Fine Food Australia in Melbourne

Oktoberfest in Brisbane was here!! Danica invited me to join her and some of her Kiwi friends. Great pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3185172&id=2034929&l=62e6467d28

It had been a while since working for Carmi at the trade shows in Seoul and Shanghai. Fine Food Australia in Melbourne was overdue! I flew to Melbourne from OOL and met Eliot (president) at the airport. We stayed at the Marriott on the executive floor, man do I love exec lounges! Food and drink almost 24/7. Exploring Melbourne was fun but limited. The show itself was quite successful, many big companies were there and the samples were endless :o)

The last night I ventured out in the rain, hoping to see either penguins or artwork. Just as soon as I turned towards artwork, a CSer called me regarding my group post and wanted to know if I was still up for seeing penguins (it was now close to midnight). Of course I wanted to, so we met up. Manuel from Austria showing me the St Kilda penguins in Melbourne, Australia, ha! So we took public transportation (this cool mini bus thing) out to St Kilda pier and walked for quite a ways out to the pier in the freezing rain. I was very skeptic that we were going to see any...after all, I checked Manly pier almost every night looking for the little penguins and never saw one. Then all of a sudden this foot high lump waddled across the pathway in front of us right under a street light, "is that a penguin?!" Manuel agreed that's probably what it was. After that we saw heaps more! They were coming in from their sunset feeding in the ocean, and going to bed, but of course not before they had sexy time. They live in the rocks there and are just the cutest! And IN THE WILD!! Not even in a zoo or park or aquarium or Seaworld! I took so many photos (without flash, not allowed to have flash on).
Manuel was great fun and didn't care that I spent forever taking the same photos over and over again, and the penguins were so cute. I loved them so much I forgot it was raining and that my feet were frozen.

If you're ever in Melbourne, go to St Kilda pier late at night, walk all the way out to the end of the pier, and enjoy the wild penguins!!

The next morning I got to the airport with so much food from the show, and even more wine. How was I going to get this wine on the plane? No idea! Then I remembered, I'm in AUSTRALIA, not America! One of the few times I was pleased with this. Liquids are allowed on domestic flights in Australia :o) So my four wine bottles and beer came on the plane with me. What a great work adventure!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3139894&id=2034929&l=6a28cc276d

September - Time to Start Hosting CSers!

So now that Jesse and I were moved in and comfortable again, we decided to start hosting Couchsurfers in September.

Our first CSers were Austrian couple Birgit and Felix. They were great fun, we had a BBQ in their honor. Then Stephanie and Dorien from Belgium.
Then I went to Melbourne, see next post. Then Seongjin from South Korea. (It was at this time I quit Plan B/got fired). Snir from Jerusalem.

Matthias and Stefan from Germany. Sean from America. Kate and Sophie from the UK. Yeah...we ended up triple booking the couch that week. I said yes to Sean for a few days, he asked for a few more days, Jesse forgot he said yes to Matthias and Stefan for that time but we decided we could fit everyone. Then Stefan left but Matthias still needed one night but Sean was still there and we had the two UK girls coming...so we asked the girls if they cared if we had a slumber party and they were totally down so it was all good! Everyone liked my animals.



Leah and Steff from Germany were great. Lorna from UK, fail. Yogesh was fun from India. After that we took a break from hosting for a couple weeks, needed some time alone and to get the house back in working order.

Then I went to Hong Kong and while away Jesse hosted Bibi and Tee Han from Malaysia, I met them for a few hours when I got home, such a nice bubbly couple!

Shaun and Nadi from Canada, super fun! And they got us a gift of TimeZone, we just went and it was amazing.

Chris and Mark from the UK (it was their first time CSing), took them surfing, really fun.

Then Louise and Julia from Sweden - these girls can party! They were so great. They ended up foregoing Byron Bay in order to stay most the week in Surfers, go up to Tamborine for wine tasting and Springbrook, and joined us to Toowoomba for Jesse's DJ gig. Great photos here:


Alexandra from Germany. Then we got a last minute couchrequest from a Canadian couple in a bind and happily hosted them though we were looking forward to some time alone. I'm so glad we hosted Janelle and Quinn, they were so nice and really, really needed some nice people in return for the things they were going through. Something I never want to have happen but is inevitable.

Felix from Germany, another sort of last minute request.

Felix just left and now we are only expecting one more guest, Nanang from Indonesia.

It's been a great time being able to finally host people, I look forward to doing some surfing in the next few months then get back to hosting again when I return to Florida.

Embracing the Party Scene in August

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3110551&id=2034929

I tried to embrace it and get along with it. I tried to be fun and young again. I tried. I really did. I’ll skip the rest of the details, but all in all, Plan B Party Tours ruined months June-September.

My 2nd 23rd Birthday

So my birthday was great, got to be with my parents and Jesse and go to a park with kangaroos and koalas and such! However, it was rainy and we were unable to go diving. And just the stress of it all, changing plans and such…anyway. Jesse wanted to give me a second birthday.

Jesse woke me by telling me to wear a bathing suit and comfortable clothes that look good in photos. Then he told me we had to catch the 8:50 bus. As we walked outside toward the bus stop, he whipped me around and said, “We’re not taking the bus silly.” And there was only one car parked in the driveway, a blue mini coop!
Then we went and had a scrumptious birthday breakfast at Pancakes in Paradise of chocolate pancakes with hot fudge, chocolate ice cream, and cream sprinkled in dark chocolate chunks.

We drove north and all the signs pointed to a theme park, I didn’t know which one until we were outside of it about to park, Dreamworld and Whitewater World – passes until December!

Then he gave me a hint to my next surprise, the main one, all I could see was “Baby.” I started guessing wombat (because that’s what I most wanted to hold in Australia), cougar, tiger, lion, etc. Then we headed towards Tiger Island in Dreamworld and came upon a sign that said “Baby Wombat Experience” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GAH!!!!!! So exciting! We had 20 minutes (though they allowed us to go over for 30 minutes) in the wombat exhibit, feeding baby 14 month old Annie grass and patting her. AND HOLDING HER!! They let me pick her up and play with her just like a puppy!! IT WAS CRAZY!! I HELD A WOMBAT AND PLAYED WITH HER!!!


Then we rode rides and looked at other animals and all sorts of good stuff.

Then we left the park near closing and went to Tamborine Mountain for beer tasting and an Indian dinner. Then it was my turn to drive the mini coop! I took it back to Gold Coast and up to the Spit and yeah! I’d still be driving it but I forgot Jesse had to work tonight.

That’s the story!

Thank you so very much Jesse for an amazing day planned out so perfectly! Love you.

Did I mention I GOT TO PLAY WITH A WOMBAT?!?!!?!?!

