Budget for 3 Months in South America

OK, so our overall budget blew out to about double what I originally projected. For the two of us we spent $10 800 (not including expensive tours like Galapagos or Pantanal) which is about $1800/person/month and $60/person/day. Including those two expensive tours the total for us two was $16 700.Travelling South America was certainly not as cheap as I thought it would be and certain things would be just as expensive as in Australia if not more. We mostly stayed in hostels and splurged a bit on good food and some cool activities but the expensive tours aren't included in the total as they don't reflect day to day expenditure. 

Breakdown per country

Brazil

$90/person/day

We spent the 3 weeks in Brazil and spent $3785 for the two of us by far the most expensive country we visited. Transportation encompassed 57% of this as we had were booking flights relatively late.

Accommodation: $640, $15/person/night.

Transport: $2184, mostly flights and some buses. It's such a big country flying was a necessary expense.

Food: $500, $12/person/day. Cheap but not good food.

Activities: $382

Extra (not included in total): Pantanal 3 day tour, $1100 per person. Not worth the amount of money we spent on it and would have been better in the dry season.

Argentina

$50/person/day

We splurged a bit in the 10 days we spent in Buenos Aires, enjoy fantastic food and going out every day. Our quality of life was far higher than in Brazil and for much less.

Accommodation: $224, $11/person/night.

Transport: $303. Cheap public transport around the city, most of this cost was the bus ride for the both of us from Buenoas Aires to Santiago.

Food: $236, $12/person/day, awesome food for a bargain price.

Activities: $28, did lots of things like rollerblading around the park and went to a tango dance hall.

Chile

$69/person/day

We got very lucky in Chile and got free accommodation and home cooked meals with our wonderful friends so this cut down on the budget for the first half but San Pedro, Atacama desert was expensive due to the high amount of daily tours we did. The outlined budget below is just for our San Pedro portion.

Accommodation: $108, $18/person/night.

Transport: $180, bus for two from Santiago to San Pedro.

Food: $135, $22/person/day.

Activities: $213, did 4 half day tours.

Bolivia

$42/person/day

Bolivia was cheaper than other countries but e didn't find any three course meals for $1 like someone was telling us. Sadly I was really sick at this time and couldn't make it to a computer to budget properly but food and accommodation was relatively cheap.

Peru

$60/person/day

Peru was a good combination of fun and affordable. We were living it large and thought we were splashing the cash big time but the figures end up being very reasonable. 
Accommodation: $188, $12/person/night.

Transport: $429, a few bus rides a lots of cheap taxi rides - about $2-5 per trip.

Food: $381, $13/person/day. We absolutely splurged on food in Peru and went to a few fine dining places which were still cheap for what we were used to.

Activities: $427, we did a lot in Peru and bought a few things like alpaca jumpers which added to this. Still a cheap place to do fun things.

Extra (not included in total): G Adventures 5 day Inca Trail for $934 per person, worth it considering the staff they bring along to support you and the service you get.

Ecuador

$58/person/day
Relatively cheap place to travel around but honestly besides the Galapagos non of it felt like value for money after Peru.

Accommodation: $256, $16/person/night.

Transport: $104, mostly taxi rides including $25-35 taxi rides to and from Quito airport

Food: $282, $17/person/day. Cost more than Peru yet definitely nowhere near the quality. Disappointing.

Activities: $54, went to see the dolphins in El Morro and visit the middle of the Earth.

Extra: 5 day Galapagos Cruise + 1 day land tour on Isabella Island. Total for two people was $3484. Also spent an extra $436 on extras like entry fees, tips and snorkelling hire. 

Itinerary for 3 months in South America

Now that we're on our North America leg I've really come to miss South America. I miss it for all it's uniqueness and vibrancy. We spent three months there in total but this isn't really that long when you consider we visited 6 countries which equates to only about 2 weeks per country. How can you possibly say you've come to understand a place in 2 weeks? I do feel that we managed to cover the most important places to us but there are certainly places we felt we cheated and plan to visit on the next trip. 

