My adventure has finally come to an end. As of 9:30am this morning on Nov 30th I am offically back in America.

Memories that will never be forgotten.

Fiji is paradise. There are just a bunch of little, medium, and big islands with white beaches and warm clear water. The first too nights we were at the very top ones. I spent a lot of time in a hammock under some palm trees. We played beach volleyball with some local workers and went swimming a lot. On the final night we partied hard at the bar and met a lot of other travelers.

The second island we went too I got sick so I couldn't enjoy my stay. Although they did have a swimming pool. My bags were left on the boat that took us everywhere so I had to wear the same clothes for 2 days. Finally I got my bags back when I boarded the boat to go to the third island.

The third island was about the size of a standard street block. We only spent one night there but it was fine. They had hermit crab races. Then I took a flight back to Sydney.

Now I am back in 2 Kurrawa where I once began my adventure and tomorrow I'll be heading back to Cali.

So Auckland was a bust. Not a very good night life and not much to do during the day. It is like any other city. On the final night we did a pub crawl. It was the best nightlife we had experienced for the last 3 days but still wasn't anything special. Although while we were there New Zealand's rugby team won the Rugby League World Cup for the first time ever, so that was pretty crazy.

My wishes go out to Mark and the Davidson family.

Black Water Rafting was crazy! First we repelled down into the cave, then ziplined in pitch black to even deeper down the cave. We jumped off a cliff with our rafts into the black water down below. We floated down the river in the cave in pitch black. The only light was from the glow worms above. After the raft we took a 2 hour hike through the water and deep into the caves. We had to squeeze through tight places and swim at a couple points. Then we had to climb through 3 water falls to get out of the cave. It was a great, but cold experience.

We arrived in Auckland yesterday. It is a nice city but not much to do exspecially when your on a budget. Our hostel is ridiculous though. It is the biggest hostel I have ever been in. It is 10 stories, 2 bars, a full lounge and computer room. There are tons of peopel staying here and it is central to everything in Auckland.

Today we took a bus out to the famous Lion Breweries only to find out that they don't give tours anymore. So we went back to the city and walked around. We took another bust to Mt. Eden an inactive volcano that overlooks the entire city. Great views. It was funny because grass has covered everything and cows are everywhere. It is an interesting contrast of cows and volcano.

We had mexican food for dinner tonight, and now we are gunna hit the bars.

We sailed the bay of Islands. It was exactly like a dream i had. A blue bay with little green islands everywhere. It was arelaxing sailing adventure. We stopped on one of the Islands and hiked up a hill to get a good view of the bay. There were also dolphins swimming along side the boat.

We met my friends/housemate Allison there (she was on a contiki tour). We had dinner and good conversation and said our goodbyes. One by one I have to say my goodbyes to people. Luckly I did the bulk of it when I left the house. But I am seeing off my travel mates every week.

Today we arrived in the Waitomo Caves. This is town of nothing. Just green grass hills and fresh air. Tomorrow is our Black Water Rafting adventure. Then Im off to Auckland.

I am out of Thailand and into New Zealand now. Even though it is summer this country is cold. I am at a little village called Pahia in the Bay of islands. Tomorrow we are going on a swim with dolphin/boat cruise for the whole day. Just from looking out into the water from shore I can see how amazing it is.

Full Moon Party was exactly what I had imagined. One crazy night. I am in Phuket now. It is just like Miami except nicer beaches and way cheaper.

I forgot to mention I already saw the new James Bond in Bangkok before any of you suckers.

After my short stint in Bali I arrived in Thailand ont he 8th. Thai Air is a great airline, probably one of the best I have flown. Bangkok was crazy, much bigger then I had thought. I met up with Eric there and we stayed at a really nice hotel on the water for 3 nights. I met up with my cousin Skylar who lives there now and he showed us around a little. The temple is something to see. Very Asian style roofs and archtecture. Gold and colors everywhere. I saw the famous reclining, sitting, and standing Budda.

Got to keep reminding myslelf not to drink the water. You have to buy bottled water all the time. It is ok because it comes out to about 25-50 cents depending on the size. All the taxi drivers and shops try to rip people off. I have become a very good bargainer.

