Travel is the Best Education Money Can Buy: 40 Lessons from Traveling Long Term

I have compiled a list of 40 things I have learned from traveling. Obviously, this list will probably continue to grow as I readjust to a non-nomadic life. It is a reflection of the past year, from setting off to our first destination to touch down at the Atlanta airport… I have learned more about myself and the world around me than I ever could have learned in a classroom. Although I was jealous of all the people we met and friends at home who are in pursuit or have completed a master's degree, I am glad we squandered our hard earned money and savings on such an amazing experience. If you are interested in traveling for the long-haul (meaning at least a few weeks/months) or setting off on a budget, here are some things that may help or inform you before embarking on your own awesome journey.

1. The majority of people in the world are good.

2. Be kind and generous to your hosts. You never know where your friendship will lead.

3. Stay with locals; AirBnB/Couchsurfing (carefully) > hotels. Hostels can be cool, if you have a good group of people there.

4. ALWAYS tip the people who clean up after you in your room. Housekeeping is a tough and thankless job.

5. Ask people about their story and listen attentively. People are amazing.. People you meet while traveling will surprise you.. We've met lawyers, architects, teachers, etc. who were doing the same thing as us, as well as locals who have endured more than we could imagine.

6. Smile a lot. It makes you seem more like a local and less like a tourist. Smiles translate all languages!

7. Don't always be paranoid about food in developing countries. OK, don't drink from the tap, but if you eat off the street, 90% of the time you will be fine!

Food from a stall on Chowpatty Beach, India

8. 80% of taxi drivers are not cool and will try to rip you off. Always go for the metered guys and be kind to the 20% who are rock stars.

9. Travel will change you, and none else will understand… It will hit you when you come home everything else is still the same.

10. Stay healthy while traveling. Running/walking is the best way to find hidden gems and cool stuff. Find a way to get your heart rate up, no excuses. You'll feel better for it. Personally, I had a travel yoga mat that I used, and got addicted to the 7 Minute Workout App on my phone. I did a few circuits everyday… and ran in every city we visited. Yep, every single one..it was pretty cool.

View from an early morning run in Prague, CZ

11. In extension to #10, buy a watch with a pedometer on it.. They can be as cheap as like $40, and you will surprise yourself at how much you walk. We were averaging 15 miles a day when we were too cheap to use public transportation or taxis in Europe.

12. Use booking sites before you get to your destination, if you opt for hotels/B&B/Guesthouses. Many times we've met people who ended up spending more when they just walked in to a hotel/hostel that wasn't as nice as ours, especially in Asia. I used Booking.com, Agoda.com, and HotelsCombined.com and got some really nice rooms for super cheap, especially when you are paying for 2 people. Often times we found hostels weren't the best deal, because you pay per person and you have a shared bathroom.

13. Use public transport - it's an experience (especially in Asia/South America) and it's cheap!

14. If there are lots of locals in a restaurant, that's where you should eat. Bypass TGI Friday's, Chili's and Applebee's. Yes, they are everywhere. Gross.

15. The world is so connected now, and not everyone is out to steal your iPhone. Chances are their phone is more advanced than yours. Be smart though, and keep track of your stuff.

16. Start conversations with strangers and fellow travelers. You never know who you will meet.

17. Facebook is an amazing tool to keep up with those cool people you meet. It's how we organized meeting up and staying with friends.

Thanks to Facebook, we met up with our college buddy we hadn't seen since 2005.
 We also reunited with my old roommate while in Italy, and were able to meet her cute little girls!
We also re-connected with travelers we had met in one place and ended up seeing later on down the road.

18. There will be many locals who will try to sell you stuff you don't want, like the guy selling fake RayBan's while you have sunglasses doing their job just fine on your face.. Get ready for it.

19. There will also be locals who just want to talk to you about life, or practice their English. Give them time, listen, and interact!

20. If anything, the most important words to learn are "please", "thank you", "hello", and "goodbye". It will show you respect those in the country you are visiting. 

21. Don't walk around with your face buried in your phone or iPad, especially in touristic sites. You look like a fool.

22. SmartPhones have made everyone everywhere a lot less spatially aware and polite.. It's universal, unfortunately..  BUT, they are helpful keeping in touch and finding things to do. Wifi is GOLD.

23. When in doubt or unsure what do visit/where to eat, consult Anthony Bourdain. If you're older and have lots of money, consult Rick Steves.

24. Long bus rides are an essential part of budget travel. Always do your research, and bring plenty of food and water. Understand that oftentimes, especially when crossing borders, passengers are an afterthought and cargo is king.