Brazil (March 2013)

In total we spent 3 weeks here where we mostly flew from city to city. I think that this was a good amount of time here consider how large the country is. It was the most expensive country we visited so staying too long can really squeeze your budget. We started in Rio and spent 4 days there. It was a great place to start the journey and there was so much to do there. We saw Christ the Redeemer and visited the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. We then made our way by bus to Paraty which was nice but the beach wasn't that great and I would have preferred to have gone to Ilha Grande which we heard many good things from other travellers about the beautiful beaches there. Another bus to the historical town of Ouro Preto where we spent two days, mostly taking photos of churches and walking up hills. We then visited Sao Paulo for four days. This a frenetic and over populated city where we had a great experience meeting some lovely locals but otherwise didn't find much to love about the acutal city. We then took a bus to Bella Horizonte then a flight to Salvador in the Northeast of Brazil. Salvador was one of my favourite cities and we spent 5 days there exploring the Afro-Brazilian culture and spent an extra two days in the small nearby beach towns of Imbassai and Praia do Forte. I'd skip the former but loved the latter, even though it was super touristy. We then flew all the way across to the Cuiaba where we started our 3 day tour into the Pantanal, large wetlands area known for wildlife. Due to it being the wet season (March), this was a dissapointment as there are more chances of seeing Jaguars and other cool animals in the dry season. I wished we'd saved our money instead and went to Bonito instead to see the wild macaws and do the fish swim instead. We then flew to Iguassu Falls and spent one full day on the Brazilian side and the next on the Argentinian side. Do both sides and do the boat ride as well. It's really really fun! Note: We applied for our Brazillian visa's in Australia a month before leaving.

Argentina (March/April)

We spent 8 days only in Buenos Aires which was a good amount of time. We planned on spending some of that time in Mendoza, wine country. But since we absolutely fell in love with the food and culture of BA and don't love wine we ended up going straight from BA to Santiago. This was a 24 hour bus ride but going over the Andes along the way made it feel like more of a scenic tour and definitely recommended even if going through Chilean customs takes ages. We would love to come back one day and see more of Argentina and do Salta and Mendoza as well. We hear they are both lovely. But I would still go back to BA for some more amazing steak. Note: You have to pay a $100 reciprocacy fee and print out the receipt before entering the country.

Chile (April)

We spent 12 days in Chile, 5 of those in Pucon. Stunning volcanoes and lakes with amazing friends, we had such a good time and I just wish we had more time to go further South to Patagonia and do the W trail in Torres del Paine but I hear that is a trip in itself and by April it would have been way to cold for unprepared travelers that  we are. We also spent four days in the northern tip in San Pedro doing daily tours in the Atacama desert. Our favourites were the salt lagoons and the Space tour. From there we started our four day tour to the Bolivian salt flats.

Bolivia (April)

I couldn't really enjoy Bolivia due to altitude sickness but the tour to the salt flats had some stunning scenery and of course the salt flats themselves are so special. We also then spent 2 days in La Paz and 2 days in Lake Titicaca. This was enough and I really can't say I overly enjoyed htis part of the trip.

Peru (May)

We spent just under 3 weeks in Peru and honestly I could have spent more. Such a stunning country with so much to do and great on the budget too. We spent two days acclimatising in Cusco before doing a 5 days Inca Trail trek with G adventures which was hard but infinitely rewarding. Another two days in Cusco afterwads recuperating and then two days in Lima, exploring the ceviche in Miraflores. We spent two days in Ica visiting the oasis town of Huacachina and sandboarding (exhilirating) and one day in Paracas looking at sea lions and penguins. Then another two days back in Lima, this time in Barranco district which is a bit less touristy and more interesting then Miraflores. 

Ecuador (May)

A 28 hour bus from Lima is the city of Guayaquil where we booked our Galapagos tour. This was such a stress point for me but worth it. We originally wanted to squeeze Columbia in before we went to Galapagos but realised that we wouldn't really be giving Columbia the days it deserved plus we weren't sure how long it would take to find a good Galapagos tour and didn't want to risk not having enough time to do it. So Columbia went on the 'next time' list. We spent two days organising the tour, one exploring the city and two days in Playas on the beach and checking our dolphins in the mangroves at El Morro. Honestly, with all the amazing wildlife and beaches that awaited at Galapagos we could have skipped Playas but we had time to kill. We spent 2 weeks in Ecuador but the best part was the Galapagos, the only major tour we did that not only met but far exceeded expectations. We spent 7 days at Galapagos with two of those in transit on flights. This was the perfect amount of time that allowed us to see everything without getting excessively expensive and repetitive. We only had one full day in Quito to visit the equator for a science lesson before we flew out to Los Angeles, USA. 

