AmTrak- San Francsico to Chicago

‘Yeah, be right there, just started my 52 hour train ride..’

 

Why? WHYYYYYYYYY oh why ohh why did I not realise that 52 hours on a train would NOT be all that fun? Especially since I didn’t even shell out for a sleeper seat? Thank the Lord I bought that travel pillow or I would be ready to destroy something right now, about 48 hours into the trip. There’s only so much entertainment you can get out of staring at mountains and the occasional river for two days.
I’ve been to Reno, Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, Denver, various places in Iowa I didn’t care to remember the names of…

So far…

I can’t even think. I’ve been having a series of naps rather than sleeping and my head feels really foggy. A nice Spanish lady gave me some burritos and two apples as my food supply had run out and I was considering buying the ridiculously overpriced food on the train. I found a guy from Scotland travelling with a guy from Liverpool to chat to and borrow a UK to US adapter from (the one for Australia that I originally bought converted to a US adapter, but Erica the Italian stole it by accident haha -__-). Also, I met a girl from Chicago who is moving to London on Friday to study at London School of Fashion.

Twinkie, Twinkie, Little Star *MUNCH*

What else.. OHH I BOUGHT *calms down* and absolutely demolished four Twinkies! The shame. But oh how I luurrvve Twinkies. I see why that dude in Zombieland was in search of the last remaining Twinkies after the zombie apocalypse. And looking at the label, a two Twinkie packet hasn’t even got that much saturated fat or calories in it… but I should probably not eat any more for a while.

I’m about to cross the Mississippi river.

Next time- AmTrak: It STILL hasn’t ended

 

Love, Peace and OMNOMNOM*eats another Twinkie*DON’T LOOK AT ME!*munches*THE SHAAMMEE
Shivtot x

 

P.S. I think I may have a problem.

P.P.S.- What did Delaware? A nice New Jersey? Idaho, but Alaska!

Back In Time

‘Let’s go back to that old school storytellin’ ish’

Throughout my penultimate week in Australia, John had been asking me if there was anything I really had to do first- any places I wanted to visit, activities I wanted to do, that we could afford. On the cards were Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin’s- bless his soul- zoo), the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Moreton Island, the second largest sand island in the world. I couldn’t decide, and we only had Saturday and Sunday to do it as he was working every other day from like 7am to 6pm. So, on Friday night (last minute as always) we booked the ferry and bought camping permits, as well as buying enough food for the weekend and 4×4 proofing the car. Saturday morning at about 7am we got on the MiCat ferry to Moreton Island.

 

Be prepared

The boy scouts have it right. That is important. After spending a beautiful day and a half violently ricocheting cruising over the sand and dirt tracks on this stunning island, climbing mountainous sand dunes and swimming in freshwater lakes, we had one last stop on our map before heading back to just catch the 3.30pm ferry. And of course, this is when it ALL started to go wrong.

In most cases, road signage in Australia is very, very bad. Even more so on Moreton Island. We ended up getting slightly lost and going down roads that no one thought to put a sign on saying that they are long soft sandy roads to dead ends. We tried and failed multiple times to get up one particularly soft and sandy hill to get to ‘The Desert’ where we could go sand boarding, and when we eventually did succeed, we had half an hour before we needed to head back for the ferry and of course, the sand was not compact enough to sand board on. Not that we didn’t try. Oh, how we tried. So after finally conceding defeat and heading back to the car to get the ferry, we promptly got stuck in the huge tire tracks of a bus where we remained for approximately an hour trying to dig, push, reverse, or anything else we could think of to get out. For those of you who are maths geniuses, you may realise that half an hour – an hour = late + not getting the only ferry back that day. We finally decided that the thing to do would be to lower the tyre pressure (again) and this time, it worked. We were off! But we’d missed the rather expensive but only ferry that day that would take people and cars. All because we didn’t have a tyre pressure gauge. Be prepared.
We managed to spend an extra night camping and caught the ferry the next afternoon for free since there was space, John had to miss a day of work but we managed to contact Tom and ask him to let them know so it didn’t end too badly. Overall it was an amazing weekend.

Boneless creatures & thickshakes?

I mentioned bonless creatures in my last blog. Being an island surrounded by the sea, quite often as we strolled along on that extra day we had after John had bought us a thickshake and an ice cream, we’d bump into strange gelatinous creatures washed up on the beach. We had no idea what they were but they were gross. We did see one pretty jellyfish floating around in the shallows which was blue… I should look up what kind it was. Also during one of our strolls, a small whale jumped right up in front of us. Yes, I was very, very excited.

