During the balmy summer days New York‘s Mid-Manhattan Library is packed with people making the most of the warm weather. People will mill around on the grass eating ice creams or sit on the stairs reading books; Tourists will swarm to take photos sitting on top of the two lions – ‘Patience’ and ‘Fortitude’ – guarding the entrance, and along the balcony old men will sit and read the paper, talk about the latest news, smoke, or play chess.

But as the seasons change so do the people enjoying the steps and balcony of the Mid-Manhattan Library. The negative degree temperatures send people indoors where the heaters are, and the tourists stop to take a quick snap of the lions before dashing into the nearest Starbucks to warm up.

Despite the cold though the area is always a beautiful sight -manicured gardens, giggles as Dads help their children climb onto the lions backs, and always the warm inviting library doors welcoming anyone who cares to come in side. And if you’d rather stay outside in the cold there’s always one crazy man braving the cold to talk about the latest news with.

Please note, content in this post may be considered sensitive by some readers.

I was locked out. No amount of banging or phone calls was going to change the fact that there was no way I could get into the hostel and that meant one thing – I was once again faced with the prospect of having no where to sleep that night.

Tired

Tired; Having had no more than 2-hours sleep before I was awoken to the noises of the housecleaning team sent to clean-up the mess left by the drunken hotel guests the night before I was now beginning to think I chose poorly when I decided to stay in the heart of Dublins infamous Temple Bar district, but in my mind my sleeplessness was because of the two inches of window that wouldn’t shut allowing the party noises to waft into my room, rousing me from sleep every time I began to drift off.

After a day of lugging around my suitcase, it was a relief to settle down for the two-hour trip up to Northern Ireland – at least, it’s usually a two-hour ride but the train I had boarded had mechanical faults leaving me with no other option but to take the later train which was scheduled to arrive at 11pm, but with our delays it was closer to 11:30pm.

Confusion

As I exited the station I thought my luck was turning as a row of shiny BMW sedans taxis awaited the last passengers of the night. Despite my weariness my driver was friendly and I couldn’t help but talk to him about how a lone Australian girl ended up in Belfast at midnight, and I excitedly tried to catch glimpses of a new city itching for me to explore it. The driver excitedly talked about the things I should see in Belfast, things that it turned out I wouldn’t see any of.

As we pulled up infront of the hostel everything seemed normal. I payed the driver, thanked him for his suggestions, and begun dragging my bags up the flight of stairs to the door.
Trying the handle on the door I realised that I was in a bit of a pickle, after ringing the hostels phone for 20-minutes I realised that I was in a spot of bother, and after I yelled and threw pebbles at windows I realised that I was somewhat screwed and wouldn’t be enjoying the bed I had spent the day dreaming about which lay just beyond the door.
I was confused. I had rung the hostel and left dozens of voicemail messages and even emails saying that the train was running late which meant I’d need a late check-in. But still, no one was there to hand me a key.

I sat back down on the stairs and grabbed my Australian phone, painfully switching the data roaming back on in hope to find a replacement bed for the night. I was on a main road but the lights were quite dark which led me to jump when I heard footsteps walking my way. A girl was walking towards me, along the side of the hostel. Thinking that this was my chance to get in and get a bed I struck up a conversation with her but it turned out that she’d lost her key and was hoping someone would be able to let her in. She said that a lot of the hostel stayers were at the pub down the road and she was going back there to see if she could get a key off of one of them.

Nervous

After the girl left I resumed my position perched on the steps and made a call to my Mum. We chatted for twenty minutes about my options and after what felt like only minutes we had to finish the call but she’d call me back when she’d found me somewhere to stay.

I wasn’t too alarmed by my predicament any more. I’d spent over an hour sitting on the steps and come to realise that there must be a bowling alley after overhearing drunken talks and it seemed to be a student area with all the college aged students roaming the streets; but there was something not quite right.

When I get nervous, or even just when I don’t want to talk to shop assistants, I place fake phone calls. I take out my phone, look surprised and begin chatting away on my mobile phone. I talk about the weather, about TV shows, about current events – I just talk about anything, and I try to make it sound like a real two-sided conversation full of hand gestures and head nods. It wasn’t surprising to me when I grabbed my Australian phone and once again, placed a fake phone call to myself. I even begun to pace up and down the main road to stop myself freaking out.

As I was making the fake call a person walked into the front yard of the building a few houses down and, it appeared, disappeared from view. I recall myself thinking that he was a lucky bastard getting out of the early winter chill that was beginning to settle in.