New beginnings - a refugee story

This story was dictated by my mother. From staying with her these last 10 days I was able to sit down with her for hours and finally hear the whole of her story for the first time. It is not an easy story and not light reading. Come prepared with an open mind and heart. It has been wonderful to share this with her.

Mum when she was about 12 years old.

I was born and grew up in Vietnam. My life was very simple. I went to school and then university from hence I became a teacher at a high school and married a colleague in 1977. I was a Vietnamese teacher and he was a French teacher. That was two years after the North Vietnamese communist regime invaded South Vietnam. We could not live with the new regime and decided to flee the country. 

The plan was to boat across the pacific ocean to Malaysia where we could get immigration papers. In 1979 we commenced our journey with some relatives. We had no children at this point. This journey was both dangerous and illegal and there was the ever present fear of capture and imprisonment. We gathered what we could carry, I had some gold imbedded in my shoes. However, it ended in severe disappointment. Two days into the trip there was some very strong winds and we feared for our safety. At that point my sister in-law who was with us on the boat had given birth.

Once we berthed there were police on shore waiting for us. Those that were tired (or had just given birth) were captured. My husband and I ran off the boat, we didn't know where we were but we knew we had to run. A young man saw us and offered us a hiding place. He was a bee keeper. He hid us in a bush to await nightfall where he then lead us for hours to his home. It was a long distance and I could no longer go further, drained. My husband carried me on his back when I couldn't continue. The young man offered to hold my bag with my belongings and gold filled shoes. We were offered a meal and were soon off on a bus back home. My shoes were gone at this stage.

Our abandoned identification papers were found by the police and the high school that we worked for were informed that we had made an attempt to leave the country and were dead. I no longer was able to go back to my teaching job. We focused all our time, energy and money on leaving the country. We moved to a rural area where I sold a small amount of fabric in a stall. This work provided little money so I then set up an ice cream store. All this we did for money and we bought an old boat, that my husband fixed up so we could leave.

But luck was not on our side. On a trial run of the boat, police stumbled upon my husband and went to investigate. Why did the boat have such a large motor? Why was there a spare motor on the boat? Suspicions were high. Everything was denied. I gave him some gold to buy petrol for the engine which was very expensive at the time that was hidden in a cigarette packet. My husband was checked and nothing suspicious was found so they were to let him go. He asked for his cigarettes back and the policeman picked it up to give back to him. The packet was heavy. The gold was found. My husband was jailed but due to some friends and luck, he was released after 40 days.

I gave birth to my first daughter and a month afterwards another plan was made to go. However I became very sick and we could not go. My cousin's son and his wife had boarded that boat, there were many onboard. I was devastated that I couldn't board this boat but as fate turned out, it was a decision that saved my life . That boat was  attacked by Thai pirates. All the women were taken and presumed dead. My cousin's son who tried to save his wife was thrown overboard but he survived by clinging onto the anchor of the captured boat. Once the pirates left he climbed back onto the boat and the continued to Thailand, with only his two sons.

Many years past, and ten attempts were made and failed. In 1985 I had a second girl. The chances of a family of four leaving the country were slim as people were unwilling to take on children that would cry and hence attract attention. The trials were not over yet, by far. The worst was still to come, 1986 was a terrible time for me that would I would rather forget. Even remembering it now brings out the fear so very vivid in my mind.

We were placed on a boat that would take us out to the beach where we were to be transferred to the main boat that would take us to other country. The water was choppy and the two boats were only adjoined temporarily. We would have to make a leap of faith to the other boat. There were 120 people cramming to jump to the other boat. I had a 7 month old I was cradling in my arms. I was terrified. I screamed for people not to crush my child.

