Paris

I went to Paris on a mission to decide, which is ‘the city of Love...’ The reason behind this is that i had used this statement, associated to my recent trip to Venice. However, i was then corrected or shall i say questioned.... ‘isn’t Paris the city of love?’ well, i don’t care what they say, i have my own answer...

Paris is just Paris, Venice is the city of Love!!!

- And doesn’t that sound funny, Paris is just Paris (look at the jet-setting attitude now!)

Don’t get me wrong, i really like Paris. It is a beautiful clean city, and being summer - it was perfect... I wish i had a t-shirt for during the day, but once the sun began to go down, i was glad to be all rugged up. I couldn’t believe how quickly the temperature could drop, and the other thing that amazed me was that the sun doesn’t go down until after 9pm even 10pm... There’s no such thing as an early night in France.

I continued with ticking off some of the boxes on my long “things to do before i die” list, seeing places such as Notre Dame, The Ark de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and more..... And the old buildings, i love them, standing in Paris reminded me slightly of the London, but much classier. There were moments where i let myself drift off into Emmies little dream world, pretending to live in some of the most beautiful and glamorous apartments i have ever seen, with tiny iron balconies covered with small flowers, feeling like a beautiful princess! But seriously, imagine waking up living in a place like this every morning... Life must suck for some people!!!

There is so much to see and do in a city like this that i look forward to my future adventures here, like spending a whole day in the Lourve. I didn’t go there due to lack of time, as i know i would have wanted to be lost in there for hours, admiring all the artworks esp. those of Dali and Escher (my all time favourite artists).

Favourite Purchase:

Ballet Slippers, and typical me, i couldn’t decide which colour so i bought both, black and baby pink.... Now i can prance around my home, because i am the little dancing ballerina girl... so grown up!!!

Favourite Event:

Eating, at a crepe restaurant where i ate delicious Buckwheat crepes with vegies and salad, with the worst ice coffee i have had in my life (but lets forget that part!), followed by desert!!! The yummiest vanilla ice-cream which was deep gold in colour, with caramel toffee topping but not just any topping, this was insane... i don’t know what their secret is but it was brilliant!

Manila

Packed and ready for another trip to Venice, as i rocked up to work, i find my flight changed and im heading to Manila, Philippines. All excited as i hadn’t been there before and to be honest i was only in Venice days earlier, so ready to start a new adventure!

I experienced my first day in Monsoonal weather, and damn the sky can rain! I have never seen so much heavy rain let alone the amount of water, besides looking at the ocean – duh!

The people are so beautiful in the Philippines, tiny frames with big glowing smiles. I think they are such beautiful people, with their perfect little features and gorgeous black hair! It was amusing for myself, as i admired their beauty when they were equally amazed at my eyes, as they were not used to seeing blue eyes...

Due to the weather, my time in Manila was experienced inside and let me tell u, they love their shopping in Manila, and cheap dvd’s, and not the burnt crappy ones either! – I was stoked as i added a few to my collection – like one of my fav’s – Domino of course!

I bought a few more neck scarfs which brings me to an interesting point! Are u aware that the world experienced a fashion of big neck scarfs some countries even 3 yrs ago? Well oz missed this one, or it just never took off. So 3 yrs behind, i am getting into the so called new look in my eyes, but outdated in other places i go! Oh well, its all about the strut!!!

On the Friday night most of the crew went clubbing, yep fun times and much tequila in one of the biggest clubs in Manila called the Embassy! Had the best night but the dj, hmmm it was one of those ones whom do an awesome work-up then just leave u hanging!!! What the???

Ok this is the foul part! On the flight home half way through the service BAM! Straight to the lav, with a glamorous dose of food poisoning – damn prawns! I have never been so ill, so quickly it was horrible! I then spent the next 7 hrs in the flight deck! I even managed to power chuck in the flight deck – missed the captain thank-god, but how incredibly embarrassing! But if that would ever happen to anyone, it would defiantly be me! There we go again, too much information!!! But by the time i got home i was even worse... i thought i was dying and all i wanted was my Mum!

Favourite Purchase:

New handbag, not girly at all, plastic bright blue, with one side covered in a brick style pattern in blue, purple, green and white. Different i know, but i think it will look funky, all u need is the sunnies and lip gloss remember – and ur ready to go!

