Jag kunde inte låta bli att kolla runt lite till ;P

Sen jag och Johan var ut i Europa och tågluffade en månad 2006 så har Hostel World varit en given sajt att söka boenden från. 2008 bilade han och jag genom Tyskland och Holland, då använde vi sajten för att hitta boende då vi behövde det, oftast bara en dag innan vi kom dit.

Så jag gjorde ett gäng sökningar där nu efter de datum jag fått fram på flygen nyss. Fem nätter i Peking kostar smått löjliga 180 kronor om jag delar rum med fem andra, något som är helt okej för mig. Jag sover ändå bara där, och har min backpack låst och alltid bakom huvudet i sängen. Nu är dock risken för stöld rätt liten på hostel, iaf har jag bort åtskilliga gånger på olika hostel i Europa och aldrig råkat ut för något eller hört talats om problem. Men, lika bra att vara lite försiktig och ha sina ägodelar nära sig.

I Hong Kong blev det lite dyrare. Där landar jag på runt tusen kronor för fem nätter. Anledningen är att alla rum är privata. Det fanns ett hostel där jag kunde dela rum med en annan person för 525 kronor, men jag delar hellre rum med flera okända människor än en enda.

I Kuala Lumpur kan jag dela rum med sju andra centralt för 380 kronor, eller med tre andra på ett annat ställe för 270 kronor. Allt för fem nätter.

I Auckland märker man direkt lite högre priser, där kollade jag dock bara in ett enda boende. Men de tog 130 kronor per natt för ett rum man delar med fem andra.

Anywho, boendekostnaderna visade sig visst vara, som jag också misstänkte, ett extremt litet problem.

Hej där. Nu har jag äntligen tagit tag i att ordentligt kolla på att ta mig ner till Nya Zeeland.

Steg ett är att ta sig till London. Planen just nu är att åka den 15:e januari (samma dag min anställning upphör) med Anna dit med Ryanair. Det kostar 79 kronor per skalle (165 extra för väska på 15kg, något jag lär behöva). Efter några dagar tillsammans i London flyger Anna hem, och jag fortsätter min resa.

British Airways kan tisdagen den 19:e januari flyga mig från London till Auckland för 7871 kronor.

Men jag har redan snöat in på att besöka Hong Kong. Så jag måste flyga förbi där. Det kostar 2798 kronor att ta mig dit direkt den 19:e. För att sen komma från Hong Kong direkt till Auckland kostar det 5355 kronor den 25:e januari med Royal Brunei Airlines. Allt som allt runt 8100 kronor. Alltså 250 kronor mer än att flyga raka vägen. Lätt värt stoppet.

Men … flyget till Hong Kong mellanlandar i Peking, som jag alltid velat besöka. Och flyget till Auckland mellanlandar i Kuala Lumpur. Så jag måste så klart kolla även på dessa möjligheter.

London till Peking kostar 3163 kronor tisdagen den 19:e januari. Att några dagar senare den 25:e januari flyga vidare till Hong Kong kostar 2862 med Air China och mellanlandning i Guangzhou knappt en timma från Hong Kong. Den flygresan tar sammanlagt fyra timmar (i luften). Alternativet här är ett direktflyg för 3225 den 21:a eller för 3232 någon av de följande dagarna.

Så, London till Hong Kong direkt 2798 kronor. Att stanna i Peking 6000, eller 6500 om resan till Hong Kong ska kortas ner. Alltså mer än dubbla flygkostnaden. Men, Peking är Peking, med sitt oändliga utbud av historia och kultur.

Att sen ta sig från Hong Kong till Kuala Lumpur till Auckland kostar onsdagen den 25:e januari 2186 kronor eller den 27:e januari 2031 kronor för den första etappen, via Singapore. Den andra etappen kostar den 2:a februari 4831 kronor om man flyger via Brunei, annars 5781 den 4:e februari för ett direktflyg.

Så Hong Kong till Auckland direkt 5355 kronor. Med min lilla rundtur: 7000 kronor (eller 8000 om jag vill korta ner sista resan).

Alltså:
London – Auckland: knappt 7900
London – Hong Kong – Auckland: runt 8100
London – Peking – Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur – Auckland: 13000 – 14500

På varje stopp tillkommer ungefär 200 kronor i transfer till och från flygplatsen och det hostel jag bokat, samt så klart kostnaden för hostel och mat. Hostel och mat i dessa regioner är dock mycket billigare än att bo och äta i Nya Zeeland, så på det viset gör jag snarare en vinst här. But still, det är snudd på dubbla biljettpriset att göra alla dessa extrastopp. Men å andra sidan, att flyga till dessa platser en annan gång skulle bli ännu dyrare, och jag tänkte redan från början att flygresan ner till Nya Zeeland skulle kosta mig 10 till 15 tusen kronor.

En sak jag dock måste kolla upp är att lägga starten på resan en vecka tidigare (har 7 semesterdagar jag inte tagit ut än på jobbet) så att jag kommer ner lagom till Victor kommer ner den 28:e. Men det tog typ en timma att söka upp alla dessa priser och leta fram billigaste dagarna via flygresor.se så jag tar och går och sover istället. Klockan är faktiskt fyra!

In meinem Fall sah das so aus, dass ich auf der Rückfahrt von Charlottetown fünfeinhalb Stunden Stop in Moncton einlegte. Warum? Ganz einfach: Als ich am letzten Sonntag in Moncton war, bin ich am flag shop vorbeigekommen und die stellten im Fenster sämtliche Flaggenaufnäher aus, die mir noch fehlten. Pech nur: Der hat sonntags nicht auf. War ja klar, wäre ja auch zu einfach gewesen. Dachte ich bei mir: Nicht so schlimm, du kommst ja noch mal nach Moncton und diese Busse haben ja immer ewig und drei Tage Anschlusszeiten und der Laden ist ja quasi neben dem Busbahnhof. Aber: Es gibt genau einen Bus, der in Moncton mit nur 10 Minuten Abstand zum Anschlussbus ankommt und das war natürlich meiner *mit den Augen roll*. Und der nächste Fährt natürlich erst fünfeinhalb Stunden später. Also habe ich mir das die ganze Fahrt über schön geredet: Wenn wir ein bisschen früh sind, der Anschlussbus ein wenig spät, du deinen Koffer gleich schnappst und die ich bisschen beeilst… Ähm, ja… Ich war kaum in den Busbahnhof getreten, als schon der “final call” für den Anschlussbus erschall. Naaa gut, dann besorgste erstmal in Ruhe die Flaggen und dann siehste weiter. Genau so habe ich das gemacht. Jetzt besitze ich - bis auf die Labradorflagge – alle Aufnäher, die ich haben wollte und kann auf fünfeinhalb Stunden mehr in Moncton zurückblicken.

