The Travelling Roller Coaster

Not surprisingly, a life on the road comes with a lot of ups and downs much like, here it comes, a roller coaster (don't you just love my oh so original metaphor? I know. But I'm tired so my creativity is limited).

One of the ups: Chris turns 23 and 12 months (he's a little aged depressed at the moment so he can't cope with being called 24)
On our first full day here in Melbourne we got to celebrate Chris' birthday international style. I wanted to do something really special because birthdays traveling can be a bit of a bummer-with friends and families an ocean away it's hard to feel the love. Plus it was the perfect opportunity to kick start our touristy little rears in gear to see some sights. I planned the whole day so the birthday boy wouldn't know where he was going until we got there. The only snag was I needed his help navigating some of the maps to get to our destinations. He figured out a couple that way. Oh well c'est la vie. Here's our day in a nutshell:

Get up bright and early so we wouldn't miss free breakfast at the hostel. It may be his birthday but we're still on a budget-plus it's the only free thing we did all day.

Next we make our way to the highly anticipated Queen Victoria Market. I've been dying to visit the historical open air market since researching Melbourne in my handy dandy Lonely Planet guide. We walk excitedly across the city center enjoying the cool winter morning, following the signs, and then stop dead in our tracks. It's closed. Super organized Shivonne didn't check the winter hours. If she had she would have known the market is closed on Wednesdays. Well there goes the idea of a market sponsored picnic lunch. Hopefully the next activity is more successful.

After the market mishap, I'm sending up silent prayers for the rest of the day to go more smoothly. We head east to the Old Melbourne Gaol. This former prison turned penal museum was the site of more than 135 hangings including the infamous Ned Kelley-a 19th century Aussie outlaw. We walked the dank corridors, tried out the tiny cells, and learned about some of it's more heinous inhabitants. Morbidly fascinating. Chris loved it.

Lunchtime saw us make our way to a fast food chicken joint. Not exactly the poetic picnic I planned but dutifully improvised on a small budget. After our food court break, we ducked into the State Library of Victoria-it's a striking building built in the Victorian era (go figure). I love libraries-the musky smell, the reverent hush, and of course the books. The fact that this library is a historical landmark and beautiful 19th century building as well is just icing on the cake. We didn't stay long but visiting the numerous exhibitions encased within is high on my to do list.

Skipping down the regal steps, I filled Chris in on the next part of the plan: we were off to collect his present. As my arm worked fiercely to stay attached to my body, I reminded Chris he didn't know where we were going. Thankfully he desisted in pulling me down the stairs and refrained from running down the street. When we did reach our destination, his eyes lit up as he read the prominent sign- City Hatters. This London boy has been dying to get a hat of the outback persuasion since we arrived, and City Hatters is the place to do it. The helpful staff fitted him out in an Akubra of his own-the iconic Australian work hat. Now he just needs a reason to wear it....

Our subsequent stop is for a little birthday sweetness; I decided to forsake the idea of the traditional birthday cake in favor of indulging in Chris' favorite sweet-chocolate. One decadently sweet cinnamon dark hot chocolate beverage later we bade The Chokolait Hub adieu and set out for our last big excursion of the day.

Now for those of you who might not know, my boyfriend is obsessed with movies. He travels with over 200 DVDs at any one time, has dozens more downloaded on his laptop, and nearly died of cinematic deprivation when we were living in Alpha. Therefore it is only logical that we incorporate some sort of movie experience into his birthday celebration. We achieved this by viewing Night at the Museum II at the Melbourne Imax. It just happens to be the third largest screen in the world at seven stories. It was only Chris' second time at an Imax so he was stoked. Plus as an added bonus we got free tickets to the Melbourne Museum. I love freebies. And museums. That's what we call a win win situation.

Finally we crossed the bridge to Southbank for a delicious dinner at Blue Train-a trendy river side cafe. The food was excellent and reasonably priced-thank goodness because we spent 3o bucks on two measly cocktails while we waited. After a night cap we walked under the bright glittering lights (no stars in a big city I'm afraid) back to the hostel and turned in for an early night. Job hunting starts tomorrow.

And the downs: Job hunting

Apparently I'm unemployable. I'm a non-resident backpacker who is only in town for a month. My only real experience is in the food industry. Unfortunately here you have to have be a licensed barista to serve coffee (these Aussies are crazy about the bean) and hold an RSA certificate to serve alcohol. Plus all the catering jobs require 'highly experienced event staff.' Gah-I wouldn't even higher me.