Favourite Event:

Finally lying in my own bed, after the horrific flight home! I want my Mum she says again, and some lemonade!

Venice

- The city of love, and isn’t it just that... Venice is the most beautiful and romantic city...

I remember asking the question “Where does a flight attendant go for their honeymoon, after flying to many glamorous destinations for work?” I have found the answer and it is Venice, Italy. I have to admit that at times i felt a little lonely and missing having attention, as it was defiantly a place for lovers...

Venice is built on one hundred and seventeen small islands, and holds 150 canals, connected by an amazing 409 bridges. So my time in Venice was spent walking, walking and walking some more. I loved the feeling of almost being lost, wandering down the canals and tiny narrow lanes. The buildings were so old, and had so much character. Many small shops were hidden away in the walkways such as glass blowing shops with dainty jewellery, gorgeous vases, plates and more and decorative mask shops. There were tiny coffee shops and real Italian cake stores, where i realised my love for cakes as they are not like the ones at home.

San Marco Square was massive, and in one of the small lanes leading off of it, i ate real Italian pizza for dinner and it was delicious! I managed to find a small bar full of locals enjoying a knock of drink, in a small courtyard and it was so lovely to be standing in such a relaxed yet very old and glamorous place.

It was beautiful to stay out late to enjoy the city once the sun had gone down and all the lights came on. I am looking forward to heading back to Venice in a couple of days, this time to try real Italian expresso, and to take a ride on the gondole.

Favourite Event – Just being lost in the city of love, that i love.

Favourite Purchase – Cream puff from a tiny Italian cake store, where i was reunited with my long lost love for cakes with heaps and heaps of cream.... yum, and only 1.2 calories!!!!! – whatever?

Seychelles

I have been to paradise!!! This trip is an absolute dream!!!

i feel like i have been on a honeymoon – all by myself!!!

Seychelles is made up of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, east of Africa. 41 of these islands are the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth. The other islands such as Mahe, where i stayed, are famous for their stunning beaches, tropical surroundings and the African culture which still exists.

The water is of amazing blues and green, it is so warm and so clear that you can see all that is beneath the surface. I spent hours and hours swimming just in awe of my surroundings. The sand was so soft and white, the tropical fauna around was so lush with mountains in the background, the beaches themselves were not overcrowded nor polluted, and to top it off i saw the most stunning sunset i have ever seen in my life.

Walking along the beach was so relaxing, with the warm breeze and the sun shining, if only i could tan!!! I stopped at a little cafe on the beach where i enjoyed an ice coffee and down the beach a bit further, i ate a delicious serving of grilled prawns for dinner... After sun down, i was back to the beach, lying back just listening to the peaceful waves of Seychelles.

This place is perfection!!! I think i have found the ideal retirement package!!!

Nairobi

JAMBO! (hello in Africance)

Well i love Africa. I defiantly enjoyed my stay in Nairobi, Kenya.

We went to the Markets and it was insane. They were not very big but you could get lost in there for several hours. The people in the stores harass you, follow you, barter and try to bribe you. I loved all the trinkets, and the wooden statues and the array of beautiful colours. The people were ever so kind and full of enthusiasm. It is amazing to see the beaming smiles on their faces and their contagious giggles, especially when they live in such poverty.

Nairobi is such a highly populated place and the bustle of movement of people walking all around the streets reflects this. People would just stop and stare at us when we walked by. I felt like i was famous but it was defiantly just because we were white, and i am sure the red hair didn’t help!

Im glad i ordered some room service though. I have always known not to as it is so overpriced but i did order a cheese platter and it was foul so now i think i have it out of my system, which is a good thing. I probably could have complained as even the dry biscuits were softish, but i know even in Dubai some of the savoury biscuits aren’t that crispy – so i let it go. I think we have always had nicer cheeses in the fridge at home. That brings me to a question, how is my baby fridge?

One morning five of us (from the crew) were picked up at 8 and we went on a 4hr safari. It was great to get out in the African savannah, even though it made me feel like watching The Lion King, yet again. Being cold here most of the animals had migrated, yet by the end of the trip i was still satisfied with what we saw. The closest animals we managed to get to, were several giraffes, one in particular, which we got few meters away from. It was a little scary at times as the tour bus we had, which had the open pop top, sounded terrible and with all the bumps on the paths, i thought we were going to loose a tire or even worse half the side of the van. It was very interesting.