The boat was overloaded. The maximum capacity was for 30 people and it was holding four times that amount. The greed of the operators meant we were slow and going nowhere. We were then captured by the police. The men and women/children were separated and we were imprisoned. My children and I were locked in a cell with a hundred strangers. My children went no where without me. We moved as one unit. 

My oldest child's head had a massive abscess and her mouth was all swollen and she couldn't eat. After a few weeks she was permitted to leave but I was terrified to let her go as the officer did not tell me who had come to collect her but I had to let her go, because the conditions were so poor. Luckily it was a family friend who had come to collect her. I was ill from the poor hygiene standards myself and a week later I was free to go with my second child however it was the evening and no cars were driving by and we sat in the cold and dark til the morning until we could buy a bus ticket home. My husband was in jail for 9 months and I visited him weekly bringing food. 

Such misfortune, loss of health and faith meant that another year passed before we tried leaving again. At the end of 1987 we were finally successful.  We travelled for  three days, my children were constantly drenched by the ocean spray and it was difficult. We reached a beach and I listened closely for what language they were speaking on this land. I was hoping it wasn't Vietnamese and my hopes were fulfilled, it was a foreign tongue (Malaysian). I thought I was dreaming, I could not believe we had finally made it after so much.

We were sent to a refugee camp in Bidong Island where we stayed for a month. In these times, processing was quick and the whole family was able to be go to Australia. I am so grateful that the Australian Government had given us this opportunity to build ourselves a new life. Such a country it is to help not only its own but others in need. In Vietnam, it's own countrymen suffer from poverty and lack of healthcare, there is no help.

At Kuala Lumpar waiting for transport to Australia

Me - stylin' at 2 years old

Dad, mom and me and the refugee camp.

It was the 1st of September 1988 that we boarded a plane and entered the country we were now to call home. My oldest child was 5, my younger only 2 1/2 years old. And from all this, I know that my children's future is assured. They have an education, they have choices. They are confident in their future. My story ends happily.

At our first home in Australia, a sort of halfway house.

Our first Aussie outing to the Opera house.

Me and my mum. Chillaxing.

Me and my new brother born in 1994.

My older sister Lynda (left) and I (right) with our fav toys.

One week til RTW trip

The countdown is truly on, the going away parties have been thrown and the the goodbyes continue to flow through.  As the title suggests we have exactly 7 days before we board a plane for Rio, Brazil and I know in my heart I should be excited and yet I'm too nervous at this point.  I must admit, I'm feeling a bit displaced. I am currently in limbo, neither here nor there. In the calm of last month I was daydreaming about leaving work, boarding that plane and not looking back. Now, all these things are ACTUALLY about  to happen, in quick succession and I appear unable to process it just yet.

Last week we had the onerous task of packing the remainder of our worldy goods in boxes, cleaning up the apartment ready for inspection and moving the whole lot across Sydney back to the hood ie. my parents place. Who knew that after 10 months of selling things (and making $8000 in the process) we would still be able to (over)fill a whole ute with stuff. I was appalled. Most of it my mum will inherit, she loves free stuff.

The de-cluttering.

I'm focusing on sorting this stuff out to try to calm down the unease in my belly. I'm worried about all the things I will forget to do before I board that plane. I've made a list of things to do and honestly, it's quite a small list of things that can be done quickly. My anxiety is based on nothing, yet it is present all the same. Maybe it's pre-nerve trips. Maybe Kevin should buy me a pair of socks for 'cold feet'.It's like taking a deep breath before you jump off the platform at the diving pool. I'll take seven deep breaths, one for every day and then...

                                                   I'll                            

                                                                                 leap.                  

How To Throw a Hipster Party

So apparently I'm a wannabe hipster. I wasn't unemployed enough to warrant being an actual hipster but I think all that terrarium making fueled suspicions around my workplace. So in honour of my leaving last week I was thrown a hipsterific going away party. If you are wondering what being a hipster actually entails then I point you towards this very apt youtube video HERE.

