Its been a while and not to much has happened

Well I haven't blogged in a while but I just thought I would give yall a little update and write a few things just to let you know I am still alive haha. It just seems like yesterday I was writing that I had my 7 month anniversary here and now I am coming up on 8 months here! I seriously can't believe how quickly time flies! It may not seem to go that fast for yall back home but for me this whole experience is just flying by for sure. People ask me if I am home sick and sure I miss my friends and family and the little things from home but I am not overcome with homesickness yet which I guess is a good thing.

I can tell you this though, whenever I do get back home it will be an adjustment for me. Australia is not HUGELY different from America but, there is some major differences in vocabulary and some of the foods are different here, not to mention they drive on the left side of the road so I have totally gotten used to that now and going back home and trying to drive my car again on the right side of the road will take a little bit of getting used too! But, I think the biggest major difference will be getting my body used to the time change when I do get back home because right now I am about 15 hours ahead of Texas. I am future man ;)

Here in Australia we do get American television shows and movies just usually with a big delay so movies most of you have already seen I am just now watching. Last night we saw "Grown Ups" with Adam Sandler and company. At first I thought it might not be so good because there was so many "funny people" in one movie but actually it was quite good! I got a good laugh out of it.  We also saw "Get him to the Greek" recently which was a semi sequel to the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (both of those movies are good) and Get Him to the Greek was actually pretty funny as well! We have found a former IMAX theatre here in Brisbane where we can get tickets for $6.50 and $5.50 on cheap tues so its a good deal to get out of the house and do something without spending too much money.

Speaking of House, Ben and I are big fans of the show House. I am sure most of you have heard of it. I bet alot of you watch it too but, if you haven't heard of it, its a medical drama show that centers around a doctor and his team and they have to fight to cure various people of various illnesses each episode. It is really a great show and Dr House (actually played by Hugh Laurie) is British in real life but he puts on the most amazing American accent I have ever heard! For the longest time I had no idea Hugh Laurie was even British!

In addition to House we have added to our TV schedule The Mentalist which is a really good crime drama and a purely Australian show I doubt yall get back home called Underbelly. It is a crime show that is all about the real life police corruption in NSW (New South Wales aka where Sydney is) in the late 80's to the mid 90's. That show just had its season finale but its a great show! They set up something called The Royal Commission to root out police corruption and something like 19 officers ended up killing themselves and like 30 "retired" a few even went to prison. Back then they were totally in the bad guy's pockets! With just a few honest cops around who ended up bringing down the whole system!

I wanted to tell you one other thing about Aussie TV besides getting shows and movies late the only other thing I hate about Aussie TV is the commercials. You might say, well everyone hates commercials! But this is worse!  You see they have NO variety on their commercials here! They show the same ones over and over and over! It has gotten to the point now where Ben and I can literally talk through the whole commercial word for word before it has barely begun.  There is an insurance commercial where a lady says something about a rate quote and then they have a (real rugby star) in the commercial he says "$506.95" Ben and I always say it before he does lol its kinda sad how well we know all these freaking commercials but they just need new ones! It is annoying to watch them over and over but our "guess the commercial" game is fun to play. Thank God its not a drinking game haha.

Since we have been here Ben and I have been saving money by cooking for ourselves. We always seem to end up with a big grocery bill and a lot of groceries to carry though! Even so it does save us money. Usually Ben does the cooking and I do the dishes but, I have been cooking some and I am definitely better at cooking then before I got here! I recently got some recipes from my dear mother that I am gonna try out soon and see how it works out :) Ok, I think I have gone on for long enough now lol.

Yall take care,Tyler

I survived my first day!

Well today was my first day at work. I took a taxi to work this morning and got there in plenty of time but it cost me almost 14 dollars (Australian) 1 way. So I have decided I am just gonna wake up early and walk there from now on. Once I got there I had my safety induction and got shown around the warehouse. Everyone seems really nice there and in the whole company there is only 9 people (me included).

Basically my job consists of moving aluminum rods out of prepackaged boxes, there is 30 in a box. So I just get the order sheet and put them in the new box based on what the customer wants in their order. Along with that I do basic cleaning and just helping out around the shop. I really want my forklift ticket but as of yet I don't have it. It would help out for sure but it is quite expensive! So I am just happy to have a good job with good people on a good wage for now :)

This job is really dirty though! All day I am surrounded by metal dust and shavings and saws going off all the time. That aluminum is pretty freaking sharp too! I managed to cut myself on and off through out the day but nothing major. I still have all my digits :) Tomorrow I will be wearing gloves for sure. Well I guess that's it for now. I will be back at it tomorrow.

Talk to yall later,Ty

I start tomorrow

Well tomorrow is the first day at my new job! I start at 7:30am until 4pm. I will have to take a taxi to get there for the time being as there is no public transport near my job but hopefully until I get a bike I can work out a deal with the driver to take me everyday and give me a discount. I will have to get out my boots and hi res clothes for work tomorrow but other than that I am ready to go! Gonna have to do laundry soon though..... Well it is a beautiful day today even though its winter here I wish summer would hurry up and come back! Talk to yall later,Ty

So guess what?

This is gonna be short but guess what?! I GOT A JOB!  I start Monday and I will be working at an Aluminum factory 10 min drive from where I live! The only slight problem is that it isn't close to any public transport so I will have to walk or get a bike or take a taxi to get there but if that is my only problem then I am happy and  I am just really excited to be working again and making money so I can save for my ongoing travels! Yay me :) That is all. :) -Tyler

Oh, I should add that Ben is now working a restaurant job too so life is good for both of us!

Late Edit: Ben and I saw that new movie (well new to Australia) "Get him to the Greek" it was pretty funny and it follows the story of Adolphus Snow the rocker guy from the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" so do give both those movies a go, they are funny!

Well now that I am over 50% done...

So, now that I am over half way done with my time here in Oz I figured I would write a little bit about all the friends I have made here. I really do miss my best friends and family from home for sure but, I have made some great friends here too! In the 7 months I have been here I have literally met hundreds of people and met even more people in Asia and New Zealand. So needless to say my friend base has grown considerably. All over the world there is good people if you just have your eyes open.

Of course not all of those people I have kept in touch with and not all of them I would even consider good friends but, everyone I have met so far even if just for that brief amount of time has been a good friend to me. Out of all the people I have met I would say I have met roughly 10 people here that I will consider life long friends (Yep I am talking about you Wolf Pack ). On top of those 10 people there is about 20 or 30 more that are really good friends who I still do keep in touch with. All the rest were friends for a while but now gone. Even when people just pass through your life its good to have them there for the time being.

I have the ability and/or gift to meet people really easily anywhere. I am a talkative guy and I love to travel and meet other travelers. When your traveling most people who are travelers as well are in a "traveler mindset". It is different than being at home. You are way more open to talking to strangers and spontaneously doing things. I love doing this! I have met multiple people at bus stops,train stops etc (including Ben).

I guess I should give you a little background on Ben and I. I actually met him on the bus in Sydney way back in Nov. I saw him looking lost at a map on the bus so I decided to be nice and help him out and chat him up. So, our friendship started there and now all these months later here we are traveling Oz together. He is a pretty cool guy and we get along well. Not only did I meet Ben but, I also met a former house mate of his who happened to be American so we had a lot in common and Josiah and I get along well. Both of those guys I would consider life long friends.

My mate that we are staying with , Bernie he is a really good guy. He has taken us in and let us stay at his house which is really helpful while we are trying to get on our feet here in Brisbane. So, I really couldn't ask for much more. Every now and again the 3 of us have little disagreements just like a marriage haha but so far nothing major so there is no "divorce" looming in the future Thank God!

I know this blog might have seemed a little random but I just thought I would mention all my friends and just let yall know everything is pretty A OK now :).

I got an interview!

Well Hi there! I know it has been a while since I have blogged but really not much is going on that I haven't already told you about lol. So this will be a quick update but I just wanted to let yall know that I got a call from a lady who said she liked my CV (Resume) and she was forwarding it on to the hiring manager at this warehouse job about 10 minutes from where I am staying! So soon I am gonna go in for an interview and hopefully finally get a job! :) happy dance!

Other than that, I am going into the city with my mate and we are gonna just hang out there. Haven't done that in a while actually. We just saw the A-Team movie and it was pretty good. It wasn't great but we got cheap tickets so it was ok. That movie ( I think its already out in the States) "Get him to the Greek" comes out here on the 17th. I am pretty excited about seeing that actually it looks pretty good, Russell Brand is pretty funny!

When I was younger I played a game on the Internet where I used fake money to place bets on real movies. So, however a movie did in real life I got a corresponding amount of "money" in the game (if I bet correctly that the movie would do well or flop) well I just found out now they are gonna do that exact same thing for real with real money! I would be really good I think because I love movies lol. But I have no real money to bet haha. :(

The World Cup has started now and my mate Ben from Germany is going crazy over it! lol he is soccer crazy but I guess I just never really caught onto it. Its not hugely popular back home like it is in Germany. I have a feeling I will be watching a lot of it though lol. He is even getting up at 4am (our time) to watch the first game, hes a nut! haha

Well its winter here now and I don't like it! It isn't as cold as Sydney here in Brissy for sure but, at night time it can get down to 10C or below (that 40F and below) :( and I really want summer to come back so we can get warm again! Cairns stays warm all year round so I really wish I was there for the middle of winter lol. But, this cold is nothing compared to how cold New Zealand is! So I guess I am lucky :)

I just recently got a haircut finally so now at least my hair isnt so long and I can stop using so much shampoo all at once haha I am happy for that! and last night Ben cooked a new style of pasta I have never had before. Its called Noki (I think) it was ok but it was pretty doughy and the sauce we had wasn't that great but, it filled me up at least! We are like pasta addicts now lol I never used to eat this much pasta but it is cheap and filling so it helps!

