Travel Bug

So i am really excited, i bought a last minute ticket to melbourne for 4 days to visit my old roommate elena, from england! she decided to pick up and move there for about a month, so im going to see her while i can :) and then when i fly back to sydney on saturday, i just fly right back out to FIJI! not even going to leave the airport inbetween. i love being able to just pick up and do this.

Someone asked me last night where else i have been since i arrived in australia. and all i could say was blue mountains (a nearby area). I feel like ive seen so much though, but really all i've been in was sydney area. I guess uprooting and being in a new place still makes me feel like its new even after two months. Everytime i work, someone says "oh dont go to those beaches, theyre touristy, you have to check out this one.." or "oh you have to see this place, or go to this neighborhood". so much of this city. its so big! And when you're on foot its seems even BIGGER

I have learned 2 things from working in sydney. 1. i really like this fruit called lychee (sp?) They are almost like pears i think. I dont really know what to compare it to. but those pink things around the bowl are the shells. ive never seen anything like it before

and also, i love how involved they are in supporting the research for breast cancer. I know that its breast cancer awareness month, but ive never seen anything like this. There is a HUGE pink ribbon on the side of a skyscraper in the harbor. Its required as part of our uniform at work to wear a breast cancer bracelet to support the cause. And also, we serve a dessert and cocktail called "pink passion" and every time they are ordered, $2 of it goes to the sydney breast cancer foundation. I think that is seriously so cool.

I am really excited that im getting the ball rolling on all of my travel plans. A few days ago i bought a new zealand tour bus pass (sounds lame but its not!). It is hop on hop off, and a whole bunch of activities are included and the one i got tours around the north and south island :) one of the activities is even llama rides?? we'll see how graceful that one goes.

And hopefully i get to travel with clarice! she is a friend from Tech who is planning on coming out here at the end up march. my ticket back is for april 8th...but im thinking i might just have to extend it. The way my visa works out here, is its 12 months, but you can only work at one employer for 6 months. So i started sept 11 at jordon's seafood, so March 11 is the latest i can work there. I'm thinking im going to do my new zealand trip around then, and then backpack throughout southeast asia for a month and 1/2 or 2! Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam and anywhere else i find along the way. So i may be pushing it back until June. Which is a little weird to think about for weather... i came here when it was going into spring (but fall for home) and when i come back it will be going into summer in texas! So i will not experience winter or cold really from this past winter until November 2010!

Anyways, missing everyone and im excited some of you guys are coming to visit!!! sending my love to tejas :)