After the joy of our birthday funday, we buckled down to start the hunt. Hours of resume updating, job-board hunting, online applying, and in store harassing later we felt pretty discouraged. Fortunately Chris found some furniture removals work on a casual basis for the next few days to make a bit of cash. I wasn't so lucky. Unless I want to be a door to door salesman, sorry salesperson, or telemarketer working on commission I'm out of luck. Unfortunately I'm not the aggressive, push random product into unsuspecting people's faces kinda gal. I have managed to put my name in for some market research telephone work which pays hourly rates so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My only other 'light amongst the darkness' so to speak is an interview for a cafe position on Monday. I better make a good, not too 'this is my only option' desperate, impression.

One more up: Pancake Sunday

When reviewing hostels to stay in Melbourne, I mentioned to Chris that there was one that served free pancakes on Sundays. 'Book it' he said authoritatively. So I did. And tomorrow we get to enjoy the perks. So looky there-things can't be all that bad when there's free pancakes in the world.

I Like the Way you Move

And moving we are. Today we made the trek to Melbourne after a four day hiatus in Brisbane. It went a little something like this:

-8:30am- Alarm sounds on the mobile phone Chris and I share. I vaguely register Chris hitting the snooze button, roll over, and fall back asleep.

-8:40am-Alarm resounds. On a slightly higher cognitive level this time, I am awake enough to squeeze my eyes firmly shut and pray the snooze has been utilized again. No joy (that's Aussie for no luck). Still with lids clenched shut I feel a nudge at my shoulder; Chris, being the responsible one, is trying to gently force me out of bed. Unfortunately forcing someone to do something generally is not achieved in a gentle manner. After a few minutes of nagging and the threat of missing our plane hovering on my mind I decide to acquiesce to the inevitable. Also inevitable: me being grumpy. Sorry Chris.

-9:25am-After dressing in my comfy travel gear, dining on the remnants of our grocery supply, and hastily finishing my packing I feel mostly prepared for the day but only slightly more human. Sitting in the middle of my bed, my eye feels drawn to the evil that is lying in the corner-my luggage. Even after sending 11kg (nearly 25lbs) home yesterday via seamail, donating a small bag of clothes to charity, and doing a vigilant repack of my remaining luggage (one massive green rolly bag and a gold bag so sizable that it just barely qualifies as a tote) that would make any army officer proud, I still have a nasty feeling I am over the minuscule luggage allowance allowed by the budget airline we are flying with. This should be interesting.

-10:30am-Sitting atop the massive heap that is our luggage on the Airtrain, Chris and I congratulate ourselves on at least one achievement today-we are on schedule. However my nerves start to rise as we ride closer and closer to the dark menacing shadow of the domestic terminal. I swear I can hear it mocking us as our train comes to a stop, 'Look at you and your preposterous amount of luggage-how do you even call yourselves backpackers? It's preposterous! I mock you you silly American, you and all your silly little preposterous possessions.' I guess domestic terminals of the mocking persuasion like the word preposterous.

-10:45am-Standing at the front of the line at the check-in counter, I wait to be called forward. Called forward by the harassed looking attendant in the bright orange polyester jacket that will decide my fate. I wonder if she realizes the immense power she holds over me? Probably. They always do.

-10:46am-'Next Please.' I step up to the counter, confidently surrender my boarding pass, and try to nonchalantly heave the black matter I am currently traveling with onto the scale in such a manner that says 'oh this little dainty piece? It's really not as heavy as it looks.' Unfortunately for me, scales don't lie. I sneak a look at the monitor to confirm the worst-24.2kg. The counter attendant looks at me in what I swear is a suspicious and accusatory manner, glances at the prominently displayed sign that practically screams 20KILOGRAM WEIGHT LIMIT, lets out a sigh and asks 'where is your traveling companion?' I motion Chris over as my dread escalates-Chris' luggage weighs even more than mine. After eyeing the two of us together doubtfully-accomplices two the same crime as it were-she asks for his check-in bag. He drops it heftily from his shoulders. 'And that one?' She points to the monstrosity that is his carry-on. Bigger than mine if you can imagine. 'My carry on?' He weakly asks. An unbelieving stare is his only reply. I take this opportunity to stealthily shift my own oversized carry on which I know weighs as much if not more than my already-over-the-limit checked bag out of sight. We are in deep airline doo doo.