I bought a custom made designer suit. It would probably cost about $900 in the states, but it was only $205 here and I got a custom shirt and silk tie with it. Now I have a suit for whatever reason.

I have never been to a place where so little people speak English. It is very ahrd to communicate but Im managing. Maybe they are just pretending not to speak so they can rip you off, who knows?

The main backpackers road is Koh San road, about a 10 min walk from the hotel. It is extremly lively and filled with bars, music, shops, and backpackers. Then there are also the hookers, lady boys, and the homeless. Bangkok is a very hecktic jungle of a city.

Yesterday we left bangkok and flew into Koh Samui island and took a boat to Koh Phangan. The boat ride was the most trecherous I ahev ever been on. It was so rocky that I almost fell off twice. Lots of people got sick. We arrived on this beachy jungle island and got to our"4 star hotel". More like a 1 1/2 star. The worst hotel I ahev ever been in, but it will do.

Today we rented motercycles and drove around the Island a little and through the jungle. Tonight is the Full Moon Party and I am ready to party. It goes from sun down to sunrise and more. They say it doesnt kick off until 5am. They sell bucket mixed drinks here with about 6 shots in each for about $5. I visited the beach last night and it was a min party. So tonight is gonig to be a huge party/ beach rave. They are having fire spinners and painting booths., and about 50 bars along the beach.

I arrived in Bali last night and will be heading to Bangkok later today. It is the most strange cultural experience i have ever had. i have never been to a 3rd world country before, let alone one that doesn't speak alot of English. It is extremely hot over here because they are so close to the equator. Right now it is 90 but with humidity it feels like 104 according to weather.com. Everyone is really nice and tries to be helpful. But mostly because they want money.

I am staying at an actual hotel, with very nice Indonesian decor, much nicer than I thought because I booked it on Hostel World. It is near the airport so I don't have to travel too far. Everything is as cheap as people think. Today I got a tuna sandwich w/fries and a chocolate milk shake for lunch, for only $4.30 US.

Ill be leaving soon for Thailand. Ill update when I'm there.

I am finally leaving Australia today. Melbourne has been a great truip. It is a small city so you can see everything within 3 days. It is a lot like SF but smaller and cleaner. It is really artsy and laid back. I would definatly come back some day.

I leave for the airport in 2 hours to catch my flight to Bali. It is kind of scary because the Indonesian government is going to execute the 2005 Bali bombers some time within the next few days. Their terrorist organization has vowed revenge when the execution happens. Just today I read a headline that they have completed their health check and are ready for execution whenever the gov is ready. Good thing I am only spending 1 night there and I plan on laying low key.

VOTE!

Halloween was amazing. Probably the best Halloween of my life. There was a Sydney Harbour cruise arranged for all the study abroad kids. Not just from my uni, but from the other 2 Sydney unis also. It took us past the bridge and the opera house and all around the harbour. There was an open abr all night. Everyone dressed up in costumes and went crazy. After the cruise was over Cargo bar had a costume party for us. I was Super-Jew, which was a big hit with alot of people, because random people kept taking pictures of me.

I left Sydney today to start my travels. I said all my good byes to my house this morning, some cried. I will see them again someday. We were already talking about our reunions in the years to come. I am currenty in Melbourne on an extremly shitty old computer. Ill be here until I go to Bali on the 7th.

It is done. Thurs was my last day of school. All I have is one more paper that is due Nov 3 and I completely done. The internet in my house has cut out so I have to go to an internet cafe. The weather is warm, the beach is waiting. 

I think the fact that everyone's adventures in Australia is winding done is really taking a toll now. We threw a huge party last night and it was a great bonding experience. All of us know that we have made amazing friends from all over the United States, but its a smack in the face when you realize you may never see some of them again. Of course in the moment you can say you will visit each other and everyone will see each other again, but in reality who knows what will happen in life. When you go from seeing someone everyday to being across the country from them it becomes more and more difficult to keep in touch. 

