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Hello Everyone,
So I had finally reached my final place in Australia, Melborne. (home of Neighbours!). After having a lovely lye in till 12, Luanas family (Luana, Anthony, Shelly and Lloyd) and me went shopping. There shopping centers are Massive. They just go on and on! I finally got a new jumper which was good as it meant I could finally wash my other one! That everning I went with Luana to see Shelly play basket ball. Its intresting to see the diffence in an older team play.That night Me Anthony and Lloyd caught the train into the city. They took me to see the famous casino. It was massive! It went on for over a mile, but was quite sad to see all the people betting there lives away. The casino is built so that you cant see daylight anywhere so that you cant tell how much time has passed. And until a year ago they had no clocks so that you couldnt tell the time either. The meals are only a few dollars so that you dont have to leave to find food. I just couldnt get over the size of it. Lloyd bet $20 on a roulette game and thanks to me we left with $30! Oh and they signed me up to a club card for a souvnier for my journal haha. We then went outside to watch the fire show. Every hour after 9pm all along the river bank there are giant metal things which spurt out fire. Appently lodes of birds die from getting sindged in the fire. We then went to a club which was filled with old milk crates to sit on.
Sunday I just lazed around and did some washing. Then me luana and Anthony went to look at the tiny theme park/ fair thing which was really old fashioned and we went for a walk around the little market with very arty stalls along the beach. After walking down the old famouse cake road we headed back to the car. Then they surprised me. They took me to a circus tent and told me that I had a ticket to see the cirque du soliea show ' Varekai'. I was over the moon. I have always wanted to see them live. The show was so fautless and fasinating. And the costumes and music were increable. All the stage and probs were so arty and crazy and cool. Ive decided that I would LOVE to go and do some sort of work experiance with them, even in the costume departement. Im so glad I saw them.
That night Me Anthony and Lloyd caught the train into the city. They took me to see the famous casino. It was massive! It went on for over a mile, but was quite sad to see all the people betting there lives away. The casino is built so that you cant see daylight anywhere so that you cant tell how much time has passed. And until a year ago they had no clocks so that you couldnt tell the time either. The meals are only a few dollars so that you dont have to leave to find food. I just couldnt get over the size of it. Lloyd bet $20 on a roulette game and thanks to me we left with $30! Oh and they signed me up to a club card for a souvnier for my journal haha. We then went outside to watch the fire show. Every hour after 9pm all along the river bank there are giant metal things which spurt out fire. Appently lodes of birds die from getting sindged in the fire. We then went to a club which was filled with old milk crates to sit on.
The next day was monday, and the only reason I decided to come to Australia in the first place :P I got up nice and early, ugh. And caught the train into the city to Flinders street. I then walked for about 10 mins untll I arrived.... At the Neighbours office ( they have an office how cool is that?) where I happily spent 5 mins before the bus arrived looking at all the merchandise.
The bus was really cool and said neighbours all over it. We got to watch some past episodes as we drove outof the main city and into the suburbs of Melborne. First stop : Erinsbourgh High. I was very dissapointed to find out Erinsbourgh didnt really exist. The high school is a real school for foreign kids. But the children only come to school 3 times a week so the rest of the time is for neighbours. The crew have to put up a sign saying neighours. We got told how to make neighbours look constanly sunny, they always wear summer uniform, even when they are filming in the middle of winter when its dead freezing, and so straight after a shot, they have to run and put big jackets back on. We got to see the playing field and all the bits they filmed. But the classroom is shot in the studios. Next we got to drive past lasiters , which is hidden by lots of trees. And the same building which is the hospital is the same one for the airport, prision and womens prison... We then drove to look at some of the outside sets, mainly grease monkeys and Lous garage and we were met by Fraisure (cant spell name) who is the one in the wheelchair going out with rosie... which was cool. And we had time to get more photos and stuff. Last stop Ramsey street. We were lucky as they were not filming there which meant that we go to go right into the street and look round yayay! All the houses are real and they have to stick numbers on them each time they film! Me and my freind made a mock video of us walking round the houses and stuff, very cool. We got told how as it is always so hot in neighbours and constanly summer time seeming, they have to heat the swimming pools and when they get out of the pools have thick jackets thrown onto them or they shoot the sceans mid summer and save it for when they need it.