Selbstverständlich war ich erst zu nachtschlafender Zeit in Rivière-du-Loup, wo es nicht zum Tagesgeschehen gehört, dass in der Jugendherberge e-mails gelesen werden und dementsprechend niemand da war. Wenigstens hatte irgendwer vergessen die Tür abzuschließen und ich konnte rein. Mit meinem Busfahrer hatte ich mich vor der Abfahrt nett unterhalten und in Rivière-du-Loup angekommen, hat er mir angeboten, mich schnell ins Hostel zu fahren. Sehr nett von ihm. Er hat dann noch gewartet, ob ich auch wirklich ins Hostel rein kann. Was er dann nicht mehr mitgekriegt hat, war, wie ich im Hostel versucht habe, jemanden zu finden, der mir weiterhilft: Keine Klingel, niemand an der Rezeption, die Küche leer. Ich hatte mich dann zwischenzeitlich mal mit dem Reservierungsbuch beschäftigt und wusste dann schon mal, dass ich in Zimmer 1 sollte und dass außer mir dort niemand sein würde. Das half mir aber nur bedingt, weil ich ja nicht wusste, ob ich einen Schlüssel brauche oder wo ich mein Bettzeug herkriege… Letztlich fand ich jemanden – im Fernsehzimmer. Sie gehörte auch irgendwie zum Hostel-Team… aber sicher nicht zur Rezeption. Noch hilfloser als ich suchte sie alles Mögliche zusammen,  nahm mir meinen Personalausweis als Pfand ab (keine Ahnung wozu, aber Personalausweise lassen sich notfalls leichter (bzw. mit weniger Aufwand) neu beantragen als z.B. Kreditkarten, also habe ich ihn rausgerückt). Heute Morgen habe ich ihn dann wieder abgeholt, diesmal bei der richtigen Rezeptionistin, die auch eher planlos wirkte – irgendjemand hatte den Schlüssel zur Kasse mitgenommen und deshalb stellte sich das mit dem Bezahlen als schwierig heraus… Ich war aber zu übermüdet und zu perplex von der “Oh, diese Woche habe ich noch nicht nach Mails geguckt”-Ausrede, um darauf zu bestehen, mit meiner debit card (= Äquivalent der EC-Karte) zu bezahlen.

A 14ª edição da Feira Internacional de Turismo da América Latina que aconteceu  entre os dias 14 a 17 de novembro de 2009 no espaço La Rural, em Buenos Aires, contou com  a participação da Federação Brasileira de Albergues da Juventude (FBAJ) – Hostelling International Brasil.

A área reservada para o Brasil  na FIT-2009 tinha  um espaço de 645 metros quadrados, onde 44 co-expositores – entre estados, municípios, empresas de turismo e companhias aéreas – apresentam seus produtos aos profissionais de turismo.

Participaram da Feira a diretora de marketing da FBAJ,  Karla Lemos Sottomaior; Miguel Angel Allou, do Paudimar Hostel, de Foz do Iguaçu,  Francielle Zuffo do Roma Hostel  e Rodrigo Martello do Curitiba Eco Hostel.

Por Carla Layane

Com informações FBAJ

View Accommodations of our luxury large spacious tents

Enchoro Wildlife Camp recently unfolded its newest website; it provides key information that will facilitate travelers of all walks of life in choosing the best tourist programs around the Mara region, and to promote tourism as well as to provide people with quality adventure holidays and with the great accommodation

If you are interested in planning a wonderful and remarkable tour in the Mara region is no longer a problem, it is now easier as enchoro camp will help you manage everything.

If you are enticed by Volunteerism, wildlife Safaris, walking&trekking, this will ensure that our visitors gain local knowledge and at the same time, the local communities economies will also earn from it.”Masai dances”

“Go direct to enchoro, Save Money and give more back” This philosophy guide’s enchoro wildlife camp with its product and service development.

Enchoro offers a lot of direct booked adventure tours and holidays accompanied with a comprehensive route plan, Trip information, clearly marked tour durations, and give back to the Masai communities through volunteer program plan activities.

Our volunteer options are planned to suite Group travels, Families or individual options enabling every individual to choose from several activities which they can do during their trip.

Enchoro is strictly committed to its policy regarding responsible tourism and thus, it chooses to work with those local Masai organized groups of Men, Women and Youth that offer and represent the local communities with great long term benefits that maintain the welfare of the preservation of their environment, culture, believes and traditions. This however develops relationships across with the goal to promoting better understanding between foreign tourists and the Masai communities while freely interacting, sharing of cultural social practices and their traditions.

Rotorua ungewollt ein 3. Mal

Ursprünglich wollte ich ja direkt nach New Plymouth, aber der „Nakedbus“ war da wieder etwas unflexibel – es gibt keine direkte Verbindung. Ich musste also über Rotorua reisen, dort einmal übernachten und dann erst konnte ich über Hamilton die Küste entlang nach New Plymouth herunterfahren. Die Fahrt dauerte 6 Stunden.
Dennoch hatte ich es mir viel schlimmer vorgestellt, als es tatsächlich gekommen ist: Ich hab mich in Rotorua sehr nett mit einem Maori im Hostel unterhalten, der ein bisschen über meine Reise erfahren wollte und ein wenig deutsch lernen wollte. Er studiert Management und Touristik in Rotorua und hilft im Hostel mit um näher an den Leuten dran zu sein und um wertvolle Infos direkt zu bekommen, die – wie er mir erzählte, andere erst recherchieren müssten, während er sie direkt von uns erhielte.
Am Morgen vor der Abreise aßen wir dann gemeinsam Frühstück und er hat mir mein „Backpack“ zum Bus getragen und sogar mit mir auf den Bus gewartet.

New Plymouth

Ich war 5 Tage in New Plymouth. Mir gefällt´s hier. Das Hostel ist nett. Es ist ruhig und nicht zu viele Leute um einen herum, einmal ein bisschen Abstand von den großen überlaufenen Hostels, in denen man mit 7 weiteren Leuten in einem Raum schläft und außerdem in einem Stockbett schläft. Hier im Hostel habe ich mal ein einzelnes Bett und teile mir den Raum mit nur einer weiteren Person.
Es ist nur einen Katzensprung von der „Tasmansea“ entfernt. Der „Costalwalkway“ ist direkt begehbar und recht schön. Ich hab einen längeren Spaziergang zu dem „Paritutu Rock“ gemacht, der ein ehemaliger Vulkan ist und der Track zur Spitze ist sehr steil. Die dahinter gelegenen „Mataroa“, runden Felsen, sagten mir mehr zu. Sie liegen direkt im Meer und grenzen an den schwarzen Sandstrand an. Hier habe ich den Sonnenuntergang betrachtet und auf dem Rückweg, den „Costalwalkway“ entlanggehend, traf ich eine einsame Katze an, die ich zwar ein wenig überreden musste, die sich aber dann streicheln ließ und sehr zutraulich wurde.
Da erinnere ich mich an die Hostelbesitzerin, die meinte, als ich ihren Kater streichelte, und sie mir Futter für ihn gab, damit ich mich bei ihm beliebt machen konnte, dass ich wohl eine „catperson“ wäre. Ihrem Hund habe ich anscheinend nicht ausreichend Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. Naja, ich freu mich immer Katzen auf meiner Reise anzutreffen. In manchen Hostels gibt es welche.