The first person from our house, Max, leaves on tues to go to New Zealand and then home. Once he is gone I think everyone will stop ignoring the fact that people are leaving and start coming to terms. I think I am the second person to leave the house, on Nov 4th, and then many more follow after that. Next week starts our last full week together as a house. It is sad to think about it, I feel like I have been brushing it off this entire time. With nothing to distract me anymore it is time to face it. 

C'est La Vie.

Get Jealous!

Im back now! I'll give you the low down on the rest of my trip... My third full day in Queenstown was uneventful. I had full intentions to go skydiving but weather did not permit. So I just sat around and waited until the night fell. We Ice Bar for drinks. The Ice Bar is a bar made completely of ice. Even the drink classes are ice. There are ice sculptures everywhere. They give you a warm jacket and gloves before you go in. The temperature was -8 degrees Celsius.

After the ice bar we went to another bar that specialized in flaming shots. These were not normal flaming shots though.  They were a show and an explosion. Almost burning peoples eyebrows off. It was a crazy night of dancing on the bar and body shots.

The next day we went to Milford Sound. It is basically an Island full of trees and waterfalls coming down on every side. Hundreds of giant water falls pour into the sound below. It was formed by melting glaciers. It is on every list of something you should see before you die. We took a 3 hour boat cruise around the island.  The weather was pretty crappy so it was kinda boring but still beautiful at some parts.

The following day we went to the glow worm caves. Really boring. They take you through pitch black caves in a little boat and above you can see tiny little lights from the glow worms. 

From the caves we drove to Dunedin, the university college town. We went out and partied all night. 

The next day we drove back to Christchurch and said our goodbyes and went on a mini pub crawl. 

Now I am back in my house on the beach, ready for some hot weather.

Today was my second full day in Queenstown, NZ. I went bungy jumping off of the 3rd biggest bungy in the world, 440ft. It was the craziest and most extreme thing I have ever done. It was a huge rush and I would do it again in a heart beat. I bought the DVD and I had someone use my own camera to record my jump, so I am going to edit all the footage together and everyone can see.

After the bungy we took a gondola up into the mountian tops. There we could see the whole view of Queenstown and the mountains and lakes. They had a street louge and everyone got 5 free rides on the course. As juvinile as it sounds it was a lot of fun. It began to snow so the last couple races i had was with snow pounding down.

We then went to the sky swing whih is a giant swing that drops you and swings you in the air dangling hundreds of feet up above the trees. It was great, but a scary drop. Not as bad as the the bungy but equaly as fun.

Tonight our guide is taking everyone out for dinner and after a day like today it is time to get drunk.

NEW ZEALAND!!!!! I have arrived. Actual I arrived on the 25th, but this is the firs time I have internet access. I arrived really late at night in Christchurch on the 25th on a plane that was full of people going on the trip. I knew most of them already because they live in Coogee and go to UNSW also. 6 of us all live in Kurrawa together. We found a super shuttle that took us right to out hostel and it only cost us 7 NZ dollars. We all went to bed. The next morning the bus took picked us up and we met our guide Pat and the rest of the people on the tour. I already know half of them. The bus is like a party bus driving through NZ. If you look out the window all you see is mountians with snow capped tops and green grass and trees, and sheep, lots of sheep. There are 4 mil people who live in NZ and 40 mil sheep to put it in perspective.

The scenery is beautiful, I could argue that this is the most beautiful country I have ever been to. All the colors stand out. The lakes are blue, the grass is green, and the mountains are massive. We arrived in Fox Glacier where we would sleep for the night. We drank that night and went out to the only bar in town.

The next day we went glacier hiking. It was pouring rain and freezing weather, but an amazing experiance. Wer were given full hiking outfits and boots and spikes for our shoes. We hiked through a rain forest and up a mountain of trees to get to the glacier. Walking through the glacier was an experiance like none other. I felt like I was shrunk down and walking through a giant ice cube. We walked through ravines of ice with ice walls over 15 feet tall. The entire glacier goes down for about 200 meters.

The next day we drove to Queenstown, stoping for photos of lakes and moutnains. There is no such thing as abad view in NZ. We arrived in Queenstown which is the adventure capitol of the world. Started it off with a pub crawl.

