Maz Travels

the case for australia

I saw Luke off at the airport yesterday afternoon for the beginning of his/our European adventures. He should have made it to Barcelona by now and hopefully he’s enjoying some pan, queso, vino, and a massive sleep.

It’s been strange already not having him here, but it will be good to have lots of time to finish planning my leg of this trip. Since I am completely insane, I already have spreadsheets mapping out most of the trip and most accommodation and some transport booked. Now is the fun part of researching more about what to see and do!

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Luke gets a bit annoyed when I bitch about not being able to find a product here that’s ubiquitous back home or how expensive something is here versus the US. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that items are probably priced closer to what they’re actually worth here, or that it’s probably a good thing I can’t get Kamarel Sutra ice cream or cheap as hell craft beer. It’s more that when you’re used to a certain way of life, there is a period of adjustment. Since getting closer to Luke and spending more time with him, and therefore spending more time living his lifestyle, there’s been changes that have been far from painful. Of note:

• One of the big things I miss is microwave popcorn. It was my #1 snack food back home. It exists here, but there are literally two options in most stores and it’s full of butter, which ain’t my thing. Having microwaved popcorn most of my life, I forgot about the old days of making popcorn on the stove. Luke hipped me to this and I love it so much more. I feel like it’s way healthier, just a bit of olive oil, popcorn kernels, and salt (and pepper, or hot sauce!) to taste.
• Another big adjustment has been living without a clothes dryer. When I lived in the UK we had a combo washer/dryer but the dryer was very odd and after it shrunk a few of my clothes the first time I used it, I was converted to drying in the rack the rest of my time there. In Australia, most homes have a washer, but few have dryers. For a while, I’d wash a bunch of clothes and then walk them to the laundromat and dry them. Now, here at Luke’s, nearly everything I wash gets hung up on the line outside in the breeze and the sun, like in olden days. But this is the Aussie reality, it works, it makes sense, and it’s that simple.
• TV here is awful. Like, beyond any horrendous basic cable or network lineup ever view in the US or the UK. Luke doesn’t own a TV (he doesn’t own a microwave either, but I’m not quite on board with that one yet) and I do not miss it in the slightest. I pretty much stopped watching TV when I got back from the US in May so it wasn’t that much of an adjustment. We do the old fashioned thing and rent (from a brick and mortar video store!) a fair amount of movies (we’ve been working our way through John Carpenter’s catalogue recently) and do the new fashioned thing of watching a bit of downloaded TV. I read a lot more, sleep better, and am much more conscious of my time. I can’t say I won’t get sucked back into it when I’m in the US… because, hey, I’m an American and I needs a bit of reality trash and tasteless comedy to feel whole sometimes.

So, it’s becoming less about complaining about what is different and being okay with it. It feels a bit like reverting at times to a time and place that’s a bit simpler, more straightforward, and less crazed. There may be a case of this ol place.

The planning of my Scandinavian extravaganza is well underway. I have a pretty good idea of where I’ll be going and now I’m working on seeing how logistically sound my plans are and actually booking all the aspects of the trip. I’m going to absolutely butcher the Scandinavian names I’m about to mention, so apologies to anyone native to that area. I really need to learn how to make an umlat using keystrokes.

I’m flying into Stockholm on October 10 (after two layovers, first in Singapore and the next in Paris) where I’ll spend 4-5 days (one night I’m planning on going to another place close by as I couldn’t get the night at my first pick hostel - maybe Uppsala?). I’m planning on visiting the archipelago near Stockholm, hitting up lots of museums, wandering around and riding the Tunnelbana and trams, looking in design stores and hopefully not buying too much, and generally enjoying some legitimate cold weather.