Jesse's 2nd Birthday

Though Jesse's first birthday was pretty good, I felt due to the dinner we still needed a really great carefree birthday. My present to him was a double dive on the SS Yongala - one of the top 10 wreck dive sites in the world. So we picked up a CSer in Cairns and took her to Townsville, then continued on to Ayr. Slept in the rental car at the beach because no hotels/hostels were open or around.

Jesse was excited to be at a top 10 dive site, and excited that he got to go deeper than open water is allowed to (special one day cert even though not advanced...just another way for dive companies to make a few extra dollars). The dive company wasn't the best but...there's really only 2-3 that go to the Yongala...either a 30min dinghy ride from Ayr on rough seas or a 3 hour boat ride on rough seas from Townsville. Due to sea sicks, I chose the 30min ride instead. Though there was still some getting sea sick during the SIT, when in the water it was all good.

We saw huge groupers and huge schools of fish, clownfish, eagle rays, sea snakes (ARE AWESOME!), and best of all we could hear WHALES singing in the distance! The wreck was so cool, especially the toilets (it was on of the only things I recognized on the wreck). Jesse got to pet the sea snake and semi-hold it, so he was stoked.

It was one of my top 5 favorite dives, and Jesse's #1 favorite.

Then we kept on driving all the way to 1770. We never ended up stopping to sleep, but just took turns driving/sleeping the whole way. 1770 and Agnes Water were pretty cool but the bugs on the beach were annoying.



Then we kept on driving, never stopping to take a break, and soon the 24 hour drive was finished and we were back HOME in the Goldie at our wonderful flat and bed.

We still had the car another day, so we went down to Byron Bay. We saw whales from the lighthouse and watched the hippies play bongos and dance around. It was too cold and choppy for surfing.

And that was the end of our two week journey to Cairns.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3102560&id=2034929&l=8aed4ff64d

Whitsundays and Cairns with Mom and Dad

So after much trouble finding a car in Surfers Paradise to drive to Cairns in, we found one, booked a 3 day/3 night on Emperors Wings in Whitsundays, and left Gold Coast.

Naturally we left Gold Coast at 1pm instead of 8am...happens. We drove 14 hours to Mackay in hopes of finding some platypus in the wild, but got there too late and found out we'd have to drive into the mountains. Maybe later. We did however find the beach that turtles often frequent and it was very nice and the sky was incredible with many stars. We stopped at the only hotel that was still open and found a good rate for Australia ($80/night).

The next morning we drove the rest of the two hours to Airlie Beach, parked the car at a CSers house, and were ready to go on our journey. The first day we went to one of the many islands of the Whitsundays, snorkeling was subpar, I'm glad we didn't pay for a dive there. The next morning we were on the lower GBR. Diving was really great but not as good as the upper GBR. Lots of foods, delicious desserts, freezing in the hot tub on the bow of the boat (hot tub was hot but the air outside was freezing), and Jesse had his first night dive. We watched groupers eat little fishes and also watched GT jacks do the same. Whitehaven beach was the last day and it lived up to its expectations. And we moored in a harbor full of sea turtles.

When we arrived at the docks after a magnificient 3 days, we retrieved our car and headed to Cairns (via a 8 hour drive) to meet dad at our hotel. We quickly left Cairns for Port Douglas and stayed at Sheraton (normally $600-800 a night) for only $120 a night thanks to orbitz.com.au. WIN!

It was my birthday now and we went to see animals at the Port Douglas wildlife park. It was great having mom and dad feed kangaroos and emus and seeing some real Australian things. My birthday dinner was awkward and the restaurant actually was not that good, I can't remember the name of it.

As with typical family affairs, there was heaps of arguing and yelling and stress and I really wish it didn't always have to be that way. It was a great trip but it could have been so much better. Poor Jesse didn't grow up in a family like this, so I'm not sure he enjoyed this trip much. He was terrified.

Anyway, that was my 23rd birthday.

Then we drove up to Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. It was rainy the whole time but still beautiful and we found cassowarys in the wild, and I got to feed a bat. AWESOME! We also found a crocodile in the wild, thanks to Dads good eyes.

Then three days after my birthday it was time for Jesse's. I wanted to make sure we did something really great. Though finding him a cassowary (4) in the wild was pretty awesome! Soooo after more yelling and stress we picked the Poisedon one day boat trip to Agincourt Reefs, with 3 dives included for us and 3 snorkels for mom and dad. IT WAS STRAIGHT OUT OF FINDING NEMO!! Gorgeous reefs, great dives, great snorkeling. Mom and Dad were happy snorkeling together, Dad kept diving down to bring up stuff for Mom to get good photos of, and they saw a shark! (We didn't while diving) and no one was yelling. Much. Such great dives. Then we went back to Cairns for another night and to eat at a Thai or Indian restaurant for Jesse's bday dinner. Of course there was lots of yelling and refusals because we had just been snorkeling all day and people were tired and hurting. I felt bad it wasn't a very good birthday dinner. The Thai food was delicious but the atmosphere certainly took away from it. I think next time birthdays will have to be spent with the Summers.

The next day we walked around Cairns, mom went on a cool helicopter ride, and we found a mantis shrimp. And had good gelato.

This blog is very honest. I love my family very much but I cannot overlook some things while writing a blog with both the good and bad.

Then it was time to drop the parents off at the airport. It was a bittersweet goodbye, it was already over. I had just spent 2 weeks with mom and 1 week with dad and I felt like all we did was stress and yell and fight. I was really sad because I wish it didn't have to be that way and we could all just be happy. Like I said before, it was a great trip but it could have been so much more enjoyable. After leaving them at the airport I realized I wouldn't see them again for almost a whole year. I really hope everything at home stays calm and everyone is okay and we can make up for all the bad times and just have a few really really nice family vacations.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3099562&id=2034929&l=8d0b925fe0

Sydney with Mom (mum) July 13-16

On the upside, MY PARENTS WERE ON THE WAY!!
I flew (thanks to tigerairways.com $100 roundtrip OOL to SYD) to Sydney to meet my mother at the airport. I arrived at domestic and quickly found the train ($5, gawd Australia is expensive) to get to the international terminal. Waited outside of customs and there she was! Pushing her cart of luggage (mainly with treats for yours truly) towards me. Although we aren’t much of a passionate hugging kissing family, it really was great to see her again after five months separation. We quickly got to the shuttle only to find out that the airport shuttles in Sydney are dreadful compared to the efficient ones of Brisbane and Gold Coast. The shuttle took two hours to arrive and an hour to get to the hotel. No matter, we explored the city and I kept mother up long enough to break through the jet lag. I showed her where to get kangaroo, emu, and crocodile pizza if she ever wanted it (I don’t think she does haha), and we explored the wonders of the opera house and bridge (and decided against paying too much money for the bridge climb). I took mom to Burwood the next morning, were I first went when I arrived, and introduced her to the glory that is Asian bakeries.