Gleich am ersten Tag hatte ich die Gelegenheit zu einem kleinen Track am Fuße des „Mt. Taranaki“ mitgenommen zu werden. Es war recht schön, aber der Berg versteckte sich ein bisschen hinter den Wolken. Dennoch hatte es sich für mich gelohnt, ich wollte wenigstens einmal zum „Mt. Taranaki“ kommen.
Derjenige, der mich mitgenommen hatte, fuhr dann praktischerweise auch gleich noch zum Supermarkt, d.h. Ich musste meine Lebensmittel keine 2 km? zum Hostel transportieren.

Sehr interessant fand ich auch die beiden Art Galerien, „Tart“ und die „Govett-Brewester Art Gallery“. „Tart“ stellt Kunst von örtlichen Künstlern aus. Ich fand es recht interessant. In der anderen Galerie gefielen mir besonders die Werke von einer Chinesin „Guo Fengyi“, die vor allem mit Halbkreisen und Strichen arbeitet und die Werke von einer Inderin „Nalini Malani“, deren kräftige, ausdrucksstarke Farbwahl mir sehr gefallen hat.

Heute geh ich sicher noch in den „Pukekura Park“ und ansonsten genieße ich die Ruhe hier im Hostel. Die Stadt New Plymouth selbst ist da schon etwas beschäftigter.
Morgen rise ich dann nach Wellington weiter. Der Bus fährt relativ spät ab, sodass ich spät in Wellington ankomme. Das Hostel, das ich mir dort ausgeguckt habe, scheint auch eines der kleineren und angenehmeren zu sein, dafür aber auch etwas weiter außerhalb. Morgen werde ich also mein Gepäck wieder etwas weiter schleppen müssen.

Track am Fuße des Mt. Taranaki

Mt. Taranaki

Bei Mataora, den runden Felsen und dem schwarzen Strand.

Hostel is a 2005 horror film written, produced and directed by Eli Roth, starring Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Jennifer Lim, Eythor Gudjonsson and Barbara Nedeljáková. Due to the graphic nature of this film, its showing has been restricted in certain countries, primarily those with strict censorship policies. The sequel, Hostel: Part II, was released on June 8, 2007.

Slovak reaction to setting

The film’s release was accompanied by strong complaints from the country of Slovakia, and also from the Czech Republic. Slovak officials were disgusted by the film’s portrayal of their country as an undeveloped, poor and uncultured land suffering from high criminality, war and prostitution[8], fearing that it would “damage the good reputation of Slovakia” and make foreigners feel that it was a dangerous place to be. The tourist board of Slovakia invited Roth on an all-expense paid trip to their country so he could see that it’s not made up of run down factories and kids who kill for bubble gum. Tomáš Galbavý, a Slovak Member of Parliament, commented: “I am offended by this film. I think that all Slovaks should feel offended.”

Defending himself, Roth said that the film was not meant to be offensive, arguing that “Americans do not even know that this country exists. My film is not a geographical work but aims to show Americans’ ignorance of the world around them.” To many viewers,[who?] Hostel appears to be misplaced, both culturally and geographically; the Czech pop songs used in the film highlight this disconnect because they were hits in Czechoslovakia between 1982 and 1989 but the movie was set in 2005. Roth said he did this intentionally, meaning to show American stereotypes of Eastern Europe, while the Americans in the film are portrayed accurately. Roth has repeatedly argued that despite the many films in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, people still go to Texas.

Directed by Eli Roth
Produced by Eli Roth
Quentin Tarantino
Boaz Yakin
Written by Eli Roth
Starring Jay Hernandez
Derek Richardson
Eyþór Guðjónsson
Jennifer Lim
Music by Nathan Barr
Cinematography Milan Chadima
Editing by George Folsey, Jr.
Distributed by Screen Gems
Lions Gate Films
Release date(s) January 6, 2006
Running time 94 min.
Country United States
Language English
Czech
German
Icelandic
Japanese
Dutch
Russian
Slovak
Budget $4.8 million
Gross revenue $80,578,934
Followed by Hostel: Part II

Nach einem schönen Abend in München, dem kurzen Morgen darauf und der langen Reise danach bin ich gut in meinem Hostel aufgeschlagen. Gepäck ist alles ganz geblieben, was mich vor allem für mein Snowboard freut.
Bei der Einwanderungsbehörde hat es zwar etwas gedauert aber wer kann an einem Samstag Abend auch noch produktive Arbeit verlangen. Netto 11 Stunden Flug, 3 Stunden warten in London, 2 Stunden am Schalter, 30 Minuten Fahrt mit dem vollautomatisierten SkyTrain und 10 Minuten Fußweg in strömenden Regen habe ich gebraucht um dann mein wohlverdientes Bier in der berühmten Cambie Bar zu genießen, auch wenn Bier für deutsche Verhältnisse eine sehr anmaßende Bezeichnung ist. Anschließend war dann aber auch der Akku alle und ich habe mich in mein King Size Bett begeben.

Den heutigen Tag habe ich dann erstmal mit intensiver Nutzung des kostenlosen WLANs und der Erkunding Chinatowns verbracht. Essen ist wirklich preiswert dort, jedoch ist ein Vergleich manchmal schwierig, weil man nicht immer erkennt, was das für Lebensmittel sind.

Morgen steht dann ganz im Zeichen der Social Insurance Number, die ich brauche um hier Arbeit antreten zu können. Habe erfreulicherweise bereits gehört, dass es relativ unkompliziert und schnell gehen soll. Ich werde sehen und ihr sicher lesen…

Jeder kennt das, wenn man wild knutschende Pärchen sieht und bei sich denkt: Boah, die sollen sich ein Zimmer nehmen. Nun ja… gestern in Moncton nahm sich ein Pärchen ein Zimmer… einen 5er-Schlafraum in einen Hostel… und ich hatte das dritte Bett. Irgendwie ist den Beiden aber entgangen, dass ich auch da war. Nun trieb mich aber heute früh das Wissen, dass ich nur wenige Stunden in Moncton habe, aus dem Bett – zu einer Zeit, als der Rest des Hostels noch schlief. Als ich nach dem Frühstück ins Zimmer zurückkam, lief da schon ein nettes Vorspiel… und ich will gar nicht wissen, was da noch kam, während meine Kamera und ich zum extrafrühen Sightseeing unterwegs waren…

Edinburgh, the prestigious capital, full of history, culture and more expensive tourist tours than you can shake a haggis at. However, going to Scotland’s capital does not mean emptying your beloved childhood piggy bank your Aunty Mildred gave you. Edinburgh is a cool city. And it can be enjoyed on a budget.