From there I’m flying to Helsinki for 3 nights. I originally wasn’t planning on going to Finland at all, I was going to go up through central and northern Sweden up to Kiruna but the more I researched, October is a bad time to go as all the summer activities are over, but the winter activities have not started. So I’d pretty much be traveling around and left to wander medium-small towns and entertain myself. So, Helsinki it was. Once I looked at the map and saw how close St. Petersburg was, I was a bit tempted to book a flight there as well but reigned myself in. I haven’t really researched Helsinki there, but I think I’ll spend 2 days in the city and do a day trip out into the country a bit for the other. Then it’s back to Stockholm…

I’ll spend a night in Stockholm then get on the train and go down south, across the country, then back up north until I go over the Norwegian border. I’m planning to travel via Kalmar and Vaxjo, and spend a day or two in each. Then I’m going to Gotenburg for 2 days, and then back on the train until I hit Oslo. All of these travels I’ll be on my own… Luke will be in Spain doing his walk during this time and in the weeks before I even leave Australia.

He’ll be meeting me in Oslo (can’t wait to see what he looks like after a ~850 km walk) where we’ll spend a night or two, depending on when he actually ends up getting there. Then we’re off to Tromso, in way way northern Norway. This is one of the best places in the world to try and see the Aurora Borealis a.k.a. the Northern Lights. We’re spending 3 nights there, then flying back to Oslo for a night or two. Then we’re taking the train across the country to Bergen, for a couple nights. The plan right now is to rent a car and drive out in the country for a few days, then head back to Bergen and get back on the train to Oslo.

From this point the plan is pretty unmapped, as we’ll see how much longer we want to spend in Oslo, then make our way somehow to Copenhagen. We’ll spend a couple nights there, then possibly head over the border (about 8 kms) into Malmo in Sweden and then to Helsinborg, where Luke has a cousin (he’s not Swedish, his cousin just married a Swede). Not sure how long we’ll be in these places, but probably a night or two. Our plan for Copenhagen is to really take it easy, after all of our respective travels and the fact that our time together will be rapidly winding down. Mid-November we’re both flying out of Copenhagen - but he’s going to Australia and I’m going to the US where - hopefully - I’ll be applying for a student visa to go back to Australia for grad school. I won’t know if I got into grad school until October, and the future of our relationship and my life is kind of dependant on that minor fact.

I’m flying into Boston, where hopefully I can temp for a month before heading to Atlanta and NC for the holidays and some family time before heading back to Melbourne and the continuing saga of my time in Australia, fingers crossed.

Whew. Now my recent realization that I’m kind of stressed makes sense.

winter into winter

That’s funny, last time I posted I was sick… and here I am sick again. Well, I’m nearly better, but I’ve been sick more often in Australia than I have in a long time. Not sure if it’s the stress of my weird life, not eating/living all that healthily lately, or the fact that I don’t have any immunities against Aussie strains of viruses.

It’s mid-August now and I continue to have no idea where the time goes. I had my 31st birthday at the end of July. I might as well divulge certain facts now as it’s going to be hard to “write around it” in the future if I keep up with this blog. I’ve been dating a really amazing Australian guy and it’s been going really well. I’ve dated a couple people here, but nothing that really went anywhere or was something I wanted to invest myself in. This is different. That’s all I’ll say about it for now. So the boyfran took me to this spot called Ezad for a birthday dinner. It’s a really nice Asian fusion type of place and I really liked it a lot. Luke is vegetarian and they had a veggie tasting menu, and I got to have the most amazing crab dumplings and Barossa Valley chicken (along with wine, cocktails, and a cheesecake that I actually really liked, which is rare.) I also really wanted to have a little “Christmas in July” so I made some vegan egg nog (didn’t come out quiiite as I expected) and a gingerbread loaf for a movie watching under fairy lights session. It was a really nice birthday weekend.

Winter here is strange. It’s cold, but nothing that comes close to that bitter Northern North America cold that can chill to the bone. I never need gloves or a scarf, my wool pea coat that was sometimes too thin in Boston is sometimes too much here. But it’s been nice having cool weather and not having to deal with ice and snow. Any twinge of missing such things I think I’ll surely find in the coming months because I’ll be having two winters back to back…

my job contract/visa is up at the end of September/beginning of October. Luke had planned a trip to Europe, mostly to do a major walk across the north of Spain and then traveling up to Scandinavia before heading back to Australia. He asked if I wanted to join for the second part of the trip. I thought about it and initially didn’t think I’d go but at this point, there’s no reason for me not to go (except for money, but some recent windfalls from tax returns and gifts along with my travel fund will be enough.) I’ll be heading to Stockholm from Australia at the beginning of October, spending a couple weeks traveling Sweden on my own, then meeting Luke in Oslo where we’ll travel together around Norway and then to Denmark. We both fly out of Denmark, but he’s going back to Australia and I’m going to America.

