The Traveller’s Diet

Really it’s not a diet…it’s a budget. I’d say I’ve dropped 5 ish pounds while being in Sydney which is the opposite of what happened in Mexico, Vegas, or Vancouver this year.
Mexico: Buffets and liquor (sugary purple drink) that are unlimited. Not a thought crosses your mind about calories, simply getting your moneys worth, and refilling your bubba thermo-mug. That week wasn’t pretty…good thing we were at a geriatric resort that didn’t take much to impress. Oh, and the ‘lazy river’ didn’t help much either i.e.: Should we visit the Mayan ruins? Nah, let’s do 5 more laps…
Vegas: As soon as you pay $20 for a beverage at the pool your entire perspective of saving money is shot. In addition, always being tipsy in 5 inch heels doesn’t result in walking very far, and let’s be honest any calorie burned dancing is replaced 10 fold in liquor and In-n-out burger.
Vancouver: Family. Doesn’t that explain enough? Read A Taste of Vancouver and you might get full just from reading. The thing is, is when you’re with our family it’s all about the food which has great short term satisfaction and terrible long term regret.

So what’s the difference here? Not necessarily Sydney…but the mindset I have knowing I’ll be travelling for a while. The thought that the $3.50 bus ride will feed me for an extra day in Asia, or that I probably don’t need to pay $4 for a coffee smaller than a Starbucks tall, is saving me not only money, but calories. Instead of paying for the bus, walking 10km really isn’t that brutal when you’ve got a whole day free of other commitments, plus you get to see more of wherever you are. In addition I’m sticking to running or walking because they are free instead of paying $20 every time I hit up hot yoga. Never mind the fact that I’m about to be in a bikini for probably a solid 6 months straight, which is motivation enough. As I’m well aware of back home, shopping in grocery stores is way cheaper than eating out. Luckily with Australia most of the great restaurants are Asian, and knowing I’ll be there eventually is really helping me not over indulge. All that to say, saving cash is resulting in eating less, better, and walking more: which never hurt anybody.

To Cairns and back

Quick side note…McDonalds and Starbucks are my go-to country v. country comparison chains, purely because they are everywhere…Starbucks in Sydney=Same old, better food, weird coffee names but still knowledge of Canadian terms…McDonalds=Calories in bigger print than the price-NOT cool. Positive note they have lamb burgers that are actually pretty good!

Back to the point of my post which is to say that I am flying to Cairns on Wed then taking the bus down the coast to Melbourne. I figure by the end of that adventure I should know whether I will stay in Oz or not and if I do where it will be…and wherever that will be better pay decently because I’mma be broke. PS its pronounced ‘cans’…damn aussies have a different way of saying everything.

Weekend in Bathurst

A vacation from my vacation 3 days in? Sure why not. So a friend of Katie was having her Birthday party this weekend in a town called Bathurst which was a few hours in land from Sydney. It was dry weather finally, although my fresh tan didn’t like it, it was nice to not feel like I was sweating all the time. Crazy thing was it cooled off so much at night even though it was high 20s during the day…I could actually see my breath walking home form the bar!

On the way there we stopped in the Blue Mountains as Katoomba which is a town that has access to the three sisters which is a set of mountains in the ‘aussie bush’. Side note…my photos are too high res to upload right now, I’m trying to find a solution. Will get them up as soon as i can! It was crazy beautiful, all you could see was tree covered plateaus for miles…I suppose being Albertan, few things actually qualify as mountains. It was great to see non-beach Australia! There was also a very miniature version of Oktoberfest happening!

We started the night at ‘Trivia Night’ which I have never heard of back home… apparently it’s big here. There were 9 rounds of questions and you’re in tables of 10, bring your own food and liquor, and answer the questions. There were tons of prizes, and mini head/tails activities between rounds. So much fun! The only answers (out of 100) that I got pertained to the Big Bang Theory and Fifty Shades of Grey, funny how some things are universal… sad that 50 shades is one of them. Anyway…I’m totally intrigued by the format of the fundraiser and will have one when I’m home, so worry not, you too will experience Saturday night in Bathurst.

We went to a pub after which was actually way bigger than I thought it would be. The rest of the town was totally dead, but the bar was full (I THINK it was called the oxford). Drinks were the same price as home which I found to be quite exciting as everything else is an arm and a leg more expensive. They also played Gangnam Style on consecutively for 10 minutes… Between that and the international students on campus, I forget I’m even in Australia. We went to a breakfast place called the Hub which was excellent breakfast…$20 breakfast burrito…so if for some reason you travel to Bathurst, check it out.

As for now the plan can go a number of ways. I’ve applied for a few au pair positions, or I might fly to Cairns and take a greyhound down the coast for a couple months. Don’t worry, “nobody’s been decapitated here yet” -travel agent. We’ll see…but it will be a quick decision. Oh, there’s also $35 flights to Melbourne, so that is a possibility as well. Anyway I’m off to the beach to even out my tan. The hole in the Ozone has resulted in my arms, legs, and face becoming leathery brown while my stomach remains painfully white as Canadian snow. … enjoy that by the way.