-11:10am-After paying an accumulative $140 in over limit baggage fees, we are mercifully allowed to finally proceed through security. Chris and I exchange grim looks. Maybe we'll stick to the ground next time.

Thankfully the subsequent 3 hour flight and hour bus ride into Melbourne was uneventful. From our drop off point we successfully navigated our way through the bustling transit station, purchased the appropriate tickets, maneuvered down the escalators and onto our train with aforementioned ridiculous luggage, found our stop, and eventually ascended the exit stairs to step out into the crisp winter afternoon air. Blinking in the weak sunlight we take in our surroundings. Gaping at the architectural delight that is Federation Square, my eyes quickly consume the sight of the vibrant city center complete with a vibrating pulse of people, a melodic city hum, towering buildings that seem to shimmer in the sunlight, street lights blinking playfully, and colorful cafes and boutiques on every corner vying for attention. And this, this moment, is why I travel.

More Adventures in the land of the Queen....

And by the land of the Queen I mean, of course, Queensland-so far the only state I've seen here in Australia. Technically though all of Australia is the land of the Queen being as Queen Elizabeth II is the reining monarch (yes, she is not only the Queen of England but also the Queen of Australia; Argo, the Queen of England does NOT hold sovereignty over Australia. The two separate titles just happen to be held by the same person. Confusing I know.) However, I don't think the Aussies are to keen about claiming that heritage-they've recently removed her from the currency for goodness sakes. Interestingly enough, they ARE happy to honor the Queen on her official birthday. Wonder if it has anything to do with getting a day off once a year for the national holiday? Hmmm...you be the judge. But when you get down to the nitty gritty, the country still has ties to her; the last effort to become a separate republic was defeated 10 years ago so I guess they like old Queen Lizzy a bit still. And in case you were wondering, no. I am not an expert on the common wealth ruling system. I read an article about it recently, found it interesting, and thought I'd share.

Well enough of the semantics and politics; time to give you what you really want....ME! Not to be immodest but this is my blog after all. So you might be asking yourself, "_____(insert name here, preferably yours) what has my fantastic, wonderful, exciting friend/sister/daughter/idol Shivonne been up to in the past week since her last update?" The answer: a lot. Then you should ask yourself why you are referring to yourself in the third person. Kind of an odd habit don't you think? Oh well no worries. Here's a list of activities from the past two weeks:

• Visited the Quantas Museum in Longreach (where the iconic Aussie airline was born) which included a tour of a restored Boeing 707. Incidentally both Madonna and Michael Jackson had flown on this plane which was previously owned by a Sheik from the Middle East (the tour guide pointed out the odd smell might be attributed to the smoking of dairy and tobacco in hookahs by the Saudi Arabians. Not really sure he actually knew what a hookah was.) The only other plane like it is currently owned my John Travolta. Gotta love the star power.
• Learned all about drovers, cattle, mining, frontier life, pioneers and the history of the harsh Australian outback lifestyle at the Stockman's Hall of Fame. This came in handy when we watched the movie Australia on a bus a few days later-I had never heard of a drover before (you know-Hugh Jackman's sexy hot character).
• In Barcaldine we saw the famous Tree of Knowledge-the 19th century tree was the birthplace of the Labor Party and a sign of power for Australian workers everywhere. Unfortunately the tree was poisoned in 2006 by an unknown vandal and the monument was only restored recently this year. Honestly, it's kind of an eye sore but still a fascinating piece of history.
• Pulled an all nighter at the cinema in Rockhampton after being deprived of new releases for three months-we didn't come home until 6 in the morning and saw five movies in a span of two days. Gotta love a movie marathon; not everything can be culturally enlightening after all.
• Explored the Capricorn limestone cave system. I love caves; they have such a beautiful mystery to them. The aptly named Cathedral Cave there is famous for it's acoustics and is on par with the Sydney Opera House, though a slightly smaller venue to say the least.
• Finally saw my first LIVE kangaroo of the trip (the only kangaroo I'd seen so far had been on the side of the road or on my plate). I almost felt bad about eating one...almost. Hey-I think cows are cute too but I'm not giving up steak.
• Witnessed the huge, intimidating, powerful creature that is the saltwater crocodile in person at a crocodile farm. I even got to hold a baby croc! Adorable. It was amazing to learn about their habits, physiology, territory claims, and reproduction. Did you know you can determine the sex of the crocodile by the incubation temperature of the egg? Also, they are the only creature that hasn't changed in form or function since the age of the dinosaurs. So I saw a dinosaur. Lots of them actually. How awesome is that?
• Experienced two days at the Myella Farm Stay. This might have been the best thing I've done in Oz yet. I learned how to drive a motor bike, rode horses, stacked hay, ate amazing home cooking (a rarity for backpackers), gazed at the stars, and came away exhausted, smelling of campfire, crazy sore, but exhilarated.

