It's All About The Journey

Tag: Study Abroad

  • UBUD

    Well, the time had come for me to do the one thing I told myself I was going to do no matter what. Head to Bali, and turns out it was by myself! Because of time constraints with school, my friends could not join me for any part of my 11 day trip around Bali. I started in Ubud, then headed off to the Gili Islands, and finished up in Uluwatu.

    First, let me tell you about Ubud. Getting here was a journey, I had a 7 am flight meaning I had to be up at 3:30 to get to the airport in time. I made it with time to spare so I waited an hour then boarded the plane and voila! 6 hours later I landed smoothly in Bali. I prearranged airport transfer to my place in Ubud because it was a 1.5-hour drive and finding them was easy enough. Sadly I started to feel ill with a large headache and a little nausea setting in as we drove through the streets. This stuck with me all day and instead of exploring I lay by the pool and soaked in the sun hoping the pounding headache would leave.

    The hostel I’m staying at feels more like a resort. Yes, I do share a room with 5 other girls but there are full on lounge chairs, a swing overlooking the rice fields, palm trees everywhere, and a nice pool that’s is very refreshing on a hot day. It also offers free breakfast and has outdoor showers!

    After laying in the sun for a few hours my headache still persisted on and off. Finally, I headed into town to look for some Advil and found the Indonesian version. After 30 minutes it helped immensely. I then wandered some shops and bought my favourite souvenir very flowy Bali style elephant pants! I then went back tot the hostel and watched the sunset while reading by the pool. Finally, I was hungry so I put my new pants on and headed off to find some food. I found this very yummy smoothie place and the smoothie was only $2.5! With a drink in hand, I headed back to the hostel to relax for the night as it had been a long day.

    Day 2- after a well needed nights sleep I woke up and enjoyed a breakfast at the hostel for free. It was very yummy fruits and some bread that I enjoyed. After this, I packed my day bag and set out in search of the market. It was only a 10-minute walk so soon I was there. I spent a few hours here wandering the hops I search of a pair of elephant pants and a cute top. I found loads of stalls with this and chose one to batter the price with. With my skills, I got it down a good amount and was set with a new outfit! I also found a few cute rings for me and family. Sadly I couldn’t find a snow globe which is the one thing I need as I collect them everywhere I go. Never less I have loads of time and shall keep looking. As it got closer to noon I headed back to the hostel to recharge and go for a quick dip as it was super hot out. Along the way, I got sidetracked by this cute looking cafe and stopped in for a very yummy pink smoothie! After my quick lunch stop, I arrived at the hostel for a nice jump in the pool while my phone and the GoPro charged up!

    As the clock struck 1 I headed out, set to find the sacred monkey forest. It was a 30-minute walk away but I eventually arrived. I paid $80000 RP or $7.68 CAD t get in and it’s worth it. There are loads of monkeys wandering around and the place is huge. Loads of tourist stop by the entrance because that’s where the first monkeys are but after a quick glance I kept going and found some secluded areas where if could observe them without huge crowds. Now as I walked this place I kept finding hidden paths that led me in a totally new direction. I probably walked the whole thing twice stopping to shoot some pics along the way. There are loads of signs saying don’t look the monkeys in the eyes so I took that advice. Well except for one moment and all that happened was that the monkey growled at me and grabbed my arm. So from now on I guess take signs seriously! But other than that nothing happened and no one got hurt from what I saw. However loads of monkeys were fighting with each other and when that happened the screeching got so loud! After spending hours getting lost in this forest I made my way back to the hostel but not without stopping for some much-needed ice cream.

    The second I got back my feet were immediately plunged into the pool. I kid you not they hurt so bad from all the walking. I stayed there as the sun set and admired the beauty around me and how peaceful everything was. Well, it was getting dark and considering the shower was outdoors and had no light I got in and rinsed all the sweat of the day away. Then I headed out in search of some dinner. I found it and it was yummy but spicy. It was a kind of cheese quesadilla with corn and loads of peppers in it, interesting and it was only $6.50 CAD! With dinner done and it being dark this meant the day was over as I settled in for the night.