 

 

 

I woke up to the sounds of the sea, played guitar and sang to the waves. I never wanted to leave.

Love, Peace & Jellyfish Grease,
Shivtot x

 

Next week- I never took my heart to San Francisco.

I Would Say I Left My Heart In San Francisco…

But it’s still in Brisbane

After my initial 7 hour delay turned into an 11 hour delay, I finally arrived in SFO. A city airport by night (well it was 1am) is just like any other. I got to Manisha’s and I know you’re not supposed to but I crashed for 4 hours. Out cold. Dead to the world. Comatose. I had gone to bed at 2am on Friday morning, woken up at 6am, flown from Brisbane to Sydney and not slept, then flown from Sydney to LA and not managed more than half an hour of kip before I arrived on Friday morning at 10.30am (time travel, I did it ), then had to wait for my flight until 11.20pm unable to sleep on the airport floor. That’s a good 30 or so hours with barely an hours’ sleep. So I gave in and bought a travel pillow. As soon as my head hit it on the flight to SFO, I was GONE. Best airport boredom buy ever.

Ramón Levi Giuseppe Monroe Capone Jr., Chai Lattes and the Golden Gate Bridge

I arrived in San Fran, and made my way to Manisha’s apartment. This building is so nice, and the free coffee/hot beverage machine has me addicted to chai lattes. Manisha was so lovely, even though I arrived the day after I was supposed to and at 7am. She let me nap for 4 hours then she took me around the financial district and I bought socks. Yup. My first purchase in San Francisco was socks.

After taking a tour bus the next day, I realised that San Francisco has two climates in September, winter at the bridge and summer everywhere else. It was summer when I got on to the tour bus, but winter around the Golden Gate Bridge which- I was reminded, is not orange, red or golden. The colour is called ‘international orange’ or ‘rust’ for short. If you ever come to San Francisco and take the two hour tour bus from Pier 39, try and get Ramón the bus driver. He is hilarious. His name got longer and longer as the tour went on. As he took us past Alcatraz where Dad escaped from his name was Ramón Capone Jr. Past the place where his step sister Marilyn filmed a famous scene his name became Ramón Monroe Capone Jr. His ever expanding name and family tree even made up for the fact that I didn’t actually see the Golden Gate bridge for all the fog, until I went right up to it and got some of that ‘International Orange’ on my fingers.

The tour took us through the areas like Chinatown, Little Japan and Italian town, so of course as soon as the tour finished I headed over to Chinatown to see what cheap things I could find. I love every Chinatown I’ve ever been to.

I think that’s the best thing about those quick tours. No way will you see everything from the top of a bus, but they give you a rough idea of where everything is so you can explore areas that interest you yourself later.

Food

As a side note, not really related to anything, at the airport I got hungry so I went to Burger King (it felt so much more natural to say that than ‘Hungry Jacks’) and bought a small whopper meal.

When it came, I was like ‘Oh yeah, I’m in America :/ ‘. Twas HUUOOOGGEE. It was an actual whopper of a burger and my drink was about the size of a medium if not a little bigger. Jheez!

Also, while I was exploring Pier 39, I got hungry again so I bought a small portion of calamari and chips with a small root beer.

When it came I was like ‘I am NEVER going to get used to this’. It was a GIGANTIC rather large portion. I honestly couldn’t even finish it, and those of you who have ever seen me eat KNOW I tried. I couldn’t imagine throwing it away (the leftovers were like half of what I’d been given) so I gave it to some homeless guy I happened to walk past.

 

 

Well, that was the San Francisco leg of my trip, next- Amtrak: The journey that never ends

 

Love, Peace & International Orange grease

Shivtot x

 

P.S. I really want some fried chicken, but these portion sizes scare me

Last Week in Australia

‘How do you find the words to say..

To say goodbye… My heart don’t have the heart to saaaayyy..’

Sorry, that song (Goodbye- Alicia Keys I think) has been stuck in my head all week. I’m really sad to have to leave. Like really really sad. I don’t cry, but tears were shed.