After another 10-minutes on my fake phone call, I got bored and hung up on myself, but I still paced between the buildings. By now I could see the head of the man just peering over the bushes of the house. Thinking he was locked out as well I was slightly amused but continued playing games on my phone – I had to beat my current score on Angry Birds after all.

Anger

It was nearing 2am and I was tired and just plain grumpy. I was angry with myself for not finding some way to get through to the hostel owners to ensure my check-in happened, angry that I didn’t have a backup plan in place and angry I had no credit left to ring my UK friends in hope they knew someone who could help me.
I had just finished posting another Tweet for help when I saw movement in my peripheral vision. The guy who was originally three houses down was now in the yard next to me. Despite it’s weirdness I continued tweeting thinking he must have had the wrong house, but I couldn’t help but constantly look-up to check what he was doing. I kept catching him looking at me, not weird because except for the occasional drunken reveller, there was nothing else happening on the street.

After a few more minutes more movement caught my eye but I didn’t look-up until I heard cracking twigs and leaves underfoot. The guy was now standing 10-metres away from me, still partially obscured by trees and it looked like he was just staring at me. A little weirded out I begun to pull out my Australian phone, any number on my speed dial would do.

“You likey?“

The man walked closer, out from under the shadows of the tree, and it became immediately apparent about what he was wanting comment on.

“Hello, you likey?“

In the time that it had taken for him to move along the fronts of three houses he had also managed to pull out him man-bits and begin playing with them. I hadn’t seen too many… appendages… in my life and I couldn’t bare to look at it, instead watching his face and eyes. I quickly realised that he wasn’t going to go away as he inched towards me still stroking himself.

“You want to play? It’s nice… good for you to play.”

 With a head full of sheep, yearning to jump fences and take me to the land of nod the wittiest retort I had ever uttered blurted out of my mouth.

“It’s tiny. Sod off you prick.“

The irony struck me right away but I was on my feet, using the steps height to look more impressive, and to try to scare the guy off. Unfortunately for me a girl of 5ft 7″ and wearing a ski jacket, which did nothing but to make me look like a snow woman, wasn’t considered very scary in the eyes of the fiddler.

“Aww.. you likey? I can make bigger.“

I wouldn’t win the award for wittiest or quickest come-backs in any situations but my mind felt like jelly and despite my bravado I was worried that my 6-lessons of martial arts might not get me out of this situation.

“I have a boyfriend. He’s is bigger and he’s going to be really angry with you, now go away!”

The guy clearly couldn’t take a hint as he was now mere feet away from me, still playing with himself, and my bravado was fading fast. I begun staring at him hoping he’d just get the hint and go away.

To my surprise he did.

As he walked down the street which ran alongside the hostel I was filled with triumph and jumped up on the brick wall which acted as a railing for the staircase I had spent the night on. Hands on hips glaring still I began yelling after him how small his penis was and how he was a jerk. Instead of scurrying away like I thought he would, the added attention seemed to spur him on and he turned back, walking up next to the wall I was standing.

“You likey? You can have fun time?!“

Despite the shower of obscenities which sprung from my mouth I think he realised he would get nothing from me and began walking away again.

Fight or Flight

I wasn’t in shock nor was I angry, I was enraged and the adrenaline rush had kicked me into fight mode. I began pacing and thinking of ways I could track down the jerk and catch him and how things like this don’t happen where I live in Australia. But the idea sprang into my mind at the thought of home – if I was in Australia things like this don’t happen because we ring the police.
I began Googleing the UK polices phone number and without hesitation called them. A lady answered the call in dispatch and said that she was sending the next available police car.

As I hung-up from the call I was feeling chuffed with myself and rung my Mum wondering if she’d had any luck finding me a place to spend the night…. oh, and a sexual deviant just decided to pull his member out in front of me and have a fiddle. It was probably the craziest call she’d ever received but I couldn’t finish the whole story because the nights events had started moving faster and the police had arrived, as well as the girl who found herself locked out of the hostel.

The police officers took out a packet of cigarettes, offered the girl and I both a cigarette before lighting up themselves. After I ran through the nights events, the second police car which had just pulled up was instructed to patrol the nearby streets searching for someone of a similar description and the officers asked if I’d be willing to come to the police station so they could take a statement. Keen to get out of the cold my belongings were packed up in the back of the police car and I was soon whisked away to the police station with a guided tour of the cities sights by night, complete with stopping by a bar to ensure drunken patrons were alright.

