Off to Australia I GO!!! Thanks Thailand!

HI Ma!!  I am still ok.. I learned a few really important lessons about traveling recently and I will share some of it with you all.

I am skipping around now.  I had such an amazing time in Thailand it’s hard to put into words.   Traveling on my own and having no agenda really puts things in perspective for me.  When you are working with other people’s schedules things can get hectic and dicey and above all frustrating.   That being said I am making the best of the situation.  I will tell ya from experience, just do your own thing, and don’t worry about trying to accommodate for others.   I lost a good deal of money and a lot of hours trying to adhere to other people’s schedules.    So first tip… Plan your own trip, stick to what you want to do, and if people want to come along great, if not don’t worry about it.  It’s ok to be on your own agenda. $1400.00 lesson learned.

I promise I will get back to the adventures I had in Thailand but I want to keep you all up to date with what has been happening.. There have been some REALLY great things, some ok things, and some not so great things.  Traveling has ups and downs just like every day life.  It’s not ALL just fun and simple unless you are going away for 1-2 weeks (and even then it can be trying).

I tell ya, after Thailand, Australia is EXPENSIVE.  I was NOT prepared for the pricing increase.  I definitely would have bought a lot more things in Thailand had I known.  I lost my towel, as I believe most people know, and I was just going to get one in Thailand, but I decided to wait until Melbourne, Australia, well…. In Thailand the towel I wanted was roughly $15 (similar kind of towel to what I had), but in Melbourne $45 AUD, which is roughly $38 USD)..  A haircut in Thailand $4, Melbourne, $30 USD.  I was going to pick up a hammock.. In Thailand I found a local shop that made them in the country, beautiful craftsmanship, light, travel friendly.. $45.  Melbourne $145, not including straps, and some other things plus I have no idea on the craftsmanship and warranty.  (I was lucky enough to have a good friend ship me one from the USA via Amazon for $130, but it came with everything, I know the brand, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. (and excellent news, due to the not arriving on time, I received a $21 shipping refund)

So, when in doubt. Buy it in Thailand.  🙂

Here is a double rainbow for your viewing pleasure.     Thought I would try something different this time and just throw in some other cool photos you all might like.   Maybe it works maybe it doesn’t, I wanna know what you think.

So a small confession.. I haven’t’ been in Thailand for a few weeks now.  I have been traveling through Australia.   I have been seeing and doing much, I can’t keep up with the blog.  It’s a good issue to have of course, none-the-less I apologize to you guys for not keeping you up to date real time.   I think I might change the direction a little and show and tell you guys about the experiences I am having and it NOT be on a timeline..  What do you think?  Let me know below.

HELLO Australia!!!   Here is a view of the skyline and right in the middle of this river is where the sun sets behind that bridge.  I did get a shot of this, but well honestly I haven’t had time to work on it.  So, I flew into Melbourne (pronounced MelBIN here or just Melbs)..  It’s nothing like Melbourne, Florida either.   The first thing you will notice about this place is how EXPENSIVE everything is.  I mean a small snickers bar is $2.70, a can (12oz) of coke is $5.50, this is at a 7-11.  It’s even more expensive at the airport (which in most airports everything is expensive of course).  A regular bottle of water is $4.50.  So you really have to mind what you buy and where.  I could blow a week’s budget in Thailand on a very average day here that’s for sure.  I already miss Thailand Ha!

The other thing I noticed, everyone is so friendly.  I noticed that people are just really nice here.  They are friendly, greet you with a smile, talk with an amazing accent (ok maybe they don’t have the accent, I do) and everyone is really just, HAPPY here.  I did fly from Bangkok to Melbourne, but through the Gold Coast where I had a layover (I also changed planes and airline carriers) and something you might want to note you DO have to collect your bags when transferring airlines.  Meaning you have to go to baggage claim, pick up your bag and go BACK THROUGH security again to get on the other flights.  Just something that is very common over on this side of the world.  Be sure to check with your initial booking airline what they require.  You don’t want to be in Sydney when your bags are on the baggage belt in Gold Coast (which thankfully I checked or that would have been the case with me).  Ok.. back to the Melbourne.

My arrival in Melbourne was interesting…  The flight from Bangkok to Gold Coast was about 8 hours and Asia Air does NOT, I repeat DOES NOT serve ANY free drinks to anyone.  Water $5, soda $6, meal (I get they don’t serve meals free), $10+.   How do you get on a flight for 3+ hours and NOT serve even water.  Don’t people get massively dehydrated on planes?  Pillow or blanket, good luck.. I didn’t even ask how much it was as they weren’t free.   After all that though, I had the BEST landing of any flight I have ever been on.  It literally felt like we were still in the air and then they were putting on the brakes, I didn’t even realize we touched down.  Of course I gave the captain my compliments on a job well done, to which he said “Cheers mate!”.. I just love this place already.  So there was a silver lining after all.

Above you will see NO public transportation goes here, and truthfully I am not really a guy that LOVES public transportation, but it’s growing on me.  From learning to use the bus in Bangkok, to renting a motor scooter in Pai, I have gotten a decent handle on things.   How bad could Melbourne be…I mean, they speak english right?   Well getting off the flight and trying to get to downtown was a little difficult considering I didn’t have wifi or a SIM card.  They want to charge you at the airport (in this day and age that’s just crazy, right?) for WiFi.  Well after wandering around, I found a SkyBus.  It will take me to downtown (right near where I will be staying mind you) for $19 AUD (australian dollars) The conversion is .77  so you can do the math to USD if you want.  Not too shabby, and GET THIS.. The Bus.. Free WiFi..  awesome.   I am on my own in Melbourne for a day until my friends arrive so what to do. Book my hostel and set out to tour the city is what…  It’s like a small NYC in the center of the city.  Everything is pretty much within walking distance and they have a Tram that is totally free inside the square that is the downtown area.   

Of course while you spend some time here you will find some pretty interesting things.  I actually LOVE lighthouses, they signify strength, foundation, and being grounded, and a beacon of hope (to me anyway).   I also just love that they are there for you in the darkest of hours.  This one came just the right time and I am grateful for it.    Hopefully you like this one as it’s pretty important on my trip.  I know all of you are wondering, what darkest hour.. Well I won’t get into too many specifics, but I got some pretty terrible news on this trip and I can’t really do much about it from 12,000 miles away, but this lighthouse showed up at the perfect moment.   Let’s just ask that you keep my family in your prayers.   Ok off of the less than pleasant news and onto something just a little more fun.   I got to see the ocean again!!  Yea, I know.. I am petrified of the water, but it’s interesting.. Not having seen the ocean for a long time makes you appreciate it that much more.   So yea this image is a big deal to me.  All that being said.. the next blog will be pretty interesting.  So far everything has been pretty great, but eventually you will run into some bad experiences as well and the next blog will be about a terrible

Hostel Experience I had here, so stay tuned.. It’s an interesting story.  I think you will like reading about it.    Ok I am off, talk soon.

As always.  Thanks so much for reading and please let me know what you think.  Of course Like and Share it as well.

If you want to follow along on my other social media platforms:

Instagram: RyanGproductions
Facebook: Ryan Gphoto
Blog : TravelWithRyanG.com

Thanks

Ryan G