Well I guess thats it for now. Signed, your hopefully soon to be employed again Traveling Texan Tyler

I just missed it!

Well I had planned to write a whole big blog on the day of my 7 month anniversary here but I missed it by a day! It totally just slipped by me and now I have been in Oz for 7 months and 1 day. Well this is close enough. So, 7 months has totally gone by super fast for me! I feel like I have just been here a month! It may not feel like that to those of you back home but it sure does for me. I have to leave Oz 4th of Nov of this year but whether I go straight home or not is up for debate. I haven't totally decided what I want to do or where I want to go next.

Today Ben and I paid 20 bucks for a guided tour of the XXXX Brewery here in Brisbane. Four X is a fairly decent beer brewed right here locally in Brisbane and lots of Queenslander's love it. The tour itself wasn't so bad we learned alot and got to tour the factory which has been in the same spot since 1878! After the tour we got 4 free beers which was a good deal I think and we even got to taste one straight out of an old school oak barrel which was pretty cool and tasted good too :)

Later tonight we will be going into the city to meet some friends and hang out for the weekend so its been good so far. Well that is it for now. Yall take care til next time,Tyler

Our Sailing Day

Well today Ben and I went sailing for free. Here in Brisbane at the harbour they have something called WAG's (Wednesday Afternoon Gentleman's Sailing) basically we signed up to sail with someone on their sailing boat. We got introduced to our skipper Michael and his crew. Everyone was very nice and they showed us the basics of sailing. What I didn't realise was that we were actually going to participate in a race and we got 5th out of 40 boats! It was just a friendly race nothing super serious but it was cool to get real sailing experience and for free to boot :)

After sailing we went back home and had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner really that was it. I will make this a short entry today. Talk at yall later,Ty

I finally got a new netbook!

Well I finally broke down and bought a new net book to replace the one that was stolen in Surfers Paradise, hopefully this one doesn't suffer the same fate! It has Windows 7 on it the newest operating system from (cough) Microsoft. I am not to happy about making the change ( I wish I knew how to use a Mac and could afford one) but, actually other than a few features missing or changed I actually like Windows 7 and it isn't too bad (lets hope it doesn't crash).
I did also buy myself a nice pair of new sandals after almost 7 months! I even got a 30% discount on them! I really have become the bargain hunter haha. Seeing as my 7 month anniversary here is coming up in 2 days I thought I would treat myself to new shoes and they look good!

We decided to forgo seeing a movie on cheap Tuesday since we are going sailing on Wednesday (today) and I also decided to wait on that haircut and let it grow a little more those hair cutting students take quite a while to cut it and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon haha. We also got a lead on a job offer! Well that is really I have to update yall on.

Your Aussie for a year,Tyler

My Free Day

The comedy show was free and actually pretty funny. They had a total of 6 comedians, some funnier than others but it was not bad at all for free. We even got to meet Anna Bligh the Premier (Governor) of Queensland. Surprisingly to me, the 3 female comedians were just as funny if not funnier than the male comedians. It has usually been my experience that girl comedians tend to try to hard and go over the top and be funny and then they end up not being very funny but, I was pleasantly surprised.

We also had free tickets to see a movie called "The Losers" it wasn't a great movie but it wasn't the worst movie I have ever seen either. All in All not a bad deal for free. After our free day we went out for a few drinks and wandered into a bar where someone was having a "Heroes and Villains" party. There was some interesting costumes haha. Someone even dressed up as Gumby!

Ben and I have decided we are going to start running and getting into shape. It has been a while since I have done any form of serious exercise but we are going to start and get back into good shape. Brisbane has been really good about having lots of free things to see a do, they really do treat their citizens well here. I did enjoy Sydney but it just seems here there is more to see and do here and they have a good transport system here too. There is also a free sailing thing we can do on Wednesdays at the Harbour. Apparently the rich people let us poor folk go out with them on their sail boats for a day of sailing so we want to do that, it should be fun!

As usual I had more to write but I have gone and forgotten what it is so I apologise in advance I really need to get a notebook or something to write in so I don't keep forgetting stuff after the fact. I am sure I will remember 3 days from now what I wanted to write now.

I did remember that cheap Tuesdays at the movies is coming up! :) and soon I will need to buy a new laptop to replace my stolen one along with haircut and a new pair of sandals after almost 7 months here this pair I currently have, are done! and my hair is getting pretty long so it is time for a haircut! I found a cheap hair cutting school that has students who do a decent job for a cheap price.

Talk at ya later,Ty

Well yesterday was full of surprises

Yesterday, Ben and I got FREE movie tickets to a new movie (well new to Australia anyway) called The Losers. We also got the chance to go see a free comedy show and not only that but I found a sweet shop where I could buy Dr Pepper and Reese Cups AND Pop Tarts but, the Pop Tarts were 10 bucks for a pack of 10 so I declined those haha. I love Pop Tarts but not that much! I could have bought a bag of Reese Cups (You know the bag that has like 25 or 50 mini cups in it) for 40 dollars! Back home that would cost what? 5,6 dollars? Crazy huh? well I went for the more reasonably priced 4 pack :) Anyway I was happy to have a taste of home.

We are still looking for work at the moment but I feel we are getting closer we have actually had some face to face interviews and next week should be a good week for us that is when I expect our callbacks. I didn't have this much trouble in Sydney getting work I don't know what it is about Brisbane. We will tough it out a little longer and see if we get any work here since we have invested so much time and effort here but  if we don't find work soon we will have to move on.

Currently we have a nice living arrangement and I really like the area so I really don't wanna cut and run just yet. I can't believe I am coming up on my 7 month anniversary here! Time has just flown! Soon Nov. will be here and I will have to decide if I wanna go straight home or go somewhere else in the world first. I have some thinking to do... I feel like I have just been here for a month! I am sure it feels a little different for those of you missing me back home though. I really do appreciate yall reading my blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Take care yall,Ty

Just a small update

Well I am still here in Brisbane with my mate Ben. We are still on the hunt for jobs. I have applied with a lot of job agencies and actually made some headway with one of them. I talked to someone on the phone and hoping to get a face to face interview soon. We are giving ourselves until the 1st to find work here before we move on.

As I said before, we had our camper van broken into and I had my laptop stolen along with my digital camera and Ben's passport and alot of other stuff. I was lucky just to have those 2 things taken but it is a still a big hit for me and expensive to replace. I (Thought) I had insurance through my credit card to cover it but I found out they only cover damage to the van not the contents inside :( so I am back to square one and wont be able to afford new stuff until I get job :( I hate misfortune and mean people but, I still have my health and it could have been worse.

I did see Robin Hood with Ben at the cheap movie theatre and Iron Man 2 as well. Iron Man was better than Robin Hood in my opinion but both were good. So all in all life is just chugging along here in Brisbane and I am doing fine but hoping for work soon! Still staying at my mate's place just enjoying life. I hope yall are enjoying my blog and it isnt too boring. I will try and get some pictures on here soon to liven it up!

Yall take care, Your Traveling Texan,Tyler

Where I want to go next

Now yall are all caught up with my past travels and hopefully I didn't miss anything with my bad memory :) whoa that was a lot of typing! I do hope I didn't miss any countries that I have been too. They tend to blur together after a while. I have already caught you up on Asia/Australia/New Zealand (my current trip).

I dont want to come across as spoiled or smug. All the time people ask me "Tyler how do you get to travel so much?" I can answer that really easily.All I do is have a really good work ethic (Thanks  Mom and Dad!) and a really good idea of how to save money (Again, thanks Mom and Dad) so, back when I was in The States I would just set a goal of where I wanted to go and when I wanted to go and just save every penny I could until then and just go. The other major thing that allowed me to travel so much is I don't have what most people would consider a "normal stable life" I don't have a career,house,girlfriend,wife,kids or basically anything tying me down. This lifestyle definitely isn't for everyone but it is for me and I love it. It has allowed me to see things in the past 10 years that most people only dream of seeing. I have done more traveling than most people do in a lifetime and I know I am lucky.

I guess the only thing left now is to tell you where I want to visit. It will be easier to tell you where I DON'T want to visit because this world is a huge place and I want to see most all of it. I have no interest in Iran,Iraq,Afghanistan or any place where I have a large chance of actually dying. Nor do I have any interest in Antarctica because its too damn cold. Other than that I am open to going anywhere else in this world. In the near future I plan to either go back to Thailand (once it settles down) or spend some time in more of Europe and go to South America. I really want to go to Africa as well, although I don't want to see all of Africa just do the Capetown to Cairo route so I can see South Africa and then go see The Pyramids. I have lived in Texas my whole life and never even been to Mexico. Once all the drug violence settles down I would love to go there as well.

So there you have it you know my travel plans for the future. I hope to travel until I am 100 or until I get sick of it. But for now I am loving life and loving being here doing this. I am a lucky lucky man and I know it. I wouldn't change anything that has happened so far except for my computer and camera being stolen.

Yall take care,Tyler

Fiji/Australia

I went to Fiji in 2008 for 3 weeks and Australia for 3 weeks. I did an "Eco Trip" Basically I paid to go to an island called Vorovoro and help some islander's improve their village and in exchange they allowed us to stay for free and they fed us and took care of us. All we had to do was a little labour to help them out.

I landed in Nadi (the capital of Fiji) then flew on a unpressurized scary plane ride to an island called Labasa. Once I landed safely there I got picked up and we took a boat ride for about an hour to Vorovoro so we were really in the middle of nowhere. It took an hour to get to the mainland if we needed anything.
So we get to Vorovoro and the chief of the island (he was a big deal!) welcomed us there but we weren't allowed to talk to him directly, we had to address a little man standing next to him and he relied our message to the chief. All of the men were required to wear sulu's (basically skirts for guys) and we took a Fijian Language Class and did some tribal dancing.