When the tour ended we got dropped back off at Flinders street where I spent the rest of the day with my freinds Emma and Ashley pottering about, and eating fish and chips. 6pm finally came and me and Ashley jumped on the number 16 tram supposidly to St. Kilda... And ended up in the complete opposite end of town. Woops. When we finally got to the elephant and wheelbarrow, it was past 7. Rushing in we found it was very full, but it didnt start untill past eight in the end. What didnt start? Neighbours Night of course!!!! Wooooo. Did you know that they got the name Erinsbourgh from mudding up the letters of Neighbours? Anyway, first Libby came on and did a few gigs. She has an awesome voice and is so cool. Then Connor, Dylan and Karl Kennedy came and did there bit. More doors were then opened to the other part of the bar and so we found a table. Our team was called 5 pommies and an ozzie and we were cool. (me as team leader of course). As the quiz started (compleatly unrealated to neighbours strangely) the charatures walked round and said hello to everyone. I was actully struck dumb (me, dumb = amazing!) when I got to meet Libby. And, she remebered me later and came back to say goodbye and give me another hug. Next round was connor, who is quite chubby now. Then Karl who was really funny and last Dylan who is much better looking in real life and doenst really have greasy hair like on the tv, thats just for the program! I have millions of photos which is awesome. After the quiz Karls band called the waiting room played. The have to be one of the best cover band ive seen live and very very funny. And I got my claim to neighbours fame... they are releasing a new dvd of the band and were shooting the gig as a music video add on thing, im in the front row (of course) on the right hand side looking at the stage wearing a red top... so when it comes out you all have to look for me. Im the one who grabs Karls hand during queen at the end haha. And I pestered them long enough at the end to give me a drum stick yay. I had to creap into the house as it was the middle of the night by the time I got home.
The next day I got up and caught a train back to Flinders street. I then, with the aid of my free map (a very useful thing when you finally get it the right way up) I found my way to KOKO Blacks, a very posh chain of choclate shops. And the master choclatier is a freind of my familys, Arno. I met up with him for a bit and had a really good choclate milkshake with choclate syrup, choclate ice cream and a few diffent types of choclate bits on the top! But he had to go after a while as he had a choclate class to teach. How cool is that? (David I think you should go and work there when your older). After that it started to pour like it was england, big dark rain ugh. So I went happily wondering in and out of shops, and spent 2 hours trying to choose what sort of pyjamas to buy (I love pj's). I then went to get some flowers for Luanas family. (some really nice roses).
That everning me shelly and Lloyd went out to dinner at a nice pizza place yum. I had bbq flavored pizza mmmm! Then later that everning me and Lloyd went out to the Ice bar. We laughed when they told us that 30 mins was far more than enough in a giant freezer. We donned on our mega big puffer artic jackets and thick winter hard core snow gloves and steped inside the giant freezer. After getting over my inital panic of being in a tiny room with thick metal doors , in minus numbers I started to think it was quite cool. All around were scutputers and chairs, linned with kanagroo fur so that you woulndt freeze to them or get a cold bum. We got our free drinks at the bar, in glasses made of ice. After you drunk them, and it took a while as I didnt want to freeze my lips off, you were meant to smash your glass into the glass bin. I ate mine! Though I almost cracked my teeth while doing so. After about 15 mins my fingers had gone so numb (stupid actic gloves didnt work) so we started danceing to keep warm. We were determeind to survive 30 mins after mocking the man at the desk. I got told off for trying to clime on the giant ice horse. Appently they break really easily and thats why he is tailess and has a smooth bottom! After 25 minits I had warmed up, I dont know how though, and was ready to be in there all night. Then our tazers went and time was up, we had to leave 😞 The freezing outside seemed like an oven after that. We then bumbed into some of Lloyds freinds and we all ened up in a bar, with little old fashined restrant cubicals where you could have almost your own little room. When we left there we saw about a hundered wheelie bins all lined up and I couldnt resist running over all of them and not falling off, which I managed! We finally caught a taxi home, where I had to pack the rest of my stuff at like 5am. It took ages. Luana dropped me off at the airport at 7am where I cheaked in and got a hot chocate.
I phoned the people at maze backpackers in sydney as I had left my little teddy there. It had ended up in the managers office, and he promised me that he would send it back home to England. (If my teddy eventually arrives home, can you send it to camp please?). My flight was a mear 15 hours, where I defined the laws of time and time walked. I left at 10 am and flew 15 hours later into LAX the same day but at 7am. How crazy is that?! The flight was very tireing as it was a day night day flight, but it was cool as the movies and cds start when you want them to not like BA flights, but the food was worse even though you got a gormet looking very posh menu which got your hopes up.