We met up with Sue, my original CSing host, who took mom and me to see the Blue Mountains. She took us to an aboriginal community where we were taught how to throw a boomerang. I successfully through one and it came back to me (after many tries). Mom did great too, though I’m not sure any of them ever came back haha. Sue even pointed out rare black cockatoos! It was crazy, I would have never seen them nor known how rare they are. Then we went up the mountains and went on a few incredibly gorgeous hikes, rode in the cable car, and down a crazy rollercoaster-like steep train! After dark we headed back to Burwood and thanked Sue graciously for taking us all those amazing places by treating her to some real American food – Outback Steakhouse! Man it was so good, I’ve missed it (though I ate there in Korea a few months prior).Then headed back to the comfy Sheraton in Darling Harbor. The next day we lucked out again on the weather – another gorgeously sunny day. We started early by taking public transportation to Bronte. If you’re ever in Sydney on a beautiful blue sky day, head to the coast to do the Bondi-Bronte walk. Bronte and all the beaches in between on the way to Bondi were incredible. I even got to show mom the native cockatoo. After the brisk morning walk on the Bondi trail cliffs, we took the bus to the ferry over to Manly. I still feel terrible for accidentally deleting the best photo of mom in front of the Opera House, I hope I can repay her someday by bringing her back. That was the first sign of mother/daughter stress, it was all my fault. Nevertheless, Manly looked wonderful and although we were prepared with our snorkel gear, the water and air were much too cold to warrant diving in. Instead, I showed her some local hang outs I used to go to while living there for two months. We took a few ferries from there and wandered around Darling Harbor and had a great dinner at an Italian restaurant on the harbor. The next morning we were off to the airport again on our way to my new home with Jesse. Mom flew to Brisbane where my amazingly generous and helpful friend Darren picked her up and brought her to Surfers. I flew straight to Goldie and met her there. Here are some photos from this leg of the journey:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3085569&id=2034929&l=a820aa299a

The next few days were spent exploring Gold Coast, even taking mom on a party tour (where the flimflammers were suddenly gracious and kind). Aside from making mom some home cooked meals, we mainly wandered around town trying to find a decent rental car; again, it was definitely my fault for not having better arranged our plans for the limited time mom had in the country. Long story short, we booked the starter hotel in Cairns for dads arrival, booked our trip on Emperors Wings Whitsundays, and booked our rental car thanks to AAA.com. We took mom to the hinterland (mountains) to show her the various levels of vegetation and forest on the 4km Twin Falls Circuit. Naturally, we got very lost on the way there but mom did a great job driving on the opposite side of the road/car. We also went to the Natural Bridge to show her the glow worm caves, which she thought was a remarkable natural wonder (and so do I) that reminded her of Disney. I interjected that Disney actually got its ideas from nature itself haha. The next morning we were up and out, on the long 14 hour drive to Mackay where we would find the sea turtle nesting beach, stop at the cheapest hotel, sleep, and get up to continue to Airlie Beach (two more hours) for our 3 day/3 night sailing adventure on the Whitsundays.

Hard Times to Start

It certainly wasn’t all fun and games at first. I know many people think how can there be any issues at all when you’re in such a great land? Or, you just complain too much. Try as I might, sometimes the bad is just inevitable. With my great dislike for the promo job I had acquired, and Jesse’s added pessimism towards the company, I started failing miserably at this commission only job. Jesse started working for them too, seeing how easy it was to enter the job, and did not start applying for other jobs in town. Both fortunate and unfortunate, Jesse is way too good of a person for the job and was unsuccessful at selling tickets. Eventually, he started applying for jobs and decided he was much happier in a nice suit and tie then standing in a booth selling party tours. He stopped selling and started DJing on the tours for free. The flimflammers who call themselves managers of course would not pay him for it, and little acknowledged how much better the tour was with him on it, though they continued to use, “we have our own personal DJ straight from South Beach” in their sales pitches. The other slaves apart from the corrupt flimflammers however, did acknowledge his presence and how great he made the tours. It was a struggle for him, but he broke through and ended up DJing in many clubs and even ended up landing himself a job as a Marketing Manager at one of them.

I, on the other hand, was having a much harder time. The day Jesse arrived was the first day I saw firsthand what the untrustworthy flimflammers were capable of. I had sold $250 worth of tickets for the company with 50% commission on one sale the night before. We were not allowed to sell to anymore guys for the weekend tour, because of the even ratio guys to girls. I understood this and asked the guys, though drunk, if they could manage to bring girls with them. They happily obliged and the transaction was made. The next morning I received a SMS from a flimflammer with changing stories from I cannot sell to guys to they were drunk to they couldn’t attend since they were going to Brisbane and needed a refund. Which all were complete bulls. At this time the slaves were allowed to start selling to guys again, all the slaves sell to drunks, and the guys were no longer leaving. Needless to say, the corrupt f’s took the money back even though I made the sale, and the smallest flimflammer actually pocketed my entire commission for himself. I had already made plans to jump ship to the other tour in town. However, Jesse arriving mellowed me out and I let go of it and continued to be their slave. Now that I had seen firsthand what they were capable of, my selling skills diminished. I did not want to be in the same league as those fraudulent, deceitful flimflammers. My personality, confidence, and happiness were crushed. Enjoying anything to do with anything was extremely difficult. In any case, as you’ll see in the next few posts, I continued slaving because I had no other choice of employment (believe me, I tried), I tried to ignore the corruptness and enjoy the fun. You can only get groped, grabbed, and snagged by drunkards so much though before you break. To be continued…

Jesse's Arrival, June 2010

I’ve regrettably stopped updating the blog, not thinking anyone really cared about it and not wanting to waste my time. But now…I have absolutely nothing to do so I’ll start updating it again in case anyone is interested in reading them, and also for me and my forgetful memory.

So let’s go back to June when I was awaiting Jesse’s arrival. I was unable to pick him up personally from the airport, more for the safety of us from my driving skills, but I was able to book him a shuttle to my (now our) front door.

Around 3am on June 19 I sat in the lobby of our building, waiting for Coachtrans to pull up. For weeks I had been thinking of what I would do when we met again. Do we run together and hug passionately and start the waterworks? Do we quietly walk up to each other and share a quick but romantic kiss? Would he take one look at me and run back to the plane? I decided it was but not to dwell and just do what came natural. My nerves were as high as the building (18 floors). When the shuttle pulled up to the door I didn’t know what he or I would do. As it turns out, I went outside while the door was opening on the bus. He saw me and we gave each other a very shaky hug and a very awkward quick kiss. Who was this person?? No way had we been dating before this moment. He was a completely different person then the one I cried goodbye to at the cruise terminal four months prior in Fort Lauderdale. We received his bag from the shuttle driver and entered our new home together. The walk to the elevator was full of “where did you go?” and “do you like the home I picked out for us?” Jesse had lost so much weight on the cruise ship he was barely recognizable. When I opened the door to our apartment I like to think he was impressed and loved our new home. Although it was nearing 4am, we were so shaky and had no idea what to do, so I took him on a walk down the beach and to show him the Australian bats and nightlife. It sounded like he was going to quite enjoy this small European/Miami beach town (as he put it). I don’t think I stopped shaking for a week after his arrival.