That brings us to today. Today was our first adrenaline day. We began with a high speed boat ride through mountian ravines. The boat hit 60mph and missed the walls by only a couple feet. When in open waters open waters our driver did 360s.

Immediatly following the boat we went and got into wet suits and jackets and boarded a helicopter. We got a helicopter ride over the mountain tops and over the river. We were dropped off on a bank with white water rafts waiting for us.

We broke up into groups and white water rafted down the river. We hit class 4 and 5 rapids (6 is the highest) throwing lots of people off the raft. Everyone survived.

So that is the first part of my Extreme NZ Spring Break. Tonight is Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) and my friend Doug is going to lead some prayers tonight for the Jews on the trip, there are many of them.

Last week I went to the opera house for the first time. It is a great piece of architecture. It was beautiful from the outside. I went back at night a few days later and saw it when it was all lit up. That area near the opera house and the harbor are surely a sight to see. I saw the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House. They played popular scores from movies. A perfect thing to see for me. It was great. 

The weather has been unbelievable here. This weekend it was in the 80s every day and I'v been on the beach. The beach was packed, it was hard to find a spot.

These past few weeks have been horrendous. I have had work all the way up my ass. Paper after paper after presentation due. Now I just have one little paper due thurs and Im off to New Zealand for Spring Break. It will be good to have a break from school, especially one with lots of new activities to do. Im not sure of the exact itinerary but I know some of the activities that are included are glacier hiking, helicopter ride, speed boat ride, white water rafting, street luging, and even a sheep sheering demonstration.

I booked all the flights for my "world trip" today. So here is my itinerary:

Nov 4-8 Bali, Indonesia 

Nov 8-16 Thailand  (Bangkok, Ko Phagan, Phuket)

Nov 17-23 New Zealand (North Island)

Nov 23-29 Fiji

Then I head back to San Fran on Nov 30th.

I have arranged the Contiki Resort for Bali, which is 4 star all inclusive. Ill be attending the Full Moon Festival in Thailand. In New Zealand I will be spending time at the Bay of Islands and the Waitomo Caves. And in Fiji I will be on a tour that takes you to 3 different Islands. 

The best part is I got good deals for everything because I am a student.

Im ready for the world.

This weekend I went on a surf trip. A few of us went with Mojo surf camp. They drove us 6 hours north to Crescent Head. We stayed at their camp, which was on the beach, and surfed all day sat. They also cooked for us, so that was a relief. Finally I got some good meals. At night we had bonfires.

Surfing is fun, but aggravating. You have to get the timing just right. It was a lot of fun though and a good break from Coogee and school.

My 21st birthday. Here is how it went...

We had about 30 people, most of them already lived with me. We all pre-drank and my house and played some mixed drink pong. Then we took over the bus and headed to the city. I feel bad for the 4 Aussies on the bus, because there were 30 loud Americans running around and taking pictures and such. 

We went the an area of the city called Kings Cross, this spot has a hot nightlife, but it is also where all the strip clubs and prostitutes are so it was kinda seedy. (No, I did not get a hooker or go to a strip club). We started our pub crawl at a lounge called SoHo. For all those people who know NYC, it was pretty much a wanna be NYC lounge bar. It was great and since it was a Monday night there was no one in there except for my group. 

Next we headed to Iquana Bar, which was a hidden bar down a random street, but it was small and intimate with pictures of celebrities all over the walls. After that we went to Bourbon, which was one of my favorites because it was upstairs and had a big balcony that had a good view. It was $8 cocktails until midnight, so the party began to take off. The featured cocktail of the night was Alaskan Thunder Fuck.

A few girls I live with joined us at this bar and then told me to head down the street to another bar called Empire. Those girls work at a bar called the Palace right by our house and their boss told them to go there. So we went and because of their boss we got a $100 bar credit. I'll leave what we drank to the imagination of my readers, partly because I don't remember.

Finally we hit up my favorite bar/lounge called World Bar.  They have tea-pots full of special mixed drinks. There I met an Australian Guy who was having his 30th birthday. He was so drunk that he bought me 15 tequila shots. Since there is no way I could take them all I called over some people and everyone who stayed with me through all 5 bars got their free shot.

