Oaxaca

So this probably wont be the most exciting of all the blog posts not because the town sucked or anything like that but just i was very well behaved there haha

Oaxaca is a beautiful old colonial town up high in the mountains in, funny enough, Oaxaca state.
I spent 4nights up there in a well run hostel. Well, no, let me take that back. I wouldn`t exactly call it `well run` but at least `decent`hostel. One of the hostel staff who is English and i had spoken with several times, thought it was more appropriate to talk to me in Spanish when i was trying to book a bus.... did she think she was helping my immerse myself into the culture or was she just being annoying? I will never know.

This is where i met the three Aussie girls who would become my travel buddies for the next week. Awesome girls from Melbourne who took me under their wings and let me hang with them for while.

It was a great little old town but not an awful lot to do there. I think 4 nights was well and truly pushing the limits on how long one person should stay there. I went up and saw.. i always get the name wrong... but i think its Monte Alban ruins. Over 3000 year old ruins high up in the mountains with the most amazing view. Probably not the best time to go in the middle of the day though. Damn HOT!
They were pretty cool but i didnt want to spend too much time there as it was too early in my trip to be ruined out.

At night the girls and i went for a few drinks, a bit of a boogy and enjoyed some great food. The town felt pretty safe at night but we thought best not to get too carried away an had a few early nights.
Turns out a week after we left Oaxaca, there was a riot there where people who shot and tear gas was roaring throught the streets over a teachers union protest. Good thing we got out when we did i guess.
I spent the days roaming the markets (awesome markets), trying so hard not to buy EVERYTHING and also just chilling out reading my book down at the Zocalo. Lucky for me there was always a great atmosphere down there and usually a little live band to entertain me... yes i thouht they were put there just for me haha (not really).

Oaxaca was a nice place but i definately had itchy feet to get to the beach. For someone who is out there nearly every day to not seeing coast line in 2 months, you could say i was more than eager to get down to Puerto Escondido. And thats exactly what i did!!!!

Puerto Esondido update to follow soon.

Miss you all.
Tam
xoxo

Tacos, tiquila and random times in Mexico!

I know, i know. It has been a while since my last blog update :( That just means I've been having too much fun!!!!

The past month has definately been an adventure and a half. A few eye opening moments have passed by, many new friends made and I've been witness to so many amazing things!

If you haven't clued on yet from the title of the blog, I've actually been in Mexico for the past 4 weeks. Much to my delight. I have honestly loved this place and am finding it hard to move on. So many great things to see and do, its hard to limit myself to only just a few experiences. So far i have been to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, San Cristobal de las casas, Palenque and am currently in Cancun!!!!

As i have had so much fun and there is a lot to tell you all, i will break this down into a few blog posts so as not to bore you all too much in one sitting.  

 MEXICO CITY

After initially thinking i would spend one night and then get the hell out of there due to safety concerns from friends and family, i found Mexico City to be wonderful. I ended up staying for about a week.Although, i didn't really do a lot there. My days were mostly spent chilling out and recovering my previous 2 months. As much as i loved catching up with all my friends in Canada and the States, i was utterly exhausted by the time i hit Mexico. I did manage to successfully navigate the crazy metro system and then the public bus system to make it out to Teotihuacan Pyramids for the day. Well worth the effort as the Pyramids are amazing. Even if i didn't speak a word of Spanish at this point either (im not so sure it's actually any better a month later).

The rest of my days were spent mostly going for a wonder around downtown, followed by a nanna nap in the afternoon (something which i am very fond of now) and then a couple of beers at night....Yes BEER! Strange things happen when you  are on such a tight budget and beer is cheaper than even a soft drink. Even for a spirit drinker :) There may have been one night where my friends and I almost got arrested by the police. Just maybe haha. Well actually the story goes; My new Aussie mates Ricky and Shane and I rounded up a couple of people to come out with us to the bar district for a few drinks. There ended up being about 6 of us all together, including an Irish and English guy and a German girl.
We headed out to Condesa but it was all a bit too much to even try to get a drink. Waiting at the bar for 20 minutes is not my idea of a fun night out so we all decided to head back to the hostel for a few drinks there. Everything was fine and dandy until the police siren came on. Not thinking we were actually doing anything wrong, we all just stood around waiting to see what they wanted. With our lack of Spanish skills, we assumed they were asking us for ID. Little did we know that they were actually trying to arrest us for having LITERALLY one foot outside the hostel door. Before we figured this out, i had gone upstairs to get my ID. As i come back down the stairs i see all the boys get loaded into the back of a police car. Now as nice as they guys were, i had to do what was best for me. In this case, that meant NOT going to a Mexican jail, so i went and locked myself in the bathroom hahaha. I thought it was rather brilliant AND it worked. By the time i got out, the boys had negotiated a bit of a `side payment' to the police and were allowed to walk away.
That was probably the most exciting of all things that happened in Mexico City.
I did venture to the Museum of Anthropology and also the local markets. Lots of neat things, yet i managed to resist the urge to buy EVERYTHING. So far, so good. 
I must say though, i found it safe and interesting. Not nearly as scary and full on as everyone had made it out to be. I would definately go back in a heartbeat without hesitation. Maybe next time round i might actually explore a litle more rather than spend most of the time chilling out. Ah well, that is the whole idea of a holiday!

