My heart belongs to Broken Hill

For someone who's spent most of my life being anti anything country related back home, it seems ironic that the two places I've got a real soft spot for out here are right out in the middle of nowhere. Kings Canyon/Uluru/Kata Tujta for the landscapes and memories. And now Broken Hill, probably one of the quietest places I've been in my life, a small mining town on the edge of the outback, I arrived at 6pm, went out at about 7pm to see what was around and found everything shut except for Pizza Hut, Subway and an Italian restaurant which looked quite nice but out of my price range! I've never seen a place so fitting to the description of a ghost town before. But this place has got into me, even when I finished the Rock Tour I had the best time but I was still happy to go and get back to some kind of civilisation. But with Broken Hill I think I could have easily spent a few more days there, I did less in Broken Hill than I have anywhere else which is probably why I like it so much I actually got a rest. That's part of it, but the main part has to be the hotel. The Palace Hotel is hats off my favourite place I've stayed yet. It wasn't the most attractive building but there was something about it, a large part of that is probably because I knew Priscilla was filmed there and seeing the artwork, although some of that is in major need of refurbishment was so exciting. It's not as shining and well kept as it looks in the film but it was special. The staff were amazing and like I said it's been the first place I've felt sad to leave (except Melbourne but thats completely different!).
So the first night there was kind of dead, but I had my own room and a tv and internet was a dollar a day so got to sit on the balcony and go online. I'm glad I went to Alice first though, my outback experience has definately made me easier around bugs, there were three crickets in my
room the first night and why usually I would be terrified I actually got rid of them, even if it did include killing two of them! The second night I dont think I had any. The second night the hotel bar and restaurant was open so I went there and it was such a nice feeling in there, it was like
something out of a film, getting to mix with the locals! It really was the 'real' Australia!
My main reason for choosing that hotel was because it was in Priscilla, my first mission was of course to find the Priscilla suite and I am so glad it was booked out while I was there otherwise I would have taken it! Although the second afternoon I walked past and the door was open so I
really had no choice to put my head and camera in, only realised after there were people on the balcony but I dont think they saw!
So an amazing few days in Broken Hill, if I had forward vision I wish I'd gone straight there from Alice instead of to the hole called Adelaide, I didn't warm to Sydney in the way I thought I would but I hated Adelaide! Part to do with the fact I was in the hotel from hell, if they didn't have free wi-fi and I'd booked a private room I don't think I would have lasted a night. But it's done, I'm never going back there again and I definately had an experience there, even if it is one I don't want to relive!
I'm now on the Indian Pacific train to Sydney, though I swear I'm sitting in the wrong class because I have a huge seat and have just been told the evening meal is being served in the dining carriage....... Sydney for a couple of days then onto Cairns!
But right now Broken Hill is my place!

A Dingo stole my baby!

When you need to you can get around Australia pretty quickly, the orginal plan was that right now I would still be in Sydney for the next couple of weeks before considering moving. however because of the now quite critical money issue in the last four days i've gone from Sydney to Alice Springs, camped in the outback, walked Uluru and Kata Tuja and quite literally followed in Guy Pearce's footsteps and climed Kings Canyon. Got back yesterday and I'm now at Alice Springs airport with a delayed flight and a couple of hours to kill. I've not had a decent nights sleep in the last 4 nights and I'm so tired I could fall asleep anywhere right now.

But the last three days have all in all been amazing, I learnt that I am not a nature person and the whole going bush thing is not my kind of thing! Climbing Kings Canyon is physically one of the hardest things ever and thats just getting up heart attack hill, then you have to get around the rest but when you actually do it, when you get back down and see how far you've come is amazing.
That's one of the best things about doing that with a group, if I'd attempted it on my own, I know I would have taken one look at that hill and turned around again but when half of your group run at it you can't be the one staying at the bottom. The highlight of that trip was of course the Felicia moments, we climbed through the crack they did and standing in the opening all I was thinking was that Guy Pearce was here! Uluru and Kata Tuja are amazing, walking around and hearing all the stories and seeing the culture is something very special and as many pictures as you see of Uluru when you first see it for real it's just something else.
My Felicia themed weekend continued last night when our group went out to a bar in Alice for dinner and drinks, the nightlife in Alice Springs isn't exactly alive and the bar closed at 12:30 and there is nowhere else to get alcohol except for the casino. I wasn't even interested in an after session I would have been happy to go and sleep but as soon as the casino got mentioned there was no choice. So I ended up in THE Lassiters Casino, sitting by what, if only the story was true, the actual stage! I tried to find the casino on my first day in Alice but ended up getting confused and walking through a grassy area full of jumping crickets so it had to be done!
So all in all this weekend has been a good one, very different, and one I'll probably never do again so for that it's been amazing. I'm now off to recover in Adelaide and then my new plan is to stick with the Felicia theme and go to Sydney via Broken Hill and stay in the Palace Hotel. I was looking on the internet yesterday and it seems to be 40 dollars for a room so if I can get from Adelaide to Broken Hill in a couple of days at a cheap price I'll be there with bells on!

