Slang on a Sunday

After realizing how much abuse I have done to my blog, I wanted to write a short, fun post to prove I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  This past week I moved home from college and found a lot of my stuff from Australia, including my journal I kept.  In the back I kept some fun slang terms I learned while abroad.  Here are just a few random ones:

Lift = Elevator
Rubbish = Trash
Cheers = Hello/Goodbye
Dunnie = Outhouse (although we called ever bathroom a dunnie because we thought it was silly)
Chooks = Chickens
Fire Brigade = Firemen
Sun Bake = Tanning

These are the first few slang terms I really encountered, but have more to come in the future that are a lot more fun.  I will close with this insult our professors told to us:

"I hope you chook turns into an emu and kicks down your dunnie!"

Think about that one!

Travel Tip #5: Train Your Body

Whether you're going near or far, it is always best to prepare your body for the trip you have in store.  It's about two weeks before your trip and by now you have a pretty good idea in mind of what you'll be seeing, what you'll be physically doing, and what you will be eating.  Diet, exercise, and rest are going to be your three favorite things to do before leaving on your trip.  Trips that are within the country or only a few time zones away will not be as detrimental to your body as opposed to a trip on the other side of the world.

If you know you're going to be doing a lot of walking, hiking, or any other physical activity, be sure to take some time to walk a few extra feet or maybe even do a little cardio.  By doing this you will be able to boost your stamina and endurance, all so you feel lest winded and less exhausted will you're on your trip.  Any time you travel somewhere there is usually always a vast amount of walking involved, especially if you are doing a lot of site seeing.

Make sure you get plenty of rest within the week or two prior to your departing date.  If you're driving, you'll need to rest to stay focused on the road.  If you're flying, you want to make sure jet lag doesn't take it's toll on you making you exhausted and sick.  If you happen to be in a time zone that has a great different from your home town, take the few days before leaving to start adjusting your body to that time zone.  Stay up later or go to bed earlier--depending on if you're traveling East or West or even beyond the International Dateline.

Lastly, keep your diet in tip top condition.  If you know you're going somewhere where the food is extremely different from your everyday diet, invest in supplementary vitamins and other supplements that control gas and bowel movements (sounds gross, but you'll thank me later).  Make sure you're eating well balanced meals before you leave that are full of protein, vitamins, and all the good stuff you need!  Stay well hydrated as well, traveling by car as well as by plane can easily dehydrate you.  One common side effect from jet lag is dehydration, which I happened to experience when I returned from Australia.

Take all these pointers into consideration.  You'll feel great and not miss a beat while on your trip you have been looking forward to for weeks or months!

The 60's Live On

As I was boarding my flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia I day dreamed about that great experiences that were awaiting me.  Seeing the red dirt of the outback, taking post-card photos of the Sydney Opera House, and most importantly listening to those charming Australian accents.  Now I knew there would be things I would come across that I would not expect, but this one was really off the charts.  The village of Nimbin is tucked away off numerous side roads in the mountains of New South Wales, about an hour drive from the university I was at in the Gold Coast, Queensland.

About 7 of us hopped into a van, and after two hours of being totally lost, found this magical village known as Nimbin.  As we pulled up to the village, I had to blink twice.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen, something you would see in a movie or hallucinate when you are high (which is probably how it was developed).  Nimbin was a true hippie village, creating everything from all natural hemp, and hosting rallies each day at 4:20 p.m.  The rallies were hosted by locals who either sang or spoke in the support of legalizing marijuana.  The locals who hung out there and work their were as friendly as they come, I'm sure for reasons than other being a welcoming Australian.  You could roll your own fatty in some of the cafes, enjoy a hemp cookie or some hookah.  Either way it was a place to escape the bustling cities on the coast and really just chill.  A couple of us tried the cookies while we were there--absolutely delicious!  Resulting in absolute happiness later.

Nimbin also had their own special museum dedicated to that special green plant.  The museum had replicas of old VW buses as well as protest signs for legalization of marijuana.  One room is dedicated to wars Australians have been brought into as allies, promoting nothing but peace.  It was just astounding to me to see such a museum exist in such a town.  If not for my pictures I took I would have thought I was dreaming it all up or just on some crazy high.