25. I'll reiterate.. Avoid American chains in foreign countries. McDonald's and KFC is just as gross as it  is at home and is ruining the planet. It's everywhere. (Except Iceland, where the McDonald's actually closed. Thank god)

26. It's okay to have days when you don't do anything but read books and watch movies. You don't do something exciting every day at home, do you?

27. Be observant of the countries you visit. Take it all in, take lots of pictures. Meet as many locals as you can.

28. Most of the world can speak some English. It's surprising and weird, but also very helpful.

29. Learn about the places you visit. A quick google or search on wikitravel.org will get you in the know.

We had to basically teach ourselves about the war in Bosnia since we hadn't learned about it in school, and were too young to remember what was going on at the time. After seeing the war-ravaged city Mostar still standing with bombed out buildings and debris around, we felt it was our prerogative to learn about their history so we can better understand the people who lived in this region. The same was for when we visited Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Laos. It's important to know the history of the places you visit to understand the culture.

30. Don't always go by the guidebook.

31. You will overpack. Be prepared to abandon some clothing at some point during your trip. Be kind and donate it to someone in need.

32. Travel builds confidence and communication skills. Yup-- dealing with the tuk-tuk drivers and people who just see dollar signs will help you grow a backbone and stand up for yourself.

33. Traveling takes a lot of planning, organization, problem solving skills, and stamina. Not everything will go as planned, but it is better to at least have a plan so you are not vulnerable to those who just see dollar signs.

34. While the majority of people in the world are good (as mentioned in #1) there are those who recognize a foreigner and will think you are a walking ATM. Don't let them take advantage of you.

35. When you get invited to do something with your host, a local, newfound traveler friends, just say yes… as long as you aren't breaking any laws, of course. 

36. Have your wits about you, use common sense, and you can go anywhere.

37. Get out in nature as much as you can. It makes you more connected to the world and those around you.

37. Food and beer in SEAsia is inexpensive and amazing. Soak it all in and take advantage of it while you can!

38. Really good wine is really, really cheap in Italy and around the Adriatic. Really good wine is really, really expensive back home. Take advantage of it while you can!

39. Choose your travel buddy wisely… We lived in each other's pockets for 9 months and still love each other lots lots lots.. You can't say that about everyone :) What we experienced, the good and the challenging, helped us grow and be stronger as individuals and as a dynamic duo.

40. Be. Open. Minded. ALWAYS. 

 I can't believe we are home for "good" now, and it's strange how easy it is to just go back through the motions. We are both looking for jobs right now, and trying to get back to Jacksonville so we can re-start our life together. There are still so many places we want to go, and now we know we can. We know with enough hard work and determination, we can go anywhere we want to go and live the life we want. Travel is empowering; it teaches you more about yourself than you could ever know. 

We are so lucky we were able to embark on this journey, and we know this is not the end. I definitely recommend anyone who is considering taking a leap to broaden your horizons and mind to do so.. We have no regrets, and although we are currently broke and getting on our feet at my parent's house, I know what we have done trumps working 9-5 everyday and going on cruises or with tour groups when we are retired. Travel when you are young.. you never know what lies down the road. If not now, when??? Could you hike that trail to the top of the mountain for the perfect picture in 10 years? 20? Will that brand new car or flatscreen TV make lasting memories? Chances are, they won't. Travel now and travel often.

Huanchaco, and volunteering at a surf hostel.

I am sitting in the bus terminal, prematurely. We had intended to stay in Huanchaco for 3 weeks... Then it dwindled to two.. Now, 12 days later, we are catching a night bus to Lima and heading home on June 2nd. It's bittersweet; while I want to keep traveling and seeing new places, I am also tired. We have been living out of a bag and adapting to new places, things, foods, faces since September, and it has taken it's toll on our bank account and on our stamina. I don't ever like to give up on things, but I think it's time to take a rest and have some stable ground for a while. Also, at this point, a stable job is essential.

Using the Workaway program (www.workaway.info) you can sign up and find places to volunteer your time, skills, energy, etc. all around the world. Throughout this whole trip, Paul has been wanting to find a beachside town and stay in a hostel and surf for a while. I found a perfect fit on Workaway.. A surf hostel in the city of Huanchaco, which is 10 hours north of Lima by bus. We coordinated with Julie, who runs the hostel, and made our way to a seaside paradise to exchange help around the hostel for free accomodation. What I learned from this experience is that running a hostel can be tough work. I will always tip housekeepers very generously from here on out. We had to wake up everyday before 7 and clean up the hostel for opening, take care of current guests, and prepare for new faces. Things I don't enjoy doing in my own home, like cleaning toilets or sweeping and mopping, I was doing everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. We were also charged with checking guests in and out, and running the bar. I can now say I have more experience in the hospitaliity field! 