A TimTam beats a Penguin biscuit.

So I've spent the last two weeks in Melbourne and am now sitting in a coach terminal, writing this out on word because my computer won't connect to the free public wi-fi! I'm waiting for a 12 hour bus journey to Sydney and I'm already beginning to think this whole doing it on the cheap, backpacking thing won't work for me! I spent all of 5 minutes in the official coach terminal waiting room where I was accompanied by a tramp and two junkies who although seeming completely spaced out still had their mac, although one wouldn't keep staring, and to top it all off it stunk. I still have a good two hour wait until my bus goes so I'm preying I don't get anyone like that on my bus. Not too sure what to expect from the Greyhound, kind of glad I didn't book a kilometer pass until I've experienced one journey, although if my bloody internet would work I'd google how much it is to fly!! But anyways, good or bad I'm sure it will be an experience!

Melbourne is a beautiful city and has given me a great first impression of Australia. Everyone is so friendly and I've seen and done a lot including fairy penguins, wild koalas and a huntsman. But for the first time on this trip I'm beginning to feel like I'm really on my own now. It's not a bad
feeling, I'm not feeling lonely, but even in Hong Kong I knew it was a couple of days then I would be in a house in the suburbs in Melbourne. Now I'm off to Sydney I have nothing waiting, except for a hostel reservation, and so far no sight of being in a home. Although I am hoping that it wont be long and I'll have somewhere I can call home and a job to go with it. I know that Sydney is going to make or break this trip and if the result is break I need to come up with backup plan quickly!

But back to Melbourne.
This is definately a place to settle, the suburbs are almost Wisteria Lane style Suburbia and the city has life but isn't as mad as London. I spent the weekend in Lorne on the Great Ocean Road, spent all day saturday boarding, sunday shopping and saturday night I got my first taste of the traditional Aussie parma! Plus my first watersport injury! This combined with two weeks chilling on the beach, watching tennis or mooching around the city is a pretty good life!
I can see now why it would be good to be doing this with someone, having someone to build on the excitement with and keep it excitement when it starts to turn to something else, but really I have nothing to lose. I just need to stick to the positive and prey that this all works out how I want!
I'm not looking forward to the overnight coach journey but I'm hoping I'm sitting next to someone I get on with, arrive 8am, I'm going to dump my stuff get out there and start chasing. The thought of spending the next 9 months in hostels is something I do not want to be doing, but heres to hoping!!

Kicking the doors of the Hong Kong metro does not open them.

View from the Peak Tower

Two weeks in and I've posted once. This was always the way this is going to go!

Hong Kong.

Beautiful country, it's cliche but it is a perfect blend of east and west, I've never been in a place where I've racially been the outsider but it is a city where I felt safe being on my own at night.

My personal highlights of the four days I spent there were the peak tram and tower. the night markets- temple street and ladies market. the lights show and Wong Tai Sin temple.
Two full days there was more than enough for me to do everything, the only thing I would have done if I'd had the time was see the giant Buddha but I could have done that one the second day if I'd thought it through a bit more.

One thing I did notice was how many people actually travel on their own, when I've been with other people I've never noticed how many people are on their own and it's not as hard as I thought to start up conversations. Also Australian's are the friendliest people I've ever met!

A few things learnt along the way:

• If everyone was Buddhist the world would be a more peaceful place.


• Don't bother trying to be friendly to Hong Kong immigration. It doesn't work.


• The brown liquid thing you are served with your food in local restaurants is tea.


• When you're in a coach or a car don't talk to the driver, it's illegal.


• If it looks in walking distance on the map, it doesn't mean it is!


• Unlike London, when the doors of the metro are closing on you, kicking them only leads to an injured foot.