So out came the bows, beanies, lenseless glasses, tight coloured jeans and nonchalant facial expressions. Here are some of the awesome costumes that were rocked that night (I was just wearing my normal clothes though, it was fitting).

And where do hipsters like to hang out in Sydney besides their friend's underground art space/music (mostly synth) studio? El Loco in Surry Hills of course. We had to get there at the unfashionably early time of 4pm just so we can nabs a table as it gets crazy busy around 7pm.  Afterwards we walked down to Darlinghurst to a little bar called 'Shady Pines' that's so cool its in a back alley with no signage yet always has a line of people dressed in patterned woolen jumpers and 'vintage' handbags. Go down a dark staircase to an almost equally dimly lit room and order yourself an apple martini. Likely made by a slim, tall guy with well slicked hair. They use a fresh juicer for their cocktails. Yum. Plus free peanuts. Did I mention the lack of sitting space and abundance of loitering hipsters? Yep we were in the right spot.

Bondi Hipsters doing their thang.

And how do you end a hiptacular outing. By finding out on facebook that Dom amd Adrian  (who make THIS hilarious youtube videos about, yep you guessed it, Bondi hipsters) were doing a DJ gig at Fringe bar in Paddington. They rapped, they DJ'd, they had facial hair and it was totes underground. It ended on a high note with us chanting 'You know me, I'm on the 333. Bondi to Circular Quay' (even though I catch the 339 from Clovelly). I guess I'm not a real hipster after all. But to make up for it, at least I'm blogging about it.

My love

Love is a many splendored thing,
Love lifts us up where we belong,
All you need is love.

Behind the consumerism and expectations, Valentine's day has a lovely sentiment. To remind people to celebrate the love they have. The lucky ones already do that on a daily basis however. Whispered I love you's in the dark, heartwarming smiles in the morning and cheeky goodbye pats on the bum. Anyone who knows Kevin knows that he is an amazing person. Always kind and trying to bring out the best in others without expecting anyting in return. People and animals alike can't help but be drawn in by his open spirit.

Two weeks until our grand trip starts and I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else. In fact, I'm looking forward to being able to spend so much more time with him without the usual interruptions of work and chores. When you think about it, this is a massive commitment. We will be together pretty much 24/7 and its not going to be all rainbows and unicorns but I know from the past 9 years together that adversity only makes us stronger.

The open road lies ahead. I feel like Dorothy in the wizard of Oz (does that make Kevin Toto?). There's a wonderful, winding path that leads to all our dreams and we just have to take that first step.

Dear Friends

 

Dear Friends,

Sorry I'm leaving you all. It won't be for long and I'll think of you at least daily. On a rotational basis. But seriously, life will be hard without you. So let me address you all so I have a place to remember each one of you:

Connie - our Laos lunches will be sorely missed. Ox tongue, paw paw salad and a sticky rice for $20, may it never change. It feels like we've known each other for so long (thats probably because we have!) and there's never an awkward silence between us. Only funny jokes about work and sharing plans for the future. I hope you work less in the future and that no one defiles your poor car further. I hope you dress the future Connie junior in bear and sushi costumes and I will be cooing at him/her from afar. I'm sure he/she will be adorable.

Phil - I'm so sorry for us to be leaving when you're just starting the hardest part of your journey but we're only a skype call away. You're always telling me something new about life and how things work, one of the most intelligent people I know. There's never a dull moment when you're around, there's a spark that's in you always. Kevin and I have so much love for you and I hope you remember that when things are tough.

Chris - I'll miss your awesome frisbee - Aerobe. And your jokes. And hanging out at your new pad. I wished we spent more time there. Life got that much better when you joined us in the city and you know that our door is always open to you, day or night because you're such a calming, joyful presence.

Tina - Always a source of artitistic inspiration, everytime I get a chance to hang out with you, I always leave with a smile on my face and a head full of ideas. You were the one to suggest I think about making terrarium necklaces out of small vials so I thank you a million times over. Also, having a meal with you is never bad because you always know the yummiest places to go. Please keep me up to date with your new creations. 

Mikki and Nancy, since you're off on your own adventures then there's not much to say except au revoir! We will reconvene shortly somewhere in Europe. 