The Villagers were the kindest most giving people I have ever met. We built them a functional shower for all the village to use (At the time I was there they didn't have any electricity or running water). After a hard days work we got to drink this drink made from a root called Kava. I am still uncertain what was in Kava but it did make your lips all tingly and just gave you a relaxed feeling. It didn't kill me so no harm done :) There was a traditional way you had to drink it. All of us sat in a semi circle and the Chief took a drink. We all had our legs crossed and we weren't able to uncross them until the chief said so. Once you were offered a drink of Kava if you accepted it you were required to drink it all in one gulp.

It was a great experience to see how really tribes still lived. I also slept on the beach in a hammock every single night we were so far in the middle of nowhere once the sun went down it was just like ink outside. no light except from our fires and you woke up with the sun like an alarm clock. the waves put me to sleep and woke me up it was amazing! We also got to do some snorkeling on the most beautiful reefs I have ever seen. We were so far out in the middle of nowhere they were just pristine. I did cut myself on a reef and was bleeding in the water and I really scared I was gonna get eaten by a shark haha but here I am :) We also got to go to a school and give gifts to the school kids (they had 1 school for 5 islands and it was just one room) they sang for us and played rugby with us (they kicked our butts) it was so cool seeing how happy they were to have us there. On the last night on the island we had a feast with a freshly killed pig and chickens and all the veggies we could eat. I loved it all! I really had a great time in Fiji.

Before I went home I had a 3 week tour up the east coast in Australia and that is where I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to come back again this year. I did the Sydney to Cairns route. Unfortunately all I have seen is the east coast so far. But I do enjoy it here and last time I was in Australia in 2008 I got to do my first sky dive in Cairns and see Sydney for the first time (It isn't so mind blowing for me anymore haha) I also got to go to Cape Tribulation in the North East corner of Australia and it is the rain forest!

 It rained so much in Cape Trib we almost got stuck there! It just rained and rained! But, I did get to go on a crocodile tour and do a really cool zip line tour of the rain forest over a raging river since it had rained so much. I even ate ants right off a tree in the rain forest that tasted like lime! I went out to the Great Barrier Reef there as well. I had my first experience with how amazing skydiving is and I fell in love with the rush. I love every second of falling through the air hurtling towards the ground and just seeing all the amazing scenery rush by. I love the heart pounding rush you get right as your parachute opens and you float down to the ground. I cant even discriminate how amazing it is you just have to try it! 

I really enjoy the east coast of Australia, in fact that is where I am now but I would love to see more of Australia and I hope I get a chance too. I am a backpacker after all, free as the wind :)

Hopefully I didn't forget anything important. -Tyler

Germany/Amsterdam

In 2007 I got to go to Germany for a 3 week tour. I stayed in  Braunfels Germany which is the original city to New Braunfels  in Texas. It was really cool to go to a place and have been to the sister city in Texas. I enjoyed hanging out with my friends there and got to see a lot of traditional German culture. I thought at first the language barrier would be a big problem for me  but honestly as long as you are in a even semi major city in Germany then finding someone who speaks English there wont be a problem at all so I didn't have any issues with that.

After I left my friends I was in Germany alone for the first time traveling. I was quite nervous being alone for the first time but I didn't have any problems at all. Now I have traveled alone so much to so many different countries it really doesn't even bother me anymore. I actually prefer having my own schedule and doing my own thing. I just meet tons of friends along the way. This year alone here in Australia has gone really fast so far (6 months already!) and I haven't ever really been alone for long. I love meeting new people.

 I went to Cologne,Hamburg,Munich,Frankfurt,Berlin and a few other cities. My favourite city had to be Cologne (Koln) I loved the cathedral and just the history and culture of the city. Not to mention the food and beer were great!  The other great city was Berlin. It is the capital city so it definitely has a lot of history there. I did a guided bicycle tour around the city called "Fat Tire Bike Tours" it was totally worth it and I loved every minute! We even got free beer at the end. We saw the Memorial to the Jews in The Holocaust. It was really powerful, you have to see it for yourself to adequately understand but, it is like a maze with these pillars of all different shapes and sizes and it is supposed to make you confused and disoriented just as the Jews were.

There is a big night life in Berlin and a lot to see and do. Really anything your into Berlin has got it. I also got to take a tour of what is left of the Berlin Wall. That was an interesting tour. Now they actually have a wall around "The Wall" ironic huh? When Germany was divided into East/West Germany the Russians changed the crosswalk signs to pictures of soldiers and you can still see some of them it is quite neat.

After Germany I met up with some friends and we took the train to Amsterdam for 3 days. We got to take some canal tours and museum tours along with seeing Anne Frank's House and alto of the typical tourist stuff but I really did enjoy it.

Well I hope I didn't forget too much,Tyler

England/Ireland

Back in 2007 I went to England for a bit then off to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day in March. It was amazing! I only had 5 days in London before we left for Ireland but I really enjoyed it. I remember doing the crash course sight seeing tour of London and hopping on a big red double decker bus and seeing The Tower Bridge and Tower of London and Big Ben and all the typical tourist sites. I also did a really awesome walking tour all about The Beatles and the music of Britain. I got my picture taken walking across Abbey Road just as the The Beatles did in the 60's right by Apple Studios and all the traffic stopped for me! ( It is still a functional road).

While on the walking tour I met an older American couple in the tour with me and we started chatting. They asked where I was from and I said Texas then they asked where at. I told them then asked where they were from. They said "Orange Texas" Well that is where my grandparents lived for 30 or 40 years. So I told them my full name and the name of my grandparents. It turns out this guy went to med school with my grandfather! It really is a small world huh? that was really neat

The only other funny thing I can remember is there was a Brazilian camera crew at Apple Studios for some reason and I guess because of my accent they decided to interview me since I wasn't British. So he asks me what football team I support and of course being a true Texan I say "Dallas Cowboys!" only  I didn't realise he was talking about soccer aka "football" for the rest of the world and it was a funny mistake we all got a good laugh out of it.  I had some great hosts there and they took good care of me. I would LOVE to go back to England again and take a proper tour of England and see more than just London.

After that, we flew over to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day on Ryan Air ( a budget airline in Europe) and this was my first experience with a true budget airline. I still don't know how this happened but I remember accidentally paying extra for "Priority Boarding" I didn't even know what that meant but basically I got to board the aircraft first and get to my assigned seat first lol. It was nothing special and I remember it cost me quite a bit along with all the other fees and taxes there was. Ryan Air charges you for EVERYTHING! This is the airline that was considering charging you to use the toilet on the plane! We got to Dublin safe and in one piece but they sure tried to nickel and dime us the whole way and we didn't get a single thing on the plane if we didn't pay for it. But I guess that system is working for Ryan Air because they still do it. But once we got to Dublin it was amazing! The whole city was alive with celebration! All the pubs were packed to the rafters! I got to see Irish dancers (think River-dance Style) had some amazing food and drinks and also got to go on a Guinness Brewery Tour and a Jamison Whiskey Tour. I loved all the accents and heritage in Ireland.

Again, I didst get to spend enough time there and I would LOVE to go back to Ireland and take a proper tour but at least I was with a great group of friends and got to enjoy myself.I do have a funny story about Ireland though. I remember where we were staying there was a corner store/petrol station close by that had breakfast food there. So every morning I would walk down there and grab some breakfast. So the first morning went like this, I ordered my breakfast of a bacon and egg roll I think. The girl behind the counter said something to me but I couldn't understand what she said so I just said yes. Then she hands me something that is totally not what I ordered  and totally not a bacon and egg roll. Well I didn't want to bother with it so I just took what I was given. The next day, same story! I order and again I get something I didn't order. It was only until the 3rd day did I find out they were speaking Gaelic which is an old language and is not even close to English! No wonder I couldn't understand them  lol. To this day I still don't know if they were doing it just to mess with me or if they really spoke no English.


Ok, time for my usual disclaimer: I have tried to remember everything but I am sure I am forgetting some amazing stuff so forgive me and my bad memory if I leave it out. -Tyler

Canada

I have actually been to Canada 4 times between 2006-2009. 3 times in winter and 1 time in summer. Those of you who know me well know that I HATE the cold So I MUCH preferred Canadian summer haha. I can remember the first time I went to Canada it was winter and I got off the plane and cleared security in the tiny airport of Regina,Saskatchewan. right in the bottom middle of Canada just above North Dakota.

My friend was there to pick me up and we go out the doors of the airport and that cold blast of arctic air hits me right in the face! Remember that scene from the movie Cool Runnings? Where the Jamaican bobsled team goes to Canada to compete? They go outside the doors and right away freeze! They run back in and put all of their clothing on before they go out again. Well that is exactly what I felt like haha.

So we get on the "Number 1" highway. It is the highway that goes all the way across Canada. It is only one lane in each direction. There was no one on the roads lol. There is more people in Dallas Texas than all of Saskatchewan. I do remember having a great time there though. I got to have my birthday there Canadian style. I went ice fishing. My friend and her dad really wound me up! They got me loaded up in the van and drove it out onto the ice. Looking back now I know it was super thick and perfectly safe but at the time they made sure to scare the crap out of me lol. They had the windows rolled down and the doors unlocked and they said if we crashed through the ice I had to get out quickly. I assured them if we crashed through the ice I would be the first one out of that car haha! They also really played it up with me ON the ice with all the creaking and groaning the ice does they were jumping up and down on the cracks in the ice trying to scare me and they did a good job haha I was terrified but it was super fun.