First of all, accommodation. There are tons of backpacker hostels all over the city. A few of the best include Castle Rock Hostel, right under the famous Edinburgh Castle, good value, free Wi-Fi and cosy chilled out common rooms. Royal Mile Backpackers, location right in the thick of it, and great prices however it’s pretty small and could get cramped in the busy seasons. Also Budget Backpackers, extremely reasonable prices, clean and modern, but sometimes considered a party hostel. However, you can sleep for even cheaper. Crash on a locals couch via the specially made website couchsurfing.com. Like-minded people join up and offer their own couches, when they are not gallivanting off somewhere else, to other travellers in their own city. It is a great way to meet people and in a safe way. Couchsurfing.com has a clever wee rating and review system so you can see how many people a certain couch has hosted and if it was a good experience or, alternatively, if the couch was just too smelly. Remembering of course, that you will have to be very sensible with your decision and use your own discretion to decide if you and your couch, and the host, will get on.

Right, now you are based, you may need to sustain your well-travelled, wearisome bodies with some good, cheap grub. This next bit is mainly for our international backpackers who haven’t yet been familiarised with our nation’s supermarkets. A reasonably decent quality, fair-priced supermarket is essential and Asda is a very good candidate. You will have to get the 35 bus to the 24 hour Asda in Chesser, a 10 minute ride out of the centre of town. Here you will be faced with an airport sized super-market full of good deals and a huge range of choice. Oh and a MacDonalds if you so desire a questionable, limp burger and soggy fires. A bit closer to town is Farmfoods in Fountainbridge. A frozen food specialist who have exceedingly good pizzas for a pound (exceedingly good regarding the taste…we won’t go in to nutrients and calories here), however you can’t get any fresh produce in Farmfoods as it is all packed up in boxes and prepared to last you a nuclear holocaust. You will have to go in to either the big Asda or another super-market express shop such as Tesco or, stretching the purse strings, Sainsburys. For a very tasty sausage roll or another piece of puff pastry pleasure, go in to a Greggs. A brilliantly priced bakery selling warm pies to bulging sandwiches, all for a mere pound or two. Right nationals, back in! Time for some top quality local knowledge. If you are looking to eat out and remain in the black, I will suggest my own personal favourite Pub, The Chanter. Hearty pub meals from £1.99 and good beer on tap, this warm-atmosphere will make you feel all fuzzy with the great Scottish hospitality they offer, just off of Lothian Road. Jeri Reeves, a student in Edinburgh, loves it. “Aw yea its fab, we go there after most lectures for a drink and their amazing curly fries!” I also would suggest Frankenstein on George IV Bridge, a gothic themed restaurant serving a range of food all for a very reasonable price. Also, you can never beat, after a good night out, a drunken munch. There are numerous facilities to accomadate this need, a good one being Samsuns on Fountain Bridge – greasy pizza and greasier chips which never seem to taste better than in the early hours of the morning.

 Now with food in your belly, you are ready to really experience Edinburgh. If you are here from mid-August to early September, you are a very lucky bunny and about to fall completely, madly, in love with the city. For this is the time when the world comes to Edinburgh for the International Edinburgh Festival. The buzz of the city amplifies to a full-blown symphony of festivities, ranging from big-venue shows, talented street performers, comedy nights and some, pretty odd productions. Tom Irvine, a second year student living in Edinburgh (pictured above with guitar) was at the festival in 09. “There was a one-man-show production of Lord of the Rings, all three films fitted in to 60 minutes, by this one guy in a boiler suit, no props or anything, just this guy. It was weird.” Prices around the city are generally higher at this time, but there are many free shows you can go to and of course the street performers will keep strumming/dancing/juggling/eating swords until your heart’s content and just the overall atmosphere of the city will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy. If you’re not here in the festival period, no worries! Edinburgh always has heaps going on all year round. You will have to take at least a whole day just to walk around. The historic cobbled streets wind through the city, tall gothic churches stretch to the sky, and lots of cute wee shops can have you window shopping for hours. Then there’s the nightlife. All the clubs host different nights and have different, competitive prices. One of my favourites is Split at the Caberet Voltaire, or CabVol as us cool kids call it. It is free entry all night and, consequentially, full to the brim. Two rooms downstairs, each with their own music style and bar. Great sound systems, lights and smoke effects to set the scene for your new booty-shakin’, chicken bop dance move you’ve been dying to show off.

You could spend forever in Edinburgh and I could go on forever about Edinburgh but we all have places to see and lives to live, so I have compiled a top ten list of free things to do in Edinburgh. On a last note; just chill out, don’t stress about doing all the touristy tours you can fit in to a day and finding out about every historic detail of the city (although you can do that if you so desire – it’s very interesting!), just make sure to soak up the city vibe, both day and night-life, and enjoy, in my opinion, the most beautiful, vibrant and just plain cool, city in the world.

TOP TEN THINGS TO DO IN EDINBURGH FOR FREE:

1. Walk around, making sure to hit Princes St, Rose St, George St, The Royal Mile and The Grass Market
2. Have a picnic in the Meadows with a guitar playing friend
3. Read in Princes St gardens with the odd glance up at the beautiful castle directly in front
4. Visit the Museum of Edinburgh
5. Watch the massive tele in Festival Square which shows mainly news and sports but sometimes local short films
6. On a clear day, walk up Arthur’s Seat – the huge hill which dominates Edinburgh’s skyline
7. Keep an eye out for free comedy shows, often at The Stand in York Place
8. Free gigs also worth looking out for in pubs and venues such as Whistlebinkies on South Bridge
9. Watch the street performers who often entertain in the Princes St Gardens
10. Smile in the knowledge that you are in the COOLEST city on Earth

october 2 my flat mate, Dori and I set out at 4:30 am to go visit Dublin for the weekend.  Our flight wasn’t until 8 am, but it’s an hour trip to the airport then security..blah blah blah.  We arrived in Dublin at  9am, and randomly enough six girls we go to school with were there and staying at the same hostel.  The bus in Dublin took us from the airport and dropped us off in the center of the city.  The streets were mostly shops and just people, not a ton of traffic.  By 11 am we found a Burger King and couldn’t resist. 

I caught a cold that week, and Dori caught right up to me so our moods were not great and the fatigue was greater.

Dori and I crossed the bridge past the Heineken building and were relieved to find our hostel, Ashfield House was literally right there.  We went inside to find maps and offers on things to do while we were there, we only planned to go to the Guinness Factory and see what kind of tours they had to offer.

Dori found a map, it was in spanish, but it had all of the major landmarks around the city, so we used that.  We walked around the block from the hostel to find the Bank of Ireland, which was across the street from Trinity College.  The gates were open so we followed the crowd to wander the gorgeous cobble stone campus. 

After following the paths and finding a different exit out of the college  came upon the National Gallery of Ireland.  They had a Edward Munch exhibit-which I was thrilled about-and the museum itself had three floors of galleries -one floor held a real Picasso and a Monet

The Munch exhibit was one floor of 4 galleries.  It held at least a 50 of Munch’s original lithographs of sketches.  I saw an original Madonna of his and The Scream.