Back to America? Yes. For a few months at least, through the holidays. The next step after that is still in the works and I’ll share when I know things for sure.

the fourth

I finally have some time to post and why… I’m sick. Nothing serious, just an annoying cold/cough thing that’s grounded me for a bit. It’s cold and rainy here, so I’m not feeling exactly guilty for just taking some downtime for a while. Lots of movies (I’ve completely stopped watching television here), reading, and taking the tram to neighborhoods I haven’t been to just to have lunch.

I also think it’s high time I start up again here and post about what I’ve been up to the last few months. The condensed version that may or may not be expanded upon later:

• went to South Australia… Adelaide and Kangaroo Island
• went back to the US for my sister’s wedding and saw lots of people I missed
• moved across Melbourne when I got back to town
• spent a long weekend in Sydney
• had lots of personal (okay, dating) stuff going on

I’ve had weird bouts of homesickness lately. I honestly don’t get it. I can appreciate America, it’s the place I’ve known for nearly all my life so of course it had a huge impact on who I am, but honestly, I can take it or leave it mostly. I do miss certain little things and how some things are easier, much easier, cheaper, and nicer. The only things I do miss are the people I love there… my small family and my friends. I think for a long time when I was in the US, I just didn’t like my life in general. In the last couple of years, I made conscious efforts to create a life that had meaning to me and had some depth. I created art, made lots of friends, made a home for myself, just myself. In the end, I was happy and comfortable, and feeling maybe too comfortable. I needed a last hurrah, and then I could feel like I would be ready to settle down more.

There’s a reason now that I may want to stay here longer than first expected. I think that’s spurring some homesickness because I am not quite prepared to “say goodbye” to America. I can be, I don’t doubt it, but I just haven’t been in that state of mind. It will take time I think. And more thinking, I think.

still here

Wow, that was quite a hiatus.

I’m recommitting myself to logging my traveling life, let’s hope it sticks because I think it’s a good thing for me.

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My return here was prompted by a conversation I had with my mom this morning (today is Labour Day here in Victoria, so no workie!)

Traveling and living abroad for an extended time is a great experience, no doubt, but sometimes it can be hard. You’re far away from most of the people you know and love, everyone you draw support and hugs from. You have little of the comforts of home when you’re feeling a bit down… your superb collection of TV comedy DVDs or your warm cat to cuddle with when. You watch as people back home move forward in their careers and relationships and it makes you wonder if this is all worth it, putting “real life” on pause. You feel a little bit silly and lost in those quiet moments.

My mom loves to look at my photos that I take and today she told me she was going to share some of them with her class for a unit about rocks and minerals (she’s an elementary school teacher.) I suggested some photos to grab some different trips I’ve taken and started to realize just what I’ve experienced with a pretty short amount of time. And it hasn’t just been the big trips and amazing experiences in nature… it’s been an experience in and of itself to live here, a place that I really had no idea was so unique. Traveling is not an easy life, it can be hard, lonely, and frustrating. But when you take a step back and outside of your own self-absorption for a moment, you realize that while you have given up some things, you’ve gained other things. While sometimes I may not truly believe it, I know deep down that this is changing me, in ways I don’t even think I know yet. London changed me so much, and this is too, but in totally new ways. I definitely think I will appreciate “real life” more when I go back to it… whenever that will be.