Rest

The officers, part of the Northern Ireland Police Service or NIPS, were charming. One officer was a French man who, despite hating the colder winters which came with living in Belfast, moved to the city to be with his now-wife. He offered to buy me a hot chocolate or a snack whilst the other officer was taking my statement. The other was a local, who happily shared his cigarettes whilst telling me stories about how the NIPS were the only police department in the UK which needed to wear bullet proof vests, or how I should tell my friends from Derry that I’d become friends with the NIPS*.

After filling in a statement, agreeing to be video called if someone was put on trial for the ‘crime’ (I couldn’t and still can’t wrap my head around the incident being a crime) and signing my life away I was soon bundled back up in the same police car on another tour of the city. Somewhere between my first police car ride and filling in the statement my Mum had managed to call me saying that the Raddison Blu had found a room for me and were expecting me, and that was where I was headed – the officers even used the police lights!

The night manager at the Raddisson Blu was a champ, even upgrading my room to a business suite and providing free toasties much to my ravenous delight!

Despite having a great nights sleep the next afternoon I still felt rotten from being overtired and my cold was coming back so I opted out of exploring the city instead using my time to blog, have a bubble bath and watch movies from the extensive range offered in the lobby. By day 2 I still felt no better and again stayed indoors sleeping and using the free wi-fi connection. Although still thoroughly unwell, I managed to pull myself from the room on day 3 only because I had run out of clean underwear (whoops!) and had extended my stay by a night because I hadn’t actually seen Belfast.

It may not seem like I explored Belfast at all but sometimes you just need to stop and take care of yourself. Belfast is still there and I’ll be back there in a week because my final day left me with such a warm impression of the city – I got to get to know the locals a little better when I visited Anne Street (pronounced ‘Unn’ by the locals) and learning about the fascinating history Northern Ireland has to share which I began to learn about when I took a Black Taxi Tour of Belfast.

Although not physically or emotionally scarred by my time in Belfast it did give me a wake-up call about the realities of travelling alone and how unsafe it can be even in a English speaking country. The officers of the NIPS which picked me up told me that the hostel that I was going to stay at was in the middle of the student populated area of town and had one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the city – something which I remember every time I book accommodation because I’m quite happy not meeting another wanker on my travels!

Have you had any scary moments on the road? What would your tips to stay safe be?

*Derry is the name for ‘Londonderry’ which the Irish, Republicans, or those who can’t be bothered using it’s full name use. The Republicans are, generally, against the idea of Northern Ireland being a separate country from Ireland and instead want Ireland to be united as one whole unity. Becuase the NIPS are seen as British police on Irish ground the Republicans aren’t big fans of them.

Reflection.

I’ve spent the morning staring at the same two sentences hastily typed into a Word document, hoping to be inspired into writing a post on love when travelling for Valentines Day; But truth be told I’ve only had two romances on the road, two romances I’m not sure where stand.

“This story is but as old as time.
Boy and girl in love, each others arms together they are entwined.“

Externalise the internal

Last year I wrote a piece for Nomadic Chick’s ‘Summer Chick Tales’ about one of the romances. If people know me they’d know that it was the left of field approach as I’d just come out of a short, deeply meaningful relationship (fling? I’m not sure what to call it) with someone who is a writer as well.
Jeannie, the author behind Nomadic Chick was sure I was going to write about the short lived relationship with the writer and he was excited to be painted as a charming, dashing James Bond figure who swept me off my feet; But the pressure to define what went on in our relationship, to give it a title, to externalise something that I hadn’t even internally worked out my feelings about… I just couldn’t do it and left the story how I thought it should be at that time – untold.

Beginning, middle, end

Every story should have a captivating beginning, an enticing middle, and a rounded end; but this relationship hadn’t had a clean break because I took a last minute flight back to Australia. Despite continuing to talk almost every day and with intentions to come back mid-year, I didn’t know that he was angry with me for not trying harder to stay…

But I was just 20-years old; the kid who always put off being in a relationship because I was going to travel, to move interstate for University, because I just found excuses to never say no to relationships, whilst never saying yes either so that I didn’t hurt anybody’s feelings, which meant that I never had to be kept stagnant, I was always free. This relationship/fling was the first time that someone had ever managed to tie me down for more than three-days and yeah, it scared me.

Recently I was told that a person had labelled me “too immature” to have dated the writer at the time and as angry as I was when I heard it yeah, I was too young at that time to be in a relationship with that boy man.

