tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57605025818043375732024-03-13T12:43:58.863+10:00It's time...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-52292405329748214332018-01-11T20:23:00.001+10:002018-01-11T20:23:08.228+10:00for a day out!<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Today I decided to head out and about in the great outdoors and explore an area that is so close it's almost a crime I have not spent more time there.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcfQcZ_rDhprulstz_p83mxSU3f0EiXvdhp1fPcCNhtmjK6sTkL4qoQG6L-ZAtR917iL65Eyicyqx8wL7GdQOZFD3WDZEy1XFAtFOU3y19meomWXflR_dt5BW2F5i5_NlsJkLeuqgmPhx/s1600/39598450282_03f15a06d0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcfQcZ_rDhprulstz_p83mxSU3f0EiXvdhp1fPcCNhtmjK6sTkL4qoQG6L-ZAtR917iL65Eyicyqx8wL7GdQOZFD3WDZEy1XFAtFOU3y19meomWXflR_dt5BW2F5i5_NlsJkLeuqgmPhx/s640/39598450282_03f15a06d0_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stopped at all the stops along The Falls Drive</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">First stop Browns Falls and as the sign suggests ‘track suitable for able bodied persons only’... this is no joke... while the track is not long, just 600m, and it’s not steep... it is difficult terrain.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-UO5yLecAhVFqi-5IU3nrUADhuD5wMfzBUvPwffIrzjfFc7yqQbPhzIJc2Qv9WRxxowR_liQ4JmsBi8Y7aH_EX9NfwKSXRLVroB2y8tR4_ezKrLF71jzckqItcR4doUpiwzTTYoxnC0I/s1600/39598460112_97f0e36d91_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-UO5yLecAhVFqi-5IU3nrUADhuD5wMfzBUvPwffIrzjfFc7yqQbPhzIJc2Qv9WRxxowR_liQ4JmsBi8Y7aH_EX9NfwKSXRLVroB2y8tR4_ezKrLF71jzckqItcR4doUpiwzTTYoxnC0I/s640/39598460112_97f0e36d91_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">For the most part the path is a little difficult to navigate as it is not always obvious. This has its pros and cons, great in that the area is remaining relatively untouched by humans, however difficult for a first timer to feel confident they are going the right way! Word of warning is that you will need good hiking shoes and all your hands free to negotiate some of this track. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt14se20Wl-o3yTn_0VMh0oJq4Z3fAOglU3CuOET2CDIjmyTpqWqNc9V20Q7FTc04fx2emQgUFsBgmtv_tzMAd3b2KpUQ-WRAYRsQU-yJpKIl9RD1EC2yJJ2uYlfo_omNou7TAvVKju6rj/s1600/38919931714_f51224d4f3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt14se20Wl-o3yTn_0VMh0oJq4Z3fAOglU3CuOET2CDIjmyTpqWqNc9V20Q7FTc04fx2emQgUFsBgmtv_tzMAd3b2KpUQ-WRAYRsQU-yJpKIl9RD1EC2yJJ2uYlfo_omNou7TAvVKju6rj/s640/38919931714_f51224d4f3_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Am sure the path is there somewhere.... </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Little red reflective discs dotted the way. Although in some cases they were difficult to locate and some appeared to be more of a ‘here I am’ marker rather than an actual indication of which way you were meant to go!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK_n4GDMq2JBTzi8E6axLrBG6uF4SUwaU3XaA0FRthKcReN2Q_CbFoyoRJrO5ducabrr8DQcTsSoHhmDmeHDjEfAH1NR9PUn3PVQGnTv-HUyibK5uiEySOZ3VlYnklR_4-ZI7BaN1Jl8l/s1600/38731470325_4f3ba0b5ed_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK_n4GDMq2JBTzi8E6axLrBG6uF4SUwaU3XaA0FRthKcReN2Q_CbFoyoRJrO5ducabrr8DQcTsSoHhmDmeHDjEfAH1NR9PUn3PVQGnTv-HUyibK5uiEySOZ3VlYnklR_4-ZI7BaN1Jl8l/s640/38731470325_4f3ba0b5ed_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the one across the creek.... Peek-a-boo!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Coming back seemed a whole lot quicker, and easier as I managed to remain mostly to one side of the creek bank, unlike the trek there where I seemed to be zig-zagging most of the way!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbuaxuphs5_btovUFRMNNQrjWymDXLxhBwgIbr37Jz_LuyMLwNqISB0ujeitGfFlySjIOesjhxuuNv9gcAd_cfbk3TIQJG0h3pG_9pDc_Hb1nzbU8E8OKw5R2nwr_1nqw38dbpw_3lIY5/s1600/38731469885_a7bc2b40ac_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbuaxuphs5_btovUFRMNNQrjWymDXLxhBwgIbr37Jz_LuyMLwNqISB0ujeitGfFlySjIOesjhxuuNv9gcAd_cfbk3TIQJG0h3pG_9pDc_Hb1nzbU8E8OKw5R2nwr_1nqw38dbpw_3lIY5/s640/38731469885_a7bc2b40ac_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was definitely worth the trek.</td></tr>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Round trip to just under an hour... sign says allow 20mins there but then you have to allow for photo time, staring into the beautiful waterfall time, getting lost in thoughts time and standing around with your hands on your hips wondering if you’re going the right way time!