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Hi All, again!
I now it's nothing short of a miracle that I've managed to blog so much in the last few days but its the working life that ties me down and now I'm not working I have all the time in the world, well kind of anyway!
Ok, so firstly I would like to apologise to everyone about not sending emails letting people know personally what I'm doing, but once again the Orange email is down (yes I will be complaining) and so I thought this would be the second best way to let everyone know what I'm doing!!
As I'm sure some of you will be aware, the girls (Lauren and Lydia) have run or are running out of money and so they have decided to go home early to avoid getting further in debt. Now, I'm not exactly rolling around in spondoolies either but I do have the option to stay for a few more months and so I've decided to do that, alone! I'm absolutely shitting myself!! I've never done anything like this before and I’m really scared that I’m going to end up sat in a smelly hostel on my own for
the rest of the trip, like some British leper!! However, I’ve been talking to a few of the girls in the hostel who are travelling on their own and they’ve said sometimes it is hard, but for the majority of the time you’re never alone and you meet loads of friends really quickly etc! Plus, if I really don’t like it, I’ll just come home and I have a few contacts of people dotted around here and there, so there are a few friendly faces to come!
THE PLAN
Right so at the moment, this is what I’m planning to do:
* On Monday 8th May, catch a plane to Sydney to stay with the delightful and ever patient Siobhan and Lincoln
* Remain in Sydney for two weeks hopefully working and earning some money
*Travel up the east coast (alone aaggh) for approximately three weeks
Note: I’m anticipating really not enjoying this bit as this will be my first stint alone and without the girls. However, if I do like it, I might stay longer and work somewhere up the coast!
* Leave for New Zealand towards the end of June
* Spend two
month in New Zealand working and generally enjoying myself
* End of August, fly to Fiji and Cook Islands for about a week in total
* Beginning of September fly to LA for four days, San Francisco for three days, possibly, although haven’t researched this yet and Los Vegas for about two days, I think
*About second week of September, fly back home where I can’t wait to see you all
So there we go, the ‘new and improved (maybe not) itinerary! Thanks to everyone who helped me make this decision and talked me out of being crap and going home. At least this way I’ll have given it ago and if I fail whilst doing it then at least that’s better than not doing it at all, I think!
I’m also thinking of living in Barcelona, or somewhere else in Spain after I come home, but I imagine that will definitely be after Christmas and is also dependant on; A, my ability to learn Spanish and B, how the rest of the trip goes on my own!!!
Anyway, I hope you’re all well! Love you lots and again sorry I couldn’t let you know individually!
(I’ve just posted a snotty comment to Orange).
Ooh incidentally, I’ve been to the Melbourne Gaol (that’s jail) today where Ned Kelly was hung and it is the creepiest place! The cells are really small and they still have the trap door set up and the rope hanging from the scaffold, as they call the place where you drop! It proper gave me the heeby jeebies! There were also people’s death masks who’d been hung at the jail, which were creepy, and a little bit about each of their crimes! I’m not sure if you know, but people used to be sent from Britain to Tasmania for things like steeling sheep and shoes! How harsh is that?! And then a lot of them stayed in Australia after that and made lives for themselves! It was also really interesting to learn that all my favourite little back streets and alleyways had once been the area where the opium dens were and the brothels and the seedy little nasty places! There was a photograph of an opium den in the late 1800’s that was amazing! Nowhere near as plush as they’re often portrayed in period dramas etc. It was just hardwood
beds where people were lying with a pipe next to them.
Another part that I found really interesting was the effects the gold rush had on people’s lives and especially the lives of women. Some of them were left by their husbands for the gold mines, or their husbands died etc and so had to find ways to look after their children. Usually, the only means open to them were prostitution or stealing and so a lot of women went to jail around that time for those types of crimes. Some women were hung, mainly for cases of murdering children it seems, and baby farming was a popular, illegal way to make money. This is where women looked after other people’s children for a fee, but the children often died from neglect or in some cases were murdered by the minders! Backstreet abortions were also a means by which women could ‘deal’ with becoming pregnant from prostitution, and so many women died. It made me realise how far the western world has come for women’s rights in just over a hundred years, and how far other places have yet to come, to make daily life a safe and fair
place for women! As you can tell, it really got me thinking!!
Tonight, I’m going to a short film festival with Leyls and Magu, as Leyla won some tickets from work and then someone else dropped out so I can go! The girls are working handing out flyers for a club and I think we’re going to go to a rock bar after that. Tomorrow, Hannah and Anna are coming and we’re going out for Leyla’s birthday and then Sunday we’re going to St Kilda, hopefully for some tea for my last night, I think they’ll be lots of tears!!! I know I’ve made the right decision to stay but it’s been a really hard decision to make and I’m going to miss them both so much! If I have half as much fun on the rest of the trip as I’ve had so far, then I think I’ll be lucky!
Anyway, take care! Will write soon and I’ll let you know how I’m going! Send me emails still if you want as I’m sure it will be up and running again either tonight or tomorrow!
Take care
Lots of love
Julie
xxx
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Pat Temiz
non-member comment
Good news
Well done again - I know I overuse that phrase - you've clearly got it together and I bet you feel so relieved at being up to date with the blog and having a plan for the next stage of your journey. I'll keep commenting as long as you keep blogging. Looking forward to next entry already. Love Pat