The next few weeks were spent getting Jesse settled in and getting to know each other again. On June 27 we celebrated our eleventh month anniversary (though later decided it was our tenth, not eleventh) at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. I introduced Jesse to some other Australian wildlife we had yet to see together. From an emu wanting to mate with Jesse to the high ropes course to my first Thai dinner, it was a great date. We made these two videos that fully describe it. If you visit Gold Coast, be sure to go to Currumbin, it’s definitely the best Australia wildlife park we’ve been to thus far!





More photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3072672&id=2034929&l=0a818ed029

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3036483&id=2034929&l=f5467e59b6

All I Can Do is Wait

Guess what else?! 5 days until Jesse arrives!
He is currently in Florence with his madre – how awesome is it that she flew to Italy to visit with him for the week?? I hope they are able to find some relatives and explore all that Italy has to offer.

I’m quite excited, but also quite nervous. We haven't seen each other since February 28 (described in post "The Goodbye Cruise".

I hope he likes the apartment I chose for us, and I hope he still likes me. I hope I didn't screw everything up. I hope he likes Surfers Paradise, enough to live here for two months anyway. I hope he doesn’t think poorly of Australia given everything that has happened. And that it’s cold. I hope things haven’t changed too much over the past four months…I have a lot of regrets. I fear him meeting some of the more beautiful, more trustworthy girls here, and liking them more than me. The model type that he is used to and deserves. Likewise, I fear him getting here and hating everything about me and this land. Geez, I didn't mean this post to turn so sullen.

Guess all I can do is wait.

My PARENTS are coming!!

My mom and dad booked their flights last week to AUSTRALIA!! They got a super awesome deal on Qantas and fly here July 13-28. July 13-16 they are visiting Sydney, and then flying into Brissy July 16. We will tour the Goldie then drive up to Cairns via the Whitsundays. Details to be sorted after ma gets back from her cruise with Kati.

It's like Gainesville meets Miami

Upon returning from Asia, I continued on my mission to save money and find an apartment. I still haven’t officially quit the bogus job, I just haven’t called them yet to tell them I’m back…it’s been five weeks now since I last talked to them, so I think they get the hint that I’m not coming back. The party tour job is going well: I’m making enough to pay rent, food, and put heaps into savings each week. It’s not easy and quite annoying at times, but…it’s a job. And it’s somewhat rewarding going on tour and seeing the people you sold to having a great time (including making out with a person of their choice)! Haha. Oh Surfers Paradise…it’s like Gainesville meets Miami.
As for the apartments, Gary let me rent his spare room in Miami, QLD, for a few weeks until I found a place of my own. I searched endlessly for three weeks; I think I’ve seen every apartment available in Surfers Paradise by now. But alas, I finally made a decision and found the one! And they accepted my application (after having to show much proof that I can in fact afford it). I just moved in this morning (Sunday, June 13). It’s a studio apartment, steps from the beach and nightclubs (work), has a resort style pool (with diving board) and hot tub, gym, game room, and came fully equipped with linens and kitchen supplies. The only thing that really distinguishes it from a regular apartment is that there is no oven or washing machine. But they even let me have it for only a 2 month lease! And I’m good at stove top cooking anyway…the only thing not having an oven inhibits me from doing is baking – which is probably a good thing seeing as how I’ve gained way too much weight. Pics are online, of the apartment, not of my gained weight.

That’s about all I’ve been up to since Asia…going to work, looking for apartments, sleeping, and reading. And a lot of eating, unfortunately. And no exercising. Any motivation you can send me to exercise and not eat everything in sight would be appreciated.

It’s cold outside…I have to wear jeans and a hoodie all the time. At night I froze while trying to sleep (the window wouldn’t shut in my room)…water is too cold to even want to attempt surfing or swimming. Lucky for the heated pools though. I feel like Christmas should be arriving soon…but it’s merely June. It’s a very odd feeling. Maybe now that I’m done apartment hunting and don’t have a commute anymore, I can start enjoying my stay a little more.

Asian Persuasion: China

From Seoul, I flew immediately to Shanghai for SIAL. This won’t be a long post: bottom line is that I need to go somewhere else in China to decide if I like it or not. Shanghai was nice at first sight, yet when you get down to it – it’s full of pollution, rude people, and scam artists. I did a lot of shopping – it’s very cheap once you talk down the price (it seems every store you could barter, price tag or not).
I had a run in with some scam artists…who pretended to be actual artists…I won’t go in detail, but lets just say that Chinese police could care less about tourists, and will fully support the scam artists. Whatever. After that ordeal I ended up scamming a scam artist by bartering with them for a “Coach” purse for 150 yen (they asked 800 at first), lawl. Kati has yet to receive it but I’m positive she’ll like it.

As far as SIAL is concerned, I was pretty nervous about working a show alone. I set up the day before the show started, and there were even scam artists in the exhibit halls, trying to get you to rent their supplies and furniture for the booth…I don’t think they would have actually brought the supplies though after taking the companies money. Needless to say, I didn’t buy from them and instead had the USA pavilion leader rent the stuff I needed. I generated heaps of leads for the company, made lots of industry friends, and as a result, ended up coming home with a whole extra suitcase full of free giveaways from my new found friends, including foods like marshmallow popcorn, caramel pretzels, wine, tequila, and Chinese artwork.

I already miss airplane meals. Again, KOREAN AIR wins!

I must say though, I was glad to leave Shanghai and get back to Australia – the land of kind people (until they hear I’m from America). As we flew over Australia, I was stoked to be on English-speaking turf again with beautiful water surrounding the big island.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3042114&id=2034929&l=08bf29ddf6

Asian Persuasion: South Korea

I'm going to Asia!!

I skipped the details in my previous posts, but here it is: the flavor company back home that I’ve been working various trade shows for the past four years through college heard I was in Australia and offered me to work some expos they have on this side of the world. So on May 9, 2010, I was on my way to an all expense paid trip to Seoul, South Korea, and Shanghai, China.

My first impression of Korea was a barren, gray land full of messy bogs and disgusting riverbeds. It's a good thing I don't judge a book by it's cover.

Korea was awesome! But first, KOREAN AIRLINES is AMAZING!! They feed you Fisher's peanuts endlessly, delicious omelette brekky, unlimited beer and wine no matter what time of the day, and Korean and American dishes alike for lunch/dinner. The ten hour flight from Brisbane flew by in no time between the meals, movies, and book I'm reading (ironically on Chinese murderers and illegal immigration from China).