Anyway next post will be up in a few days i guess, with all the details of my wicked times in Oaxaca state.
Feel free to send me a text sometime. I miss you guys!

Lots of love,
Tam xoxox 

NAWLINS!!!

More commonly known as NAWLIN, New Orleans is my kind of town ;)

Austin Skye, her friend Lily and myself took off for an adventures weekend road trip to New Orleans. It was my last weekend in the US and also Lily´s b´day so we had many reasons to let our hair down. Considering this, i think we behaved ourselves pretty well.

We left at about 6pm Friday night and drove through the night (about 8 hours) to our destination. Ofcoarse not without a few stops along the way. Our dinner stop proved pretty entertaining with the teenage guy stuffing up our orders several times.. im thinking he was pretty stoned and honestly just didnt give two hoots! I also did some backwards driving. No accidents and lots of bullshit talk later, we arrived in New Orleans in the wee hour of the morning and decided to hit the town. Within an hour we were all feeling pretty drunk, im going to blame it on the tiredness and not the gross amount of alcohol consumed in a very short time ;) Here i successfully ticked a box on my lifes to do list; drink a bourbon on Bourbon street, New Orleans. With that taken care of, we partied for a couple of hours and then crashed out so we could be somewhat functioning the following day.

Up relatively bright and early, we started the day with a walk around the French Quarter and down to the river, a couple of stops along the way in a few touristy shops and we made it to Cafe Du Monde for a Beignet or two!!!!! Absolute heaven! It was pretty much a day of cruising the streets, followed by a little nanna nap and then the night began.......

It all started off with a bang with us girls going on a ghost tour of town. We were fortunate enough to have an awesome guide who was very passionate about the supernatural phenomenas. Im finding that no matter where in the world i am, the tour guides have the same corny jokes and same mannerisms... i guess we really are just a one of a kind group of people. A little disappointed we didn´t experience any craziness but we did hear a lot of cool stories and find out some interesting FACTS.



We followed the ghost tour with a trip to Preservation Hall (as you do)....For those of you who don´t know what this place is all about, just think this is the heart and soul of Jazz/Blues. Amazing band playing there and such a good vibe. LOVED IT!!!!!

A few drinks along the way to warm us up and off we went to Bourbon Street where the real action took place. It was like a full moon party in Thailand but on heat lol  So much fun had but we had to keep it real as we had a 9 hour drive home on the Sunday morning. That didn´t mean we didn´t have fun though. Loved every moment in New Orleans and will definately be back in the near future.

Suffering Texan-itis!

Hmmm this is a tricky blog to start. So many awesome memories made, some that i should probably forget but on a whole Texas is AMAZING!!! Well maybe it was just the company but i loved it all! I'm pretty sure I got to live out all the texan stereotypes whilst there....yes there was dancing on bars, hanging in a country music dance hall,riding bulls and ofcoarse I got to shoot a gun or two!

Austin!