After flying though the most amazing clouds ive ever seen, we had a really smooth touch down. I had to find my forms and so picked up my bag after everyone else. This would have been fine, apart from the fact my alarm clock went off and as noone was claiming the bag as I was held up, they thought it was a bomb. HAHA woops. I dont think the lady was too happy, but the other guys thought it was funny. I couldnt find the clock and had to undo all of my bag and then I couldnt take out the batterys but after using a spoon and some elbow greese and dropping it a bit I finaly got them out. And strugled with my now very heavy bag (its almost doubled in weight since I went shopping) to meet Bee. We drove back to her apartment and she went to work. I promptly fell asleep for a couple of hours. I was woken by her at midday and we went down to her studio workshop. We picked up the boys who work there and we all went out for lunch. I had a really yummy sandwidge. I then borrowed a bike and a map and went off for a ride. I went down and followed the path along the beach all the way to manhatten beach, where I went and saw a tiny baby aquariaum thing on the end of the pier. The beachs look like the ones in the films, with everyone playing volly ball and surfing. As I cycled back I soon learnt that cycling when very jet lagged is not the best of ideas. You know when your really really tired your mind starts to wander and you slip into micro sleeps where your eyes closes... Yea well I was riding at full pace, decided to dose off and ended up face first with a LA brick wall. Lucky noone saw me or they would have though I was mad, as when I got started again, my shoe lace got caught and I almost went flying off the bike. Then I got lost. How I do not know seeing as its only one very long path I was following. And although I could see all the land marks I had memorised so I could find the exit back, the exit was nowhere to be seen. Luckly Bee had given my her mobile, so I called her and she had to come and find me. I was searcretly rather pleased as it meant I didnt have to heave me and my bike up the really steep hill that I had been dreading. Also I am having troble remembering what side of road to ride on and almost dying when trying to do a cross road and getting confused in the middle. She dropped me safely back at home which I was very relived about, and I spent the rest of the day watching tacky keep fit TV and reading my cirque du soleil book 'the spark', which is a very good book. I was just driffing off again when she came home and woke me up. She cooked supper, chicken and asian green stuff, which we ate infont of the tv. I then finally was allowed to go to bed at 11pm. I woke the next day to a phone call from home yay. but fell asleep again. At 2pm Bee arrived home and demaded I got up. She then went to work and I drosily had a shower and had some breakfast. She then came home and we headed out to town. We got to Hollywood, when the schools were coming out and I was delighted to see all the simpsons style school buses. We parked right out side the chines theater walk of fame. Where we spent a while looking at all the hand,feet and some face prints. There was even R2d2, c3pos and Darf vaders prints! We were then met by my dads freind Mark, and we went and had smooties in a hooters cafe. This is filled with girs wearing tiny tiny shorts and very tight tops, but its famose so its a must do. We then went for a walk and I finally got to see the Hollywood hills, though only from a distance. I did a lot on my cheaklist: I saw some palm trees, saw the hills and the walk of fame, saw a fire engine and a school bus, and some police cars chase and stop a car, saw lodes of helicopers and went down the sunset bolivard to bervely hills where in the dark light saw a few big houses. We went for Dinner. In a really seacret posh non touristy restrant. Mark told us this is where all the produers, directors and artists make there deals and contracts. The food was exerlant, and was chuffed that I got asked by the waiter what drink I wanted even though im only 18! Seeing as you have to be 21 here to drink and everywhere appently ID's. The service and food was exerlent. The room still had the old speakers from 5o years ago in it. When we finally were well fed rested (oh and I got proved wrong by saying it was silly to call the toilets restrooms, seeing as you wouldnt rest in them. As the ones here had a beautiful seat and big mirror to do your make up and stuff in.) and watered, 3 hours later, we walked out. Passing all the chilled back important looking rich men in suites in deep dicussion, I walked past a table where Lyle Louett was! (he was once married to Juila Roberts). So that was another thing for my check list. Famouse person... Tick!
Outside was Freezing cold. As we headed back to the car, we walked passed all the lookalike people, I had to do a double take at a Jack Sparrow Jonny Depp person dressed out advertising the new film. But he had really bad eye liner on. We finnaly headed back home. I could easily come back here, as we didnt get time to see santa monica or the Hollywood hills closely. I finally got home and have written this. I have to be up in 6 hours though to catch my flight to NYC. I was meant to meet a girl called Katie, a cirque du soleil girl who really had wanted to meet me but shes in Europe at the moment. Her husband is the musical director for some of the shows as well. I am hopefully going to meet her one day though as that would be really really cool. Anyway I need to get to sleep now, so goodnight till next time!
Love From Katharine xxxxxxxxx
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