This is something I can truly never forget, even if I tried.  So as I close with this wild adventure I experienced, I leave you all with some pictures.  Nimbin made me love Australia even more.

In a Sunburned Country

If you know me at all, you know I have an obsession with Australia.  If you don't know me, well here's your heads up.  Ever since I studied abroad in Australia I have felt connected to that beautiful country and always feel like it has a part of me.  Sounds like a cheesy love story doesn't it?

One of the girls I studied abroad with recommended to our group to read this humorous book about traveling through Australia.  Since our program was a study tour, we got to see a vast majority of the country experiencing all climates, which made the book easy to relate to.  The book is In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson, and he takes you on his own personal trip through the country allowing you to feel like you are actually there.  His witty personality and dry humor keeps you gripped into his wild adventures.

I've enjoyed reading this book, relating to my own memories of my trip there.  Take the time to travel on the wild side while still sitting in your own home.  You'll get an idea of the mystery, marvels, and mischievous adventures found in Australia.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
--Dorothea Mackellar, "My Country" (formerly "Core of My Heart")

Hidden Hibachi

Being inspired by my own tip about looking for that hidden gem, I've decided to create a mini series about looking for that diamond in the rough.  Whether it's local or national, I will highlight places or things I have found or others have found.  My first inspired hidden gem comes from the heart of Youngstown, Ohio--a city that is mostly known for high level of crime, murder, and unemployment.

The Tokyo House is a well kept dining secret that a handful of people in the area know about.  Advertisement is word of mouth through family and friends.  This establishment has been around for about 20 years now owned and operated by a strong husband-wife duo, Can and Hin.  The loyal customers start lining up at least an hour prior to opening to assure they can get the first table.  Since only Can and Hin are the only two who run the restaurant, you can sometimes wait up to a few hours, so it is important to get there before they open!  And yes, they are ALWAYS busy.

While the food is delicious and cheap for the mass amount you get, Can really makes the entire visit.  For his loyal visitors or even those who come now and then, he will remember who you are and the small details of your life like he is one of your close friends.  For the new comers, he gladly welcomes you to his restaurant and will have you laughing from the moment you sit down.  His witty humor and friendly personality makes the wait worthwhile and the food taste even better.  This truly is Youngstown's best kept dinning secret and a place well worth your time.

The Vindicator-Tokyo House article

Travel Tip #4: Look for the diamond in the rough.

So I'm a little behind on blogging, the semester is winding down and I'm getting ready to graduate (yippee!)  I will be combining my travel tip and website favorites together today because they go hand in hand.

The other day, the Travel Channel posted a tweet to find out what are some favorite travel tips of their followers.  I got excited because I had a few up my sleeve that would hopefully gain some attention.  Much to my surprise, one of my tips go retweeted, which brings us to travel tip #4: looking for the diamond in the rough.

When traveling near or far, you may really want to see the glamorous, tourist attractions, but don't be afraid to go with the flow.  You may stumble upon a hidden gem in a small town or big city.  I continuously find exciting places and outdoor places local to me that very few people know about, and I love it.  While abroad in Australia, I found numerous hidden gems--mostly found by my professors taking us around.  This is a short and simple tip, but a very wise one none the less.  You will get more out of your traveling adventures if you go with the flow and discover something ten times more astounding.

I will leave you with one of my favorites gems from Australia, North Stradbroke Island.  Geology research is done here, and it is also thriving with their small local population and coal mines.  Very few know about this island, but not many venture there unless they have a reason.  It's a quaint island thriving in aboriginal culture along with some of their more modern day residents.  Koalas run wild and you will not find an ounce of light pollution at night.  In the later hours of the night away from public shores, by light of a small flash light you will find dolphins coming up to the shore line.

Above:  A beautiful view of North Stradbroke Island

Left:  Sunset on Straddie
















Stay up to date with the Travel Channel!
Website:  travelchannel.com
Twitter:  @TravelChannel
Facebook:  facebook.com/travelchannel