Thanks to Skye and Casey a million fold for taking care of me and showing me an awesome time. I feel like an Austin local!
Highlights include;
-Well I wouldn't call it a highlight but definitely something to remember was the first bar we all went to after I arrived, there was a giant snake around this ladies neck as she was dancing on the podium.For all of you that know me well, you can imagine just how much I shit myself!
-Second night out and met my future husband ;) Dallas,well actually David but Dallas suited him more.His over the top hospitality, flirtiness and impressive mechanical bull riding skills had me hooked.Unfortunately I only got to see him one more time before I left :(
-Amys icecream = best ice cream ever
-Uncommon objects = best store ever. They had the weirdest things i have ever seen
-Lucy in Disguise- best costume store ever
-I rode around on a mechanical bull (well the term riding may be overstated lol)
-Danced on the bar at Coyote Ugly
-Met some nice police men :)
-Hiking out in the parks with Skyes mum Vicky and Allison. Definately had some cabin fever prior to this day out. It was so great to be in the outdoors again, especially that the weather behaved
-Lots of awesome food. I was a gluten for punishment. Ofcourse i had to atleast try everything ;) Man they know how to do barbeque in Texas, thats for sure
-Visiting the Capitol Building in all its glory. Geeked out on the history of Texas. Really interesting. Such a proud State. The star is on absolutely EVERYTHING too, including highway overpasses
-Ghetto rollerskating night out. I still have it lol. After thinking i was going to fall flat on my ass since i havent even had any skates on in atleast 10 years, i actually did alright.... no broken bones
- The Allamo Drafthouse= best cinemas ever. You could order food throughout the movie from your waiter, inlcuding and heres my favourite part, alcohol
- Highball for brunch- There was an awesome jazz band playing as Skyes mum joined us for lunch after Sunday church
-Church- so im not much of a church goer, however this service really changed my perspective on things. It was more of a non denomination place of worship i guess. They take parts of all different religions and discuss the core principals of whats behind them. I was really interested and i think no matter what you believe in, there was value in the service for everyone.
-80s night groove fest. The girls and Casey hit the town for a bit of hip popping grooving. After a stumble down to a few bars we made it back to the Trophy Room for some more bull riding. Skye and Kristina gave some double riding a go.....the result.....Skye having badly bruised ribs for days :(

Anyway so they are just some of the awesome memories made in Austin. Such good times shared with such good people! Thank you to everone who made my stay so special.

Fort Worth/Keller adventure!

So for those of you in the know, Keller is where my awesome friend Lacey lives. We used to work together at the YHA before she up and left us :(

Ofcoarse the first thing we do once i arrive was have a yarn, catching up on all the goss.Always good fun! Then, holy moly, Lacey´s sisters boyfriend owns a bar and it was on! A few drinks down, a bit of bootscooting and catching up with a mate was a perfect night out.. .oh and IHOP at 3am lol.

In the week i was there, Lacey spoilt the crap out of me and i never know how i will be able to thank her enough!!! I watched my first American football game (where everyone was very patient with me, explaining the rules),spent Australia day, getting a pedicure, shooting guns, eating at Outback steakhouse and drinking in a seedy dive bar, i also got to know Lacey´s family who are super nice and accommodating. I felt so at home! Ofcoarse the trip wouldn´t be over with, without a little bit of shopping and a RODEO.... Yeeee Hawwwww! Lots of cowboys around and lots of giggles! This time i tried to curb my laughter when the anthem came on, not like in D.C where i thought id get deported (see D.C blog). I was really surprised how much i thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess i shouldn´t be, booze, coyboys and friends, what more could i want.

The next day was a teary farewell to my new friends and to Lacey, followed by a 6 hour greyhound bus back down to Austin. I guess the light at the end of the tunnel was that it wasn´t a 15 hour journey which im so getting accustomed to!

Thanks again Lacey!!!! You rock my world!!!! Mwah

Orlando

I guess it's about time i filled you guys in on the latest. Firstly i need to update you on my wonderful adventures in Orlando with my super awesome buddy Amanda.
The first few days was actually spent mostly still recovering from my New York illness. That's not to say i didn't still enjoy myself. I was lucky enough to meet Heidi and Ashes (Amanda's dog and cat) and even some of Heidi's friends at the dog park.

It was here in Orlando too that I had my first taste of domestic life in the U.S of A with a trip to the local shops. Now to some, this may seem boring to the average 'traveller' but to me it opened my eyes to another level of American stereotypes. Some considerable differences I noticed; 3litre size coca cola bottles, giant marshmallows, everything is soooooo much cheaper than at home, target sells groceries as well as home goods etc and they had about 30 check out counters. I was able to buy TIm Tams which meant i could teach Amanda and her mum how to partake in their first Tim Tam slam. Now for those of you who don't actually know what that is, before you take that and run with it, let me explain. A Tim Tam slam is not some wrestling move administered by my friend Tim and I (Tam) but rather where you bit the diagonal corners of a Tim Tam and then dip it into your hot drink and suck the hot drink though the bitten end just long enough to melt the biscuit. Then you devour the biscuit and get taken away to a happy place :)

I was introduced to the card game Euchre also, which i believe i wasn't too bad at for a beginner ;) The other people on my team might beg to differ though haha. A great night shared with new friends over pizza and beer. Who could ask for more? But alas there was more.....
Amanda, myself and Tammy (Amanda's mum) were up bright and early Saturday morning for the Walt Disney World Marathon. Unfortunately Amanda was injured so was unable to participate, however we were then assigned the role of 'Official Cheerleaders' for Tammy who had flown all the way from Indiana for the event. Due to our poor planning, of which i can only put down to the 2.30am wake up, we never actually 'saw' Tammy run by us. We were prepared with banners and all, only to find ourselves running around like headless chickens in hope of spotting 1 in 27 000 people. Despite this obvious mishap it was still a great morning.