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Next stop.... Daggs Falls... which is really just a 5m walk onto a lookout platform but still very beautiful!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseZskRqjKeiiCsYS_RqpAXLg2LaOdHgAVnTIjWD0bq-HwKw2msncy1JBu-9tpXlyeMOzwlVjUzue35qD1yCfJnApr5xXczmzZ2YTb3ptInldXGrABj6YoG5AMYOM0lzQYmdZNRGhkJRs1/s1600/38731579775_123dcbab7e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseZskRqjKeiiCsYS_RqpAXLg2LaOdHgAVnTIjWD0bq-HwKw2msncy1JBu-9tpXlyeMOzwlVjUzue35qD1yCfJnApr5xXczmzZ2YTb3ptInldXGrABj6YoG5AMYOM0lzQYmdZNRGhkJRs1/s640/38731579775_123dcbab7e_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gorgeous lookout</td></tr>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">The Queen Mary Falls track is by far the most popular in the area and one I have completed many times before. The 2km circuit is well paved with gravel and bitumen to guide the path making it accessible to most. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-vJmM2kVW9R-CNDv-D5FDVdKlt8BZIJdnAldToVfnVYjYdvod5p5ruw3hPYkuD5_J8OTazYbMQF3HQ7yXCymudLVPoaSoparSVzxhI1BDF_RnkRWcOiVte2ZNt81Ed-zDV8u9jfFWvnZ/s1600/25756110008_6a1e5477d0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-vJmM2kVW9R-CNDv-D5FDVdKlt8BZIJdnAldToVfnVYjYdvod5p5ruw3hPYkuD5_J8OTazYbMQF3HQ7yXCymudLVPoaSoparSVzxhI1BDF_RnkRWcOiVte2ZNt81Ed-zDV8u9jfFWvnZ/s640/25756110008_6a1e5477d0_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path at Queen Mary Falls is a lot more obvious and user friendly!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Being a circuit there is no back tracking, depending on which way you go you start your journey by weaving your way to the bottom of the Falls... </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNu9_xAGbmSc09E5M_GgbqRtea4l1Okskx9PQcjeAHvFRNTxV3vKVRY61lmd6mhwUYpXvonvRKRro41uRSuXsLldMpHeuq894gp6gf_WQLk0kcTah47UDlpBRv6dK9OroYSJZt5znnQhG/s1600/24759643807_ba3c501f5d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNu9_xAGbmSc09E5M_GgbqRtea4l1Okskx9PQcjeAHvFRNTxV3vKVRY61lmd6mhwUYpXvonvRKRro41uRSuXsLldMpHeuq894gp6gf_WQLk0kcTah47UDlpBRv6dK9OroYSJZt5znnQhG/s640/24759643807_ba3c501f5d_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mary Falls from the bottom...</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">but of course, what goes down must also come up... </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SQtPq9lZgr9bSR5fRp5QARlhGtDXc4F8k8QRA1eX9T9hP41TUxMMHeuG7ZCW11tkm-68dsbtNAhdAeASl1zUMq7N1IvB5MSjgj0-SSGSBttX_7cP2_ocm8stVEnxSW2h_V1TPYluEx8n/s1600/39598331932_2e1bc8cf68_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SQtPq9lZgr9bSR5fRp5QARlhGtDXc4F8k8QRA1eX9T9hP41TUxMMHeuG7ZCW11tkm-68dsbtNAhdAeASl1zUMq7N1IvB5MSjgj0-SSGSBttX_7cP2_ocm8stVEnxSW2h_V1TPYluEx8n/s640/39598331932_2e1bc8cf68_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and from the top..</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">it’s not overly steep but it will get the heart pumping and the sweat dripping on a hot day. There is of course the option to do it in reverse and at one point even a post that indicates the ability to choose your own adventure... </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNNTUyyu7KRvMT5yfltWXnZhFVNYTNP1eUGW55YT-qVCVTqHGH5XehWTDckT3e2c5_dLRqQJ_ud686tFovZwAGTHY0PaUcFsWL2HURHPUUmSZmXcNoVpiNT5NXFOldheuRbTBJSDYqx9v/s1600/39627301071_219a5256ce_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNNTUyyu7KRvMT5yfltWXnZhFVNYTNP1eUGW55YT-qVCVTqHGH5XehWTDckT3e2c5_dLRqQJ_ud686tFovZwAGTHY0PaUcFsWL2HURHPUUmSZmXcNoVpiNT5NXFOldheuRbTBJSDYqx9v/s640/39627301071_219a5256ce_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">If the climb was all a bit much fear not... there is a cafe waiting for you at the end with lots of yummies and goodies to refuel you...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpYBmaLcqNAaqSvq88owu70SGNaFLgbbUsV3imI95APY0cZjwpjOyg48-qeIm_fXpzv6fNLm7800et7RNGBrATr2zzPUWyKwJyrBQCLj0jgajaMqWExR5Y4EhaMu7MRZGtJ_1sc4r7NhM/s1600/27849922019_396383deb1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpYBmaLcqNAaqSvq88owu70SGNaFLgbbUsV3imI95APY0cZjwpjOyg48-qeIm_fXpzv6fNLm7800et7RNGBrATr2zzPUWyKwJyrBQCLj0jgajaMqWExR5Y4EhaMu7MRZGtJ_1sc4r7NhM/s640/27849922019_396383deb1_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">and chances are you will have some company to enjoy your snacks with....