Breakfast of champions

Everything is so cheapness, the bus from the airport was only $9 USD (over an hour away), snacks under $1, and the most expensive drink at the 7-11 was a $3 USD Corona import. YAY for CHEAP!! I've gotten so used to Australian prices that I forgot other countries aren't as ridiculous.

My first full day, I hiked up the mountain behind the hotel (Grand Hilton). There was exercise equipment strewn about all over the place, and a sweetness Korean looking tower, even a wild cat (looks like a house cat). Even the bugs looked oriental.

I did not enjoy the fish tanks of diseased fish for sale (for dinner) in front of all the restaurants. I felt so sorry for them, they should be swimming in the ocean waiting for me to photograph them. The puffer fish was the worst, his eyes were clouded over and he was swimming completely turned sideways :o( And my octopus friend from Fish Rock Cave...yeah...he was also in front of every restaurant ready to be eaten alive by some silly person. Poor dudes :o(

Seoul Food Show was my first international trade show...it was quite different from those that I've been to in the USA. They were sectioned off by which products people had (in the Korean pavillion), and in the other pavillions, people just grabbed anything they could without even trying to be cordial. The Canadian bakery kept us well fed with brownies that would give my mothers a run for her money (though still no comparison due to completely different ingredients), our neighbor to the left fed us jalapeno pretzels and churros, and I discovered the most amazing coffee bun in the world. I want it back. It's called Rotivill, if you see it, send some my way!!

The show for us went well, I learned a lot from my superior and was able to apply the knowledge I learned there to when I worked alone in China the following week.

I found a waterfall about a 5min jog from the hotel; I even swam laps in the hotel pool.

Speaking of the hotel: I was put on the executive level, which meant internet access in the room, buffet brekky every morning (including omeletes made by chopsticks), and happy hour with hors devoirs every evening (which completed my dinner).

I met some cool business folk in the lounge and went out on the town with them Friday night. We found some cool bars and tried some new drinks.

Saturday, E took us to downtown Seoul and none other than Outback Steakhouse. Oh how I've missed cheese fries with ranch! After linner, they both went back to the hotel and I set out to find a palace and other Korean coolness. I found a river with rocks to cross on running through the middle of the city, decor from the Lotus Lantern Festival, and even was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and get to see the parade (I thought it wasn't until Sunday, that's what I get for not being able to read Korean).

The pictures really say a lot, so I suggest checking out the whole albums listed below. I'm going to try to make a video of all of Korea as well and upload it!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3036490&id=2034929&l=8ae0e028d0

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3040486&id=2034929&l=6d3be13a1e

Living in Surfers Paradise

After Byron and the infamous call from Firmenich, I had a choice, but only a little one due to time constraints, so I kept moving north as planned instead of back to Manly. It was a very difficult decision. I stayed with a CSer (everytime I say that I stayed with a CSer, it means I did a lot of searching and planning to arrange everything prior; I wish it was as easy and carefree as it sounds) in Surfers Paradise. He was very courteous but unfortunately I could not take sleeping on a couch that ended up having a party on it every single night. On more than one occasion I was in pj’s about to go to sleep when he brought home friends and they stayed up drinking and playing games. Once again, past Tasha would have loved this…but I’m present Tasha now and it wasn’t fitting for what I’m looking for. Gazza rescued me and allowed me to stay with him for a week. I had two interviews with marketing companies, got both jobs but only took one of them. It was as an independent contractor, commission based, fundraising for the Heart Research Institute. It was very difficult to learn the sales pitch and perform it effectively. I almost quit on more than one occasion out of pure fear and anxiety. But I stuck with it and overcame the fear, stress, and anxiety, and still ended up hating it. They don’t know it yet, but I’m about to quit. Simultaneously, I have been working promo sales for a tour company. It’s still hard and out of my element, but much more rewarding and less time consuming. I also trust them a lot more than the marketing firm (still trying to figure out how much of a scam they are running there).

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3036483&id=2034929&l=f5467e59b6

The trip to Asia came up quickly! That will be my next post.

Driving and Diving NSW

I met some divers and dove Fairy Bower with them. They invited me on their next trip to South West Rocks, about halfway up the coast to Brisbane. After much delay and more planning, I decided to move to Gold Coast and start working promo jobs, which I knew I could get with no issue. I was in a hurry to start making money, as the trip to Europe was rapidly approaching and flights aren’t cheap. Therefore, I accepted the dive trip to SWR and packed up my things and began the move. The dive at Fish Rock Cave was by far the best dive I have ever done. There were endless amounts of wobbegong sharks, sand tiger sharks, clowfish, turtles, lionfish, etc. In the cave I had to carefully move around a giant loggerhead that was nomming sponges on the narrow section of the cave. Many pictures and a video of this dive. The divers dropped me off at a CSers in Port Macquarie, where I stayed two days before catching a ride with two Americans and a Swiss CSer to Byron Bay. Port Macquarie was quite nice; my host took me to a tidal pool and found an octopus for me. He was truly helpful but unfortunately, it was the first time I’ve truly clashed with a host. I won’t go into detail though, you can write me to ask about the experience if you wish to hear more.

The ride to Byron Bay was uneventful after the initial trauma - they didn’t look up directions to where I was in Port Macquarie even though I asked them to make sure they looked it up because I didn’t know how to give directions and I knew I wouldn’t be able to ask anyone for directions, being as they planned to pick me up at 3am. Sometimes, even as good as I am at foreseeing future troubles, people just don’t listen to me and f it up, no matter how much I try to control the situation and prevent things from occurring. In any case, they didn’t listen to me and I was stuck walking around Port Macquarie at 3am to try to find them. They also didn’t listen when I asked them if it was ok that I had two 20kg suitcases with me (they said yeah sure no problem): there was no room for my stuff and we had to cram everything in, I still don’t know how we fit everything. But after that, we all got along quite well and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. Around 2pm that day, we arrived in Byron Bay. I received a phone call from: take a guess… FIRMENICH! They told me they have a position open for a flavor laboratory position and offered me to come in for an interview. The day I moved away. I’ll tell you what, life has a way of throwing way too many curve balls. I had to make a decision and quickly. I ended up declining the offer, due to the fact that I had just moved from there and the fact that I could not commit a full time position at the time. My business trip to Asia was only two weeks away, and Europe only six weeks away. Meaning that if I got the position, I would work two weeks, be gone two weeks, work two weeks, be gone 4 weeks, then be gone traveling around Australia with my family for 3 weeks before I could settle into a full time position. I explained my predicament to Firmenich and they ended up hiring someone else. Now I just pray that in a few months they have another opening. At this point I still don’t know if I made the right decision…but living a life of “what if” isn’t healthy either.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3029555&id=2034929&l=920a596ab3

I Have a Love

For the next week I stayed with a host in the CBD, toured the city, saw Alice in Wonderland, and felt more lost as the days went on. I did not want to do anything or go anywhere. Neither surfing nor snorkeling had much appeal. I realized that regaining what I had in the past was no longer an option; I had found love and present Tasha could no longer live as past Tasha. It took me much too long to realize and I felt terrible for hurting and deserting Jesse as I did. He is a very understand, caring, and giving man and gave me the time I needed to figure it out. Soon after, we started planning to reunite in Europe; I was to go on the ship with him through Italy, Turkey, the Greek Isles, and Croatia for 24 days, then a week in Paris. More on that later.