After taking in the gallery Dori and I continued our aimless walk and headed toward the Park to find the Oscar Wilde statue.

The statue was life size replica of Wilde on top of a huge boulder, almost as if he was lounging.  And across from him there was a small obolusk with some popular quotes of his.

That night we met a pub crawl tour in front of Trinity College.  3 pubs and a club with free shots and drink specials.  Dori and I were both first time travellers so we were very paranoid about leaving our bags at the hostel so we turned into “those girls” at the bars with our bags knocking into everyone.  By the time we reached the club we were spent and headed back to the hostel. 

Saturday started out very interesting.  Dori screwed up her booking in the hostel so we were in separate rooms and our phones didn’t work, so we’d set times that we would meet in the lobby.  I was on the 4th floor (all steps, no lifts) in a 6bed girls room.  By 5am I felt awful for hacking all night and didn’t want to wake up any of the strangers surrounding me so I got ready and headed down to the lobby where I knew a big comfy couch was awaiting. 

Dori and I weren’t set to meet until 10 am, so I was planning on curling up wrapped around my things and resting until she met me.  Around 7am an Irishman approached me and started talking gibberish to me.  First he asked where from America I was from (i guess americans stick out like a sore thumb) and asked how dracula was doing, (pennsylvania-transylvania, those irish think they are so funny) then remembered that pennsylvania really have all the amish people so he asked me about my farm.  then he asked my opinion on dublin and guinness, and what i was expecting “have you found any leprechauns and rainbows yet? I know that’s what you americans look for when you come here”

Dori showed up on time a couple hours later and we decided to walk to the Guiness Factory hopefully finding a gallery or two on the way.  Well we didn’t see any galleries, but there were churches everywhere.  Eventually we found the Guiness Heaven and took the tour of 7 floors and 3 tastings, ending on the very top of the factory in a circular room that was all windows and gave one of the greatest views of Dublin.  If anyone is ever going to be in Dublin I’d recommend the tour, it was self guided and they have loads of information from how they make the drink to advertising behind the drink throughout the years.  Good stuff.  (and the tastings along the way weren’t bad either)

We wandered back into the city and checked out some of the markets when we realized we needed to figure out how we were getting to the airport to catch our 6am flight the next morning.

Well after some panicking we found out we had to sleep over in the airport.  Not the ideal way to spend our last night in Dublin but I was sick and Dory was becoming ill, so we didn’t care.  We grabbed some dinner, medicine, and multiple packs of Halls cough drops and took the bus to the airport around 9pm.

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) – Police say a drunk driver has hit 10 parked cars in Sydney’s inner east, knocking one to its side on the footpath.

Police say the 30-year-old had nearly three times the legal blood alcohol limit when he wreaked havoc in his ute on Victoria Street at Potts Point at 3:50am (AEDT).

The Mona Vale man was arrested on the street and charged with negligent driving and drink-driving. His driver’s licence was suspended on the spot.

Joanne Pridham works at a backpacker’s hostel on the street and went to inspect the damage herself.

“I saw a backpackers’ station wagon with a lot of their belongings on the street and it was pretty obliterated,” she said.

“The back windows were out. The tyres were all flat. The bumpers were off. They’re going to come out and see their car and they’re not going to be amused.

“There are about three or four cars with their wing mirrors knocked off and damage to their tyres and bumpers.”

The man will face Sydney’s Central Local Court on November 5.

Police want owners of the cars to call Kings Cross Police on (02) 8356 0099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: 'Drunk driver' smashes into 10 cars

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) – Police say a drunk driver has hit 10 parked cars in Sydney’s inner east, knocking one to its side on the footpath.

Police say the 30-year-old had nearly three times the legal blood alcohol limit when he wreaked havoc in his ute on Victoria Street at Potts Point at 3:50am (AEDT).

The Mona Vale man was arrested on the street and charged with negligent driving and drink-driving. His driver’s licence was suspended on the spot.

Joanne Pridham works at a backpacker’s hostel on the street and went to inspect the damage herself.

“I saw a backpackers’ station wagon with a lot of their belongings on the street and it was pretty obliterated,” she said.

“The back windows were out. The tyres were all flat. The bumpers were off. They’re going to come out and see their car and they’re not going to be amused.

“There are about three or four cars with their wing mirrors knocked off and damage to their tyres and bumpers.”

The man will face Sydney’s Central Local Court on November 5.

Police want owners of the cars to call Kings Cross Police on (02) 8356 0099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: 'Drunk driver' smashes into 10 cars

I forgot what I did alr. haha but anyways:

17.11.09
PROMMMMMMM. I LOVVVED IT. great time. spent like 4hrs (maybe more?) to prepare, plus around 3 or 2 days to get all the make-ups, hair-dos, finding accessories to wear and everything. I even slept at like 2am just to prepare. wth. first time. I think it was then that my sleeping time became a chaos, and now I’m suffering from a chronic insomnia, I think

18.11.09
ULTIMATE CLEAN-UP DAY. spent like the whole day cleaning up the room and organising everything to put in the box and the giant bag to store at hostel. hated it, I couldn’t sleep well the previous night, cos roommate was going home in the morning and she was QUITE noisy so had to wake up. great time.

19.11.09
WENT OUT FROM THE HOSTEL, MOVED TO HOTEL! muahah. stayed at Grand Park City Hall, cool hotel. must be careful when leaving from and going back to the hotel, cos we only booked a room which is only for 2 ppl and there were 6 of us. but had great fun, played and ate and pooed and laughed like spoiled brats. hahahha. no lights-offs, NO CURFEWS!! and cable TV! watched starmovies, and there was a German channel! but it seemed that what they showed was only news. I want Tokio Hotel.

20.11.09
couldn’t sleep well the previous night. stayed up to like around 3am because of the cursed insomnia. when I was finally able to sleep I woke up at 1pm, shocked. hahah first time waking up so late. then we just played until around 5 maybe? then went to Paragon to return Melda’s modem and then to Vivo, had dinner at Modesto’s, Pati & Melda’s treat met Mr Ng. :p

21.11.09
definitely the worst night ever. couldn’t sleep at all. gave up trying, I woke up at 4am, then just talked until 6 I think, then at last able to sleep! when Melda left to airport (going to America) I didn’t wake up then had breakfast, then went up and sleep again. until 1.30pm, then woke up to pack stuff and clean up. then at 3 we checked out, return to hostel. there we played UNO (oh btw we played UNO at hotel and the losers had to play truth or dare) again and I played my beloved Heineken. then went to Orchard, ate at Din Tai Fung (Paragon) then took photos in front of Ion, the Christmas tree was so pretty. then went back to hostel, then went to Changi, and here I am now. it’s already 22 Nov.

