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.