Now we are ending our Queensland adventure in Brisbane....right where we started it. Unfortunately the funds are in a dire way-we weren't exactly responsible with our finances over the past two weeks, and we let ourselves get out of hand with spending money on going out to eat and living at the cinema. Therefore, we have to lay low here until we catch our flight to Melbourne on Tuesday where we are back to the task of job hunting. Goodbye Sunshine State...hello state Victoria of the cold.

'On the Road Again'

Hello all! Greeting from Longreach here in little old central Queensland. Yes, we are (finally) on the road again after our long layover in Alpha-Gateway to the West don't you know-and excited to be moving. Longreach does have quite a John Denver-esque feel to it; I don't really feel all that far away form Texas at the moment. We've just come from the Station Store (reference visual below). They are famous for work hats which Chris desperately wants to indulge in. Unfortunately the price tag is a bit hefty so it is still up in the air. In the spirit of things he actually sported a starter pair of mutton chops once we arrived yesterday; thankfully, I convinced him to shave before hitting the town today. Though he would fit right in....Our Longreach itinerary includes browsing the stores on the main street, taking a Thompson River Dinner Cruise tonight (including traditional Bush Poet entertainment), visiting the Stockman's Hall of Fame where we'll learn all about early pioneers in the area, and stopping by the Quantas Museam to digest all the info possible on the early days of the airline. We were looking forward to finally taking in a movie at the cinema. Unfortunately Longreach isn't big city enough for its cinema to run everyday. Since we're not here on the weekend, we are a bit out of luck. Oh well-guess we'll have to rely on old-fashioned conversation, sightseeing, and maybe a few stubbies (beer) to see us through...

Time for a Change of Pace...

...and it couldn't come fast enough. 

5 Days

Yes...the countdown is on. Well still on to be more precise. Technically I've been counting down the days left in Alpha since we pretty much got here and I started cleaning toilets and waking up at 5 in the morning but now the countdown number is exciting rather than a tragic reminder of how much time I had to endure before really starting some hardcore traveling. So there it is. Five days. 

And what may you ask will I be doing in five days? To put it simply-getting the heck out of Alpha. Now I'm not saying Alpha doesn't have it's good qualities-friendly people, new experiences, money saving opportunity-all good things. However, I haven't left a two mile radius in three months. THREE MONTHS. Here I am supposedly living the exciting life of an international traveler whilst in reality stagnation has overtaken my life. Fortunately no longer. On Monday, June the first, I will be boarding a bus headed to...drumroll please...Longreach. Okay. Not REAL exciting, but it is the heart of outback Queensland and there's a couple of sights I want to see so I figure while I'm in the area, I might as well take advantage of the proximity factor.  After two nights there my traveling companion and myself will rock the bus again, this time back to Rockhampton where there is a confirmed sighting of a cinema. Unfortunately my movie obsessed boyfriend has gone through major withdrawals not having access to a movie theatre for 12 weeks. I'm afraid we might blow a small portion of our savings on movie tickets for a few days to catch up on the glory that is cinematic art. Like WatchMen apparently. And Wolverine. You know. Real Oscar worthy material. Hey if it keeps him happy I'm all for it. That and fast food. Chris is suffering KFC withdrawals as well so we'll have a couple of really healthy days stuffing our faces with disgustingly greasy food and holing up in a dark cinema. I'm so glad we're in Australia.

Now for the really exciting part. After our stopover in Rocky, we'll make our way down to Brisbane, catch up with a friend there, change over some luggage, and board a plane for MELBOURNE. Let me tell you, I've been going through my travel books and I'm very excited to see Melbourne. As far as big cities go, I wasn't very impressed with Brisbane, I enjoyed the sights in Sydney though it's a rather sterile city (from what I remember from my trip five years ago), but Melbourne seems very interesting. There's loads of art galleries, museums, ethnic influences, historical architecture, and one of the most famous open air markets in the world-the Queen Victoria Market. There's only one downside: since it's winter here, and Melbourne is on the far southern tip of Australia, it will be cold. That's an odd concept huh? Usually you go south for the winter to warm up-this whole southern hemisphere thing really throws you for a loop. You know the toilets flush the opposite way? Sorry. I got sidetracked. Well being as I came to sunny beachy Australia I didn't so much bring a coat. Or really any warm clothes. Translation: you will be seeing a lot of pictures of me in Chris' giant hoodies. Let's hope they're warm enough. If not I'll just have to keep myself warm with enthusiasm! 

