Tag: travel

L – Lord Dudley

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

I love pubs.  There is nothing I like better then going to a local pub and having a pint.

Some of my favorite memories occurred with a pint of cider in my hand.  And, I will never forget telling my English friends how much I don’t like Guinness only to discover the miracle concoction known as the “Poor Man’s Black Velvet” (Guinness mixed with Strongbow Cider ).  So, good.

Pubs and Pints reminds me of the time that I lived in London and how I was “100% completely happy with life” .  Really, I was.  I actually wrote that in the journal I kept while I was living there.  I was a college student with no stress and hadn’t had to deal with the real world, yet. Oh, the memories.

When I told the same friends who introduced me to the Black Velvet that I was heading to Sydney, he insisted that I experience The Lord Dudley Hotel. They were right before, no reason to doubt their word now.

The Lord Dudley Hotel is a famous pub in Sydney.  This is how they describe The Lord Dudley and its patrons on their website.

 The Lord Dudley is an enigma in that it does not have a defined clientele. The regulars come from all walks of life. Trades people and office workers rub shoulders with barristers, stockbrokers and politicians. The rich and the famous also find it a great place to unwind. Don’t be surprised to find Hollywood Actors having dinner in the restaurant while prominate sports heroes are enjoying a drink in the front bar. Publican James (Jamie) Couche has created a feel good environment which appeals to everyone who calls in.

 

It sounds like a place were I can be “100% completely happy with life”.  If only for one night.

*I will be updating this post at a later date once I have experienced The Lord Dudley.

J – Jetlag Avoidance Plan

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle11 Comments

Jet lag is something that I am very familiar with.  And, in the best conditions, I am not a very sound sleeper.  In order for me to fall asleep, it must be pitch black, void of sound and about 65 degrees in my room.  Not an environment that I can easily replicate on an airplane.  Well, not until I get my own plane.  So, sleeping on the plane does not come easy for me.

That is why when I fly long distances, I employ my Jet Lag Avoidance Plan.

Step #1 – Get on the time zone you are going to as soon as you can.  I know if it is 10:00 am at home and 10:00 pm at your vacation destination, this step might not be realistic.  Unless you don’t have a job.  But, if you have a long flight in the morning, stay up the night before and then as soon as you get on the plane, go to sleep.
 
Step #2 – If you get to your destination at night, go right to bed.  (Ambien works great in this situation).  If you arrive in the morning, this is a little harder, but stay up.  Stay up as long as you can. 
 
Step #3 – You may be up at 3:00 or 4:00 am those first couple of nights.  Try not to do anything that is going to be to stimulating.   I take a hot bath and read until the rest of the world wakes up.  What ever you do, don’t get on the Internet.  You will never get back to sleep.  The idea is to drift back to sleep if even for an hour or two and then get up when you would normally get up. 
 
Step #4 – You are going to have that one day, usually the third or fourth day were you are going to be so tired it hurts.  I mean hurts like if you don’t go to bed, you are going to literally die.  It will hit you at about 4:00 or 5:00 pm.  If you can stay up, try, but if you can’t, go to sleep.  And sleep and sleep and sleep.  It will be the best, hardest most relaxing sleep of your life.  I look forward to those nights because I never sleep like that in my everyday life. 
 

Unfortunately, by the time you get acclimated to the new time zone, it will be time to come back home.  You can employ the same steps on your return trip, but why would you want to.  When you get back home, you can take your time getting back on your normal schedule.  Anybody ask why you are so tired, you just yawn and say, “Jet lag.”  But, trust me, you can only get away with this for about at week.

Unfortunately, my flight to Australia is an overnight 9-hour flight.  The issue is that Australia is only a 3-hour time difference from China.

The steps above don’t apply.  I just need to find some way to sleep on the plane.  Maybe I should get my ambien prescription filled before I go.

H – History of Australia (Criminals & Drunks)

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

Drawing courtesy of Victoria Punishment.

Aboriginal Australians arrived by boat 40,000 to 60,000 years ago.

In 1770, James Cook charted the East Coast of Australia for Britain.

Australia used to be a British penal colony.  It is where England would send all their murders and rapist and seasoned criminals. About 160,000 of Britain’s unwanted were shipped to Australia.

The first settles of Australia drank more alcohol per person than any other community in the history of mankind.

A former Prime Minister of Australia also holds a Guinness Record.  He sculled 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds.

Courtesy of the Outback Australia Travel Guide
http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/fun-facts-about-australia.html
 
Map drawn by Bowen Emanuel 

C – Currency

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

I have been very blessed to have had the opportunity to travel all my life.  I got the bug when I was 12 years old on a cross country trip with my father and brother.  Every since then, I couldn’t wait to travel on the next adventure.   I have been to 36 states in the US and 12 different countries.  I can deal with trains, planes, subways and taxi’s.  I have even hiked on a few trips.

I can also pick up languages pretty well.  I can ask where the bathroom is in 13 different languages.  So, I would consider that to be a pretty well seasoned traveler.

But, there is one thing about traveling to a foreign country that I just don’t get right away. It is dealing in different currencies.  I drives me nuts.

Now, please understand, I am not a dumb person.  I run a company that deals in three different currencies; US dollars, Chinese RMB and Hong Kong dollar.  It only took me a couple of month living in China before I stopped having to convert everything I purchased into USD.

But, put me in a foreign country, right off the plane and tell me what something cost in their currency, I freeze.  I have no concept of what things cost. And more times then not it gets me in trouble.  

Last year, I was in Singapore.  I gave a masseur a tip that was 3X more then the cost of the actual massage.  I wondered why she kept showed up at my door every night asking me if I wanted another one.

Under pressure, I just can’t do it. I can’t multiply and divide on command.

So, for my trip to Australia, I am starting now.  I am going to get this exchange rate down, if it kills me.  It’s simple, 1 AUD equals what? USD, no RMB.

Oh, hell, maybe I’ll just use credit cards.