ever so helpful. Well you can guess pretty much what happens next. After a dash across town to the airport I'm told by Australian Air Express that it should have been available at the Post Office. Why was I not surprised. So I raced back across town just to miss the Post Office closing by 10 minutes. I can understand why they shut at 5:00 and not 5:30, it's not as if they offer a service to the public or anything. And it must be pretty tough standing around selling stamps all day. Grrrrrr.
In summary, I'm fucked off and I still don't know whether we have our Russian Visas.
On the upside, I sold my vacuum cleaner for $30, did all my washing and got a haircut.
Can't wait to front up to my friendly local Post Office tomorrow .....
In summary, I'm fucked off and I still don't know whether we have our Russian Visas.
On the upside, I sold my vacuum cleaner for $30, did all my washing and got a haircut.
Can't wait to front up to my friendly local Post Office tomorrow .....
If All Goes Well Tomorrow
I will
- get my Russian Visa in the mail.
- get my clothes washed (life without a washing machine bites big time, not to mention having no fridge)
- get most of my stuff packed to send to the UK
- get stuff packed to send back to South Australia
- get a camping mattress to use in our cool tent for the road trip back to Adelaide.
- find out how much it is going to cost to ship some of my stuff back to Port Lincoln. Collecting books is not really a good habit to have when it comes to moving time.
- buy some travelin clothes
- get my new specs. Finally made use of that private health insurance. Bah
I Should Be Packing
But its raining outside which is always a cool time to take photos.
A couple of random shots taken out the window.
A couple of random shots taken out the window.
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