22.11.09
HAPPY SWEET 16TH TO CELINE YAO WEN YI!!! hahah this is my third time saying happy birthday for her. I LOVE YOU CELINE YAO, YOU’RE SUCH A NICE AND COOL FRIEND, THE BEST!!! we have to keep in touch ok, love you much much much!

on a side note:
watched Super Einstein at hotel, Necha said: I’m gonna die if I have to accompany my child to watch that show.
I said: Then what will your child watch? Mine will watch … *thinking* TOKIO HOTEL TV, then I’ll tell my child: “see, that’s your daddy” XDDD

DRAMA at the Hostel

By Lillie
Catch more of her adventures at http://lmarshallworld.blogspot.com

The woman’s unconscious body dangled between the tiny Thai receptionists’ arms as they dragged her into the hostel lobby. What had happened??? We all rushed from the couches towards her sprawled form. Her dyed blond hair and white dress fluttered around the table where she lay. “Go back inside,” said the hostel receptionist with a polite but firm wave. Outside we could hear another rumble brewing.

An hour earlier, the receptionist had grabbed a green-shirted hostel guest as he staggered downstairs into the main lobby. “You bring a prostitute in here tonight,” she growled. “Against rules of the hostel. You both need to leave, NOW.”

Within ten minutes, a woman in a white flowered dress was hurtling down the stairs, screaming at the man in green: “You give me my cell phone charger before I leave! Upstairs! You get it for me!” Scuffles, shouts, a retrieved charger, and green and white flowers both lurched out the door, trying to keep their heads as high as possible in front of the thirty stares from the lobby restaurant. The man walked into the glass door so hard the “CONK” was heard across the street. He shook himself and kept walking out.

Some guests were giggling; some had their hands over their mouths in shock. Granted, this lovely hostel is only four blocks from Patpong Road, home of the infamous girlie bars and “ping pong” shows (“*pop *pop *pop” smack the hawkers’ lips to entice potential customers), but across every wall of the hostel, signs read: Paying Guests ONLY in Upstairs Rooms!

But now the woman was lying unconscious on the lobby table. We realized that, after leaving our lobby, she had been punched senseless by the man in green.

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered and she sprung to her feet. With purposeful strides she grabbed her purse, marched to the door and screamed toward the green shape by the curb: “Five hundred!” She raised her purse to hit him and suddenly he was hurling forward into the lobby, fists smashing forward towards the beautiful woman. “NO!” yelled the Thai staff running into the explosion.

My friend Adie and four other guests sprinted towards the lobby. “Adie!” I yelled, “You have two broken ribs already! Watch yourself!” A four foot tall Thai receptionist blocked the way. “Go to sleep. We call the police. We handle it.”

Sure enough, by then sirens were blaring.

Now, this morning, the hostel is clean, calm, and lovely as ever. The Superman staff are at their posts as if nothing occurred, and all around the glistening lobby lounge, the guests play board games and plan day trips around Bangkok. Drama will always happen (as we Boston Public teachers know so well), but poise and heart in the face of a storm is forever impressive. I’ve extended my stay four more nights.

(Note: All photos are detail from the Grand Palace, Bangkok. Larger photos from this AMAZING complex are in the next post.)

So the blog has been down again for the last few days because I’ve been in London again, but anyway I’m back but here’s what I got up to.

So first day I arrived we went to the UCAS fair, and I got to chat to people from the London College of Fashion and Central St.Martins and I have decided I definitely want to go to one of those Unis!

Then it was back to the Generator Hostel in Russel Square, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, The drinks were cheap there so I was up late getting drunk!

Anyway Next day (Slightly hungover) we went to see the Pop Art Exhbit in the Tate. Photography was banned otherwise I would have some awesome pictures to show you. But anyone who can should check out Pop Life at the Tate Modern if they get the chance.

Then on the tube to Old Street to see a Banksy and do some shopping!

So we found this Banksy piece on the wall, and I had a picture with it. I had to fight with that bloody bush though, who the fuck puts a bush in front of a Banksy!? And I know I look a mess, It was windy and I was soo tired!

Anyway there are some good vintage shops around the area so we went to check them out, the first we came accross and probably my fave was Paper Dress.

It was cute inside, it was like I was in the 1950’s even the lady behind the counter was dressed like she was from the 50’s and the best part was most definitely the Vintage cash register!

After theere we headed up to find Beyond Retro. Apparently its where the likes of Kate Moss, Beth Ditto and Noel Fielding like to shop. I remain un-impressed, there was a few nice things in there but everything smelt of old people, it just wasn’t for me, but if you are into second hand shopping it is definitely one of the best places to visit.

Then it was off to Oxford street and probably my favorite shop ever…Digitaria!

The other side of the window display is currently by Gemma Slack but the photos didn’t take properly. I went in again but had no money to buy anything I just love to look at the clothes in there, and oggle at the Katie Eary shoes I craaavvee!! Unfortunatly there is no Gallery downstairs at the moment.

Anyways further Down oxford street I finally got to check out the Jimmy Choo for H&M, I only Had time to look at the menswear though because I was the only one in the group interested in seeing it. But here’s some blurry pics I managed to snap including a picture of the boots I almost bought but they didn’t have them in my size

After that it was back to the Generator and another slightly drunk night, which is why there are no pictures from yesterday, because I was dying and ate dodgy Thai food. FYI if you’re ever around Tottenham Court Road and you see a place called Joi Buffet, DO NOT go inside, it tastes like vomit!

I’m going to do a best of the decade in late December, along with my best and worst of the year. However, as I’ve been useless recently, and Xi and Wolf have got their lists started I thought I’d chip in with my bottom of the decade list.  Which I feel I can do because I don’t think I’ll see anything worse than this lot before the year end.

This isn’t actually as easy as it sounds. Honestly. I had to narrow down a longlist from about 1000 pieces of absolute garbage. To be absolutely fair, I’m going to define the rules first:

1) These are all films without a single redeeming feature

2)These must be films that aren’t just bad but offensively awful and manage to piss me off in some way.

3)No more than one Superhero film can make it- I could quite easily have filled the list with about 10.

4)Only 1 of original and sequels can make it.

5No Platinum Dunes remakes. I could have filled the list with them

Anyhow, criteria defined- here we go. In reverse order:

Dishonourable Mentions:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, The Terminal, Van Helsing, Cabin Fever, Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader, Countless Superhero movies, Watchmen, Transformers, Matrix Sequels, Twilight, Scary Movie 2, Get Over It, The Sweetest Thing, The Last Kiss, Hannibal Rising, The Da Vinci Code, Poseiden, Oceans 12, Rob Schneider’s canon, The Cat in The Hat, Kill Bill 2, The Pirates of The Caribbean Sequels, Shrek 2 and 3, Swordfish,  The Heartbreak Kid, Battlefield Earth, anything with Eddie Murphy/ Martin Lawrence  in a fat suit.