Favourite Event:

The highlight of the safari however was an absolute classic. We stopped at a park site were there were facilities to cook a barbeque. Here i found it most amusing as we found a sign, “beware of the baboons.” As we all mucked around and began acting like monkeys, or better for me i defiantly was the true ranga and i think i pulled it off!!! But then out of nowhere came the baboons. They must have done this before, as they went straight for the van, through the opening in the roof, for a search for food. We had all left our bags in the van luckily they were all zipped shut. The baboon scratched and scratched at our bags trying to open them to go through our things. As this failed, we came to our next problem, trying to get it out of the car. One of the girls on the tour actually hates all animals, and fears them like i have never seen before. The only reason she did this is because she thought in the car she was safe and away from any physical contact from them. I think it was to add a tick to your ‘to do before u die list.’ It was so funny watching her. After opening all the doors and waving around a few branches out came the baboon and in we jumped. I don’t think we moved so fast all day. I got some great photos of this to show u.

So incloncusion: I WAS ATTACKED BY A BABOON!!!!!

From the safari we headed out to lunch at one of the famous restaurants in Nairobi called “Carnivore.” And yes, the name says it all. It was all about eating meat, meat, meat and some more meat. We ate Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Livers, Crocodile, Ostrige, Deer and more. After your first round of drinks they bring out a tiny tiny salad for the 5 of us to share, and a hot dinner plate, the ones that sizzle. From here they bring all kinds of meat to your table and offer it to u off of the largest squers i have seen in my life. In the centre of the table was a spinning wheel full of different condiments each dedicated to a different meat, and different style these meats were cooked in. It was delicious. I have always liked crocodile so it was in my top 3, in second place was the ostrige – never had i tried and i was really impressed and my favourite which i was very surprised about was the pork ribs. I never have been hot on pork and i hate eating off bones but with the delicious marinate it was cooked to perfection. For desert i had brandy snaps of course!!!! Always will if it is on any menu.

From lunch at Carnivore, we made our way to “Bomas of Kenya,” where we were taken on a mini tour of traditional Kenyan villages from years ago. I found this more interesting than the others which were with me, that i ended up walking of with the local tour guide learning and asking questions. I found it really intreeging, but i have always had a soft spot for anything African as u know. It was really interesting to learn not just about their housing but the relationships between different tribes from below Mombasa to North of Nairobi.

After this we went into a hall, it was more of a large arena where we watched local dance and song. The story was based on the transformation from African living years and years ago to having to go through changes when the white people invaded Africa, slavery then the evolving of the country and the people themselves. It was very, very interesting.

Back to the hotel we went, where i met some crew from the emirates flight which had recently just arrived. After talking with them for a while i found myself out to dinner with them at a place called “Casablanca.” I was so amazed when i walked in. It was a restaurant with a Mediterranean influence, i couldn’t believe there was a place like this, so glamorous in Nairobi, but every city has its secrets. It was so beautiful, lit by candles everywhere inside and out. It was defiantly fine dining so it was nice to treat ourselves.

From here we decided to go for another drink and we had heard of a nightclub about 2 blocks away from the hotel. So as we were leaving the foyer, the concierge and a female receptionist ran after me. They informed me not to talk my handbag and not to take any valuables or much money as they thought it would get it ripped off me. Realizing this i headed back to my room, and decided to have a night in, rather than trying to make a night out of nothing. The danger side is not what scared me, but there are always necessities in a chicks handbag and without this i was naked. Plus a night off the turps is good for me at the moment.....

Although on my stay i did try their local beer called ‘Tusker.’ It claims to be the finest quality lager, and i did enjoy it even though one night it turned me very silly!!!! Hehehehe, ok i was a bit loose!!! I even ended up at the Casino, which i never ever do... and don’t wish to do anytime soon. Learnt a few games but!!!!!

The other things that made me laugh from Nairobi are:

At home we have the petrol brand Mobile, however in Nairobi it is called Kobile??? – get it, i thought it was funny and maybe its stupid, whatever!!!!! I think its a Kenyan thing???? We don’t call it Aobile??? Nor SAobile????