    Day three came very early as I had a tour booked that was picking me up at 6 am. This meant I had to wake at 5:30 am, and it wasn’t bad other than the fact that it was drizzling with rain. I got picked up 2nd out of the 3 “groups” and because I was the only solo traveler with 2 other couples on this tour I got the front seat. This left me lots of leg room to stretch out as it was a 2-hour drive to our first designation.

    Once we finally arrived at the first stop we hopped out and our driver helped us get sarongs. I had bought one at the market so I just needed help tying it. The reason we needed sarongs was that we were at the lemphung temple also known as the gates of heaven. At any temple, you must have your shoulders and knees covered. Here we walked around and took photos while our driver started to stand in line for us at the iconic gates. We all came and took our place in line and thus started to get to know each other as little did we know this line would take 1.5 hours! Eventually, we reached the end and rushed in to get a few poses. After we all got our photos by the gates it was off to the second location.

    Next, we went to a water temple. This was beautiful it had a stepping stone path through a coy pond where you could look down and see hundreds at your feet. There were a set of bridges and all over were carvings and statues of symbols such as dragons or even a chicken. It sounded amazing as well as the sound of water flowing roared above the people’s voices. As we left this temple there was a stand where you could see a bat up close. This was not a normal Canadian/America bay though. No, it was huge and you could see every detail from it’s large claw-like toes to the leathery wings. We marveled at the size and then we’re off for lunch.

    By now the tile was 1 pm and we had not eaten anything all day. Luckily it was time to stop for lunch. Our driver took us to a buffet lunch for only $10 CAD that overlooked the rice terraces and was very peaceful. The food was very yummy as well with a good variety. And for dessert, they had tons of fruit and fried bananas!

    After the quick lunch stop, we moved on to a waterfall. Now, this was a hike to get down to as we arrived at the top and there were many stairs to get down to the bottom. Once we got to the bottom we then had to walk a bit through streams but it was very cool and cavelike. Once we arrived the waterfall wasn’t much of a swimming hike more of a stand under and shower waterfall. I did manage to go in it and then on the way back there was a boulder you could climb and it provided very pretty views both from the bottom and the top. As we hike back up the stairs from the waterfall I could feel a bit of tiredness setting in but it was my lucky day as we were heading to a coffee Plantation next!

    I was not expecting this part of the trip but it was still very interesting. We got a tour of the area where the pick the beans from and then how they make the coffee. They have a special type of coffee called a cat-poo-chino and yes it is made from an animal called a Luwak who eats the coffee beans from the plant and then poop em out, workers then gather the decided and wash it/in a shell the beans/prepare it into a coffee that people drink. So next time you hear of a cappuccino think cat-poo-chino aa that is what the locals do here in Bali. After the tour, we got to taste test all sorts of flavours. They had many different kinds of teas and coffees and for someone who does not normally partake in these beverages, I can say most of them Tatar’s very good. The coffee wasn’t bitter at all and the variety of teas were all very interesting. And yes we did try the Cat-Poo-CHino. After fuelling up we were on to our final part of the day…the swing.

    This was not the famous Bali swing but I like to think it was better as it was not busy at all and they gave you this constant beautiful cloth to flow behind you as you swung out over the forest. I was up first and got strapped in pretty securely. It felt very freeing seining our over the first and being able to let go and just look around. The workers would help so you didn’t have to kick or anything and it almost felt like you were flying. It was spectacular.

    With our last stop down it was gone to head back and drop us off. I was the second stop and got back around 7 pm to a rainy Ubud. I was out and about for 13 hours so I got back and rested the rest of the night away after packing as I was to leave Ubud the next day and move onto my next destination in Bali.

  • Becoming a Melbournian

    Becoming a Melbournian

    Welp, I feel as if i have officially transitioned from a tourist exploring Melbourne to someone who is not a full-fledged citizen, but hey I’m getting there. I’ve nearly been here for two months and i can now find my way around without using google maps (for the most part). I know the market schedule by heart and am officially starting to get into the thick of things with school work.

    Over the past couple of weeks the weather has slowly started to get cooler with a couple warm days here and there. With that came the end of the summer night market, the end of the many beach days (we still make an effort to go for sunsets though), and the end of wearing shorts every day. On the one hand, this is good because the transition to fall means I get to look more like a Melbournian because they never wear shorts! But it also means leaving behind warm weather and the fact that wearing shorts in march never gets old. So you may be wondering what have I been up to the last couple of weeks? Well, school has started to pick up and i have had an essay to work on, and other smaller assignments piling up behind that. Nevertheless, we have still been able to have some fun days exploring the city and of course making it back tot he beach for the warm days and many sunsets over the water.