Apart from working at the hostel, we were lucky to have a great group of people to hang around with while in Huanchaco. We had some familiar faces we had met before in Lima at our hostel and then re-connected with, and a bunch of new friends who were staying at the hostel. Huanchaco is a town geared around surfing, so naturally we rented a board to spend our afternoons in the water and join in the fun. At night time, we hung out with the guests in the hostel and shared some fun times together. Thursday nights were big in Huanchaco, and we all went out to another local hostel for live music and cheap beverages. 

The great thing about being in one place for an extended amount of time (in our trip, this translates to over 1 week) is that you get to know the locals and settle in to everyday life in one city. Everyday after our morning duties were completed, we walked to the market to buy fresh bread, eggs, fruits and vegetables. We would go to the same stall everyday, and our "market lady" would help us and sell us fresh stuff. Because we were familiar after a few days, by the last day of our stay in Huanchaco, we were getting the "cream of the crop" from her stall. I could tell she appreciated our daily business, because she would always smile when we walked into the market. It is so cool to build connections with local people, even when you are not proficient with the language.

We also had the "Palta Man" who would come to the hostel everyday with a box full of avocados and sold them for one Nuevo Sole a piece...If we saw the Palta Man out and about in the city, he would say "hola" to us. I ate fresh ripe mangoes and avocados everyday, and it was amazing. In addition to our daily delivery of avos, we also had Senor Cholito, who we would visit every few days to buy fresh natural yogurt that was homemade and came in a plastic bag. As with our market lady, after multiple visits to see Senor Cholito, he gave us a free mini pie. He was so interested in where we were from and what we did.. He was a real character, and I loved it.

Across from Senor Cholito, was a little shop where we would go for odds and ends, like Chicha Morada popsicles, bottles of water, the occasional Cusquena, or seasoning for the food we bought at the market. By the end of our stay in Huanchaco, we were saying adios and having a broken Spanish conversation with our Senora who helped supply our needs. I loved being able to walk to all our local people and get things we needed for that day.. I am going to miss being able to do that when we get back. Saying that, though, I thought our Publix manager Ken and most of his staff in Neptune Beach was just as friendly and happy to see us. It's the little things. :) I will miss walking everywhere, though.

We had planned to stay in Huanchaco until June 10th, but now we are flying home on June 2nd. It seems that our funds are in the "dangerously low" region, which is terrible, but I have no regrets. We have lasted 9 months on limited funds. For those who are curious, we left the US with around $24,000 in savings for 2 people. We also had a "bill fund" that we did not touch except to pay bills at home (life insurance, car insurance, car payment, credit card bills, etc.). I am proud to say we managed to make it this far, epecially since what we had put away is what most of the people we have met have for one person. We have been to 28 countries, including some of the most expensive in the world, seen amazing things, met incredible people, and had an absolute life changing blast. I'm ready to take a bow, as is Paul. We are prepared to begin a new life at home, with a better outlook on life. Today we were talking about what our life was like before we left, and to be honest I don't know how I didn't have a mental breakdown.. Working as a teacher, extended day staff, teaching yoga, studying for a CLEP test, and doing all the responsibilites of everyday life while saving and living on a tight budget. Paul, working all hours of the day coaching and personal training, sometimes working from 5 AM to 10 PM at night. All I know is when we get back, wherever my career takes me, I will have balance. I will still teach yoga, but I am not going back into the classroom at this point. This is all I know for now, and I know everything will work out okay. We have been through enough to know that in the end, everything will play out as it should. Our track record so far shows we have done just fine. :)

So back to the beginning we go, back to Lima. A trip cut short, but we still managed to circumnavigate the globe, and hit every continent on our original itinerary...this just means we have more places to explore in the future, and that's exciting. The world will always be there to wander. What is cool, though, is that now we have connections spanning the planet where we can go visit friends and make more memories. I'd like to thank those who helped form this experience, those who took us in and showed us life in foreign places... It's those experiences that made this trip life-changing and really means a lot to us.. I have so many mixed emotions now, and thinking of these people could make me well up! You all know who you are, and we love you!

My next post is a compilation of 35 (and probably will grow as I think of more) things long term travel has taught me. For those of you thinking of setting off for an extended amount of time, this may be helpful! Hasta luego!

Adios!

MC

An Extended Layover, A Change of Plans

We left Sydney at 11:00 in the morning, and arrived the same day at 9:30 in the morning, LA time, 14 hours later. Luckily, on the flight we were the only people in the 3-across row, so we were able to stretch out a bit. We had planned to have a few days at home in Atlanta to catch up on rest and get reajusted to time on the other side of the world. We ended up extending our layover to 12 days.... It was probably a good idea, since we had originally planned to make a hop from Aus to LA to ATL to Bogota, all within a 2 day period. Judging on how I felt when we arrived to Atlanta, I am glad we had rearranged our plans and had time for some R&R.. My body clock was so messed up!