Overall it was a great night. I know everyone had a lot of fun including me. It was a big bonding experience also and one of the best birthdays I have ever had.

Today is my 21st birthday. (Tomorrow for the US). Now I am finally legal to do anything I want (except for rent a car), but I can drink anywhere in the world. So I think we should go through the major alcoholic events in my life.

Age 12- First Drink, wine shots at synagogue for Kiddush. (friends and I would keep sneaking them until we were caught by the rabbi who started guarding the table)

Age 15- Drank for no reason at sleep overs. Never got drunk because we were afraid our parents would notice the bottle depleting.

Age 16- First time actually drunk. Visit to SDSU.

Age 16-17- Lots of drinking. Coldstone camping trip... which led to bet with Kevin.

Age 18- Lots of drinking. Frat parties. Learned my limits.

Age 19- Drunk all over Europe... which led to a little break.

Age 19-20- Not a sip.

Age 20- Began drinking again, this time smartly and responsibly.

Age 21- We'll see.....

I think I'm gunna go to New Zealand for spring break.

Here are some pictures of the olympic stadium.

Yesterday I traveled with a group out to the Blue Mountains. It is about a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Sydney. We made a stop at the olympic stadium, where they help the 2000 olympics. Then headed to the mountains. They call it the Blue Mountains because they look blue from far away. There were amazing views of valleys down below and great hikes through the forests on the mountain. Lots of waterfalls and caves. Then when you get to the very bottom they have the world's steepest railway take you back up to the top. It was like a rollercoaster, and they played the Indiana Jones theme song.

It was way too cold up in the mountains though. I think I'm going to go back when it is warmer and go rock climbing and repelling. 

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. This is all I could get before my camera ran out of batteries. I will definitely go back and take more pictures.

I just found the best thing I have ever found. With my ISIC (international student ID card) and STA travel I can fly around the world for cheap. They allow you to make your own routes anywhere in the world and you can stay there for any number of days you want to then select the next destination and they price all the plane flights for you.

For example: I made a trip from Sydney to Fiji to Tokyo to Perth and back to Sydney- its only $1600+ taxes.

Another trip I made across the entire Southern Hemisphere was Sydney to Perth to Johannsberg to Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires and back to Sydney- $3200+ taxes.

I have from Oct 24th until Nov 28th to travel. (I fly Nov 30th from Sydney back to the states).

Here is where you come in. WHERE SHOULD I GO? I would love to hear from my friends and family where in the world you would like to see me go? Im open to all suggestions.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MICHAEL SIEGEL?

I finally got to see the city by day today, just a little though. There is a big park, it is their central park kinda, that has views of the opera house and the bridge and city. I only got a couple pics then my camera died. I will post them later. 

I was on the bus today and the police came on to check everyone's tickets, of course knowing my luck I'm singled out. Apparently my student bus pass isn't valid for study abroad students, so I got a warning, but they took my info and I will get a huge fine next time. I had to go out and buy another regular bus pass for double the price. 

Busses are confusing and expensive here. Other than that it is a beautiful weekend, finally sunny and warm. A group of us played football and soccer today in the park. I ran under a low tree and it cut my shoulder, so I have a 2 inch cut now. 

Also I just found out the best news possible. Classes ends October 23 and then finals are mid Nov, with the semester ending Nov 14th. I guess they expect the time between oct 23rd and finals is for studying. Now here come the best part, since my classes are film studies, their assignments are all project and essay, all due the last days of class, which means I am finished with school on October 23rd not Nov 14th. Since my flight back to the states leaves Nov 30, that gives me over a month of free time to travel. Which means I'm taking the world by a storm.

Here is a low down on my classes:

The Hollywood System- We watch movies and talk about shit.

Sound Media 1- A sound production class, we learn Pro Tool and how to properly create, edit, and mix sound for soundtracks and music.

Film Genres- Watch movies and talk about shit, with an emphasis on genre.

Documentary and History- Watch docs and talk about shit, pretty interesting actually.