I got to play a Canadian sport called Curling. Basically it is shuffle board on ice. I built a snow man and made snow angels. I got to ice skate and play some hockey. Basically just enjoy what every Canadian does all winter haha. It really helped I was with friends and had a great family to take care of me since my own wasn't there at the time. The other 2 times I went there in winter were very similar but still no less fun. There was always something to do! We did take a few road trips one being to Banff ( the ski place) and that was really fun.

When I went there in summer the climate was TOTALLY different and I could not even recognize it as Canada. It was so amazing to be in Canada in shorts and a t shirt haha. I loved Canada in summer, not too hot not too cold. But sadly their summer lasts about 3 weeks lol. We got to go camping at Waterton National Park on the border with Alberta and British Columbia. We drove all the way from Saskatchewan to British Columbia with our stop at Waterton along the way. It was really beautiful camping there for two weeks. In the middle of nowhere with just the stars and nature and just relaxing away from it all. I also saw my first beer in the wild! British Columbia was much of the same with better weather and more mountains.

So, all in all I really enjoy Canada and hope to go back one day. Again, more amazing things happened I am sure but I am probably forgetting them so forgive me if I leave some out. -Tyler

Panama

I actually went to Panama twice. Once when I was 15 and once when I was 16. Keep in mind this was 10 years ago but I am going to try and write down everything I remember. So we landed in Panama City (I was with my church at the time) and I remember getting off the plane being real nervous as I was still a minor and out of the country for the first time even though I was with a huge group of responsible adults. ( I have come a long way since then huh? haha)

So we land and I remember having to pee really badly once we got off the plane. At that time I didn't speak any Spanish at all but someone told me how to say "Where is the bathroom" so I go nervously up to a Spanish speaking airport official and squeak out "Donde Esta El Bano?" they point and tell me where the bathroom is but somehow I must have got confused because I go to the door I thought they were directing me too and open it. Well once I open the door I hear screams, Apparently I had accidentally wandered into the women's changing room or something lol. I rushed out of there and managed to find the correct men's bathroom.

The next thing I clearly remember is how cheap Panama city was! I am quite used to 3rd world countries being cheap now but, back then I was totally amazed at the concept of haggling and not having a fixed price and being able to get full meals for under 10 USD. We had some great meals in Panama City. Soon afterwards we went into the mountains to build a church for a group of local native Indians called The Wymies (spelling?). We had to have a translator to go from English to Spanish,Spanish to Wymie before we could say anything so it was quite a process. I remember having a great time helping those people and learning from them. They didn't have much but they were the most kind,giving,caring people I have ever met. They lived 8 hours by truck from the city so they were isolated! But it felt really good to help them.

Next I remember looking out over the mountains and watching one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. I just remember seeing the ocean all around us on both sides and how amazing it was. Then we had a great ocean side dinner right on the beach as a thank you for our hard work. On a related side note, I did sleep through an earthquake there in Panama and I also fell asleep in The Panama Canal (It was so slow and boring!) My mom still likes to joke I have slept through an engineering marvel of the world and an earthquake so apparently I can sleep through anything haha.

I also want to tack one more thing on to this paragraph since it just looks like it will fit better here. Like I said, we had to ride trucks 8 hours into the mountains to build the church for the natives and those truck rides were some of the scariest of my whole life! They were almost vertical up sheer cliff faces and one slip and we would have fallen to our deaths. In the years since then, and all the 3rd world countries I have visited I have actually taken much scarier rides and much more dangerous forms of transportation but I wont bother you with those. Lets just say it has been scary but I am still here in one piece ya? Sadly since it was 10 years ago that is all I can remember even though I am sure a lot more amazing things happened to me. So there you have it, my Panama trip. -Tyler

A hopefully interesting idea

Well I have been thinking lately, I have heard from more and more people that I know that they really do enjoy this little blog of mine. That really surprises me as I don't think it is that good but I do enjoy just writing about my life whatever etc... Well I have even heard from a few that I should publish it and I already have a title haha. I will call it "Traveling with Tyler" catchy huh?

Well obviously I don't have enough written yet for a whole book. All I have written really is what has happened to me on this trip. So I decided I am going to try and reach back on memory lane and write about ALL my travels now. This is going to be hard because I first went to Panama 10 years ago when I was 15 and I hadn't ever blogged until now. But if yall will bear with me I am gonna try and randomly fill this blog in with a new blog entry for each of the countries I have visited.

This might be a long process that I will continually update but I am gonna start with an entry for Panama and go from there. I hope yall enjoy reading about the rest of my travels. -Tyler

My road trip

Ben and I decided to take a long weekend road trip. Basically just 4 days down the coast having fun. So we rented a camper van and off we went. Everything was fine for a while and going according to plan. We made it to Byron  Bay with no problems and hung out there then we moved down to Tweed Heads and had a great time there. Well on Saturday night (our last night) we were in Surfer's Paradise and just enjoying our time there. We had parked the van on a well lit main street in the middle of the day and locked all the doors. Done everything we could do right?

Well guess what? The damn van got broken into and they stole my digital camera and my laptop as well ( I KNEW I shouldn't have brought my laptop on the trip) but I did anyway. I actually got off fairly easy though. I had my phone,wallet,keys and sunglasses with me. Nor did they take any of my clothes. Thank God I left my passport at home! Ben on the other hand wasn't so lucky. They took his phone,passport,wallet,journal and other important documents.

So I have lost my computer (and all my personal documents and music and pictures on it, along with my camera) but Ben has lost a lot more than that. It really sucks when there is thieving jerks in this world.  I am hoping I can get insurance to cover my losses. We did file a police report even though I doubt they will ever find anyone or anything. Such is life huh? So long story short, until I get my own computer again I will be online less and blogging less.

Well I thought I would fill you in on a few more details about our road trip first we rented our van and drove down to Byron Bay. We had a good time there for the most part except for the part when we were sleeping in our camper van and got woken up at 5am by the police telling us we had to move or risk a 120 dollar fine. We explained to him that there wasn't any "no camping" signs where we were parked but he said we had to move anyway so at 5am we got up and drove somewhere else.

After that day was over we made it to Tweed Heads which is closer to Surfers Paradise. The only thing of note that happened there was we got to see a cool light house and we swam in the ocean. We we were in the ocean I got stung by something on my leg that hurt real bad but I didn't even see it!  There is a lot of stuff in the ocean in Australia that can actually kill you so I guess I consider myself lucky but, you can probably see a pattern of bad luck forming here since our stuff got stolen too.

We went to a really nice beach during the day and ate lunch on the beach. There was only about 4 people on the whole beach and it was great scenery. We decided to go for a little swim and the water was clear and beautiful with great waves and not too cold. Everything was great until I got stung by something on the leg and it hurt really badly. I never even saw what it was. Actually though I was quite lucky, there is a lot of stuff in the water here in Australia that can actually kill you so a sting that didn't kill me I am happy about. I really didn't catch much luck on this road trip though. Other than the sting the beach was great though. 

After The Tweed we drove to Surfer's Paradise where we went to the Wax Museum which was pretty cool. Then we walked around town and looked around. Things were fine until we got back to the van in broad daylight on the main road and realised that our stuff was gone and we had been broken into. Yesterday the police finger printed and photographed our van but they doubted they would get any usable prints off the surfaces in our van ( there was a lot of plastic etc). So I am not holding out hope but maybe they will catch someone. Even if they do catch someone the chances of us actually seeing restitution money is very very slim.

Anyway I was glad to get away and see some new parts of Oz even with this bad stuff that happened. This is when I wish I had travel insurance.

Your now depressed traveling Texan,Tyler

My big day

Well I did have a big day today. I went with my mate Ben into the city and we actually went shopping. I cant remember the last time I actually went out on purpose to spend my own money on clothes for me. But, I managed to get myself 4 shirts,shoes,socks,boxers,a belt,jeans a hat and some accessories all for under 200 dollars. It seems like a lot of money but I do consider it an investment in my future and honestly it feels good to have one total outfit that is nice and I like and can wear out and be happy with. That still doesn't mean I like shopping though lol. I was just ready to get it over with! But it was a good day.

I am still on the job hunt as well but, its only been a few days we just started applying at the end of last week. I am still confident I will have a job soon. This weekend Ben and I are taking a little road trip about 3 hours up the coast to another town to hang out and see the sites before we come back into Brisbane. It will be nice to get away for a bit. So far though I really like Brissy its a nice place to be it seems.

I have been cooking more than I ever have before in my life, so slowly but surely I am mastering the kitchen haha. I hope Mother's Day was great for all of yall back in the States we had a good one here. Well now all I need is a shave and haircut and couple that with my new clothes and I am a brand new man :)

I guess that is all for now yall take care,Ty

Life in Brisbane

So I haven't blogged in a while but I just wanted to update on my life here in Brissy. Ben and I are staying with a mate of mine outside of the city and things are good. We are in a quiet part of town outside of the craziness and we can see the stars. My mate is a real good guy who is letting us crash at his place until we get all settled.

Both Ben and I have been on the job hunt here in Brisbane, we just started but hopefully soon we will both have jobs. Brisbane is a great city that has a different "feel" from Sydney. It seems to be a little slower paced here and there is some nice parks and swimming areas etc. Lots to see and do and even an IMAX movie theatre that we can go to for 6.50 per ticket!

We have just been settling in here and getting to know the area so we haven't done too much yet. But tomorrow will be laundry day for me. Today we went to get groceries only we had to walk there since we dont have our own transport. We could have taken the train but, the train system here in Brissy is a little different than Sydney and we haven't got train passes yet and just buying a single ticket for that journey wouldn't be worth it since we were just getting a few things so we decided to walk there, it was about an hour walk there and back.