The first few days at home were spent catching up on shows like Mad Men and Shameless, which to our delight were on Netflix/On Demand. We also watched Gone with the Wind and lots of other movies, and I finally had my fix of cereal and almond milk. We enjoyed seeing family and friends and catching up, but I found it hard to explain to people all the things we have done and seen, and I found also that people tended to lose interest after a few minutes of talking about our trip. I've read it on Nomadic Matt's blog, and to quote him, "long term travel is like being pregnant...." Only people who have experienced pregnancy can fully understand and appreciate the experience. Fellow travelers we have met are keen to share stories and give tips, but those who have not been on the road for an extended amount of time cannot fully appreciate and understand the depth of how much it molds and infuences you as a human being. It was nice to share some stories and catch up with what we had missed the past few months, though.

After the jetlag and shock of being back in familiarity subsided, we began to notice things we had forgotten about. While watching TV, the amount of pharmaceutical and political campaign commercials basically ruled the airwaves. We had not seen or heard about drugs or politicians for a while, and it was great. Then the food.... I have widened my food choices during this trip, thanks to the high quality of food they get in Australia. After having strange cravings for chicken, and having it weigh on my vegetarian concious, I ordered a free-range grilled chicken meal at a restaurant, and it was great. I decided that my body was craving things for a reason, and while I do not want to harm living things (part of the yoga philosophy) I also don't want to harm myself.. After feeling like something was missing and needing some kind of variety, I "gave in"...

We have been places where food is culture, and now we were back to the land of GMOs, unpronounceable preservatives, farmed fish, hormone-pumped meats, and all things large. To put it bluntly, I've been spoiled by the places and people who we often think of being part of the "developing world" with their food! I have been dreaming of the fresh pho and delicious Thai food of months past..

Then I saw the meat at Publix and remembered how crazy our food system is... A chicken breast should be around the size of your palm, an these buggers were around the size of my size 8 foot. Crazy. My stomach was so messed up for the time we were home for who knows what reason.. Could have been the preservatives they put on bagged spinach and lettuce, or the preservatives in packaged foods like cereal, or the chemicals that go in to almost anything that comes from a box. All I know is I will not be able to eat like I have been while we've been traveling. I forgot about how much wheat and bread in the US causes me issues, and here I am in a "developing country" buying bread everyday because it grows mold overnight. I'm pretty sure the bread in my mom's pantry, if left unopened, will be good when we get back to the US. And I won't be eating it. I hate to bash on my home country, but we need to get it together, and there's too many big Agribusiness people putting their fingers in too many pies. Ok, rant over. :)

It was great to see my family while we were back, and notice that while I had changed a lot during the past few months, things there were still the same.. That's the funny thing about being away from home and seeing all the things we have seen,meeting people from all around the world, and seeing different perspectives. 

After checking out our bank account (which died a slow death in Australia, but it was worth it) we decided that we would have to cut our trip short by 2 weeks and would not make it to Brazil for the World Cup. Unfortunately, Brazil and FIFA has basically priced out all the "regular" fans and want to sell the tickets to big corporations. The going price for a hostel bed, in a 10 person dorm, in Sao Paolo was $150 per night. So yes, it would be $300 per night for our dynamic duo. Not. Happening. We ended up changing our inbound and outbound flight to Lima, Peru... Where our "exotic" travels together began 3 years ago, and we spent a month traveling around and doing cool things like the Inka Trail. 

We are currently working at a beachside hostel in Huanchaco, which is about 10 hours north of Lima. The work is pretty easy, the people are cool and easy to get along with, and I can walk to the local market and get fresh groceries everyday. We are working here for 3 weeks total, in exchange for a place to sleep, and then our trip of a lifetime is coming to a close. The bad thing is, we are already thinking about how we can get back down to South America and do it properly.. There are so many other countries we want to visit down here! We wanted to go to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and then to Brazil, but it's not happening. We will have to work and save again for a less-lengthy trip, but we definitely have the travel bug, and bad!

My next post will be all about what life is like working in a surf hostel...... If you can imagine 27 surfer guys and girls in a cheap beachside town in Peru!

The Land Down Under: Sydney

Ah, Australia.. How I miss you so. It's been almost 2 weeks since our departure from SYD, and the what-I-thought-would-be-restful stopover in my hometown in Kennesaw, Georgia turned out to be a bit of a whirlwind visit. I'll be honest, I did have some time to write a post, but it took a good few days to get back on Eastern Standard Time...And we had to catch up on Mad Men...And Shameless...And watch "Gone with the Wind" (Which, by the way, Rhett Butler sounded much better in my head when I was reading... Um, where's the Charleston accent, Clark Gable?!)....And celebrate Mother's Day...Oh, and work on my resume (eek!). So, I am actually writing this post on the rooftop terrace of our hostel in Lima. 