Later that night we (and by we i meant I) downed a few drinks in downtown Orlando. Nothing too crazy though as a fun filled day at Universal Studios awaited us on Sunday morning.
After great deliberation, we decided to go to Universals 'Island of Adventure' park. This was where we did lots of crazy things like ride mega rollercoasters, visit Harry Potters Wizarding World and due to my poor judgement, spent the afternoon completely drenched after insisting we go on the Popeye River Rapids. Sooooo much fun!!!! For all ride enthusiasts i STRONGLY recommend the Harry Potter ride at Hogwarts. It was the most amazing ride i have ever been on. I would describe more but its one of those things that words can not do justice.

So after an amazing week with a truly inspiring, amazing person, it was time to say good bye to another friend. The goodbyes don't seem to be getting any easier the more i do them but i have limited the blubbering to a few short moments now ;) I'm forever greatful for the hospitality and life long friendship. Thanks Amanda Bennett!!!!!

Flooding back home!

Hey everyone!

So i don't think its very appropriate that i brag about how much fun im having over here, when all my family, friends and community back home are being affected by the massive floods.
 
This blog update is to let everyone know that I'm thinking about you all and have been keeping updated on the situation back home. I honestly wish i was there to help out in any which way possible but obviously being a little over a days travel away I'm having to back my support with a donation and my thoughts of well wishes. If anyone has any ideas of how else i can help from the US please let me know as I'm very eager to do anything i can.
Thanks for the updates from everyone back home to let me know you are alright too. It's much appreciated and helps me put my mind a little at ease.
To all the people who are volunteering their time,skills, money etc....you guys ROCK. You all make me very proud!!!! It's all the little things we do to help that will make the biggest difference to peoples lives. If all else, just offer a reassuring smile.

Lots of love being sent your way Queensland!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tam
xoxoxox


For more information and updates I have found www.ninemsn.com.au to be the best source.

FRIENDS FAR AND WIDE, PLEASE HELP AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW. THANK YOU

The Queensland Government is asking that only financial donations be made to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.

Donate to the Premier's flood relief appeal by calling 1800 219 028 or by visiting www.qld.gov.au/floods.

Donate by internet banking
The account details for donations are:
Account Name: Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800

SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S

Once your transaction is complete, you should record the receipt number for your transaction. If you do not receive a receipt number, contact your financial institution.
If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, please forward a request, with proof of donation to:
Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002  

International donations The account details international for donations are: Account Name: Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code: CTBAAU2S

Donate by mail You can post a cheque donation – please do not send cash. Cheques should be made payable to: The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916 Cheques should be posted to: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002  

Donate in person Donations can be made at: Commonwealth Bank NAB
Westpac
ANZ
BOQ
Suncorp
St.George Bank
Bank SA (Bank of South Australia)
Australian Central Credit Union
Savings & Loans Credit Union
Bank West
Australian Central Credit Union
Savings & Loans Credit Union
Coles supermarkets. To ensure your donation reaches the Queensland flood victims, visit the SCAMwatch website

Sooooo.........

Wow!
I guess a lot has happened since i last checked in and its only been just over a week. Christmas and New Year have both passed me by yet again, not without some drama along the way though.

First off, a belated "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all".

Christmas for me was a little different to most years back home in Australia. Firstly, i volunteered at a homeless drop in centre in downtown Vancouver. I was Santa's little helper for the day, helping hand out Christmas gifts to those less fortunate. It was an eye opening experience which confirmed for me just how lucky i really am. To find out more about the centre, follow this link. http://lookoutsociety.ca/LivingRoom.html
The evening was then spent with my good friend Devon's family where we chowed down on some traditional feasts (traditional in the Northern hemispheres sense- there was no seafood and salads haha like in aus hahaha). A few laughs, drinks and great atmosphere capped off a memorable Christmas day.