So now that the relationship has a clear beginning, middle… where shall it end? Truth be told he has moved on, other woman takes his eye and that is the way it should be. I ran away back to Australia and though I was meant to head back to London Australia was where I was meant to be at that time and I wouldn’t have changed.

Do I think travellers romances can work? Yes. Some of the strongest relationships I know are couples who travel together. Take a look at Michael and Steph from Art of Backpacking and 20-Something Travel respectively – they are both Americans who met at a travel bloggers conference and are now travelling South America as an unbeatable blogging team, or the lovely Janey and Justin from 40 before 30 and 48-Hour Adventures - Aussie moves to London, Aussie meets gorgeous British girl, both fall in love, cue ‘awwwww’s.

Moving away from bloggers what about just looking at one of my closest Adelaide friends travellers romance – she met a great guy when she was Au Pair-ing in the UK and they went out, Skype dating and text messages followed before he came to Australia for three weeks to visit her and despite having got back to the UK only a few days ago he’s packing his bags and moving to Australia next week – now that’s a story.

Sure there will be the odd fling, the bad romances, and even the down right ugly but sometimes you need to travel across the sea to find the one you love and marry – look at Andi from My Beautiful Adventures and her gorgeous husband who she has recently married. She had to travel all the way to South America to find and fall in love with her knight in shining armour. Had to be separated whilst visas were processed – a process which can take months on end, but now he is with her and they are starting a beautiful new life together in America.

A fellow traveller understands why you need to travel, understands the need not to be tied down to a single place, a 9-5, have the perfect family with 2.5 children – they get that sometimes the place you need to be is on the road whether that be for a weekend, a month, or several years. They understand that I learnt more about myself and writing in the year-and-a-half I took off from study than I did in the 2-years I was at University trying to be the model student. They understand my need to just get up, move, and have an adventure even if it only is to explore my own backyard.

But what about my feelings, my emotions towards this travellers romance that I had? Well, perhaps this poem will help understand where I am as well as tell my story a little bit better than my words can express.

A Travellers Romance

This story is but as old as time.
Boy and girl in love, each others arms together they are entwined.
But ripped apart they must be, whether it be by death, or in my case by sea.

Like Romeo & Juliet our story began,
As I gazed down upon this gentleman.
Instead of a window way up high, my balcony was the railing, not quite in the sky.

Waterstone’s books was where it all began.
But soon I was being dragged through the West End.
I cursed myself, wishing I’d listened to people’s advise.
“Don’t talk to strangers or you’ll end up as cold as ice.”

But death did not find me on this cloudy day,
A coffee shop was soon where we found ourselves – hurray!
Our chats turned from strained into absolute delight.
Right there I was hooked, and knew there would soon be a second sight.

Dinner was cooked, the rock collection was unhatched.
Looking from outside you would think we were really quite mismatched.
But sometimes you know things that others can’t see, this boy was my friend, he was quite my cup of tea.

Our adventures began, each night better than the last,
Our fingers were tired of texting all the short BBM blasts.
I became homeless, he took me in with open arms,
Moving in with him right there should have raised a few warning alarms.

Things moved too quickly, now that I look back I can see.
Our hearts trying to keep pace with our own chemistry.
Was I too young, too high strung, or not ready to be kept from being free?
What ever it may have been I soon had to flee.

Across the sea I had to go, back to Australia – the place that is my home.
Despite our ever constant contact this boy had some feelings and he needed someone to reciprocate them back.

Alas that person could not be me. For he and I were separated by a large blue sea.
Though my heart was left in London-town, this boy had to move on he couldn’t have someone like me let him down.

This travellers romance, as short as it may have been,
Doesn’t stop me from hoping, waiting, perhaps we will see.
Because whilst he has moved on, a girls heart never forgets.
The ones they care for most, the one that they loved the best.

Image credit: Scott Fillmer

Whilst bus loads of tourists come to climb the steps of the Sacré Coeur, there is another way up the hill to Montmartre. Winding through the cobbled streets thronged with people doing their Saturday shop you can envision the old Parisian lifestyle which other arrondissements left in favour of modernity.

Climbing up the steps, the back way not the stairs teeming with tourists, I marvelled at how the artisan lifestyle continues on today whether it be in galleries or the street art lining the walls; and finally as my calves began to cramp I reached the top of the stairs with my own personal view of Paris – at least in that minute I thought it was mine.