The following week I took my resume to over 50 places and made a mess of apartment searching, finding them undesirably full of roaches and dirt, and still twice as expensive as my apartment in Gainesville. After much distress I found the perfect place except that it was a 30 minute walk from town and the beach. Regardless, I figured I could use the exercise and took it. And I found a sick possum and tried to save it but failed. Things started to come into perspective for me and I felt better now that I had a place to call my temporary home. I went on a CSing day trip to Cronulla and Royal National Park and fell in love with a band called Mad Polly: I felt at home on the boat and the water reminding me of the intercoastal waterways of Florida.

Easter weekend I went on a CSing trip to Byron Bay/Gold Coast. I went surfing at The Pass in Byron (but got run over so many times that I got frustrated with the crowd), hiked up the mountain in Burleigh Heads, had more beach BBQs (beach BBQs are huge here in Australia), went to waterfalls, saw the natural arch and glow worm cave, and met a great CSer named Gazza who has since been a true friend and great contact. I also drove on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road! Very historical moment.

Upon returning to Manly, I still hadn’t had any luck finding a job (one failed trial night down) after a month of arriving in Australia. I started to think maybe I should move when all H-E-double hockey sticks broke loose. I still have no idea what happened, but a roommate moved out and took everything with him…It was a prime time to make the move. Then two things happened. First, I was walking around handing my resume to places when I walked by a building with a Firmenich logo on it. It is one of the biggest flavor companies in the US. I went home and saw that they were in fact the same company, and it was their only location in Australia. Fate that I chose an apartment a 10 minute walk away from it. I took my resume the next day and was given the email and number for the lady in charge of the lab. At the same time, a pet shop called me regarding my resume and I went in for an interview. I got to play with puppies and help give medication to ferrets and chase birds around…they really liked me (the people, not the animals. Well the animals too). Then they called me back and said they didn’t realize my visa only allowed me to work for six months and that they couldn’t take me because of it. Fail. I tried Firmenich every day for two weeks, phone, email, etc, and finally decided that they did not want me.

Arrival and Couchsurfing

I arrived in Sydney around 7am, collected my luggage, went through customs, and found the bus to my hosts house in a suburb called Burwood. The next few days were devoted to familiarizing myself with the country and getting somewhat settled.
For those of you that are not familiar with CSing (couch surfing), it’s an online community of travelers who wish to meet, help, and explore with others. My first hosts in Burwood, Sue and Bill, were incredible and let me stay in their spare room for a week and shared their knowledge and stories of traveling; in return, I provided wine, desserts, my own stories, and other goodies throughout my stay to show my appreciation. In addition to hosting/being hosted, CSing provides forums for people for upcoming events, travel, transportation, local information, advice, etc. So, the second evening in Australia, I went to the CSing monthly event. I met some great people, including locals, Brazilians, Germans, Russians, British, Americans, and so on. A local, Mark, told me he may have an extra ticket to a festival the next day. Having no plans and up for anything, I accepted and ended up going to the biggest electro music fest in the country! I never had a fondness for electro music…but it was definitely a cultural experience to say the least. There were about 20 tents, all with some DJ spinning what sounded to me like the same thing in every one. The day was definitely fun, but I spent most of it being reminded of Jesse and wishing he was there, he would have loved it.

The next few days I attended more CSing events, met more people, and moved from my Burwood hosts to an American host who was living in Manly. I decided to stay in Manly and set out looking for apartments. A CSing trip to Port Stephens popped up and I went. It included a night of bushwalking to a deserted mile long beach where you could see every star in the sky accompanied by a full moon, my introduction to goon (Aussie slang for boxed wine coolers), and good times with eight other CSers. We also went to the sand dunes for sand boarding (which I was terrified of from my fall down the snowy mountain), playing baseball/cricket, camels, body surfing, finding a sharks tooth, playing ultimate Frisbee, hiking, and finding Port Stephens a beautiful spot I will return to.

The trip was so much fun, but as with Future, I wasn’t having as much fun as I thought I would be having. In my three years of planning for this trip to Australia, I planned to not have anyone to miss back home and live a carefree lifestyle, just rolling with the punches (many of my past travels are inhibited when I miss someone back home and just want to go home to be with them again). Jesse changed my plan the day he came down to the Keys for my birthday, I just didn’t realize it yet. As the first two weeks went, I was doing amazing things and trying to enjoy every ounce of it, but I came up short every time. I concluded it was because I was in a relationship. I made the hardest and worst decision, and asked Jesse for a break. It tore him up and inevitably tore me up as well. I was lost, confused, and had even more of a terrible time than before.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2998039&id=2034929&l=8e9887b8e8

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3005929&id=2034929&l=d72f64a462

The Big Move

After only 48 hours from returning home from the cruise, already having said goodbye to Grandpa at home, I was checking in my luggage at the Qantas desk at MCO with mom when Uncle Scott showed up to say goodbye. He was able to use his employee powers and get mom to walk me through security to the boarding gate. Thanks again Scott, I miss you and LuLu more than you could imagine. After an hour, my flight was ready to depart and I had to say goodbye to mom. I also called my father, who was away on business, and Kati in Tennessee, and said goodbye to them over the phone. Again the feelings of what I would do if anything happened came over me. I fear it everyday and sometimes think I should stay close to home because of it, but I don’t want to live a cowardly life fearing the loss of loved ones, or death myself. I cannot live that way; no one can, or should. But the thoughts still consume me sometimes, and are the hardest part of saying goodbye.

The flight to LAX was uneventful (good with all flights/rides!). Jason picked me up and we toured Venice and Santa Monica beaches during my seven hour layover. I returned back to the airport and through security with an hour to spare. After having stayed up packing the previous night, I quickly fell asleep. Around 10:20pm, a Qantas employee was shaking me awake, asking if I was going to Sydney. Dazed and confused, I said yes. She informed me that it was last call for boarding: I can’t believe I almost missed my flight! I cannot thank her enough for seeking me out and waking me! As soon as I got on board I fell back asleep, had 3 seats to myself, for over half the journey and watched movies the other half. I actually love long flights: eat, sleep, watch movies, read, play games, etc. It’s the best excuse to be lazy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2992174&id=2034929&l=06cac81385

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3023491&id=2034929&l=132857931b

The Goodbye Cruise

As the big move to Australia neared, Jesse decided he would also make a living traveling. He resigned from his prestigious engineering job and signed on as guest entertainer on Princess Cruises for a four month contract. He was to embark two weeks before my flight to Sydney. He was able to pull some strings and get me on board for his first sail! The 10 day itinerary included St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St Thomas, and Princess Cays.