Rewind two weeks or so and our happy smiling faces were walking around Coogee Beach, enjoying the sunshine and seaside. We opted for an Airbnb place about a 30 minute bus ride to the Sydney harbor. We stayedwith a pair of cousins, Jaclyn and Gwyn, which worked out great. Coogee is a cool little beach town which has a nice walking path that connects the other beach towns, Maroubra and the famous Bondi beach. There were tons of nice local restaurants, and we had a kitchen so we could cook if we didn't feel like eating out. Sydney's bus system is pretty excellent, with buses running all hours of the day and night, and it's cheap to get around.

Coogee Beach

Sunrise during an early AM run.. I was able to get up super early during our stay in Coogee because there were these loud, crazy sounding birds that were a natural alarm clock beginning around 5:30 AM. Once I'm awake, it is hard for me to get back to sleep (Paul doesn't have that problem) so I tiptoe out and get my running gear on... At least I get to see cool sunrises like this one!

We were lucky to have lots of friends in Sydney while we were there, which made our stay even more fun. Our first night in town, we met up with a friend of Paul's from when we was at school in Portsmouth. He hadn't seen Rhys in about 15 years because he left for Tennessee, and Rhys headed to Australia to backpack around and ended up making it his new home by becoming a citizen (I don't blame him). We met up with Rhys for dinner in Surry Hills, a neighborhood in Sydney, and had the best Thai food I've had outside of Thailand at this place called Spice I Am.. It was so delicious! Sydney has a really ecclectic food scene, with lots of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Middle Eastern places around the city. 

Our second day in Sydney, we met up with Richard and Joann, Dave's cousins we met in Brisbane who happened to be there when we were. We walked with them from Coogee to Bondi along the seaside, about a 1.5 hour walk. It was a really nice day, and it was fun swapping travel stories with them, as they are two Brits who have been on the road for quite some time as well and are thinking about settling down abroad in Spain.. It seems most people who travel long term have very similar mindsets, home is where you make it!

Bondi Beach!

There was some really cool/weird grafitti art on the walls by the beach.. Personally i liked this old-school judge wig ardorned owl.

We did experience our first rainy day for some time in Sydney, but we still managed to get out and about. We found this used bookstore in Randwick, a nearby neighborhood, that was sadly going out of business. The shelves were still full of books when we got there, and everything in the store was $2.00 or less. We walked out of that place with 8 books, including Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential, which I've never read. We wondered how we were going to get them home, since our bags are already pretty full, but we managed to squeeze them in among Paul's guitar case. After the visit to the treasure trove of used books, we found a cool movie theatre called the Ritz, that had an old fashioned feel. We ended up watching "The Grand Budapest Hotel", and when we came out the sun was out. Perfect!

We also were able to get an authentic Anzac Day experience while in Sydney. Anzac Day is similar to our Memorial Day, an also a public holiday where everyone gets really toasted. Anzac Day is also the only day of the year when Aussies can play "Two's Up", which is really a glorified "Heads or Tails" with two coins. People have apparently had to pull out second mortgages on their homes and have emptied bank accounts playing this game, so the government deemed it illegal to play in bars or public arenas on every day except Anzac Day. 

Naturally, we had to see what all the Anzac Day antics were about and see "Two's Up" in the flesh. We met up with Rhys again at his favorite pub, which was absolutely packed full of people. After a while, a game got started. Basically, one person starts a bet on one side of the coin and then a contender matches them. There is one person who flips two coins in the air, and if both coins land on the side called, the caller gets the other person's money. Pretty much like playing Red or Black on a roulette table, and people get just as into it in the pub as they do in the casino. Definitely a fun game to watch, and a dangerous one to play as the night goes on and the drinks keep coming.. We had one round against an Aussie girl, we bet $20 on tails (tails never fails) and we WON! Then we walked away....that was our first source of income since we left (besides the awesome little deposits I get from Charles Schwab bank reimbursing my ATM fees abroad. I love you, Chuck)!

The next day was a big big day... My 28th birthday! My mom was great and bought us two tickets to climb the Sydney Harbor bridge for my special day. It was a blast! We had a really nice and informative guide that took us up the over 400ft high spine of the bridge. The tour lasted about 3 hours, and at no point during the tour did I feel scared. You are all strapped in and hooked to a zipline type thing, and there are wide paths with railings on either side. We had some really great views, but we weren't allowed to bring any personal items up with us, so that meant no cameras or cell phones. We did get to pay $20 for a picture at the end, which was worth it. They also did a free little 8 second video at the top of the bridge, in which Paul sings "Happy Birthday" as I do a stupid little dance and look embarassed haha.