Firmly chained to the railing at the top of the stairs overlooking Paris was a lone padlock engraved with a couples initials. But why a lock? An Eastern European story tells of lovers who met on a bridge until one of them died. Girls in the region soon placed padlocks on the bridge to safe guard their love like the stories characters could not. It’s become a tradition in a number of areas of Europe, including on bridges over the Seine river in Paris, to lock a padlock onto a bridge with your lover and then throw your key into the river below.
But to me this place, high above the streets of Montmartre is better than shared on a bridge with thousands of other locks. Here the lovers could be alone and catch moments of quiet together and bath themselves in the cities lights; Because hundreds of people would pass them everyday but they would remain hidden to all but a few who notice them locked firmly on the railing.

Whilst in that minute I shared their spot I knew I didn’t dwell there long because it was their spot where their love belonged and I was just a spectator.

Paris really is full of cliques, but the city of love it is.

J + D

“I’ve got a mind full of her…”

Art of any type is an expression of emotion regardless of whether it be displayed in galleries, at home, or on the streets. When visiting Melbourne’s lane ways, where much of the cities street art can be found, I was surprised to find a huge amount of art expressing love – falling in or out – and as a special Valentines Day treat I thought I’d share it with you.

Have you encountered any love themed street art?

Looking outside my window all I can see is darkness. It’s only 4pm – Febuary isn’t meant to look this way!

To many Australians the ultimate adventure is to see Europe covered in snow, but what we often forget is that to see a snow drenched Europe we have to forsake our own summer. For the past three-months I have been soaking up the cultures of Europe but not a day has gone by when the temperature have reached 30 degree Celcius – the minimum that I am used to when spending summer in Australia.

Whilst experiencing the chill of a European winter is fun I long to spend days bathing in the sun. So when the guys over at Nuffnang told me about Tourism Queensland‘s competition to replenish my Vitamin Me and win a $5000 holiday to explore the state all I could think was, “Hell yeah!”

So what is Vitamin Me?

What is Vitamin Me you ask? According to Nuffnang it’s, “attained by experiencing exciting adventures, soaking up some arts and culture, consuming delicious food and wine, or enjoying some beautiful scenery and wildlife.”

With some of the most diverse landscape – rainforest, desert, and sea – and activities on offer Queensland is definitely the place to visit to soak up a whole heap of Vitamin Me and get me in the right frame of mind to tackle the year of adventure and study that I have ahead of me.

What would be on my ultimate Vitamin Me itinerary?

So if Tourism Queensland sent me up North to get my Vitamin Me on what would I do? Here are just a few snippits.

Image credit: Dreamworld Australia

Cuddle a tiger at Dreamworld

Dreamworld is one of Queensland’s most popular theme parks with a mix of roller coasters for the thrill seekers but a much more laid back area called Tiger Island – yes, an island full of Tigers! Currently the park houses 12 Bengal and Sumatran tigers on Tiger Island and I want to hug them all; but the Tiger keepers might not like that so I’d settle for throwing them a piece of steak so they don’t want to nibble on me.

Image credit: Daintree Rainforest Eco Lodge

Wake-up in a tree house in the Daintree Rainforest

Daintree Rainforest is the largest area of continuous rainforest in Australia and what better way to fufil my childhood dream of living in a tree house than waking up in one inside a rainforest… but with more luxuries than my younger self could ever imagine. This is where Daintree Rainforest’s Eco Lodge would come in. A few days soaking up the amazing ambiance that the Eco Lodge has to offer as well as perhaps sneaking in a few spa treatments would help get me relaxed and adventure ready for the rest of the trip.

Whilst in Daintree I would take a canopy walk to get up close to the birds and hopefully stay far away from the spiders and snakes, and arrange a day trip to explore the Aboriginal culture, hear their stories, and of course dine on bush tucker – witchetty grub anyone?

Image credit: Poseidon Cruises

Take a layered experience on the Great Barrier Reef

I’ve always had a master plan of how I want to explore the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef – I would do it in layers! Let me explain…

• To begin with I’d fly over the Great Barrier Reef in a plane.
• Then I’d parasail over the reef.
• After my parasail I would snorkel the reef to find Nemo, discover the beautiful colours of the coral reefs, to see schools of fish, and perhaps even some eels, stingrays, and non-man eating sharks!
• Finally I would dive the reef, better yet I’d dive the Lady Bowen shipwreck, with a unique eco-system I would be sure to see some exciting flora and fauna!