*edit*

Since I wrote this I’ve been reminded of these other stinkers, that are actually worse than DM, but not quite bad enough to make it into the top 10:

Atrocious, but not quite top 10 level

13)9 Songs

Utter shit. Basically, just a slightly more explicit porno than Lust Caution. The reason it loses out to Ang Lee’s magnum snoozefest is that the chick in it shaves her armpits. Mediocre music combined with characters that aren’t so much ciphers as vacuums and the most explicit sex outside of hardcore porn.

To be honest, you’re better off putting on some music you actually like then watching hard core with the sound off.

12) Diary of the Dead

Romero proves Renton right once and for all: “You get old, you cannae hack it any more then you die”. All that’s left is for him to die.

Utterly dreadful, the central character is a complete cunt and he’s not alone. Romero needs to retire. However, like Xi, I’ve got battered wife syndrome with it, and will no doubt watch his next film.

11)Inland Empire

Unwatchable. Like putting your brain in a blender. As much fun as having your nipples electrocuted while some cunt asks for help with The Times crossword. By the end of this pretentious garbage you will be bleeding from the ears and your frontal lobe may have killed itself to relieve the pain.

The 10 Biggest Bags of Shit in the Last 10 Years

1o: Death Proof

Catastrophically dreadful. Completely boring. Totally useless. What the fuck was Tarantino thinking? This was billed as some kind of 70’s Grindhouse experience. It isn’t. What it is is hours and hours of boring self-indulgent women talking Tarantino (proving once again that he can’t write for women) before a ham fisted car chase. However, what makes this film a platinum stinker is that the climax of the film involves Kurt Russel crying.

Go and fuck yourself Quentin, you cunt. This is our Kurt, this is Snake Plissken, Macready, Jack Burton and you’ve made him cry. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your arsehole.

Absolutely unforgivable.

9: Lust Caution

The film that finally confirmed to me that I just don’t like Ang Lee films. A UK critic coined the term “Boredom Porn” to describe it and he’s completely right. It redefines dull for an hour, then there’s some nasty sex between two unlikable twats for an hour. Then it ends.

Dreadful. If you want to watch two people fucking, watch porn. Strictly for people too embarrassed to purchase dirty films. Or for dwarves to small to reach the shelf with real porn on it.

8: 2 Days in Paris

Before Sunrise was wonderful. Before Sunset was even better. This is, however, atrocious. Someone told Julie Delpy that she had some talent for writing, so she rips off those 2 films wholesale. Except for one thing, one tiny, important detail: the characters in those 2 films weren’t complete and utter cunts. Boring exposition following 2 self-indulgent twats around Paris. Julie Delpy’s character in particular is such an obnoxious bitch that I’m amazed he didn’t dump her yonks before the break up at the end.

Seriously, she shows naked pictures of him to her parents. And expects him not to be upset. And as if that wasn’t insulting enough- it turns out this is a picture she takes of all her boyfriends. Cow.

Oh, and there are far too many gratuitous cock shots of Goldberg.

7: Hostel

A plague on torture porn. This is, in my opinion, the absolute worst of a genre that frequently rips up the bottom of the barrel and then burrows towards the Earth’s core. The whole plot is simple: unlikable assholes get tortured to death in Europe. It fails for several reasons but most importantly, that you just don’t care about the people getting tortured. Diabolically bad, relentlessly dull and proof positive that that terminally useless cunt Eli Roth couldn’t direct piss into a urinal without help.

6: Funny Games

Personally, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being told I’m a complete cunt for watching a film by the fucking director of said film. Boring rubbish with delusions of grandeur and a completely pointless remake to boot.

Did I mention that it’s the only film I’ve ever seen to tell me I’m a cunt during the film?

5: Attack of the Clones

There’s been so much written on the Star Wars prequels in general (fuck you Lucas you soulless cunt), and yes, it is true that they do suck and probably did interfere with everyone’s favourite childhood memories. This one however, manages to comfortably be the worst of the 3. There are so many different reasons that this film makes this list, but I’ve included it because it’s the only film that I have ever successfully got my money back from the cinema for. That’s how bad it is- I managed to get Camden Town Odeon to refund me after the film.

And no, the last half an hour of it is not good- unless Yoda bouncing around like a demented ping-pong ball floats your boat.

4: Shrooms

I ACTUALLY OWN THIS PIECE OF SHIT AND CAN’T BRING MYSELF TO THROW IT OUT.

I admit it. I fell for the tag line. I’m a complete and utter cunt.

Dismal, predictable, ridiculous, boring, stupid, annoying, badly written, worse direction and just not scary. For some inexplicable reason they do a “hallucinogen cam” that just induced a migraine in me. If you can’t work out who the killer is within three seconds of turning it on then you should be banned from watching horror films.

Luckily, I saw this after OUTLANDER (motherfuckers), because if I hadn’t then the presence of Jack Huston in Outlander may have stopped me from seeing it. And that would have been tragic.

And now for the top 3 hall of shame:

3: Spider-Man 3

The presence of this film here in absolutely no way validates Superman Returns.

Ouch. This is the 21st Century equivalent of Batman and Robin. To be absolutely honest, it was a toss-up between this and Superman Returns for this spot, but this gets the honour for the following reasons:

1)Dunst sings. Twice

2)Tobey Maguire struts his funky stuff.

3)Tobey Maguire dances.

4)Sandman kills Uncle Ben (nb- I usually don’t give a fuck about abusing funny-book canon, but this was daft)

5)Plotholes you could park the QE2 in.

6)Sympathetic villain that wasn’t sympathetic.

7)Far too much crying.

8)Incomprehensible final fight scene with annoying cut away to reporter telling us what’s going on, as clearly we don’t want to see it in a film called Spider-Man 3. No, we came for the song and dance numbers.

9)For some inexplicable reason Spidey fights a Power Ranger.

10)Butler with the power of Wikipedia who only exists to explain the whole plot to Harry.

I could go on and on with this, but you get the idea. Raimi just clearly didn’t give a toss, and I suspect that it was that massive cunt Arad’s fault for shoe-horning Venom in.

Spider-man 3 is just a shit film, and very, very nearly a franchise killer.

2: Sex and the City

This is actually a contender for number one. Not just a bad film but a truly dreadful effort that reeks of cash in. Who in their right mind wants to follow 4 horrid self-indulgent cows in their various and terminally boring adventures.  Not to mention the fact that the damned thing is over 150 minutes. This film is nothing short of offensive- every male character, bar one that gets appallingly treated by slut in chief, is a complete cunt and don’t get me started on the women.

Bear in mind that nothing of any interest to man or beast happens in that time.

Mrs. Jarv, in a moment of weakness that got her Lovefilm privileges removed for 6 months rented this. Even she admitted it was shit.

1: Alien v Predator: Requiem

Fuck me. Where to begin?

How about this- setting it on Earth in the present day. Or what about the fact that some cunt forgot to turn the lights on when they were shooting? There isn’t a redeeming feature to this fetid pile of garbage.

However, the real reason it’s number 1 in the Hall of Infamy is: The Predalien

Who in their right mind thought this piece of depressing fanboy wankery was a good idea? Who? Tell me, and I’ll feed them their own entrails.