The fun day didn't end when the tour was over.. Dave and Zoe just happened to be in Sydney too! Dangerous Dave was in good form when we met him after the climb.. Boardwalk, his racehorse who had come 7th in the race we watched him, came in 1st place in the horse race! Dave was super happy and insisted taking us out for my birthday, which was awesome. We went to this really good brunch place down at The Rocks, and enjoyed celebrating Boardwalk's victory and anniversary of my birth.

We finished our nice meal, and then we saw these........

Why not take a tour around Sydney in a weird converted motorcycle? Sure! Sounds great! Paul has way more pictures of us in our gear on his instagram, you can see it @tighthipshoppy. I think we had the biggest smiles plastered on our face the entire time we rode around the city. I had never been on a motorcycle before, and it was fun! We went over the bridge and around the docks, then through the city. The driver really kicked it into gear in some parts of the tour, which was exhilirating! IT WAS AWESOME.

The celebration continued through the day and way into the night, and we were so lucky to have such great friends to share my special day. They even let us stay in their hotel room (which was huge, and had a nice couch for us to sleep on) so we didn't have to trudge back to Coogee that night. It was definitely at the top of my list of epic birthday celebrations.... May have been, without a doubt, the best one yet!

The next morning was rough. I had worn a t-shirt and shorts for the Bridge climb, and ended up buying a whole outfit to wear for our night out, thanks to Topshop. We woke up to a steady English-style, light- but soak you to the bone, rain and then realized we had to somehow get back to Coogee. The bus stand we needed was a good 30 minute walk away, we were hungry, and Paul didn't have a rain jacket. By the time we got the sense to stop in a convenience store and buy him a poncho, he was already completely soaked. We then seeked out some food in the basement of a random shopping mall to get out of the rain, and made our way to wait for the bus. We sat on the bus, shivering, and I was asleep by the time we got to our stop. Needless to say, I was happy to get back to a warm house and dry clothes. Totally worth it, though, for the day we had before!

Our last few days in Sydney, we spent time walking around the parks and giving ourselves a tour of all the "must see" spots, like the Opera House, Botanical gardens, The Rocks, and Darling Harbour. The weather the rest of our stay was beautiful, which was great! We had a really great time in Sydney, mostly because of all the friends we were able to spend time with! We have been so fortunate to have such awesome people in our lives, and they have made this experience so special. I am sure had we visited without having friends randomly in Sydney, it still would have been great, since pretty much all the people we have met here have been extremely friendly and love to have a good time. I really miss Australia!

We flew out of SYD on our buddy passes (THANK YOU Martina!!!!!!) and got on the flight easily and without problem, despite the warnings we had had about the possibility of being stuck in a city because you fly standby and get repeatedly bumped. Delta was great, I love their flight attendants. We then touched down in LAX and were sooo lucky to get on an oversold flight headed for Atlanta. Originally, we had planned to stay in LA for a couple of days and then head to Bogota via Atlanta, but that all changed after 14 hours and a dwindling bank account thanks to expensive places like Taiwan and Aus. Instead, we changed our flight, got on the 9:30 AM flight to ATL, and ended up staying at my mom's house for 12 days. That, my friends, was a wise decision. Our bodies were shattered.

It was a huge culture shock being back home, and that's the topic of my next post. We had a little taste of the reality we will soon return to, and it was kind of hard to adjust back into life at home. I found everything was still the same, and I had changed a lot. 

For now, I'll enjoy this rooftop terrace in Lima... We've come full circle, to the country that helped us decide, yes, we can travel long term and not want to gauge eachother's eyes out. Yes, travel is amazing and we have to keep going..

I have a lot of books to get through in my bag and I still have to finish Bourdain's book! Until next time..

MC

The Land Down Under: Brisbane

We arrived to Brisbane after taking a short flight on Virgin Australia where we were given free chips and salsa onboard! I guess it was worth waiting for, since we wanted to get chips and salsa in Taiwan at the local "Chili's" (yes, they have it there, as well as a TGI Fridays. All the food is imported from America and is just mundane looking as it is in the States!) but it was $9 so we opted to skip it. We were very pleased with our VA flight and took the quick and easy SkyTrain from the airport to meet our friend from college, David.

David and Zoe were so very kind to invite us to stay with them in their gorgeous apartment on the river in Brisbane. They live right in the middle of the central business district, so everything was in walking distance from their home. They even had a gym and spa in the building, so needless to say we were living large for a good few days. 