So we get there no problem (we had a good map) and we were just going to get a few things but the longer we stayed there the more we bought! We just kept grabbing stuff and by the time we got out of there we had spent 100 dollars! Then we realised we had to walk all that stuff back :(  haha it was not fun at all!  But we finally made it back and had us a good dinner and watched some tv.

I also want to add, are you ready for it....? TYLER COOKED A WHOLE MEAL! :) Yes you read that correctly I cooked an entire meal of eggs,toast,bacon and juice haha. I even did the washing up :) Not only that but, I also cooked a whole dinner meal of hamburgers and all the trimmings all by myself haha. No one died and we all had a good brekkie and dinner. So to sum this up, for now I am still unemployed but hopefully not for long and things are good here. Well I guess that is all for now so yall take care.

Tyler

Iron Man 2

Tonight Ben and I saw Iron Man 2. It was really interesting because it came out here in Australia before it came out in America, usually it is the other way around. It was a really good movie that we saw on a former IMAX screen so it was huge and we got the ticket for only $6.50. There was a ton of people there! We just barely got in the theatre. Luckily we bought our tickets in advance online and breezed thru the security check for the movie and actually got great seats. It was a really good movie and didn't disappoint. I dont have too much more to say tonight but tomorrow we will go into the city and take a city tour. Brisbane has been good to us so far.-Tyler

Brisbane

Well my friend Ben and I finally made it to Brisbane after two tries haha. We paid for 1st class on the train from Sydney to Brisbane and just imagined that paying the extra money would make our 15 hour train ride so much better. We thought we would have free Internet, an awesome bed and maybe even a butler. You know just everything you imagine 1st class to be. I have never taken first class anything in my life so I was real excited.

Boy was I wrong lol. We paid extra money for slightly more legroom and a chair that reclines 40 degrees instead of 28 degrees. That was it. No bed,no Internet,no butler. The seat didn't even go all the way down into a sleeping position! I was extremely disappointed with it. But, we did finally make it to Brisbane in one piece so I cant complain too much.

Now we are staying with a good mate of mine until we get jobs and get on our feet. I do miss my friends in Sydney and certain things about it but now it is on to new and different things. Hopefully next time I write I will have more exciting things to talk about haha. Until next time, Your traveling Texan,Tyler

Sydney

So, I am back "home" away from home for a now. I checked back into Wakeup Hostel (my favourite hostel) for 1 week and I got 1 day for free! I am back readjusting to Australia and not traveling just relaxing and getting my bearings back. I still remember where most everything is but, in one week I will be off to Brisbane to live for a while. I am traveling with a friend up there for work and stuff. I am also gonna try and work on my certificate for teaching English while I am there and it will just be nice to move to a new place out of Sydney and somewhere warm!It will be good to catch up with all my friends here in Sydney again though. All that traveling different countries for 3 months really took it out of me.

On Monday I leave with a friend for Brisbane we will start there looking for work and see how it goes, if we dont like it then we will be moving further north following the warm sun!  You know sometimes, just sometimes I forget I am like a million miles away from home and it feels like home over here even though it isn't.

I think this is one of the shortest blogs I have ever written but I really have nothing else to say. -Tyler

Home on the range....

Well I left Auckland today early in the AM ( I hate morning flights) and I managed to make it out of New Zealand and into Sydney with no issues. In fact that might have been the smoothest journey thru customs and security I have ever had, I really was in and out of there. So, I will be in Sydney for a week or so and then I move with a friend up north in Australia where its warm. We are thinking maybe Brisbane or Cairns. Once we get there we will get jobs hopefully ASAP and starting working and living in a new part of Australia until I decide what I want to do with myself next.

I really enjoyed my travels all thru Asia and New Zealand (especially Thailand!) but that is all I have to blog for now, I will keep yall posted :) -Tyler

In Christ Church

So I finally made it my last New Zealand destination, Christ Church "The Gateway to the Antarctic" It is pretty cold here but I just arrived so I haven't really had a chance to explore the city much. I wont be here for long as my flight back to Auckland is at 5:30am! Today I went across the longest 2 lane bridge in New Zealand and I have also driven across the longest single lane bridge in New Zealand. I have really seen and done alot with this Kiwi Experience. I have never taken a guided tour of an entire country before but it has been good! I really only had 2 driver guides, one for the north island and one for the south island and both were great! They were really funny and informative and have seen and done a lot and learned a lot.

I have done tubing in an underwater cave, I have hang glided and thrown myself into a canyon. I have seen some beautiful and amazing things here. Honestly out of the 11+ countries I have visited I think that New Zealand has the most natural beauty out of any country I have been too so far. All the people are nice here, when you do see people. There is only 4 million people between the 2 islands and there is 34 million sheep! The Kiwi Experience means your actual transportation costs are zero but, you do have to pay for your lodging every night plus food and activities so it can get expensive but it is a great way to experience the country and see things you wouldn't otherwise see. Well I guess that is it for now. Next time I write I will either be in Auckland or back in Australia. Yall take care,Tyler

Getting ready to move on.....

Tomorrow I finally leave Queenstown for Christchurch. I have been here for a quite a while now but, its not really a bad town I have enjoyed it here. It will be nice to see something new though because I have seen and done pretty much all that Queenstown has to offer on my limited budget haha. My bus leaves early in the AM and it is about an 8 hour drive, I am sure there will be stops along the way to Christchuch. I am just relaxing and taking it easy on my last full day here in Queenstown. We finally have good weather again so that is nice! Well I really have nothing else to tell yall except that I will really really miss Ferg Burger alot! :( -Ty

Queenstown again....

So I couldn't catch my Kiwi Bus out of Queenstown with most of the rest of my friends due to it being full. Which means I have 2 extra days here in Queenstown but, from what I have heard that is better than 4 whole days in Christchurch. I still do have some friends left here in Queenstown and I should still be able to make my flight back to Auckland on the 19th so I am not all that worried.

Queenstown is a nice city with lots to see and do and TONS of adventure stuff as you can tell but, all that is expensive so I have done most of my crazy stuff and now I am trying to save some money. It is slightly cold for my tastes here but I am making it. My hostel is pretty decent I just miss my roomies they all left today and we had all gotten pretty close to each other.

There is one other thing I feel that deserves a mention here in Queenstown. It is a local burger joint called Ferg Burger. Some of my illustrious local readers may have heard of this place. It is basically McDonald's on steroids. The lines are almost always out the door and sometimes even around the block! They are open 21 hours a day and located directly across the street from my hostel. Perfect for the average backpacker. They are kinda expensive but the quality of the burger is totally worth the price! I can eat literally just one burger and be full and not need any other food for quite a while. I have had quite a few ferg burgers myself as they have chicken,beef,lamb,venison and vegetarian varieties. I personally know of someone who has had a Ferg Burger a day everyday he has been in Queenstown. I also know a girl who had 2 in a 12 hour period! They are just that good. This place is amazing but unfortunately the owner ( a millionaire by now for sure) refuses to franchise so once I leave Queenstown I wont have another one unless I come back. That being said, he has managed to put every other burger joint in Queenstown out of business and his quality is outstanding!

I really dont have much to add today its gonna be a short blog I think. Be sure to check out my pictures and videos on Facebook. Talk at yall later,Ty

Soar high above the clouds.....

Well yesterday I hang glided 3000ft off a mountain above Queenstown. The view was AMAZING and the ride was so gentle and relaxing. But, he did make it crazy for a while which of course I loved. So basically I got harnessed in side by side next to the pilot and we picked up the glider and got to the top of the hill and he said ONE,TWO,THREE,RUN! So we both ran as fast as we could down the hill and before you knew it the glider had picked us up 3000 ft in the air! So there I was hang gliding suspended above the trees and mountains just gliding along.

So we were swirling downward and he asked me if I wanna see something crazy. So I say sure. Then he says "lets go look at the trees" I didn't know he meant it quite so literally! He stalled out our glider and rocketed us down towards the trees and right close to a mountain and it was so much fun! Then we gained altitude again and flew some more just soaring all over. Eventually we rocketed quickly down towards the ground and came in  for a belly landing. It all in all lasted about 20 minutes but it was totally worth it!

Today I will be taking a gondola ride up a mountain for a view of Queenstown. The Gondola ride was pretty cool but, it cost 23 dollars one way just to get up there! So my mate and I we decided to walk up the mountain instead. It took us 45 minutes to get up there and it was HARD about half way up I was really regretting my decision to walk the mountain. But, we finally made it and the view was totally amazing. Worth the walk for sure. I will put some pictures on facebook of it. Then after a while we were able to take the gondola  back down the hill for free so all was well in the world. I guess I am just trying to maximize my 10 days left here in NZ. I have a few days left here in Queenstown then I am off to Christchurch for a bit then I go to fly to Sydney out of Auckland.  Its all be good and I have enjoyed it but soon I will be off back to Oz. I am still feeling my rush from the canyon swing though!

Talk at yall later,Ty

Breaking up is hard to do....

Today our "family" had a "break up" see I have been traveling for the past 2 weeks or so with the same core group of people on the Kiwi Experience Bus and I have been rooming with my mate Scott (who I met in Thailand) and our new friends, Amy,Mr Israel,Inge,Michael and Dave. Well Today All of them left to go their separate ways except Amy,Inge and I. I will see most of them again in Australia in about 2 weeks actually but, even so after staying with people and hanging out with them all the time for 2 weeks It is always hard to leave each other.

On a happier note, today I hang glide off a mountain outside of Queenstown so I can see an overhead view of the whole city! I am pretty excited about that for sure. After doing my Canyon Swing (check my video on facebook) I am still pretty pumped and full of excitement for wild stuff but this will be my last crazy thing for a while because I need to buckle down and start getting ready to go back to Oz and back to work!