And all my other lovely friends here, I wish you nothing but joy and please keep me updated with all of your own adventures!

Work Aint So Bad With People Like These

I've been lucky in that I've met so many lovely people through my past and present workplaces. Sure every place has their resident douche bag but if you have some really awesome people as well then it's worth staying for. This  post can be considerd a 'flashback' episode of our hypothetical show 'Scruffs' (like Scrubs but with animals).The top ten most memorable moments are:

1. Michael getting squirted right in the mouth  with anal gland juice.

2. Me climbing into the cat max, getting stuck, so instead of helping me the nurses proceeded to spray my crotch with water until I figured out you can open the catmax from the inside too.

3. Make your own fascinator competition on Melbourne cup day where Neshette was judging and wrote the name of the winner in black marker on the thinnest bit of paper then trying to make it suspenseful even though we could all see the winner.

4. Us hiding all out in front of the reception desk and turning off the lights so when Sarah comes back from her holiday she'd get all confused. Ten minutes of hiding and we realised she didn't have her keys and we'd have to let her in.

5. Pretending to give birth to Amelie by tucking her under my long green drape and having her leap out under it.

6. Michael driving so badly that he knocked over the large garbage bin at the end of the laneway at work then saying he did it because he was speeding up to beat an oncoming car.

7. Sarah dropping a pen down Neshette's bum crack and Neshette got so mad she locked Sarah in the laundry and everyone was too scared to let her out for awhile. 

8. Neshette giving me her old roller skates where I proceeded to roller skate all around the clinic for the whole day til Michael to me to stop.

9. When EVERYONE fell of that crappy office work chair.

10. Sarah: 'I make make triple less than my boyfriend'

Toni: 'You mean one third?' 

Sarah: 'Some people might say that'.

And just the joy of every day things - our random dance off's, breaking into song in the middle of surgery, the awesome jokes we crack, the yummy trips for passionfruit meringue tarts, thai and japanese. I've laughed til I've cried and you guys have taught me to be a stronger person which I thank you for. I love you guys and I know that even though we're such different people we're great friends outside of work as well.

P.S. More stories have now come out of the woodwork:
11. A client thinking I was Sarah on the phone, after I booked an appointment I then said 'Love you' (meaning to actually say 'lovely')... 'Did you just say you loved me?'. Awkward pause...'Ignore that, it's been a long day'.
12. Pranking Michael by placing clear sticky tape across the door so when he'd walk through he'd get stuck. We over did it and it didn't work. Boo.
13. Calling up other clinics to check out their heartworm protocol but putting on fake accents and trying to be as real (and hence annoying) as possible.
14. When we FINALLY got a second phone line, unfortunately it was the old number of a charming place in Redfern called 'Girls Galore'. There were a couple of suspicious hang ups from that line after that.

It's the pussy peephole, yep, I went there.

Why I Travel

Last week I was at a family wedding and my Aunt went to me 'So you're throwing away all your life savings and going travelling' and I said confidently 'Yep!' with a big grin on my face. I can't wait to start this new chapter of my life and here are a few reasons why:

- To break bad habits. 

Life falls into routine. Currently I wake up, have some tea and a carbohydrate goodness on my balcony, go to work, come home, bitch about work to Kevin, go to sleep. This is pleasantly interspersed with outings with friends and making terrariums. That's it. It's OK but there's an ever growing pressure within me to shake up the routine. I took a different bike route home yesterday. That was fun. But soon, every day will be a bit different. Every street will be new. Is it scary? No, it's exhilarating  The thought of it makes my heart beat a little bit faster.

- I have arms and legs and I'm going to use them

Recently a close friend of mine had a serious health scare which has spooked me deeply. After sleepless nights and shedding a few tears, I know that there's nothing I can do. I can't change what's happening to him and I can only try to be the best person I can for him and myself. Health is so important. So many people (including myself) take their health for granted. They can run, jump, dance and yet they don't. You can a ride your bike to work (which also saves you and the environment on a bit of petrol) and yet you don't. Why not? We're going to be hiking, walking, exploring all whilst carrying everything we own on our backs. Whilst I have functional limbs, I'm going make the most of them.