Our first morning in the city, I got up and explored with a little run along the river and when I came back to the apartment, this guy was sitting on the railing..A kookaburra! We have been so lucky to see so much wildlife while in Aus.. They tried to feed him some salami but I think he was more interested in getting a good view from the 14th floor to seek out some food below. He must have not been a big fan of cold cuts.

You wouldn't know it, but this path is right in the middle of the city. One thing I love about Australia is the big cities don't seem like cities when you get tucked away inside one of the parks or gardens. It's great! 

Walking paths all over the city, even tells you how many steps!

Story Bridge

While our hosts were at work, we walked around and checked out the city. It's totally walkable, and you can rent bikes should you want to explore further around town. While we were walking across the Friendship bridge, we stopped at a coffee stand and the kind guy who owned it, Brendon, told us about a free attraction in Queensland University of Tech. that was just a few steps away. Within one of the buildings is a floor to ceiling touchscreen wall that is a replica of the Great Barrier Reef with tons of interactive sea life. You can touch say, a sea turtle, and a little box will pop up and explain its characteristics, diet, habitat, etc. There was also smaller touchscreen walls where you could learn about inventors or interact with an animated robot. It was really neat (and free…and air conditioned)!  

We were lucky to visit our friends over the Easter weekend because they had a nice long weekend and didn't have to work and really showed us a good time! One day we took a little day trip to a nearby beach town where there was a festival going on and we could have some food truck delights. Another day we went to this really cool place called "Lone Pine" which was a quick 20 minute drive outside downtown but held some of the coolest animals from all over the country.

Lone Pine is a koala sanctuary but also has tons of other exhibits including wombats, crocodiles, dingoes, flying squirrels, kangaroos, wallabies, birds of prey, snakes, and farm  animals. My favorite was the koalas… There was an area where you could hold a koala and have your picture taken that started at $16, or you could wait around after the koala presentation and pet one for free! So obviously we went with the free option. There was also an area where you could walk around an in fenced  area that housed tons of kangaroos. There were even some with joeys in their pouches. It was such a cool experience to get so up close and personal to these animals!

Sleepy koala bear!

He wasn't impressed with me

Mama and Joey

Wombat!

On Saturday, we were off to the Gold Coast to see Dave's own racehorse, Boardwalk, compete in a race. I had been to one horserace before when we were in England a few years ago, but this time was different!

Dave is a part-owner of Boardwalk, but he still gets all the "perks" like being able to go into the "owner" section of the grandstand, which was pretty snazzy. We got to see Boardwalk walk out with his trainer and do a little warmup before the big event. The race was quick but fun to watch, even though Boardie didn't do so hot. We were even able to go see him in the stables after the race, which was really cool! These animals are so beautiful and strong.

We had such a great time in Brisbane, visiting the city and its nightlife (sometimes going a little too far and paying for it), meeting Zoe and Dave's friends and family, and enjoying the fantastic "autumn" weather. It was sunny and warm every day we were there, so Brisbane made a great impression on us. Our last destination in Australia was Sydney, where we would spend the last week before heading off for a brief detour to the US. You can read all about Sydney in the next post. Thanks to Zoe and "Dangerous Dave" for being awesome tour guides and incredible hosts! We had a blast!

The Land Down Under, Part I

Yes, you have heard some crickets for a while. I am actually not even in Australia anymore, but sitting in my mom's kitchen in Kennesaw, GA as we enjoy a few days of recuperation and get ready for our next continent. I will say, though, that Australia is probably one of my favorite places on earth. I'll give my top 10 reasons and then tell you about some fun stuff we did during our stay. I'll have to break it up into 3 separate posts, because we were privileged to do SO MUCH cool stuff!!!

10. It is a mixture of the best of the US and England, with its own culture.
9. The wildlife is incredible and easily accessed throughout the country.
8. Excellent infrastructure, within the major cities and from state to state
7. The Great Ocean Road….. its amazing
6. Aussies really care about their food.. where it comes from and what's in it
5. EVERYONE seems to be out and about, staying fit and healthy
4. Australian Football League.. it puts our padded NFL "warriors" to shame.
3. Walking/Running/Bike paths and park/greenspace everywhere within the major cities
2. The beaches
1. Aussies are FUN and really easy to befriend! But I knew that already from some of the cool people from down under I already knew before stepping foot onto their great country.