On February 18th, Jesse’s parents said, “Bon Voyage!” to us and we were on the Atlantic Ocean sailing towards the Eastern Caribbean. The first two days at sea involved us devouring the delicious gourmet meals, exploring the ship, watching movies on the big screen on the top deck, and of course, Skywalker’s Nightclub each night as Jesse entertained the 50+ year old crowd and a small assortment of 20-something year olds.


St Kitts involved a somewhat harrowing taxi ride to a small locals beach, where we found a dog chasing a monkey, great snorkeling with eels, eagle rays, and sea anemones, and $2 St Kitts brewskies. The green-brown mountains plunged into the crystal blue ocean whilst skiffs puttered about. An assortment of sun-kissed tourist wandered around with their cruise ship towels and cameras, as natives attempted to sell everything from fresh aloe juice to hair braiding to pictures with baby monkeys with diapers on.

Of course, each native just happened to “rescue the baby monkey from some environmental hazard and is raising it like one of its own.” Though, I am convinced the little monkeys were captured involuntarily from the mountainside before their mothers could retaliate, and enslaved for individual greed and prosperity. I just hope they are well fed, happy little monkeys, and that when they get too big for tourist photos, they are released into the wilderness to roam free and are able to fend for themselves, including finding food and taunting/running from floppy dogs.

All in all, St Kitts was beautiful and I look forward to revisiting and trying out some diving. At port in St Lucia, we found a touristy type boat tour which took us, with inclusive Piton beer, to a harbor near the Pitons, twin active volcanos. There we were herded to taxi vans and journeyed through lush tropical rainforests to the drive thru volcano. I had originally pictured a classic neon drive-thru Vegas style sign reading “Drive-thru Volcano Here” at the base of a volcano with red hot lava churning at the top and a small tunnel excavated in the side of the rock which you could take your car through. Needless to say, when we pulled aside a barren, boiling sulfur pit with no sign of cooled magma, I was slightly disappointed, but still happy that I was finally seeing an active volcano. The van then took us to a waterfall which was less of a tropical destination and more of a local’s bath house. Upon watching a native scrub his feet with a rock at the base of the falls, we decided against taking a dip. Still, I was pleased to have seen how islanders use their beautiful land. We were then shuttled back to the boat which took us to a small beach surrounded by a flourishing tropical rainforest and no roads in sight. After inquiring at the local dive shop the best place to snorkel, we entered the warm water under a green mountain and were treated to 30 foot visibility and the most beautiful aqua blue-green water I have ever seen. Swarms of baitfish flowed around us as we made our way to a small cave carved out of the cliffs above us. The cave was intimidating at first sight but we quickly realized we were experienced enough on snorkel gear to swim through and were rewarded with schools of cave fish, sea fan walls, and nothing to eat us. We took turns photographing everything we saw, including a lobster-crustacean thing.

Upon returning to the ship, I was met by yet another one of Jesse’s famous surprises. He had managed to book a turtle snorkeling excursion for minimal price the next day in Barbados. I was elated and quickly got my camera ready to go. The islanders were playful and fun: I wouldn’t mind a job on a boat like that! We were taken just offshore to an area of low visibility, but with heaps of hungry turtles. The island men got in the water with us and fed squid to the turtles, keeping their attention (and making for great photos) for nearly an hour before other boats arrived and stole the turtles from us. It was so amazing, though I don’t completely agree with hand feeding endangered creatures. We were moved to a quiet area on the ocean and were fed island punch and Barbados beer while permitted to jump off the bow and swim about. A dance party flowing with rum punch on the return voyage leaves my memory vague other than trying a tamarino ball at port. The video of that is relatively hilarious in my opinion, though Jesse was less than amused at my antics which I quite regret.

In Antigua we decided it was time for SCUBA. We went on a private, one man operation and saw some beautiful reefs, though nothing specifically memorable comes to mind other than a few spotted drums which have become an affection of both Jesse and me. The owner/captain/DM and Jesse made a deal in which Jesse would build the company website in exchange for free dives every time he visited Antigua.

The morning we arrived in St Thomas, I arose early and had a breakfast sandwich (best thing on the ship), excited to catch the ferry to St John. But as with all my travels, things didn’t go quite as planned due to my stinginess and lack of proper planning/research. I get so anxious when I want to be somewhere and can’t get there quickly enough. Regardless, we finally got the 10am ferry to St John, and got a taxi to Leinster Bay. The snorkeling in Leinster Bay around Waterlemon Cay is incredible due to the abundance of sea turtles there. The reef around the cay is flourishing in corals and plants, but somewhat lacking in fish – I have no idea why. In any case, it is one of my favorite spots due to the turtles alone. They are so used to snorkelers that you can get right next to them for great photos. We also saw an eagle ray, many sea cucumbers (Jesse’s favorite of the day), and other odd and end fish and plant species. We had only a short time before needing to get back to the ferry to get to the ship before casting off, and as we were in Leinster Bay (quite far from anything), there were no taxis coming around at 2:15pm.
We started walking and ended up hitchhiking with an older couple, who took us to Trunk Bay where we easily got on a taxi and to the ferry to Red Hook. We had plenty of time to stop in for a drink at Duffy’s; and by a drink, I mean a monkey, a parrot, a race car shot, and some beers ha! PJ, the resident bartender, was there in true form to delight us with all the toys.

Since we decided to go to St John, I didn’t see much of St Thomas this trip, but plan on returning to do some of the diving Jesse now recommends.

Princess Cays was the last stop on the cruise. And it easily had the coldest water I’ve ever experienced in the Caribbean. I did not get in, but Jesse did and said the snorkeling was cool due to a grouper under the dock. We walked through the tide pools, found a deserted section of Bahamian beach, and acquired comical memories.



While the cruise was truly wonderful, each passing day brought on the looming reality of our long term separation. The last night on board was extraordinary, emotional, and distressing. The next day was worse.

Jesse’s father picked us up and took us back to their home in Miami for a delicious breakfast, thanks again Stella and Mark! Shortly after, I drove Jesse back to the ship via a quick stop to purchase his underwater camera.