- To explore different cultures

I'm a immigrant that came into Australia in 1987 in a plane via a Malaysian refugee camp. More about that later. All I've ever known is how to be Australian. To live in the suburbs with my primarily Asian-Australian friends growing up. We've gone through university, some have gotten married, most have jobs and most still living in Sydney. When I went back to Vietnam for the first time in 2000 it was a rude shock for me. THIS is what my life could have been like. A parallel life in a third world country. I couldn't process it. So even though that was my motherland, I couldn't accept it. Yet I've never been easy here either. The occassional racisim (half times unintentional), the natural grouping of racial communities in Sydney, the natural rudeness of people on the street, I need to find another place. I need to see some wrong places and hopefully some right places and find where I fit in the world.

- To be brand new

When you're travelling, no one knows who you are, where you're from, what you did (I'm pretty sure that's a Backstreet Boys song I'm channelling). So its a good chance to try to be the best person you can be and do it consistently. No regrets to dwell on. No old hang ups.  I'm currently trying (as we all should I guess) to be kind, considerate, witty, interesting but I guess you can start to get a bit lazy when you see the same people all the time. You fall into old habits. I've changed a lot in the last year and I want to leave that shell I've shed behind but people who I haven't seen in a year or two pop up and are a bad reminder. Its time to cut the cord and start fresh elsewhere. 

-To get ideas

My world is currently quite small and I know I need to expand it. I need fresh ideas to fuel the activity in my brain. I know I have the capacity to do much more with my life, I want to be useful and make a difference somehow, someway. I've just got to find my purpose in life. 

The Final Countdown

Our departure date - March 2nd edges ever so slowly closer and so my excitement grows bit by bit. Time is a fickle creature. At times she's dragging by, mocking you as you sit staring at your work computer, eyes flickering to the clock every two minutes. And then, at times, it feels as if the weeks zoom by and suddenly your UK Visa is approved and in your hands and you're looking at the next item on the agenda. As it stands, I currently have under 6 weeks in the country, 4 weeks til we move back with my parent's and 13 working days left. I don't know if I'm happy because it seems so close or stressed because it seems so little time to finalise everything. 

This week I'm giving notice for my rented apartment, got my Visa's back, continuing my selling rampage, getting my rabies vaccinations and looking into travel insurance. Having the list of things to sell on my blogspot worked out well and most of the major household items are sold now which is a big relief for me. We've adjusted smoothy to a minimalist lifestyle and its doubtful that'd I ever want more 'things' in my house ever again. Kettles just seem a bit redundant now. 

It's also a countdown with all my lovely friends and family so I'm furiously making plans to see them one last time. It's odd to know that someone who you've seen every week or so will be suddenly out of your life for a while. Luckily, there's facebook.And to end my rambling, I will quote Kodos from the Simpsons and say that 'we must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.

How To Apply For A UK Youth Mobility Scheme Visa

Applying for my UK Visa was no doubt stressful. But looking back, it needn't be. Ten weeks before we leave I had a panic attack about it. The what if's about getting rejected and and not having it ready before we go was freaking me out! Kevin, being the calmer and more rational one assured me we'd be fine and there was no reason at all why we'd be rejected. And he was right, 10 days after our applications were sent off we  got the confirmation email saying we were approved and passports with Visa within was making its way back to us. What a relief!

So, to make a slightly annoying, very stressful and time consuming process a bit easier for you I've made a 'How to Apply for a UK Visa as an Australian' cheat sheet (please note that this is general advice only and anything more specific you probably should refer to the UK visa website.

Youth Mobility Scheme

One reason I had to the itch to go to the UK sooner than later is that the 2 year working visa 'Youth Mobility Scheme Tier 5' has a 31 year old age limit. You also have to be over 18. Also you need to show that you have at least $1800 pounds (around AUS$3000) in your bank account and you need to have an Australian passport. To see if you can apply you can just this points based calculator on their website but if you have all those things you should be right. Also, being Australian they allocate 35 000 places so your odds are pretty good. 