Boxing day was another adventure as Adriana's (Devons girlfriend) dad took us too Whistler and beyond for the day. If i was excited to see snow on Vancouver Island, i was out of control excited to see it all up at Whistler. Despite being freezing cold, it was just so beautiful. I felt as if I'd stepped into a movie scene.

A pit stop on the way to Whistler

The day before i left Canada was spent with a few drinks shared with new and old friends at, where else but an Irish Pub. Despite my stupid blubbering as i said good bye to everyone, i didn't feel as bad saying good bye this time round as it was more of just a 'see ya later'. No doubt I'll be back for some more crazy adventures sometime in the near future, OR, someone will get off their butt and come see me in beautiful Aus :)

After an initial start to the day still drunk from the good bye festivities, i made it to my flight to New York. A long day of travelling with a hangover is never fun, however knowing i wasn't delayed by the crazy blizzard that had just hit New York, made it all that little bit easier. A late night check in to my ridiculously expensive hostel near Times Square left little time to actually explore anywhere before i passed out. 

The rest was needed though as the following day was spent travelling and exploring Washington D.C where i got my geek on. I am proud to admit, "I am in LOVE with Washington D.C". Everything about it just screamed 'Tamara'. The chill out cool vibes of the university scene, the history, the temperature, the friendliness of people, the architecture......... I could go on and on. I unfortunately only had a couple of hours in the city itself after the loooonnnnngggggg bus ride but it was enough to decide that i MUST go back. I could get lost in all the different museums, art centres, theatres, odd little lanes, oh and my favourite (don't laugh) Embassy Row! I did however fear that i was going to be deported as we cruised past the White House, i burst inappropriately into fits of laughter (as i do) as the National Anthem instantly played loudly overheard on the speakers of the bus. I'm not trying to be disrespectful but it was just a massive stereotype come to life. Please don't hate me my American friends :D  Don't worry everyone back home, I said 'Hi' to Obama for you too.

The White house

I managed to get through the quickest Washington D.C tour in history. I made short stops at the Lincoln memorial, the National Monument and Capitol Hill briefly in just over a couple of hours, along with a bus tour of the city and short visit to a Smithsonian art complex. A long day ended with bite to eat in China town and a 5 hour return bus trip to New York. 

Lincoln himself- kind of ;)

National Monument- no building in D.C can be taller than this. It was also once the tallest free standing structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built

The Capitol Building

Lucky for me, i had already been fortunate enough to have been to New York before which took a lot of pressure off all the 'sightseeing' activities. The main things i really wanted to do were; 

• ice skate in central park
• visit the United Nations building
• go see a show on Broadway
• be IN Time Sqaure for the ball drop
• strut down Wall street and
• take a helicopter ride around Manhattan

Given that i had 2 full days to do these things, i thought although i might be pushing it, i felt confident i could get it all done. I wasted a fair bit of the first day just cruising around town with no particular purpose.  I did get to ice skate in central park. I cruised, sorry, fumbled around the ice skating rink like a little kid all with a huge satisfied grin on my face. I'm proud to say there was no wet ass either... i successfully made it around without completely wiping out. Central park was so beautiful in the winter too. A little escape in the crazy, chaotic, madness of New York.

Ice skating in Central Park with my FIVE layers of clothing on!

Central park

As fun as meandering around was, it was time to get ready for the big one... Times Square, New Years Eve... OH YEAH!

Getting ready for the ball drop

 I did manage to make it out to Broadway show later that evening. A couple people from the hostel and I went and saw 'Memphis' which won best the Tony Award for best production in 2010. After watching it i can see why. It was brilliant. I think the thing that stood out to me the most was the set changes were so seamless. Such a great night and I'm so glad i did actually get to check something off my 'to do' list on my last night in NY. An early morning flight followed to Orlando to catch up with my dear friend Amanda. 

Memphis Broadway show

This week in Orlando should make for some more interesting stories. So far on the agenda is;

• naughty bingo
• me being a spectator at a marathon
• Disneyworld and
• hopefully wrestling and alligator ;)

Days are already turning into blurs after a while though and I'm already forgetting what day of the week it is and what the date is. Things get even more complicated when i try to remember to call or sort anything out back home. Is it 14 hours ahead? 17hours? Does that take into account daylight savings here? What about daylight savings back in Australia? Is that then 15 hours difference? Hence to say my family have been receiving a few early morning wake up calls..... SORRY! 

Know that i miss you all and i hope to hear from you every now and then.

Peace out from sunny Florida (ah yes, familiar sun).

Catch ya

Tam