I did forget to mention in my last blog entry that before we got into Queenstown we stopped on the bus at  "Puzzle World" it was a HUGE outdoor maze you had to make your way thru along with many puzzles inside the building and a crazy optical illusion room that made you really dizzy and feel crazy! There was another room where when you looked in from the outside it looked normal but when you went inside it was totally slanted! and when you viewed the room from the outside (on a video monitor) the people in the room looked like giants or midgets depending on what part of the room they were in! There was tons and tons of cool laser pictures and optical illusions. It was a neat place! There was also a challenge issued  by the owner to find a certain item within 100 meters of a certain spot and if you found it you got 100,000 dollars! 7 people paid the 1000 dollar entry fee to try and all have failed since 1994! ( the entry fee actually goes to charity or so they say) I really did enjoy that place but I have always been horrible with puzzles and stuff I guess my brain is just hard wired differently because all I remember is useless movie trivia haha

Talk at ya later,Ty

Swinggggggggggg!!!!!!

Well since I have made it into Queenstown aka Adventure Capital of the World I have done a lot! We arrived and unpacked our stuff and got settled in. I am here for a week so that means I can finally actually properly unpack. I have been sharing a room with my mate Scott from England who I met in Thailand, another girl Amy from England, along with a girl Inge from Holland and a guy from Israel named Sahar although we just call him "Mr Israel". We are quite the international bunch but we have become fast friends all of us and I dont have to worry about any of my stuff being stolen in the room. I quite like all my new friends and we have had some good nights together.

After we got settled in it was time for Scott and I to go do our canyon swing. I will try and explain what this is. Basically they harness you up 109 meters above the ground. That is roughly about 350 feet up or about how tall the Sydney Harbour Bridge is in Australia. So you are standing there and you have to choose how you want to jump off. But it isn't that easy, the guides or instructors are extremely sadistic and they really enjoy making you squirm.

So I watched  a few people go off and then it was my turn. Somehow I let them convince me to go off this platform backwards! So I get to the edge and look up and they give me a push which freaks me out already! Now I am harnessed in at this point but I am still 350 feet above the ground! So I turn around and they tell me to back out towards the edge. So slowly I start to back out towards the edge and they grab my harness and hold on. Then They tell me to lean back slowly I am terrified at this point but then I start to lean back over the edge and just as I am about to go they pull me back in! my heart is about to explode and I just wanna go!

Finally finally they let me go and just as I start to fall 65 meters straight down and JUST as they let me go they said "Oh no we forgot to clip something! of course that freaked me out even more!!! But in the end it was all just a joke and I was fine as I fell straight down and then arched in a big long swinging motion for quite a while until I finally stopped and they wenched me back up. I actually loved it so much that I did a second canyon swing for 39 dollars only! I really ended up loving it, It was awesome!

Well tomorrow I hang glide that should be great! Then I can say I have Sky Dived,canyon swinged,bungee jumped,and hang glided. Quite a ride its all been.... I have a video of my canyon swing on facebook and youtube and I am putting my photos on facebook too. Do go check them out :)

Talk at yall later,Ty

Brrrrrrrrrrr!

So I was in Franz Joseph where I did my glacier walk and it was so cold! But it was amazing for real, I loved everything about it except for the cold of course. I got some great pictures which I will upload to facebook soon. But words and pictures just dont do it justice, I cant even describe how pure and beautiful and amazing it was. I saw things that not many people get to see in a lifetime and I even got to drink pure glacier water!

When I first signed up for this it sounded expensive but it was worth every penny and it wasn't just a stroll thru the glacier as I thought. We actually did some real climbing with ropes and had crampons and climbed into ice caves and thru crevices but the views just made it all worth it. By the end of the day I was soaked and cold and tired but, I did pay for a glacier hot pool afterwards and it was the perfect cap off to a great day! It was a glacier fed pool that they heated to the perfect degree of hotness and you could stay in there as long as you wanted!

I also failed to mention something really interesting that we saw outside of Franz Joseph was "The Bushman's Museum" it was a museum started by a guy who first created "deer capture" in the 1970's. See, back in the 1800's and early 1900's they released deer into New Zealand just for sport hunting and really no other reason but by the 1950's and 60's the deer were so overpopulated they were killing a lot of the native trees and going into people's houses and stuff. So they started culling the deer and just killing them all. That was fairly successful but still not enough. So, they started using helicopters to hunt and kill deer and that was so successful that they ended up almost wiping out all of the deer totally.

Finally the govt realised that they should save some of the deer instead of killing them all so they used the helicopter to go and find deer and literally jump from the helicopter onto the deer and capture them it was pretty wild! Then this guy made a "net gun" system where he could shoot a net onto the deer and bring it down for capture. So eventually they had enough deer to actually start farming them for meat. So now there is over 35 "deer farms" in New Zealand where they just breed deer to kill for venison. The exports total over 260 million dollars a year! It is odd seeing deer everywhere in pastures/paddocks.

It was an interesting museum but, this guy who owned it he was really quite "politically incorrect" in a way it was refreshing to see someone who really didn't care what others thought about him and his views but, he did managed to offend a lot of people because he had complaint letters that he posted all over the walls along with his replies to the letters! He was quite a character. All in all I did enjoy the museum though. I am one day away from Queenstown so I will write more there after all my crazy canyon swing and adventure stuff!

Yall take care,Tyler

On and on we go....

Well I left yall in Nelson and after spending 2 days in Nelson I made it to West Port and spent a night there. There really wasn't much in West Port at all but our bus drivers organized a 3 legged pub crawl. So I was chained to a total stranger and we had to walk to 3 different pubs together but, she turned out to be a pretty cool girl. Luck for me her boyfriend didn't mind me being chained to her! Really there isn't much else to tell about West Port a lot of these towns are just spit dots on the map and I think the Kiwi Experience Bus Tour really keeps them alive. It is really neat to see all the different parts of the country though and to places I would never go.

After we left West Port we made it to Lake Manapua and "The Poo Pub" our hostel was run by New Zealand's oldest pub owner. He is an 84 year old man named Les and amazingly day after day he puts up with a rowdy group of 50+ backpackers and he still enjoys it! We had a pub night there as well but it was a costume party. The only rule was that everyone had to dress up and the only place we had to shop was the 2 dollar shop and a resale charity store so needless to say the costume's were very interesting haha! I managed to buy an old lady's night/dressing gown and a white glove a la Michael Jackson along with a hat my mate bought me made for babies! So I was quite the sight lol. But we all had a good time not to mention an amazing home cooked steak meal from Les for only 10 dollars which is an amazing bargain here in New Zealand!

Currently I am in Franz Joseph a really really cool town in southern New Zealand with a real glacier! I paid for a full day glacier walk along with most of my bus it was expensive but, how many times in your life do you get to walk all over a real glacier! I guess that is all for now. We will be here for another day then getting closer and closer to Queenstown the adventure capital of the world! :)

Bye for now yall,Ty

Moving on......

So, since Taupo ( a city I really liked and could have spent more time in) we have moved on to 1 day in River Valley which was also really really cool. It was a tiny lodge right by a river in a valley (surprise) and we were far away from everything! We had electricity of course but, not much else. There was 50 of us all in this lodge and there was outdoor stuff to do but that was it.

It was really nice to get away from it all and just relax. A lot of people went white water rafting but, it was quite expensive and I have done it before so I took a pass on it. I just relaxed and trekked around a bit. We slept in a big room on mattresses all right next to each other! That was interesting haha but it was all good :) I have really made some great friends on this trip and our driver Ringo is awesome!

After we had our day in River Valley we left for the capital city of Wellington where I am now. It is a larger city and there is a lot to do I went to a really cool museum all about New Zealand and had some great food here so far. I haven't done to much else as of yet. Tomorrow I leave for Nelson finally on the south island! It will be a 3 hour ferry ride down there so wish me luck! I leave early in the AM :(

I guess that is it for now folks, yall take care now-Tyler

Hot,Hot like fire....

Last night I went with some friends I met from the Kiwi Experience bus to some natural hot springs here in Taupo. It was really really relaxing just to grab a beer and go sit there in bubbling hot springs. It got quite hot and some points but luckily we were also close to another part of the lake that was freezing cold so we had the perfect balance of hot and cold.

I really enjoyed just relaxing there doing nothing but having a cold one and talking with new friends. Those really are the best moments of all my travels is just doing stuff like that. In this part of New Zealand it is very rural as I said before so there was no light pollution and you could see all the stars perfectly. It was great.

After that we went out for a bit longer at an Irish bar had a few drinks then called it a night. I slept late this morning for the first time on this tour because we had 2 days here and today the day is mine to do whatever I want. It was awesome to catch up on my sleep and just have the day to myself. I am enjoying New Zealand so far.

Well that is it for now. Yall take care,Tyler

Glow Worms and the Caves

Today we stopped in a little town called Waitomo. A lot of the places here in New Zealand are really rural and small. Totally different from the wild east coat of Australia I was on. The landscape is totally different here as well. I actually think there is more natural beauty here in New Zealand than I have seen in Australia but here is just as expensive if not more :(

I had the chance to go "caving" today. We went to an underground cave and the water was about 10 degrees C or about 35 degrees F. We had wet suits but it was still COLD! It was really really awesome though. We had great guides named Ryan and Monkey and they were so funny and informative. We got to see glowing fly larvae called "glow worms" when you turned your lights off in the cave and let it go all dark you could see them light up on the ceiling with bio luminescence and it was really cool! I had a great time.

Other than that I saw a sheep shearing show that had a lot in it and the guy was very informative and entertaining and I learned more about Sheep shearing and farming than I ever thought possible. We saw a lot of tricks with the dogs and sheep and there was even geese! It was pretty neat. Tomorrow we are off to another town with more activities I am sure. I really am enjoying the bus tour and the people on it.