We flew first into Melbourne after a white-knuckle turbulent flight from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. Luckily, we only had 3 of us in our 5 person across row, so I was able to get a little bit of sleep when I wasn't awoken by turbulence or my stomach coming up into my throat from hitting air pockets. After our touchdown, we took a bus into the city and then a train about an hour south to where our friend and Paul's best man, Scott, picked us up and drove us another hour along the Great Ocean Road to his house in Apollo Bay. Scott and his partner Anna welcomed us into their home with their 4 month old Otto who I instantly fell in love with, even though he puked on me within the first 10 minutes of our introduction. We were very thankful to see familiar faces and spend a week in this amazing beachside town.

 Apollo Bay is a tourist town during the summer, but as we were there during their autumn, the town was mostly locals save for a few kids and families who were out for school holidays. Scott showed us all around the city and nearby towns. While we were enjoying a coffee on the way to his house, we met these giant cockatoo guys who were keen on getting some food.. They were huge!

Apollo Bay

 We also checked off the 2 major things I wanted to do while in Australia within the first few days there.. see a koala (in the wild!) and check out the kangaroos. Scott took us to see some gorgeous national parkland where we hiked for a couple of hours along the sea while he caught our dinner, rock lobster. Yes, about a 1 foot long huge delicious crustacean from the sea. Afterward, on the way back to his house, we saw this little koala buddy sitting beside the road and stopped to talk to him. We were able to get so close! It was a rare occurrence, as these animals usually sleep 20 hours a day due to the lacking nutrition they get from the eucalyptus leaves that make up most of their diet. We also were able to visit a Kangaroo conservation center and see some Kangaroos hop around. They really look funny as they bounce around across the grass…

Here are some pictures from our hike along part of the Great Ocean Walk.. 2 hours of breathtaking scenery…rugged coastline and temperate rain forests!

One day while Scott was at work, he let us take his car to the Twelve Apostles, which is about 90km away from Apollo Bay. The Twelve Apostles is a rock formation in the sea, and attracts many tourists from all over for a visit. It really is worth the drive. It reminded me of Paracas National Park in Peru, which also had lots of weathered rock that stuck up from the ocean. There used to be 12 standing pillars, but a few have crumbled from storms and erosion.

As you can see, Paul had a really great time driving on the left side of the road.. He obviously learned to drive this way back in the UK but had not driven, much less on the "wrong side" (as we say in 'Merica) of the road, in a very long time. There must be have been lots of accidents on the Great Ocean Road, because as you drive down there are multiple signs saying, "Drive on the Left in Australia". HA.  Silly tourists.

We really had a great time spending some time in the outdoors and catching up with old friends. We spent a good 5 days in Apollo Bay with Scott and his family, and then made our way up to Melbourne with Scott and a few of his work buddies to watch an AFL game, Melbourne vs. Carlton. Australian Football is very different from anything I've ever seen. Firstly, the arena is huge. These guys are the epitome of athletes.. They run around the entire time on a huge field and pass, kick, throw, bounce the ball with the goal of getting it through the 2 posts on either side of the field. I tried my best to follow what was actually going on, and tried to understand the rules, but it was tough. It was very exciting to watch, though! And there are no pads and full contact. It's serious.

We were kind of up in the nosebleeds, so pictures don't really do it justice. These guys use an entire Cricket ground as their playing field. It's big.

After a fun night out in Melbourne, meandering through parks and seeing wildlife at 3 AM, we parted ways with Scott and met up with one of Paul's other college friends who also lives in Melbourne. We are so lucky to have friends spanning the globe.. Australia is very expensive (as we learned pretty quickly), and I don't know what we would have done if these kind friends had not taken our poor transient souls into their homes! We had a blast spending time with Shep and his girlfriend (now fiancé within the past week or so!) Leanne in Melbourne.

Melbourne is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, and you can tell with the amount of cranes and traffic. It's a really cool city with lots of little neighborhoods that are all unique. The central part of the city, the "CBD", has tons of cool alleyway pubs and restaurants to explore. Need some beach time? A 30 minute drive cross town can get you to the beach. Drive a little further, and there are mountains with hiking trails aplenty. We were really lucky and had incredible weather during our stay, which allowed us to walk through the botanical gardens, parks and the downtown area. There is also a bike/running path that stretches along the river and can take you from downtown to the suburbs. It's my kind of town.

 I passed the Lonely Planet building during a morning run and gave them my many thanks for helping us find places to stay and things to do during this trip. Maybe they can sponsor a visa and give me a job? I'd be a great asset to their team.. And I really like Melbourne…sooo..

We only spent 3 days in Melbs, but I could have easily stayed longer. It's a really pretty city with a cool vibe and lots of things to do. We were going to rent a car during our stay in Australia, but due to us only having 3 weeks, we decided to fly. Our next destination was Brisbane, where we reunited with another one of Paul's college friends, Ormy, or "Dangerous Dave"… You can read all about our shenanigans in Brisbane in part II, coming soon. :)