    Last Thursday was one of the last very warm days. It reached 27 degrees Celsius and was sunny, so of course, that meant we had to head to the beach. This time we looked for something new and headed to a beach called port Melbourne. It was not busy at all, had softer sand than St.Kilda, and the water was just as nice (maybe a little colder). It was perfect (other than the ants) but we stayed all day and watched the sunset over the docks. It was also only a short bus ride out of the city so who knows, if another nice day presents itself maybe it’ll be time to head back there.

    The other day I went to my first AFL (Aussie Football) Game! It was new and exciting and nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before. It is a mix of rugby, soccer, and football as the ball looks like a rugby ball and it is a very aggressive sport but you can also kick the ball and throw it basically like a football. Luckily I made an Aussie friend so she came with us North Americans and helped explain some of the rules. The game was very close and the team I chose to cheer for (they were the underdogs) came out on top after being down by 5 goals with 15 minutes left. Tickets were very cheap for a sports game so hopefully, I can find time to head back for another one before I leave AUS.

    A couple of days later my Birthday came and with that came warm weather as well! I turned 21 on April 2nd and celebrated it in style with friends. The day started out by going out for brunch with a friend from class because I had gotten a surprise present the day before when my Professor had canceled my only class of the day! That meant more time to sleep in and enjoy the day. After brunch, I got to rest as my friends had class then when the evening came it was time to go out for dinner. We went to the Royal Standard Hotel, a small bar/restaurant very close to our house that has cheapish food. I got chicken wings and they were very very good, other people got things such as chicken parm and pizza. They had a large menu though ranging all the way from small apps to large steaks! After dinner, I went back to our house with some friends where we hung out, had some yummy cake, and watched some horror movies (sorry Kyle and Karley). I woke up the next day to many birthday messages as back home it was officially my birthday so I can officially say this was one of the longest but best birthdays of my life.

    The past couple of days have been spent focusing on school and just hanging out with friends. We have officially passed the halfway mark for school as week 6 just passed and there may seem to be a long while to go still but i think till ass quickly. In other news the Melbourne night market comes back Wednesday, April 10th and this time is themed around European foods so that should be interesting, and in a couple of weeks reading week happens and I plan to go to Sydney and Cairns so can’t wait to get to that part of my adventure! Till next time.

  • Byron Bay

    This past weekend my friends and I took a trip Byron Bay trip organized through our housing company Semester in Australia. The trip started with flying to Brisbane Thursday, March 14th, the flight was in the evening so we took an uber from our house to the airport. We got there in good time (after having an Uber driver who took the long route through the suburbs) and went through security with ease. It was one of the laxest securities at the airport, we didn’t need to have to take our shoes off and there were barely any security people there. Once through we waited a little bit then boarded the plane, it was set to be a 2 and a half hour flight but it got delayed and we sat on the tarmac for 40 mins before departing because of storms in Brisbane…not even in Melbourne! Once we were off the ground all was smooth sailing (or flying) until halfway through when I noticed out the window a couple of thunderstorm cells. These were pretty cool as there were lightning flashes every second or so (I find thunderstorms interesting). A little later through the flight, we were flying through a thunderstorm as it was right over the Brisbane airport. This was one of my weird crazy bucket list things so that was nice to check off but there was a little turbulence and lots of flashes outside the window as we flew straight threw. Once we made it to the ground alive it was a short Uber ride to the place we were staying for the night and as we settled in there was much to look forward to in the next couple of days.

    Once we woke up in Brisbane we had to meet the bus at 8 am sharp (as they say)…the meeting spot was not far so we walked there and got there for 8 aaaand the bus wasn’t there for another 20 minutes. Once we were picked up it was a 2-hour drive to Byron Bay where we checked into the hotel dropped our bags and had an hour to explore before our surfing lesson began. We took this time to explore the beach in the sun. It was much different than the Melbourne beaches! We then went back, got changed, and then we were off to our surfing lesson. I had surfed before but none of my friends had so it was very exciting. I got more information about different ways to pop up on the board and learned how to catch a wave all by myself. Before I knew it I was catching a wave and standing up all by myself! After that, I was able to catch waves and stand up about half the time. After surfing we were headed back to the hostel to get changed for dinner and a night out.