Time to go try and log what’s been going on for the past 3 months…

tasmania, part one: hobarty party

The states of Australia have friendly rivalries with each other, but it doesn’t seem like any state gets the short end of the stick more than Tasmania. As an island state, and super small one at that, it tends to be forgotten a bit on the southeast corner. There is also its convict colony past, which was at times a bit of history many would choose to ignore but now it seems to be embraced as much as you can embrace such a thing. This is a very different Australia than the sunny beaches of Queensland or the red dusty openness of South Australia. This is a rugged, alpiney, and insular place, and I really liked it. A lot.

Maybe it is because I grew up in mountains, but when I got into Hobart one morning in late January, I was immediately taken with it. I caught an early morning flight from Melbourne, dropped my stuff off at my hostel and took off immediately to explore. Hobart is small, so I was a bit worried I was going to be at a loose end for the better part of the afternoon but I happened to wander into an info booth that looked quite curious…

Turns out a brand new art museum called MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) had opened up on the Berriedale Peninsula, just up the river from Hobart. I got a ticket for the ferry and wandered around Hobart for the morning. Typical Aussie city, smaller in scale than Melbourne of course, but definitely quaint and even charming. It’s the 2nd oldest city in Australia after Sydney and you could tell from some of the buildings that had actually been preserved.

I jumped on the ferry and it was a nice ride up the river. The museum had literally been open for about a week so I had great timing. It was opened by a Tassie entrepreneur and art lover, who wanted to create a space carved from the hillside that housed with controversial contemporary art as well as more traditional antiquities. Also on the ground were vineyards, a classy resto, and a brewery.

The museum itself is as I stated before, carved out of rock and holds 3 levels of art, with a schmancy bar at the bottom. The building itself was quite impressive.

My favourite bit of art was by Julius Popp and called Bit.fall. 128 nozzles emitting water droplets that form words pulled from the Internets.

Minaj?

The museum was totally curated by the millionaire dude, which worked in some cases and not so much in others, but I think it’s definitely worth a visit for those that find themselves in Hobart. I caught the ferry back to the city, and then watched the Australian Open men’s semifinal. Long, fantasical day.

I arose early the next day to catch my tour that would take me around for the rest of my time in Tassie. On the agenda for Day 1 was to wander the area around Hobart, including a wildlife conservation park and Port Arthur.

This was really cool… the Tasman Arch. It used to be an ocean cave until the back got eroded away and became an arch.

The baby Tassie devils were pretty cool too.

Port Arthur was a convict site that ran during the mid 19th century for those from England and Ireland that were sentenced to “transportation” for their crimes. They pretty much built and ran the prison, until transportation ended. The ruins are still there and despite it being an odd sort of place, it was kind of cool. There was one point though, when I was wandering the “separate prison” area (solitary confinement) and got such an eerie vibe that I hightailed it out of there posthaste.

After wandering the Port Arthur grounds and taking a boat ride around the harbour, we headed back to the city for the night…

Lots more photos here.

wilson’s promontory

I spent a day in Wilson’s Promontory and it was possibly the best day I’ve had in Australia so far (I’m writing this 3 months after the trip and I think it still holds true.)

There may be more spectacular sites in Oz, like Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef, but places like Wilson’s Prom sneak up on you in terms of how they can take your breath away. There was just something about it that felt like paradise, in a completely unintentional way.

Getting the hiking endorphins going definitely helped to get the excellent mood vibes flowing. The day started out climbing Mt. Bishop, which was about 3.5 km each way. The vegetation was thick despite there still being reminders of a fire from 2009 everywhere… the black trees gave the woods an otherworldly feel.

The hike definitely took some energy but all of the sweat was worth it for the amazing view at the top of the bay and beaches below.

After having some lunch at the top of the mountain, my tour group and I climbed down and did another smaller hike from the Tidal River to Squeaky Beach.

Tidal River flows down from the mountains and while the water looks dirty, it’s just full of tannins as it runs into the ocean.

We walked through a bit of the bush around the bay and to Squeaky Beach, which gets its name because the beach is pure white silica that squeaks when you walk in it. No joke. It was fantastically beautiful. There is just something about Wilson’s Prom that is a bit under the radar and untouched. I’m sure I’ll find a way to come back again.

Lots more photos here.