I never expected to feel such indescribable sentiment of leaving someone as I did that day. It was the most heart wrenching temporary goodbye of my life. The uncertainty of the future, the dread of being apart, and the desire to share all future experiences and adventures flooded my emotions. Questions arose in my head to cause even more anguish. When will we see each other again? Where? What does our future hold? Is it worth the long term separation? Do I need time to grow on my own? What if something happened to him, or me, that resulted in never seeing each other again? I don’t know what I would do, and I still don’t know what I would do. All I know is that I would be lost emotionally, and I hope the day never comes, as anyone does with a loved one.

The drive back home was full of dubious thoughts. And a stop in PSL to visit Erin and eat some nomulous focaccia bread. Saying goodbye to two people in one day…rough.

Upon arriving home, I made the final preparations for the big move. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2990313&id=2034929&l=43353708e8

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2990525&id=2034929&l=97d7799712

Costa Rica

Jesse took me to Costa Rica for my graduation present!
We decided to rent a car and go to a volcano, scuba diving, rainforest, and surfing. Things didn't quite go as planned though. I won't go into too much detail, I will say there were more fails than wins, but any trip with Jesse and to a great destination like Costa Rica is an overall win.

First things first: American Airlines WILL lose your lugguge if traveling out of Miami airport. When we arrived in San Jose, my bag with all my belongings in it wasn't there. We decided that instead of waiting for it to come in the next morning, to just go on as planned and have AA send it to our hostel in La Fortuna. We rented a car (not as cheap as expected) and drove throughout the night in the winding roads up to the Arenal volcano/La Fortuna area. When we arrived, nothing was open...so we slept in the car. Memorable to say the least.

*Lesson: Patience is a virtue. We should have waited for the next morning and got my bag ourselves, and drove during the day. Of course, everything happens for a reason. Had we done an alternative, something even more terrible may have happened such as an accident, so I am at peace with our decision, but in the future I will remember to be more patient*

So the next day I bought a new bathing suit and we decided to go to Baldi Springs, $25 USD for an evening of never ending hot springs, gorgeous rainforest scenery, and a gourmet-buffet all you can eat dinner. The next day we unfortunately couldn't make it to go zip lining...but 'tis how the whole trip went.

We drove to Playa Hermosa to go diving with manta rays. Only, I left my bathing suit in La Fortuna on accident, and by the time I realized it, the room maid had already stolen it. So, when we arrived in Playa Hermosa, we booked our dive boat for the next morning and went into Playa del Coco to look around the town and find yet another bathing suit. While we were walking around (for about an hour, parked behind the police station), some db Costa Rican broke into our rental car and stole my backpack, which had my underwater camera housing, passport, money, and other items, totaling to about $1000 of possessions. Policia are worthless, they in fact may have been the ones that stole it...who knows. I was livid...Jesse didn't know what to do to help...and it was just a terrible experience altogether, I hope none of you ever have to go through that. We got a hotel room, went on our dive without a camera :o(, saw some pretty cool things including a million puffers and some white tip reef sharks, but no mantas and visibility was terrible. I'm going to have to go with: it wasn't worth the drive there.

*Lesson: Always pack a bathing suit in your carry on*

Our plans changed yet again, as now I had no passport, no suitcase, no backpack, no clothes, no makeup, so camera housing, etc. We had to drive to San Jose immediately in order to get to San Jose before the US Embassy closed for the holiday weekend (if we didn't make it, we would have had to miss our flight and wait for the embassy to open). So, a 7 hour drive through rough roads, our rental car BREAKING DOWN, etc, we found ourselves back in scary San Jose, begging the airport people to let us in (it was after hours) and give me my suitcase. Jesse did a great job speaking Spanish and making up a story in which they finally gave me my suitcase. Alas. Luckily, when AA lost my bag, they made a copy of my passport - so now I had a passport copy to give the US embassy, thank goodness for that stroke of luck!

*Lesson: Always travel with a few copies of your passport, placed in separate areas, including one back home with a family member or friend*

The hostel we stayed at was quite decent. We had a police escort to the US embassy, so finding it was easy. Getting the passport also went quite smoothly since I had my flight info, passport copy, photo, etc. Then we quickly drove ourselves to Jaco to visit Jesse's friend, Kip, and do the surfing portion of our trip. Unfortunately, I never made it out to Kip's club because I was exhausty, and I never got to meet Kobi :o( just more things to add to the list of fails. We did get to see wild scarlet maccaws though.

The surf in Playa Hermosa (a different Playa Hermosa) was much too intimidating for me, so I didn't try there. We went to another beach the next day, I did terribly. We went to Jaco, I did terribly. I also believe that's where I swallowed so much contaminated sea water, that I was sick for a week upon arriving back home.

*Lesson: Don't drink Jaco water, even if it's accidental.

We then went to Manuel Antonio, got attacked by awesome monkeys, and played with millions of hermit crabs. It was beautiful and I look forward to returning.

We ended our trip at Dominica, the place that was the whole reason for Jesse taking me to Costa Rica. It was like Jurassic Park...river meets ocean, glassy waves (though I still didn't do well), and incredible sunsets. It was the perfect end to a not-so-perfect trip.

Even through all of the fails, I really enjoyed the trip and love Jesse for taking me <3

For more pics:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=64511637&l=1a908270de&id=2034929

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2968850&id=2034929&l=a5788888e2

I will upload the video I made of the whole trip soon and post that link as well.

Next post will be our cruise around the Caribbean! Cya then.

The Beginning

After much thought and advice, I've decided to start a blog. My family and friends have been encouraging me to keep one on all my travels, so here it goes!

Christmas 2004, my godmother Tina took me to Australia for my high school graduation present/16th birthday present. I immediately fell in love with the country and dreamt of one day studying abroad there. I got into UF, and immediately began planning the trip.


January 2008, I was scheduled to study at UNSW for four months...I was registered for classes, had my apartment picked out on Bondi Beach, had my visa; all I had left to do was pack. Two weeks before my flight, I took a ski trip to Vermont and broke my arm. Fail.

I decided to cancel the study abroad trip due to many reasons, including carrying luggage across the world with one arm, getting medical insurance to cover a doctor in Australia, finding a doctor in Australia, and not being able to surf/swim/dive/do anything while in Australia.

With the help of family and friends, I changed my goal from studying abroad to working abroad. Upon graduating from UF in December 2009, I received my Work and Holiday Visa for Australia and bought a one way ticket to Sydney International.

Little did I know, in addition to Australia, I would be traveling all around the world thanks to unexpected opportunities.

The first adventure started with my graduation present from Jesse, a trip to Costa Rica! Then another unpredicted trip to the Caribbean. I flew to Australia in March and have since visited all over NSW, QLD, and an unexpected business opportunity to South Korea and China. It's only May, many more adventures to come!

I will continue to post my adventures until I catch up to present day!

My next post will be my wins and fails of Costa Rica! As for now, I'm off to venture around Seoul, South Korea. Cheers!