There were no textbooks needed, just little readers which were lie $30 each so I saved a lot of money.

Campus is beautiful but ridiculously large. To put it in perspective, it is about 3 times larger than CSUF. It is layered like a cake, a large area of buildings then long stairs down to another area of buildings then long stairs down to another area of buildings. There are like 6 quads and 3 different food courts. But best of all, there is a pub/bar on campus that turns into a club at night. This is definitely not a dry campus.

Everything is good here, I live with great people in a great location. Once the weather warms up it will be even better.

Here is a couple more pictures, one of them is literally the view from my window. The other is a view of my little suburb and my beach from the cliff tops.

I was walking up the stairs at school today and a bunch of people walking the opposite direction of me kept coming at me. I had to avoid a few crashes. I then realized that in Australia people walk on the left side, not the right, so I made the correct adjustments. Everything really is backwards here. 

Check out some pictures of the beach I live at and the school I go to.

It looks like all the rain I have been avoiding down in Fullerton has finally caught up with me here in Australia.

Some of you were asking for my address, so here it is:

2 Kurrawa St.

Coogee, NSW, Australia

2034

The first part of this post is dedicated to Mark, the second is to my dad.

The rain let up today and the blue skies kicked in. I took a walk along the beach and guess what?

I saw some mother fucker with my same bathing suit!!!

I walked along the path that follows the beach and the cliff side. Dad, you would appreciate the run. It is one of the greatest running/walking paths I have ever seen. Awesome views of the beach and the city.

Last night we went out to The Palace bar and club. When we were walking back I brought everyone to my favorite little hole in the wall food place. The owner knows me there now. He gave me free drink cards for The Palace, so the next time we go I have 10 free drinks to drink.

I also joined a gym today, it is kind of pricey, but I got a student discount. 

Its been raining here for the last couple days, so that sucks.

The whole study abroad department had orientation today. There are like 500 students, most American. They started off the whole day with aborigines cultural dancing and music. Australia is really proud and sorry for taking over their natives land.  It got me thinking, America would never start off an orientation with Native American music and dancing.

Found a place called Five O's, they have 5 dollar meals so I can finally eat cheap.

I found a Target here in Australia. The only problem is that it is far away and not as good as the ones back home.  It was in a mall called Bondi Junction, this mall was about 5 times the size of Brea and Stoneridge. Pretty Ridiculous. Ill have to go back there again and look at the 90% of stuff I didn't see. 

My speakers don't work here. Actually I think they broke because they were on for a sec and then just turned off and I cant get them on again. They were my favorite speakers, the ones that moved to the music, so it sucks. 

The A's traded Joe Blanton, so I'm happy now. 

I have now made it possible for people who are not registered to comment, so anyone can comment now. But it comes up as anonymous, so write your name at the end of your comments so I know who it is.

Australia. How do I begin? Well I arrived just in time to see the sunrise at the airport. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start off my adventure. My group had our orientation up in the city of Cairns. It is an amazing little party city. All there are are college aged people and tons of bars and clubs. The streets were packed every night. 

Aside from my alcoholic adventures we got to go to a rain forest park and see native animals and learned about the native indigenous culture. We also got to go out in the Great Barrier Reef and see some cool shit. The nightlife was by far one of the best things about orientation though. Ridiculous drunken debauchery and dancing is the best way to describe it.

I have realized 3 things already while being here: 

1. Australians are much nicer, friendlier, and better looking than Americans.

2. Australia is ridiculously expensive, Sydney us by far the most expensive city I have ever been too. (Beating NYC and any place in Europe).

3. It is much harder to remember to look the opposite direction while crossing the street than you think.

So far Sydney is great, moved in to my place, it is a dorm style building that holds 30 people.  One giant kitchen to cook, and a shared bathroom for each floor. Not exactly what I had hoped for, but I will make the best of it. Hope all is well back in the states. Ill be updating again soon once I meet more people and school starts next week.

Here is the deal with pictures: For some reason it takes way too long to load pictures, so you can look on my myspace and facebook for a few of them until I can figure out how to do it.