Flying Solo

To all my beautiful and loyal blog-readers,
You may be asking if I have fallen off the face of the earth- I know, it's been awhile.
The answer is, YES, I have fallen off the face of the earth because I feel like Ive been living in the sky! The last 3 months have been insanely fun and filled with more flights to various destinations than I can count. Since leaving Australia I have been on the go- constantly! In exhausting times I found myself thinking of one of my favourite quotes:

The good news is I have so much to share with you- and I am going to do my best to catch you up on what's been happening to me and My Roaming Backpack as we've been checkin out the world in all it's amazingness.

As you know, Australia was a rough go for me (I can post about that later- but let's just say financially, physically, mentally, the gamble didn't really pay off and the WHV wasn't all it was cracked up to be.) However! The stellar backpacker friends I made in Chinchilla (in the middle of nowhere) were my favourite part of my whole experience and Im glad I met them- otherwise I would have left Australia with a chip on my shoulder, remember all the bad experiences I had there. Saying goodbye to those amazing people on my last days was so hard but it left me departing Australia on a happy note and with good memories. 

*Shout outs to Lydia, Marie, Julia, Elaine, Dori, Dickson, Jack, Sam, Felix and Im sure Im forgetting some people, but you know who you are!*

Now, you may know that I originally flew to Australia with my friend Scott. We had backpacked across Thailand for 9 weeks earlier in 2012 and he proved to be an excellent travel companion, however- when traveling with someone for along time "break-outs" can occur. Scott and I had a pretty massive "falling-out" (of which I won't bother getting into the dirty details) and after this argument I was very, very upset and didn't know where to go, or what to do. All I knew was that it was time for me to get back on the road- and this time, alone. 

Brisbane is beautiful in the summer. Flowers, street music, walking trails...

After we split ways I traveled Australia alone for a month and a half (which is how I ended up in Chinchilla of all places-aka- the sticks, and found my way into a great circle of new found friends in the outback), but after working out in the hot, dusty Australian nowhere I had yet another feeling it was time to get going, again. After awhile you just have a knack for these things- if you pay attention and listen closely to the signs you will know when to stay and when to go.  But then I found myself in a pre-dicament...

New Years in OZ- Ringing in 2013- Monteray Style!

I wont lie- I was very excited to get out of Australia and return back to Asia, but in all honesty, after living with 20 other amazing backpackers and forming some great friendships, I almost didnt want to leave.

 One of the best memories I have/ kind of don't have, was New Years Eve on the farm (which was dubbed 'Monteray') As another breath-taking sunset fell on us, we took it all in and got prepared for a decidedly sloppy night on the farm. A few days before the event, my friend Lydia (from France) and I were making plans for the party and deciding what liquor to buy. I mentioned the classic drink: The Caesar. To my shock her, or anyone else for that matter had never tried one, and didnt even know what it was! I took the liberty of introducing everyone, with what ingredients I could scrounge up from Chinchilla's local IGA. Now, believe it or not, Australia does not have Clamato or any Clam/tomato juice, so I had to make due with some V8 type juice, which is no comparison, but hey! You make due when youre in no-mans land!

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 PRE-DRINKS!
The Caesars were a hit-a little too much! We ran out of plain vodka and decided to use lemon vodka and yes..ew, vanilla vodka..but hey! Its better than Goon! (a cheap boxed wine popular in Australia, which I dont even think has any grapes in it, I heard it is made from shellfish and other nasty ingredients..) One thing lead to another and soon enough we were passing around the 'boxhead' in "Kings".

We finished the night by walking down the road with a cooler of Corona and limes ( pitch black Australian road in the middle of the outback= super creepy!!)... but we made it and set up a fire down by the river! I remember walking down there with Marie from France and WOW did we have so much fun...lol...long story!

After this point I cant say I remember that much, except for the midnight hugs n kisses, the guys pulling a massive turtle out of the river, Jack being wasted drunk and having to go home early and me getting in trouble for dancing on a car....