Photo credit: DBJ

Sail the Whitsunday Islands

Much like Captain Jack Sparrow I would sail the tropical islands that make up the Whitsunday’s with my parrot I ‘borrowed’ from the Daintree Rainforest. Not only would I learn to fish, a necessity incase I’m marooned on an island; I would catch up on all my blog posts detailing my epic Queensland adventures whilst soaking in the Vitamin Me!

So please Tourism Queensland bring me up North so I can lose my ghostly pallor and be injected with some Vitamin Me inspired fun!

Check-out the video I made from the -7 degree weather in Paris about why I need me some Vitamin Me!

 What would you do if you visited Queensland? How would you replenish your Vitamin Me levels?

As the constant stream of photos coming from Instagram continued to flood my Facebook and Twitter streams I knew that before I poo-poo’d the concept I should try it out. Little did I know that I soon was part of the insta-addicts group taking photos using my iPhone as I drove around Adelaide, my home town. On my trip to Hong Kong in December I got a little Insta-crazy snapping photos of everything along my way. So here is just a taste of what I did in Hong Kong – the fun, the delicious, and the lights.

Over a gingerbread latte and super cute melted snowman cupcake I worked out that Westerners in Hong Kong head to Starbucks for the free wi-fi, English newspapers, and coffee brand name that they’re familiar with; the locals and Asian tourists head to Starbucks to take photos of the Westerners who flock there. Kind of an amusing spectacle to watch with the ever moving Victoria Harbour in the background.

The Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong’s answer to Los Angeles Hollywood Boulevard, has visitors flock to see the hand prints of their favourite stars from Asian cinema. I didn’t recognise many of the names but Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee all have stars on the waterside avenue; There’s even a statue of Bruce Lee which people pose to take photos – always good for a giggle when people strike the same post.

Each year Harbour City creates a holiday display which draws locals and tourist. To celebrate the 2011 Holiday season Disneyland Hong Kong teamed with the shopping city to create a display titled ‘Toy to the World’ to coincide with the launch of the launch of the Toy Story themed land opening at the park.

The purpose of my trip to Hong Kong centred around one tasty place and my first endeavour into Chinese food when visiting Hong Kong. Tim Ho Wan, the worlds cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, in Mong Kok was my destination after hearing stories of how amazing the house speciality, pork buns, was. More importantly to me  were the dumplings, my food of choice. Four dishes and tea for less than AU$5 – bargain!

Of course no trip to Mong Kok is complete without a visit to one of the many markets, and so with a stomach full of dumplings my quest to find the warmest pair of gloves to brace me for New York’s chill began in the Ladies Market. Wandering through stalls of electronics, bags, Chinese art, and an assortment of winter clothes I felt overwhelmed with choice regardless the similarities in stock between each vendor. Instead I bought two super cute Stitch phone covers for my iPhones… whoops!

All that walking around the Ladies Market made me hungry so I stopped off to try Hot Pot in an area not so well to foreigners. On the streets and in the restaurant I was the only foreigner and despite a few looks at me, and a small laugh when they heard how bad my Cantonese is, I managed to order a meal. After the locals gave me a ‘Chopstick Use 101′ I tucked into this delicious meal of rice, beef, egg, and asian greens – a perfect late night snack.

Whilst in Hong Kong I got to meet fellow travel bloggers Juno from Runaway Juno, Stephan from Bohemian Traveler, and Andrew from Grounded Traveler. Together we explored Central and of course ate dumplings!

Pedestrian crossing on Nathan Road, Mong Kok.

View from the back of a taxi when getting lost.

The Christmas lights on The Peninsular Hotel are always beautiful.

Have you visited Hong Kong? What would you take Instagram photos of if you went?

Trains were late, the weather was drizzling – something I had imagined was only isolated to London – but as the salt air came in off the ocean and filled my lungs everything seemed better, it began to feel like home. This ‘home’ I speak of is Brighton, the seaside town famous for its Pier and pebble beach, and was home for three days.

As we put our umbrellas up I had a feeling that we wouldn’t be visiting the beach today.

Visiting Brighton

When coming to any new city the first thing I do is try to orientate myself and work out where I am in relation to what I want to see. Instead of sitting in Umi Hotel pouring over a map we were treated with a new way at orientating ourselves with the city – through a tour with a Brighton Greeter.