 

To everyone I’ve met in Australia

Thank you all! Thanks to everyone for making my 10 months awesome enough to spend 3 months of that doing farmwork so I can come back for another year. I’m so glad to have met you (not you Rami) and I hope we can keep in touch. With the amazing communication we have now, I don’t see why the heck we can’t. Unless I just continue to be me and forget to reply to stuff sometimes… apologies in advance.
To the Brisbane/Farm mandem, you guys better do well and have a house by the time I can come visit!
To Amy, <3. And I really wish I could have come to see you again in Perth before I left. One day! On it like a bee bonnet.
To the Tumbarumba/Cabramurra/Wagga Wagga/Gosford folks, thank you so much for taking me in and everything you all did for me. I’ll never forget how kind and welcoming you all were and I hope to repay it some day.
To the Sydney-siders, you crazy lot. Cheers for making me laugh and not insulting me for being broke.

To everyone in the States

Woop woop! I don’t know if any of you read my blog but can’t wait to see you guys!

 

To the folks back home

BRB in like 10 days.

<3 Friendlings! We need to arrange a meet up in the 5 days I have in London before I go to uni.

On that subject, thanks Suze! I heard you volunteered to drive me to uni :’) You’re awesome,

 

 

This is just a quick blog while I wait 8 hours for my re-booked flight.

My original flight to San Fran would have left 15 minutes ago but it got cancelled due to weather. And I don’t have much time as I left the UK to USA adaptor in my checked baggage. 14% battery left right now.
Later I shall post a blog about what I did in my last week in Oz. I’ll give you a clue, it involves boneless creatures a thickshakes.

 

 

Love, Peace & Chicken grease,
Shivtot x

 

PS. Alice, you better have read this -_-” hahah <3

Reaaally? Really really?

Tom & Gee! G&T!

Tom and Georgia are back from Cockermouth. They flew to Melbourne then to Sydney then took a train to Grafton and stayed with Dain on the farm again then took the train to Brisbane and met up with Rob and Jen in 8 Mile Plains! *and breathe*
So now they’re back, and Tom’s got a job.

Yes, that’s right. Less than 12 hours in Brisbane and Tom Jones has a job. It took me a month. I must have the retardation. The luck of the irish, eh? (well, technically he’s Welsh but still). He’s working in the same place as John so that’s pretty convenient. For them. Hahah.

 

I leave on the 31^st to get to LA, then eventually back home for university in September and one is not amused. I keep looking up at the sky and thinking ‘So long uninterrupted canopy of cerulean and sunshine. Farewell 20°C at night. Sayonara BBQ breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the park. It was nice knowing you, you were good to me.’… And more to the point I keep thinking ‘Damn. How is it nearly time for uni already?’ and ‘How the heck am I supposed to be ready in time to start on the 17^th of September?!’

Dear God, I just looked at the date. I HAVE 25 DAYS UNTIL I’M SUPPOSED TO START UNI! How did this happen? Haha, I definitely have the retardation to get better at making my mind up before deadlines. TIME! Y U NOO SLOW DOWN?

Anywhizzle, did I mention that I’m going to be a time traveller? I’m going to leave Sydney in the afternoon of the 31^st and arrive in LA 4 hours before I left. I, as some of you will be able to tell, am very excited by this prospect.

 

Love, Peace & TARDIS grease,

Shivtot the Timelord x

 

Backpacking- A Rollercoaster of ‘this is LIFE’ Highs and Frustrating Lows.

The Lows

 

1. No one wants to hire a backpacker.
   

We’re ‘unreliable’ and move about too much. Employers believe that they will train you up for a month and not get their money out of it because we’ll leave the next month without notice. Understandable. This however, makes it very, very hard indeed to get a decent job unless you have a trade, are a liar, or are just very very lucky.

1. Non- residents can’t do a lot.
   

You’ll often see some offer or deal that looks awesome and think ‘heck,yeaah!’ and then in the fine print it will say ‘offer only open to Australian residents’. Most annoying. Feeling. Ever. Second to being turned down for a job which is then given to someone who can’t even speak English just because you’re on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV).

1. Suitcases were not made to be lived out of.
   

As time passes, your suitcase, like your house, eventually gets filled with things that are broken, dirty, useless or ‘very very useful just incase ______ happens and I need a _____’. Trying to carry about a house full of bric-a-brac doesn’t work, so carrying a suitcase/backpack full of it definitely won’t work either. The only way to avoid the extra weight charges at the airport is to throw away/post back/ sell things you would rather not (bye-bye red dress that I got for £3 from a charity shop but only ever wore twice, you were loved!)

1. Everything you buy, you have to think about bulkiness, weight, usage..
   

More of a continuation of the last point really, but when you walk past a shop window and see a really warm looking knitted jumper or cute dress or interesting babushka/koala/gnome, you have to think about how’re you’re going to fit it in your backpack/suitcase and how you’re going to carry it home and when you’ll actually use it and if you really need another or if you should put the money towards an adventure getaway somewhere instead… The amount of koala babushkas I’ve had to walk away from is soul destroying.