    Dinner was interesting, it was at a bar/club where they served us an option of fish and chips, curry, or a burger. There were also small games on the tables we could play, we enjoyed playing multiple games of connect 4 (1 in which I won!) and after dinner the theme of the night was paint. There was an option to get splattered with paint, which of course we partook in. And then enjoyed hanging out with friends for the rest of the night.

    The next morning we woke up at 5:30 am in order to catch the sunrise at the most easterly part of Australia. It was supposed to be beautiful and spectacular but sadly it was a rainy morning and all we saw was the sky turn from dark blue to light blue through the rain. After the not so nice sunrise we walked an hour back to Byron bay and saw a couple of lizards along the way. We also walked beside a surf beach that looked amazing and if I could go back I would explore that beach more. Once back at the hostel it was a breakfast of toast, yogurt, and fruit and then nap time as lots of us headed back to bed. I hung out in the hostel lobby where they played music, had free wifi, and comfy couches.

    Fast forward a few hours and my friends and I were venturing out into the raining day to rent some surfboards and enjoy the water, cause rain cannot affect you if you are already wet from the ocean! There were 4 of us and we got 3 boards as one person was in charge of playing with the GoPro (it was also cheaper this way). We got some good footage but sadly none of us standing up (even though it DID happen). This day of surfing resulted in tired sore arms and we attempted to stand up and catch the waves. This proved harder than yesterday because we had smaller boards. Usually, a beginner surfer will get an 8-foot board, this would have been ideal but the shop only had one. The rest of us had 6/7 foot boards and even though it may seem not that big of a difference the size actually does make a huge difference on the waves. So we didn’t stand up as much as we would have liked but it was still a fun day and my first time renting a surfboard and standing up without lessons! After surfing we were back to the hostel where we rested before dinner.

    Dinner tonight was unknown until 5 minutes before it was time to eat. We walked into the meeting spot at the hostel to find at least a hundred small dominoes pizzas set up on a table and plenty of salad and fruit. There were about 35 of us so this much food was a little bit of overboard but we devoured it. I was starving so I ended up eating 9 slices of pizza and at least two bowls full of fruit, it was delicious. One of my friends ended up eating 16 slices! (but the slices were smaller than normal). After dinner, we noticed it had stopped raining so we ran (yes we actually ran) to the beach to see the sunset over the water/mountains and it was beautiful. We then took a nice stroll along the beach until not even 10 minutes later it started to downpour, back to the hostel we went for free wifi and comfy couches. That night was quieter and we strolled along the town at night listening to the buskers along the street and got some ice cream. Then it was back to the hostel for the night and off to bed as we were leaving the next morning.

    That morning breakfast was at 9 am and we had to check out by 10 so we quickly ate some toast and fruit. We then packed the last of our bags and left them in the lobby (with everyone else’s) as we took one last stroll through town and down to the lovely beach. It wasn’t raining today so we enjoyed the last few minutes we had with sunny Byron Bay. Then it was off to a small town about an hour out from Byron Bay called Nimbin. This very small town is known for being Australia’s hippie capital and had lots of marijuana advertising and lots of tie-dye colours. Here we got lunch (I got garlic bread) and we also stopped for milkshakes before boarding the bus and heading to the Brisbane airport.

    We made it to the airport with a couple of hours to spare so we spent that time charging our phones near the gate because they were very low and we needed them charged for the flight. Of course, there was another delay but at least this time we had not already boarded the plane and were able to stay in the couches for an extra 30 minutes before it was time to board the plane and fly back to Melbourne. The flight back was smoother and when we left it was raining but no crazy thunderstorm this time! We got into Melbourne late (or very early) and I got back home around 1 am Monday morning. Luckily I did not have class the next day so I was free to sleep as late as I wanted and rest from an exciting weekend away.

  • My First Week Alone

    Hi there as I am now alone with no one else to write my adventures for me I am now taking over the blog. For those of you who do not know I am Libby 20 years old studying in Australia, I am the daughter of Brenda who has been writing the posts so far. Hopefully, I can keep up with my adventures and keep you all informed.