Despite the pitter patter of rain falling outside the Brighton Visitors Centre the atmosphere inside was warm as our Brighton Greeter shook each of our hands introducing himself as Chris, a local Brighton resident for over 30-years. Chris’ passion was in the history of Brighton right from the cities early origins to the current day.

Pulling out a visitors map, free to anyone who visits the Visitors Centre, Chris explained the simple orientation of the city to us – North Street, East Street, West Street, the North Laines, and North Road – it all sounded as clear as mud to me but we were ensured it’d make sense as soon as we begun walking.

“What do you want to see?”

That was the question that was posed to the group by our guide as he tried to ascertain where he should take us in the city. Whilst each of the Greeters has a particular passion for the city they tried to find something special for every group. We were Brighton newbies and opted for the run-down on the city from the Laine ways to the history, and of course the famous street art.

Stopping at The Royal Pavilion, the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, and wandering the back streets of the city to places like St Bartholomew’s Church we were able to explore the city in its entirety instead of stopping at the areas people pointed at a map and told us “That’s what you seen when you’re in Brighton.”

As we walked through the city Chris happily filled us in on interesting facts about the city, re-explained information we’d missed when we stopped for photos, where to find some of the tastier restaurants that Brighton has to offer, and where we should visit that the tourists don’t usually see.

A View from a Locals Perspective

Brighton was the first UK city which offered the Greeter scheme, and Chris goes on to explain that he feels that it could be quite a popular activity for tourists not only visiting Brighton but bigger cities.

The Brighton Greeting scheme is a free scheme in which local residents give up their time to show visitors their city. From the Laine ways of narrow shops, the history of Brighton until today; the famous Banksy graffiti of two policemen kissing, and even suggestions of where to eat, your Greeter will be able to show you how Brighton can cater to your interests.

And it’s always nice to be Greeted with a smile.

Brighton’s Greeter Tours are a free service provided by Visit Brighton and operate from the Brighton Visitors Centre.
For more information or to book a tour (it’s best to book 7-days in advance) check-out Visit Brighton’s website.

One of the most popular activities to do when visiting Victoria is to take a drive down the Great Ocean Road. The drive, which begins an hour outside of Melbourne in Torquay and stretches over 250km’s of road to Warrnambool, takes you through surf towns, National Parks, hippy communities, and of course to some of the popular limestone rock formations – the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge being the most famous of the group.

During the last week of November my friend from summer camp Joc and I took to the road steeling our nerves against cliff faced roads, a torrential downpour which almost left us sleeping in our car overnight, a view worth taking a photo of from around every bend, and a mind full of tips which we think will help make the most of your Great Ocean Road experience.

1. Take time to admire the view

A lot of people rush through the Great Ocean Road – their focus set on seeing the Twelve Apostles – and fail to take time to admire the view. Right from the beginning of the road your drive will take you along the waters edge. As you enter Anglesea the cliffs over looking the beach give you your first proper look at the coastline you’ll be driving along. Further down the road near Devil’s Elbow just before Lorne is a rest stop where you can bask in the knowledge you have completed the most difficult part of the drive – a single laned road with cliffs to one side and the ocean on the other – and looking onwards into the dense treetops of one of the many National parks.
And finally a stop at the famous wooden archway overhanging the road welcoming you to the Great Ocean Road, with memorials to the soliders who fought for Australia in World War One.

2. Stop in the towns along the way

Along the Great Ocean Road are dozens of towns which offer different experiences for people to explore. If you like surfing head down to Torquay‘s Bell’s Beach where the annual Ripcurl Pro is held during the Easter weekend. If hiking is more your forte Anglesea provides a variety of  beach and cliff hikes which all end in beautiful views down the coast. Perhaps you are a foodie then Lorne is the place to visit with fresh seafood coming straight from the water and onto your plate at a choice of restaurants – delicious!

There’s more to the towns though; whether it be the chilled, hippy vibes of Anglesea or going fishing with the locals in Apollo Bay, by slowing your trip down not only do you get to take your time to really experience the towns and coastline you’re driving, but by stopping regularly you get to switch off and relax which allowing your mental concentration to have a break from driving which makes leads to safer driving when back on the road.

3. Don’t just visit the tourist spots

Sure everyone clambers to see the Twelve Apostles to take photos of the natural erosion of the limestone coastline, but there are plenty of other things to see and do.