Talk at ya later-Ty

Truckin down the Road....

So I made it to Auckland safely and spent the weekend there with a friend. Then I started my bus tour. It was Kiwi Experience. Different than I expected because I thought they just took you from point A to point B but in reality they actually force you to make different stops with them along the way. It really isn't so bad though, there is 50 people on my bus and they are really cool. You are allowed to stay as long as you want in one place or just stay the 1 day they allow for each place.

So far I have only stayed one day in each place but they always have an activity for you to do and a cool tour guide/bus driver named Ringo. Some of the activities you have to pay for and some are free. It really is your choice as to what you do. So far I have seen a really cool gold mine for free and also been to a city that smells of sulfur and rotten eggs but I paid to see a really cool Geo Thermal Park there.

New Zealand has been more beautiful than I expected for sure. It is cold here but I do like it. Tomorrow I will be doing some underwater caving/tubing so that should be great! I cant wait :) back on the bus for more stops until we finally get to Christ Church. I did see "lord of the rings town" that was neat. I will stay maybe 2 or 3 days extra in some town before I end this journey. I am just not sure where I want to pick up the extra days yet. Its all good so far though.

I guess that is all for now. take care,Tyler

New Zealand

So, after 2 days in Australia resting and getting used to the western world ( and western world prices) :(  I left for  New Zealand. After the usual bull crap at the airport I made it thru and landed safely in Auckland where my friend picked me up. She has been a great hostess. The first night we went out and I got to go to my first real rugby game! It was pretty exciting for me.

It is alot colder here in NZ than it was in Australia and definitely much colder than Asia so I am having to get used to that. I have some more friends I will meet up with here in NZ and I am gonna join a hop on hop off bus tour soon which will take me down to the south island and all over the north island so that should be fun!

For the first time since I left America in Nov. I got to eat Wendy's! You know the hamburger place, it wasn't EXACTLY the same but it was close. It was SO  good to finally have a little taste of home way over here on this side of the world. Not only that, but I also got to meet a famous kiwi TV star. Now I had no idea who he was but he was just out eating alone at a local fast food joint. I guess since there is only 4 million people in all of NZ their stars are just much more accessible. That would never ever happen in America. But I got his autograph just for good measure and he was actually a pretty cool guy.

I haven't done too much else noteworthy just yet but I am enjoying my time here and it should be good. I still find myself comparing things a little too much to the Asian world and I need to get out of that mindset because there is nothing in this part of the world that will be as cheap or as accessible as it was in Thailand.

Well I guess thats it for now. I will update yall more when I move from Auckland. -Ty

Asian Reflections

So I wrote this blog once before but it all got erased so I am giving it another go. I just wanted to write about my time in Asia. I really loved it there more than I ever thought I would. My original plan was to spend a little bit of time in Thailand,Laos,Cambodia and Vietnam splitting my time equally between all of the countries. What actually ended up happening was I spent almost all of my time in Thailand, a week in Laos and a week in Cambodia with no time in Vietnam ( that will be for next time) I love being able to just change my plans whenever and where I need too.

Thailand: Thailand really amazed me on so many levels that was by far my favourite country and the only country (besides Australia) I have visited that I can honestly say I could live in. Not forever of course but for a while. At first it was just such a culture shock to me because they do everything SO different in Asia. I saw alot of stuff that would give occupational health and safety guys a heart attack! They aren't purposely unsafe over there I just think that is how its always been. They just dont know any better. I took some scary journeys along the way with some dodgy transport but I managed to leave Asia without a scratch. So it can be done :)

My favourite city in Thailand was up north, in Chang Mai. I loved the beautiful jungle being so close and the people were so chilled out and relaxed it was great there. I had a love hate relationship with Bangkok some stuff I loved about it but I really didn't enjoy people trying to use you like an ATM because you were a tourist or the pollution or the loud noises but even Bangkok holds its charms.

Down south in the islands it was beautiful there. It was quite expensive just due to it being the high tourist season but, I loved just relaxing on the islands chilling out and as you have seen from my pictures I was lucky enough to work on my tan. So I really traveled Thailand pretty much north to south and I loved it all. I had such a great time there I may accept a job there to teach English for a year. But I will for sure be going back.

Laos: I spent a week in Laos, I crossed over the border from Thailand into Laos. The border crossing took a bit and it cost 35 American Dollars but once I made it into Laos it was worth it! It was like a "break" from Thailand. As much as I loved Thailand sometimes it just got a little crazy there. Laos was so beautiful and so relaxed. I went down south to the 4,000 islands and literally did nothing and loved it. They didn't even really have consistent electricity but it was so cheap there and you could just sit on the beach and relax and at night you could watch the stars. I saw freshwater dolphins and alot of amazing things and no one hassled you in Laos. You wouldn't know it but, on a sad note... Laos is the most heavily mined country in the world and its neighbour Cambodia is number 2 due to the Vietnam war and other wars there is land mines everywhere and there is a ton of amputee victims due to land mine explosions. I stayed on clearly marked paths and came out of there with all my fingers and all my toes.

Cambodia: For me personally I just didn't enjoy Cambodia and wont be returning. It was loud,extremely filthy like they didn't even make any kind of an effort to clean up their own country,it was poor and there was beggars EVERYWHERE! Now I can understand up to a point why people beg for money over there because in the Asian countries there is absolutely no social safety net and if you are poor then you just work until you die. But there is actually a real "beggar fatigue" issue over there. You just get hit up for money so much by so many people it just makes you crazy!

I did go to S21 and The Killing Fields which is where Pol Pot and his insane political group tried to "purify" the country of Cambodia in 4 years between 1975-1979. In that time I total of 3-4 million Cambodians died of various causes but just at S21 alone they murdered 17,000 people with only 7 surviving. I have blogged previously about my experiences there. It was good to see that Cambodia is not denying what happened but it was just extremely hard for me to go thru. I dont regret it I just wouldn't do it again. Really the only thing I honestly enjoyed about Cambodia was getting my massage by Nika who was totally blind but gave an amazing massage! Best one I have ever had and going to Angkor Wat. Not all of Cambodia is a bad place and many people love it, it just wasn't for me. I am still glad I went though.

So all in all I really did love Asia and actually when I got back to Australia the first night even though I hadn't been in Asia THAT long it was SO strange coming back to the western world. It really honestly felt alien to me. I felt as if I didn't belong and everything was different. I kinda went into a depression like state for a day or 2 and I couldn't sleep well. I asked my other friends about this who have been to Asia and they report the same. Its just so different coming back to the civilized world.

What I dont miss is the stupid "frog ladies" of Bangkok (those of you who have been know what I am talking about) it is these ladies who walk around and make this insane strumming frog noise over and over trying to attract your attention. It makes me crazy! I dont miss loud tuk tuk drivers trying to get your business ( Where you go?!) I dont miss multiple people a day trying to offer me a suit I dont need or want for a "special price" and I dont miss little kids who want to sell me flowers or thumb wrestle or play pool  with me for money because they ALWAYS win and when you fork your money over to them they dont even get to keep it. Children selling books or flowers or anything are just basically forced into a form of slavery for their greedy or sometimes poor parents who keep the money. They should be in school like normal kids but they aren't. I even saw a girl who was FOUR years old selling stuff. It really is a shame there is no social safety net for people in Thailand.

Well I guess thats it for now. Hopefully my blog actually saves and publishes this time. I dont want to write all this again. -Tyler

Sea of Red

Originally I had heard so many horror stories about the demonstrations going on here in Bangkok, everyone was saying farang ( The Thai word for foreigners) should stay inside etc etc. I was slightly worried just due to all this hype. This morning I would say about at least 500,000 "red shirts" shut down the city protesting the govt.

Well my friend and I are studying Thai, we each bought books so we decided to go to a nearby local park to study. We got there and were surrounded by the red shirt people. At first we were a little nervous but we soon realised these people are not out to hurt farang at all. They love us foreigners and depend on our tourism. So I got around to asking one of them who spoke English what they were protesting.

Apparently from what I understand the people of Thailand elected a prime minister and recently the military overthrew him because they said he was corrupt. As far as I can tell they haven't offered the people of Thailand any proof and they just installed some other guy in his place. So obviously the people are angry. So all the people of Thailand want is a chance to vote again in a new election to elect someone of their choice. A reasonable request I think.

So, we get to talking to this guy and he tells us we can join him at the rally. We figure why not? So we walk down there and there is I would say at least 500,000 Thai's in red shirts clogging the streets protesting and wanting a new govt. People there are happy and chanting and singing not screaming and getting angry. This is totally a non violent thing. I felt quite out of place at first with my friend being one of the very few Farang (foreigners) there. But the Thai's made us feel like Rock Stars! Everyone just acted like I was their best friend even if they didn't speak a lick of English and there was even a monk who hugged me! We also saw a foreign guy leading a protest chant and I asked him what the words he was saying meant, and he said he didnt even know! I was at least informed enough on the issue to know what I was doing there.

They all wanted pictures taken with me and to talk to me and give me free stuff like water etc.... I was amazed! At first I just went down there out of pure curiosity but they thanked me for supporting them and after I actually learned what and why they were protesting I do support them. The police/military WAS there but they were on the outskirts and they didn't harm anyone nor did anyone harm them. I can see this will be a totally not dangerous non violent thing unless either a protester gets angry or the police/military come down hard and hurt someone.