1. Your friends, most likely, are also backpackers.
   

Just like employers don’t want to put loads of effort into you only for you to leave them, the same goes for friendships. The thing is you do it anyway and end up an emotional wreck blubbling at the airport drop off/ train station, squeezing the life out of someone you’ve known for a few weeks/months as if it’s the end of the world and promising to stay in touch and be bestest buds forever and ever and to poke each other every day. And sometimes you fall in love. Then you fly to the other side of the world and you know there’s about an 18% chance of seeing that person again within the next 5 years, and you don’t know what to do with yourself, and you knew it would happen but let it anyway. Definite low.

 

 

The Highs ( I like to end on a positive)

 

 

1. You’re ALIVE!
   

   You know those occasional days at home when you just wake up and feel that the world is good? You smile to yourself for no reason other than the fact that you can. You walk down the street seeing everything like it’s the first time and it’s all beautiful and vibrant. You feel grateful for your life and all the people in it, even that person that usually makes your hair stand on end with rage only mildly irritates you today. Or even just when you get that feeling that grows out from your chest and just radiates out, making you really take in that moment and think ‘wow, This Is LIFE. And it’s good’.

   Well, in the past year about 75% of my days have been like that. And all the others have had a TiL moment or two.

    

2. You’re FREE!
   

    

   Often slightly restrained by money, but you are free. If you decide you want to go and live on a mountain, you do. If you decide you want to take a month out and go snorkelling in the great barrier reef, you pack your portable BBQ, swimmers and goggles and get on over there. Of course, most people are actually free to do whatever they want, but when you’re backpacking is when you really realise it. And do it.

 

1. You’re YOU!
   

    

   Whoever that is. Whoever you want to be. I don’t think you can really see who you are until you’re thrown into a completely new situation. You find out that you’re stronger than you ever thought, you’re more independent than you imagined, and sometimes that you’re actually a big softie. Some people find this out while at university, or at some point in their working lives. But people who take a good year out are usually the ones who find out quickest.

 

1. You’re everyone that you meet!
   

The people that you meet influence your personality and the way you see things. No one on Earth will ever have the same combinations of people that they’ve met as you and it’s something that often affects you without you even realising it. Every person that you meet, therefore, is likely to change your life slightly- some just more than others. That’s what I think anyway. ‘Who knows if I’ve been changed for the better, but I have been changed for good.’

 

1. Everything works out for the best
   

    

   At some points in the year I’ve found myself thinking if only I’d done this or that. But then I realise that if I had, I wouldn’t have had the same experiences or met the same people. If I’d gotten a decent job in Sydney, I could have done a lot more shopping and touristy things. But I wouldn’t have met John at that dodgy sales company. And if I hadn’t met John, I wouldn’t have done the WWOOFing on Dain’s farm, which was an awesome experience. See? It all works out.

    

    

    

    

   So, there it is. What I can think of right now as my top 5 highs and lows of backpacking. It’s probably not incredibly accurate as my TOP 5, but they’re still pretty up there nonetheless.

   Brisbane is a lovely place, if only people would call you back less than two weeks after your interview. THAT would be helpful. By the way, I have a job. Its 4 hours a day, 5ish days a week, but it will be enough to get me across America, and the tax return will probably help too.

   I hate call centres.

    

   Love, Peace & Chicken grease

   Shivtot x

    

   Ps. Ring ring.. Hello? Ring ring.. h-h-hello?? Ring ring..

I am RUBBISH

This is mainly addressed to Komal Parmanand and anyone important whose birthday I’ve forgotten this year.

 

SORRYYYYYYY!! I’m such a.. I don’t even know. I lost concentration before the end of that sentence but it was going to be something to do with me being someone who has the memory of a goldfish. Someone whose information retention abilities are similar to the sieving abilities of a large hula hoop. Someone who is not very good at replying to emails or remembering birthdays.

And for that I apologise. I could blame the distance, the difference in date, the fact that I don’t always have credit or wifi or other forms of communication, but really I’m just a doughnut. A large, jammy doughnut. And not one of the nice ones from Percy Ingle, one of the crappy ones you get from McDonald’s or Sainsbury’s (no offence to people who like these doughnuts, just I personally think they’re gross).

 

If you send in a request (and a large red nose) I will come to your next birthday party dressed as a clown.

 

Love, Peace & Birthday cake,
Shivtot the Clown x