Applying for a Visa

1. Apply online with the VAF9 form at the visa4UK website.

2. Go get your biometrics taken at one of the British Consulates.

3.Send off your application with a self addressed envelope.

4.Nervously wait til it comes back (which if you've done steps 1-3 should be pretty soon).

5. Receive confirmation email.

6. Do happy dance.

Cats can't appy for Visa's - sorry Amelie.

1. Online Application

OK so before you start make sure you have your passport (and any old passport) details ready. They will also ask you about your parent's birth city and birth date so if you are a bad child like I am, call your parents up quickly. Guidance notes HERE. Also you will have to print out your finished application once done so make sure you have access to a printer (though it is saved in the system so you can print it any time and anywhere with internet access once done). It pretty much just checks your vital information and that you don't have any nasty intentions for going there. My favourite question was 'Have you engaged in any other activities that might indicate you may not be considered a person of good character?'. Does dressing up a cat in Christmas clothes and making her dance for food count?

You will also need to roughly outline all your previous trips overseas which can be a bit time consuming. Once done, you will need to pay your application fee which is AUS$310 with a credit card and will then be asked to book a time to have your biometrics taken. As an Australian you have to submit your application by post only. Note: The form should have a barcode on the first page and the last page, if it doesn't print out that way then they say it could delay your Visa processing. Kevin's didn't so he re-printed it at a different place and got his biometrics taken a second time. You cannot save and print this form as a PDF so if you do need to print it elsewhere you have to log into the UK application website to access it. 

2. Biometrics Exam

Our nearest British Consulate is in Circular Quay in the city and its easy to book and change your time online. They are pretty relaxed there so just make sure you have a printout of your online application, passport and your confirmation letter. I got there 15 minutes early and they just processed me on the spot. Kevin got there when there was a bunch of people waiting and the officer was just coming back from lunch so they just when by a first come,first serve basis rather than the appointment time. It takes 2 minutes, you just need to scan your fingerprints and have your photo taken. They will then stamp your Visa application form and you're on your way.

3.Posting your Application

Once you do your biometrics they will give you a summary sheet of where and how to send your application through.

In a registered or express post envelope you will need to enclose:

- Your stamped Visa application

- Passport sized photo

- Passport + copy of the ID page

- Appendix 7 form found HERE

- Bank statement with proof of funds (if you print it out online like we did then you have to get every page stamped by the bank). Also the statement cannot be more than a month old from the application date.

- Self addressed envelope so they can send your passport back to you. To ensure the fastest and most safe passage for this very important document I bought a Express Post Platinum satchel and sent it to my work place. Kevin and I lodged our Visa's in the same envelope but I bought two separate envelopes for the home journey, just in case.

4. How Long Does it Take to Process the Visa?

Account for the time it takes to get the GPO box in Sydney (1 day) then 4 days in transit to the Manila processing office and then back again. We got our confirmation emails sent to us exactly 10 days after we sent them off and our passports back 5 days after that. Here is some data from the website about average processing times for Australians.

Points Based System Visas	2 days	3 days	5 days	10 days	15 days	40 days	60 days	90 days	120 days	Total decisions made
PBS Tier 1	0%	0%	0%	75%	75%	75%	100%	100%	100%	4
PBS Tier 2	0%	0%	9%	99%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	107
PBS Tier 4	0%	0%	5%	96%	97%	100%	100%	100%	100%	88
PBS Tier 5	0%	0%	3%	96%	98%	100%	100%	100%	100%	721

When Should I Apply?

They say you can only apply within 3 months of entering the UK, however since Kevin and I are travelling beforehand for 6 months and we need to be in Australia to get the Visa, we applied for it 7 months ahead of time. I put my entry date as 1st September then had a panic attack they won't accept my application as it is outside the time frame. After a frantic email to the office (you can also call them but it is crazy expensive to do so) and a week later they assured me that this will be fine as long as I have a good reason for applying earlier. So I also lodged my flight itinerary to South America and a letter saying I will be travelling there beforehand. Kevin just put his entry date three months from now to make things a bit easier. Both ways were fine and our entry date started 3 months after the application date.

So next up, once we get our passports back, applying for Brazil Visa's. 6 weeks to go!