Goodbye Alpha...Hello Travels!

Current Location: Alpha, Queensland

Destination: Melbourne, Victoria

Mamma Mia

My entire life, I've been surrounded by strong, independent, beautifully passionate women, most of whom also happen to be mothers. I know what most people would say: 'You are one lucky girl.' And that's true, I am. But personally I don't think luck has as much to do with it as the fact that these special individuals make the conscientious, deliberate decision to live their lives by their own standard.

Growing up though, I never realized how blessed I was to not only know these women but to have them as major influences in my life-never knowing any different, in my naïvety I assumed that all mothers and grandmothers must act the same as mine-protecting their loved ones, putting family second only to God, making countless silent sacrifices, teaching important life lessons not through their words alone but through their everyday actions, and most importantly leaving an unmistakeable imprint on the lives of those around them. Yet with all of these remarkable attributes to choose from, do you know which is my favorite? Their individuality. They are all completely and utterly different in the best ways possible. Having three strong, unique female role models is incredibly inspiring to a young woman such as yours truly as I strive to find myself and become the person I want to be.

Unfortunately I haven't always appreciated how great I have it and my ignorance to my blessings in the mother department definitely reared its ugly head. I distinctly remember being a brat on many occasions over the years from telling my poor mom I hated her over a pair of tights (preschool-I've always been a picky dresser) to snapping at her for accidentally repeating information she'd already mentioned to me (just a few months ago). Honestly-the woman has to keep a family of seven up to date; you'd think I could cut her some slack for not remembering exactly who she told what and when every single time. I recently did the math and realized that except for a nine month period, my mom will have a teenager living under her roof consecutively for a span of 21 years. TWENTY ONE YEARS! That's craziness! The statistic alone is a testament to her patience and tenacity. My little sister recently sent this reply after I mentioned I missed our mom in an email: 'I completely understand missing Mom.  As a matter of fact, I can't imagine missing another person more.  And you know why?  Because no matter what you are talking about she is always interested to listen....I guess that's just another part of the "mom" job.' But it's not her job. It's just who she is.  For that and so many other countless reasons, when, at some point down the road, I wake up one day and think to myself, 'Oh my gosh. I've turned into my mother' I will be nothing but proud.

All in all, I just want to say that the contributions made by my grandma, g-mom, and, most of all, my mom will continue to stay with me as I enter the next phase of my life and, hopefully I will one day pass them onto children of my own. So to all the amazing women in my life, Happy Mother's Day.  

Caught Up

I've been sitting here, feet up, slightly distracted by the news of Oz, catching up on all my emails/facebook/blogging, and it feels good to be caught up. For some silly reason I go through periods where I won't even look at my laptop for a week and then it starts to build up: the stress. How an inanimate object can cause stress to a (hopefully) sane person's life is beyond me, but that's not the point. It does. All I can think about is how many emails are piling up, or how my internet to do list continually grows, or how I should be a good friend/daughter/sister and blog so people know I'm safe and what is happening on my side of the world when out of nowhere I start to get that feeling that isn't unlike hyperventilating  and I do the healthy responsible thing-throw a blanket on top of the thing, grab my i-pod (thankfully never a source of stress), jump under the covers, and play a calming song. Effective, but not exactly tackling the problem. But not this time.  I bit the bullet and acquiesced to the inevitable pile-up. That's the thing about procrastination-it's horribly nagging while you indulge it and virtually nonexistent once you tackle it. Why do we as humans do this? Pretty silly actually. 

Well now I've spent just about all the cyber energy I have at the moment, so I'm afraid that's all I have to offer in the way of a blog for now. Well, there is just one more thing. I read this on my delightful friend Ivy's blog during all my 'catching up' and experienced a real sense of calm once doing so. It's something inspired from an important woman in her life so thank you Momma Ikpeme for this truth that always rings true:

"Give it to God. All of it. Every burden."

And now comes the peace....