Also the slogan for advertising Coca Cola is: Coca Cola Available in 3 sizes...... yep thats it????? Thats the best they got!!!! And also on the coke topic, when u order a coke in Nairobi, they ask if u want it hot or cold???? What the hell??? Apparently it has something to do with in different weather they drink it different ways. But this still doesn’t make sense because even though Africa can get hot, it doesn’t get very cold either. Nairobi is 8,000ft above sea level so the heat is far from extreme, so what’s with the hot and cold coke????

Favourite Purchase:

Earings made of coconut and bone, generally i don't support animal products but this time i failed, hey im in Africa!!!

KWAHERI (bye in Africance)

Birmingham

Well, i like Birmingham more than London, ok i know that is a bit of a statement – whatever. Adelaide compared to Sydney is like Birmingham compared to London – although i like Sydney! I felt like i was trapped in a giant postcard and was unsatisfied as if i had seen it all before, but im a chick and we’re never satisfied.

Birmingham – Famous for the Bullring, a major shopping centre with a few streets of shops coming off of it. It is like the Myre Centre of Adelaide, but sorry to say, much much better. All i have to say really is thanks to credit, my suitcase was at least 4 times heavier on my way home and i was only there for 25 hrs. It is a shop-a-holics playground!!!

Faverouite Purchase:

The 1950’s Rayban Wayfarers – in plastic white!!!

You cant kill Cool,
Cool is immortal.
Cool doesn’t die.
Long live cool.

And these sunnies are very cool, its all porn!!!

Favourite Event
That’s right, i feel like myself again, the ranga has been released, i got pierced!!! And all of those who know me well, say no more, u know where!!!

The hotel was lovely, it was funky white with either hot pink or a bright red, art deco style, i felt like i was living in a film clip. Well i suppose u wont be hearing about the hotels for much longer as im sure ill be sick of them and living out of a suitcase in no time.

Dubai and Razooki - the beginning

Dubai and Razooki - the beginning

When i first arrived, taking everything in was definitely overwhelming. I took at least a day or two to build the courage to unpack all my things and move in. I am really in the desert, there is sand everywhere. The winter season is over, so it’s about 40 degrees and summer is still on its way.... Each day is getting better and better, i am settling in now. Once i get a few more photo’s around the place, it will feel like home.

Dubai is a cool place, it really is the futuristic city of the world. The construction here is phenomenal. People were not lying when they said that 80% of the worlds cranes are in this one city alone.

During the day its a bizarre city and i sometimes question myself, ‘where am i and what am i doing’ but by night, this place is brilliant. Its a city that doesn’t sleep, the lights come out and the glamorous places open and its just amazing. I will get some photos to put online soon.Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!!! Wow the malls here are great. I have never shopped like this in my life, nor have i enjoyed it so much. Back home i was never too bothered but it is surely a different world. The stores are beautiful, the malls are massive but the only problem is, that people can smoke in them. Its foul.

I have been out a few times to a couple of bars and clubs called: Plan B, Zinc and well many more but as u can tell, i went to these places after a few so i really have no idea, of where i was. Ooops!I love my apartment, its brand new, and wasn’t even finished when we moved in. I had no gas for the first week, hot water was a problem and the apartment wasn’t fully furnished. It took two weeks to get curtains which was interesting as many work men stood in construction sites outside, looking through our windows. It was like we were famous. I think i only forget and flashed once, but it was a goodie!

Its very, very low rise for Dubai, only 13 stories, with a pool and gym on the roof making it 14 stories i suppose. The only prob is we are about 20min from Sheik-Zayed Road (the main strip) near the boarder of Sarjah. Sarjah is one the other 7 emirates that make up the UAE and is extreamly strick, its a dry zone and requires complete body coverage, especially for females. When the Shiek of Dubai, turned the city into a cosmopolitan, westernized town, his wife was not happy with the change. She talked the Sheik to make it law, that Sharja stays respectful to the religion. Those who do not obey, are faced with fines and prison. Haven’t been there yet!!!! The other reason for this is the Sheik of Dubai borrowed a massive ammount of money from the/or one of the Sheiks of Saudi under the agreement that Sarjah remained like Saudi in many ways.