    Let the Journey begin,

    I said goodbye to my travel companion also know as my mother on Sunday, February 10th as she had an early flight to catch the next morning. She walked me to the alley which separated my area from the rest of the market. We said goodbye and I walked alone into the alley, a sort of right of passage if you think about it enough. Although what neither of us knew is that this was not the right alley and I realized this as I walked through and hit a wall instead of an opening. Thus I backtracked to the entrance, looked left and saw her walking away, I then looked right and there was the correct alley one building down. Now I was on the right path as I made my way home alone for the first time.

    Now began the practice of getting to know and becoming friends with those around me while not feeling homesick. Luckily Melbourne is a big city with many things to do so this first week I was pretty busy. Within the next couple of days, I was hitting St.Kilda beach (more than once), where there are no big waves but it does have a nice sandy area to lay down with a very gradual entrance in the water (as you walk in it does not get deep fast.) We got to experience St.Kilda as we walked around a little and took in the sights. There is this theme park which is very expensive ($15.00 per ride) so I do not think that is a priority but the entrance was very interesting to see. After this, we trammed back (only about $4.00 round trip) and rested at home as the beach takes a lot out of you.

    In the middle of the week we had ACU orientation this consisted of two days with an information session on day 1 and an activity on day 2. At orientation, we got to meet all the other exchange students and there are about 40 of us in total. We Got a tour of the campus and a pizza lunch which was very yummy. Orientation spanned two days and the second day they organized an amazing race game for us. We were given clues and tasks to complete in groups of 5 or 6 around the city with the idea to get to know people and have fun. An added bonus was the winning team was given medals as a reward. On this day I made some new friends and got to see the sights while figuring out what lays where within the city, although I am still getting pretty lost as my sense of direction is horrible. In the end, our team came 2nd only losing by 11 points we put in a good effort and went for milkshakes and fries afterward (the cheapest thing on the menu).

    In Melbourne, during the summer they put on a night market within the queen victoria market. It is open 6-10pm and a big group of us went to see what it was like. I was expecting one street filled with food vendors and such but no this was much bigger. There were hundreds of people milling about nearly 20 food tents and little vendors selling homemade crafts and little items dotting the market. There was seating to eat at or have a drink while listening to live music or you could wander around and catch a couple of street performers entertaining a bunch of people. The atmosphere was great and we easily spent a few hours exploring and trying some very good food. The night market is only open for 3 more weeks so I’m hoping to go as much as possible while I have the chance.

    Friday night came and some of us went out for dinner and drinks. I was not super hungry but the little food I did get was amazing. After we explored Melbourne in the dark. Shops close at 9pm everywhere so if you want to do some late night shopping you either have to go earlier or get it done quickly. Some of the girls picked up an ice cream that looked very good and we got home late that night but it was fun after doing nothing all day.

    Finally, the week came to a close with a trip to Brighton beach, this one was farther away and we had to figure out the underground network. Once we got through that the train took us to the beach and what drew us here were the Brighton bathing boxes. Upon seeing these the journey was worth it as some of them had very cool designs although if you want to own one you have to give up $300,000. It made sense though as all the houses around here were large with gates to keep people out. Brighton beach was a lot rockier than St.Kilda and getting out to enjoy the water meant you had to step over multiple little rocks. Luckily no one cut their feet and we were able to enjoy the water. This beach was much more crowded because of the popularity of these bathing boxes but we still managed to enjoy it and appreciate where we were considering back home for a lot of us is very cold right now. After an exciting day at the beach, we took the underground back, this was a little more difficult as announcements made on the trains are not very loud and we were tired. We missed one and proceeded to sit on an unmoving train for 15 minutes before realizing it was the last stop and we had to get off. Luckily we made it off and not even a minute later the train started to move the opposite direction in which we needed to go. We then boarded the right one and made it home for dinner.

    That concluded my first week being alone, the next day would have been Monday, February 18th and marked the official one-week anniversary of me living in a strange city by myself. There were definitely spurts of homesickness mostly while sitting alone late at night but being busy and making some good friends definitely helped. As I get accustomed to life in a new city I hope to keep the blog updated with new adventures and as school starts we will see how well this goes.

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