Tomorrow is the "deadline" for the change in the govt to happen so I wont be going down there tomorrow just in case things get heated but overall it was a really good experience for me to see people actually trying to make a change in their govt and doing something about it. In America I seriously doubt 500,000 people would assemble for anything. Either out of pure laziness or just not caring. But, also on the flip side of the coin we are lucky to have a govt that might not be GREAT but it has been and hopefully always will be elected by the people for the people so we dont have these issues.I wish I would have had my camera to take pictures but sadly I left it in the room not thinking I would be needing it for anything.

So long story short I had an interesting but safe day and I plan to make it back to Australia in one piece :)
On a Happier note I found the coolest little bar here on Soi Ko San ( Ko San Road) called The Happy Bar (go figure) the owner and his sister run the place along with a friend and it is literally just big enough to fit 9 people max but it is such a relief from the loud craziness of Ko San and you can actually talk and get to know people its great I really do love it there and I will miss it when I am gone. I do have a love/hate relationship with Bangkok for sure but I guess overall I will miss it. Tomorrow I shall write my Asian Reflections Blog. I guess that is all for now.

Yall take care,Ty

My journey with a monk

On my way back to Bangkok from Cambodia I sat on the bus next to a monk. His English was ok but not great, so I didn't get to ask him everything I wanted to ask him but, I did find out that every boy has to be a monk for 2 years or so and after that they can decide whether they want to continue in the lifestyle or not. He seemed like a nice kid I would guess he was about 18 or so. Now monk's aren't supposed to have cell phones or any technology but the younger monks I have seen sure do like to break the rules. He was chatting on a mobile phone for quite a while. I have seen monk's smoking and I even saw a monk stick his tongue out and whistle at a girl! They aren't allowed to speak to women directly, I guess to avoid temptation but they are only human. I respect them for what they do but it must  be a hard lifestyle.

Once I got back to Bangkok I just hung out with some friends and met some new friends. On the bus I met an Isreali guy and a girl from Switzerland. I also met a guy from California on the street and we all went out together and had a good time. I am tossing around the idea of coming back to Thailand to teach English here. I really do love it so  I will do some more investigating and see how that goes. Life is good here, its a little wild and crazy here in Bangkok but nothing I cant handle.

After being in Asia almost 6 weeks with no stomach problems at all just yesterday I got a touch of the stomach bug. It was a bad night for me but I am on meds now and I will pull thru. They say 85% of travelers get it at some point in their trip. I almost lasted my whole time with no issues though! I am hoping to be 100% better soon. They call it "The Bangkok Belly" You gotta watch out for the street food here when it gets hot outside sometimes you need to watch what you eat but, I will live. I leave Asia in 4 days :( back to Oz for 2 days then on to NZ. But it should be good.

Well I am done for today. Yall take care. -Tyler

Happy stuff/Sad stuff

Seeing those clothes from S21 is still haunting me. As I said before that museum was much more in your face than others I have been too. They at least cleaned the clothes that were displayed in the tourist part but these clothes still had blood clearly on them. I mean it wasn't like I saw dead bodies but I guess it was just seeing that giant pile of clothes that was taller than me and realising that they belonged to men,women and children who are no longer alive because of 1 crazy man's idea to "purify"a country that an entire generation of people are dead and gone.

They had pictures on the wall of some of the people who died there. (out of 20,000 at S21 only 7 survived) I did a quick calculation of the pictures and there was about 4000 photos. Every single one of those people died. It was hard for me to go there and see that but honestly it was good. It just shows that humans have the capacity for great good or great evil. At least the Cambodian people are not trying to brush it under the rug and are confronting their history and trying to make it right. The killing fields was sad too, that is where men women and even babies a whole lot of babies were killed. There is over 16,000 skulls there in a glass case. That glass case just seems to go on forever. I wont ever forget this. But, I dont regret seeing it.

On a happier note, I have seen a lot of cool stuff here in Cambodia many cool statues and monuments. As well as getting the best massage of my life. It was a "Japanese style" massage totally different from a Thai Massage (which is good as well) but the biggest difference is she was totally blind.

The girl who did my massage has been blind since birth. But, since she couldn't see obviously her sense of touch was amazing. I didn't even have to tell her where my tough spots were. She knew I have been backpacking due to the knots in my shoulders, she knew after feeling my kidneys that I dont drink enough water (I am really trying!) she even knew sometimes I slouch instead of sit straight up. She knew all that without even asking me anything. She also spoke perfect English despite living in Cambodia her whole life. The whole massage for an hour cost me 9 USD and I got to help her out as well. It really was a great experience I wont forget! Check her out, her name is Nika she is on Youtube!

Also, I have tied my record now, I have seen a dad, a mom, and 3 kids all on 1 motorbike built for MAYBE 2 people haha. Crazy Asian drivers!  I dont know how they do it. They just drive anything,anywhere anytime. Cambodia has the most beggars I have ever seen as well its really sad its so poor here and a ton of land mine victims too :( but enough sad stuff!

Oh ya, Lukie its the 9th here today. I cant believe you are 15 now! I remember when you were just a little baby..... ah the memories.... I have your present. You will get it as long as you dont wreck my new car :)

Soon we will head back to Bangkok in Thailand but we have 1 more day here in Cambodia. Yall take care,Ty

Cambodia so far....

So I have a lot to write about.... Well I crossed the border from Laos to Cambodia but not before a long and drawn out process. Basically I had to pay 23 USD dollars for a 1 month visa to Cambodia plus 3 dollars in "guard fees" aka bribes and after roughly 4 hours I managed to get into Cambodia in 1 piece. Thats just Asia for ya.

After getting into Cambodia I stayed 1 night in Kratie which to me was nothing special and really just another dirty city. I am sure it has some good points but, Cambodia is by far the poorest dirtiest country I have ever been too. There is beggars everywhere and people always want your money. It is really sad because most of them really need  it but you cant give it to them because if you give to one there is 20 other beggars who can see it and all want your money too. Cambodia is also the hottest country I have ever been too. it is boiling here with the humidity too!

After one day in Kratie I decided to skip Siem Reap with Angkor Wat and the beautiful temples ( supposed to be the 8th wonder of the world) due to the high cost in getting there and paying to see all the temples, and head directly to Phomn Phen. It was there that Kev and I met a really cool couple from Holland and we have been hanging out with them for a while.

We went to "The Killing Fields and S21" together. Those are the places in the 1970's where the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot killed over 3 million Cambodians between 1975-1979. I have been to concentration camps in Germany and stuff like that but these places were so much more "in your face" than anything I have ever seen before. There was still dried blood on the walls at S21. They had a room of photos of prisoners taken when they entered the S21 death camp, none of the people survived. There was over 4000 photos there. 20,000 people came into S21 and only 7 survived. It was good to see but very hard for me to go thru emotionally.

I accidentally got myself into an area not meant for tourists I think. I was trying to get out of the S21 Camp area and I went down 3 levels of stairs thinking I was going out the building. I didn't see any signs of any kind but I actually walked down into a basement type area. In that area was a mountain of clothes taller than me. much taller than me, the clothes still had blood clearly on them 35 years later. It was clearly the victims clothes and unfortunately  the image of that I think will be with the rest of my life. It was very powerful and sad and I wish I hadn't seen that. Babies were killed, adults,children,old people,educated people,poor people. It didn't matter. Entire generations lost. This just really showed me that humanity has the capacity for great compassion or great horror just due to the crazy people out there. It was really sad. Most people died there weren't even executed. They died from torture. The worst part is that almost every "leader"in the Khmer Rouge including Pol Pot escaped justice by just dying of natural causes. Not one of them has been brought to justice yet. It was good to see all that but very sad. I took a few pictures but honestly it was so depressing there I didn't take many and I doubt I will even share them all. You just need to go there and experience it for yourself.

After that we went onto happier times for dinner and drinks which was good but, we had to eat by candle light due to a city wide black out in Phomn Phen. There was no power at all! but it was actually kinda nice even if it was really hot! But they must be used to it because there was candles everywhere! Well that is all for now. I am safe and in a good guest house.

Until next time,Tyler

My time so far on the islands

So these islands here in Laos that we are staying on are so isolated and beautiful! We (sometimes) have electricity and (sometimes) have consistent running water for a shower but I dont mind at all. It is just really good to get away from the craziness for a while. I have seen some amazing sunsets that I have pictures of but pictures just dont do them justice I wish all of you could be here with me to see it!


The islanders are so nice and friendly and helpful. We have seen some amazing waterfalls and even are trying to spot some fresh water dolphins! We are staying at a guest house that definitely isn't the best as far as having the greatest rooms or beds or showers but "Mama and Papa" a Laotian couple run the place and they treat us just like their own children! They totally make up for the lack of creature comfort. They are the nicest,kindest most caring people ever! They bend over backwards for us! I will always remember them.

We also canoed quite far down the Mekong River but we got going quite fast downstream and close to a waterfall so rather than risk life and limb falling down a huge water (which was really beautiful by the way) we decided to turn back. I have actually put on about 4 pounds since I have been here in Asia that is a big deal to me! Food is so cheap here, but I still consider myself in fairly good shape. Canoing upstream against a strong current was one of the hardest things I have ever done though! It was SO tiring! We got passed up by two totally naked local boys who looked to be about 7 and they put us to shame! The locals are just so fit doing this stuff all the time their whole lives.

Oh, I did forget to mention the one good thing that happened in Pakse ( the city I was in before the islands) I got to eat dinner on a 7th storey roof top with an amazing view. I had a proper steak all the trimmings,beer and a dessert for 8 USD. Jealous huh? :) But on the downside I had  frustrating time waiting for my transport to take me to the VIP Bus down to the islands but all is well because I eventually got to the bus and got here so no worries just a little speed bump is all.

I have been so unplugged from anything North American related I really have no idea what is going on but I trust everything and everyone is well. So yall take care, til next time. -Ty