If you’ve ever heard of the popular 90′s Australian TV show called Around the Twist you’ll want to make a stop at the Split Point Light House located outside of Airey’s Inlet as it is the one featured in every episode of the TV show. Whilst you won’t find writer Paul Jennings nor any of the cast around today you can still climb the lighthouse, have tea in the cute as can be tea house, or see the historical Bark House in one of the parks beneath the light house.

Whilst still quite popular, many visitors will miss The Otway Fly Tree Top Adventure which gives you a chance to go zip-lining or take tree top walks through the Great Otway National Park. If heights aren’t your forte there are still nature walks giving you a chance to bask in the rainforest and perhaps see some local wildlife upclose.

4. Don’t freak out

Yes, the Great Ocean Road is quite a dangerous road if you don’t have your wits about you. Not only is it narrow and with only one lane in many areas, but during certain months of the year – notably winter when it’s raining, and November when for a week Victorian school students make the trek down to Lorne to celebrate finishing school – the road can just be downright dangerous. (There is a growing police presence during these time of year which has made the road a lot safer from drunk drivers.)

After hearing stories of how dangerous the road could  be I decided to be smart and bought some Australian travel insurance just in case. The danger comes when you take corners to fast – the road speed is quite high despite the narrowness of the road – and you cut across the lane. Not only are there blind corners but to your left is cliff face and to the right a short drop into the ocean – there really isn’t too much room for error.

If you aren’t comfortable driving on narrow roads consider driving along the freeway which is just a few kilometres away from the Great Ocean Road. Whilst you won’t have the ocean views you will still go through much of the same scenery, including the Great Otway National Park. Another popular alternative for drivers who aren’t comfortable driving is to take a tour lead by an experienced driver.

5. Take corny photos

You drove all this way so why not take photos of you ‘holding’ one of the rock stacks at the Twelve Apostles? Or surfing on one of the wooden beams overlooking the beach! Trust me even if you feel silly at the time you will look back and have a good giggle, and the people standing next to you will probably do the same thing!

6. Don’t be silly, please try to be green

The area around the Great Ocean Road is home to a number of national and state parks which are trying their best to preserve the flora and fauna of the area. As your drive between Lorne and Glen Aire you will drive through the untamed canopy’s of Ottway Ranges National Park, and as you walk to the viewing docks of all the different limestone formations you will be walking through the home of bird and small animals homes. Whilst the government, the council, and the park trustees do their best to keep the area litter free visitors to the area can do their park by simply taking their rubbish with them or putting it in the bin.

One of the endangered birds, the Plover, lives in this area and by collecting your rubbish, especially plastic, helps to prevent the birds getting caught up in it and potentially dying.

You don’t like to see other peoples rubbish when you visit a place and neither does anyone else, so please take it with you or bin it!

7. Don’t try and do it all in one day

Despite waking up in Torquay early and ready to make the drive to Warrnambool in one day we didn’t take into consideration the time we’d want to spend exploring. We hadn’t consulted a map – so we didn’t know about things like the Airey’s Inlet Lighthouse until Joc pointed it out mid-trip recalling information her Dad passed on from a trip when she was younger, and by the time we’d hit the Great Otway National Park the bad weather had begun to roll in leaving us in a predicament without seeing the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge.

We stopped in every town, and at everything that caught our eye. If you travel like this then my recommendation is to stay overnight in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell. This allows you plenty of time to explore the towns and activities in the area, as well as allowing for plenty of rest to ensure you stay safe when driving the Great Ocean Road.

This post is sponsored by Travel Insurance Cover, an authorised distributor of QBE’s travel insurance product.

Have you ever driven the Great Ocean Road? What are your tips for making the most of your experience?

Patriotic isn’t something I’d call myself. Sure I love my home country of Australia but my feelings of patriotism are more subdued than the patriotism you experience when travelling through America.

Throughout New York City the star spangled banner hangs. From the biggest flags covering walls of buildings, hanging crisp and straight an ever present reminder in the lobbys, or the smaller flags hanging over the memorials in the fire stations of the brothers they’ve lost in service, whether it be 9/11 or doing their job and trying to save someone.

And then there was the one on the back of the Intrepid. Flapping in the cold December breeze as the red coated lady gazed out over the Hudson River towards New Jersey. My fingers were cold, the rest of my group had already returned to the inside of the aircraft carrier to defrost, as I waited for her to move so I could capture the ‘perfect’ photo of the sunset, New Jersey and the star spangled banner but she stayed there. Pensive and gazing. Sometimes the imperfect shot can become a perfect one.

The lady in red, New Jersey and a Patriotic Sunset in New York.