A bad idea, poorly executed and even were the rest of the film as good as Alien (which it isn’t) then this would still be enough to make it the worst film of the last ten years.

However, when you add this little touch to the aforementioned poor effort, then you get what I think is the worst film for the last 20 years.

Alien v Predator: Requiem is a film so bad that it makes Uwe Boll look like Stanley Kubrick.

If anyone wants to give me more suggestions, then I’ll gladly expand this- it’s fun to do and I can summon up some real hatred for a lot of these films.

Cheers

Jarv

]]> http://jbonthemove.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/hunter-valley-wine/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:54:32 +0000 jbonthemove http://jbonthemove.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/hunter-valley-wine/

Still not sure if I’m on the permanent outs with Claire. For now though, I’m on my own.

In Sydney, you can rent a car for about $35 a day (AU). They allowed me to use my US driver’s license, but cautioned me about driving on the left (I told them I’d done so in England -fib) and the non-posted speed limits in built-up areas. You have to keep it under 50kph if there are streetlights and stuff.

From Sydney, it’s about a two hour drive to Hunter Valley, the ‘wine country’. This time of year the vines are greening up nicely, but the wine you get is all last year’s, which is fine by me. I found a nice Hostel to stay in — well, nice isn’t quite the word. It’s clean and fairly cheap ($30 AU/night with a meal) and because of this, I’m probably the oldest person staying here at 31. Without Claire around, I’m free to mingle. Having a car with me gave me the advantage in mobility, so I volunteered whenever asked to haul ‘kids’ around. OK, they aren’t really kids at early to mid-20s, but to them I seem much older and a world-traveling man of means. So, there have been a couple of runs to McDonalds and to buy liquor.

There are several wineries in the area, most have tours, but some require bookings in advance. I was more interested in the walk-in stuff. My favorite so far is Ivanhoe. They have a neat deal where you can buy wine and get a custom stencil on the bottle. So I got a few to send back to the States and to Molly’s B&B in England.

From their website: http://www.ivanhoewines.com.au/

I learned a little slang from the other hostel people: A ’seppo’ is a term for Americans. Apparently, it’s a corruption of “Septic” which is British slang. The British version comes from cockney rhyming slang for a Yank. A ‘Septic Tank’ (rhymes with Yank) becomes a Septic. Anyhow, it might be insulting, but to be honest, it just seems cute. We Americans are pretty immune to insult. After all, we insult each other on a regular basis…

After talking to a few of the backpackers, I’ve decide to take the car cross country. I’m not sure yet if I’ll join up with any of them yet. It might come down to a gas money deal. It would be nice to have company if I try the drive to Melbourne though.

One thing strange to me here in Oz is how white it is. Not that the population is all that Caucasian, but the places I tend to go — city, university, tourist places — seem to be almost racially segregated. As far as I know, Aussies aren’t prejudiced, at least not like you sometimes find in the US, but, besides my little jaunt into the outback to meet the aboriginal pot growers, the entire country seems really pale. Even more so than England. In England, there were quite a few East Indians and others in the mix. I’m going to assume it’s just an artifact of where I’ve been so far.

Oops! Hostel Paris

50 Avenue des Gobelins – 75013 Paris Tél +33 (01) 47 07 47 00 Fax +33 (01) 43 31 17 74 bonjour@oops-paris.com

Oops! Hostel, opened in September 2007, has already become a Paris favourite with the discerning traveler. The mixture of modern comfort and bold design strokes has given Paris its first contemporary hostel.

Its fresh and innovative look is the creation of interior architect Philippe Maidenberg, and the hotel is also proud to have collaborated with the graphic decorator Daniela Millas.
Oops! Hostel has also featured in the January 2008 issue of the prestigious Japanese design magazine ‘Real Design’.

www.oops-paris.com

A Go Girl’s Guide to Hosteling Europe

By Megan

Who to Expect:

When hosteling (the act of choosing to stay in hostels) in Europe, one might expect to meet a selection of the following characters:

• The guy that’s been solo packbacking for 5 months
• The chick in work boots ready to pierce your ear and kickass
• A father with his kids on holiday
• A Cali-girl ready romance novels on her bunk

Many have been traveling for months, or are just on a weekend vacation.  All of them have a story to tell and a secret of the city that you might miss without their help.  Because of tips (good and umm, interesting) from new friends in hostels, I have experienced cities in totally interesting ways.

You shouldn't expect to find many hosteling hippos...

How to find the style of hostel that suits you:

There are several types of hostel ready to serve each traveler and her every whim:

• The Party Hostel- bar in the basement, beer chugging contests abound; not the best place to stay if you want to sleep, but fun for some
• Granola Hostel- sometimes difficult to find, they make their own granola ie. best breakfast ever, might have a composting potty, and are generally green folk friendly
• Multi-generational hostel- you might hear a baby crying in the room over, or meet a grandmother on holiday with her daughters; these hostels are often older establishments with little frills, but they sure do the job
• Really cheap and super basic- don’t expect a towel, breakfast or a locker; but they might offer 24-hour check in or a great location in the center of the city

You might even meet this kid (In the Ossuary of Kutná Hora)

Things one needs to know:

1. How to get there?
2. How accessible is local the transportation?
3. Do they supply sheets for the bunk (also, expect a bunk bed unless you specify otherwise and there are other accommodations available)
4. Is there a curfew?  Most hostels do not have a curfew, but it is important to check the rules so you don’t get locked out on your way from the airport/club/or getting lost.
5. Is breakfast included?
6. Are there lockers with lock supplied?

Bring with you:

• Soap and a towel
• Snacks in case the breakfast is not so yummy
• Padlock/other security for your belongings
• Journal to write about the interesting roomies
• Ipod or ear plugs- there is always, 100% of the time a snorer, night terror sufferer, or the general squeaky bunk to keep you from your much deserved rest
• Eye mask if you are light sensitive
• Sense of humor- essential to maintaining patience
• Sense of awareness- it may be easy to feel comfortable, but one should always be on her guard to protect herself and her belongings

Our hostel in Vienna... okay, maybe not.

My top three favorites:

• Berlin- Jetpak Eco Lodge- So it might be a bit out of the way, but the scenic walk through the Grunewald Forest, relaxed eco-friendly environment, and big (clean) dorm rooms were such a welcome surprise.  A flashlight might be helpful on the walk through the forest if you get there in the dark.
• Prague- Sir Toby’s- I don’t know if it was the delicious breakfast, wonderfully interesting fellow travelers, or availability of spaces ready to fit everyone’s needs (ie. a bar, kitchen, game room, computers, bbq space, etc.), but it was surely one of the most fun spaces I stayed in.  Definitely for the hostel-er who is looking for that ‘true’, student experience
• NYC- ZIP112- Female only, wonderfully accommodating host, back to the basics hostel.  It was simple, super clean, quiet, safe, and tiny- only ten beds.  Located in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood and ready for female travelers just looking for the basics.