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0ZjK5R7-cBOcOg1-gqlMWs0gO4-yStlyWYs_UlzHuNiyuRkoCkRPnHH3XubQAhYmJQEsrSkJEXuHBCU25t6M3O5NTT732ksGFHvAaIgwmCUUGgu2vG0iAnF4Hl86E0Ct74cmbkF-B904/s1600/39627300241_fb21a675aa_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0ZjK5R7-cBOcOg1-gqlMWs0gO4-yStlyWYs_UlzHuNiyuRkoCkRPnHH3XubQAhYmJQEsrSkJEXuHBCU25t6M3O5NTT732ksGFHvAaIgwmCUUGgu2vG0iAnF4Hl86E0Ct74cmbkF-B904/s640/39627300241_fb21a675aa_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch date!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Driving further up the road is the amazing Carrs Lookout which is definitely worth the extra drive up the winding range.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MA2OrvD9Sb8ksmxFWb9VbF3ssfzJAptAHlo899W4mGsYkm1spo_jh3qVxeU4SPcxvlZY5zYCWwGWKSTpC-jyFaAal6Jk7vPBJzfaAs3SgfXenaSxPaKNQqtRIxAc3FHiUQFf_PE4_FkZ/s1600/39627055041_6c40a4f861_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MA2OrvD9Sb8ksmxFWb9VbF3ssfzJAptAHlo899W4mGsYkm1spo_jh3qVxeU4SPcxvlZY5zYCWwGWKSTpC-jyFaAal6Jk7vPBJzfaAs3SgfXenaSxPaKNQqtRIxAc3FHiUQFf_PE4_FkZ/s640/39627055041_6c40a4f861_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14.6667px;">Was such a beautiful way to spend my day, and only a short 30 minute drive from my home. Really must make an effort to go there more often!</span><br /><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-77815786823712281272017-12-17T19:00:00.000+10:002017-12-17T19:00:33.160+10:00for a breakup<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 16px;">
This year I had a breakup.. A breakup that I was sure was going to be an extremely difficult one. But to my surprise it really wasn't as difficult as I thought....<br />
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I pondered the decision for months... I would stand in the shop and stare at you and imagine the day that I would make you mine... just before leaving for South Korea and with the help of my tax return I finally made you mine.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIn17N6h9sn/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">⌚️ NEW WATCH ⌚️ Little tax return present to myself and a hope that it will keep me on track and motivated while living overseas!!! Yep! Moving to South Korea to teach English in 2 days!! Eeekk! . #motivation #exercise #determined #present #taxreturn #fitbit #blaze #watch #smartwatch #tracking #photooftheday #picoftheday</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3CMacro%20'profile_link'%3E" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Zita...</a> (@_themakingofme_) on <time datetime="2016-08-02T22:08:59+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 2, 2016 at 3:08pm PDT</time></div>
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I became obsessed and was sure it was going to help me stay on track as I moved to a whole new country! I constantly checked my wrist to see how many steps I had done. The first thing I did each morning was refresh my app to see how my sleep was the night before.<br />
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It was meant to be a motivational tool but soon it became a distraction and a disappointment. In my mind I wasn't motivated to do more steps, I'll confess that some days I would simply shake my wrists a few times to get to my goal. It was having the affect I wanted it to.<br />
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The boiling point came when I was working towards my goal of running 10km in under an hour at the Sunshine Coast marathon event. I had been training for weeks. Diligently wearing my Fitbit, constantly glancing at it to see my stats. </div>
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The day of the race arrived and with nerves I lined up with just a few thousand of my closest friends, all with one on the other hands wrist, ready to start our 'smart watches' as we crossed the start line. I felt like I started the run strong and felt really good. I told myself not to focus too much on my time and not to look at my Fitbit and just focus on my rhythm and feel comfortable. I did this until I saw the 5km marker sign. That's when I looked at my watch and saw my time was 30:12 and I thought I could continue at the pace I was running and maybe, just maybe, get close to that 1 hour time. But then I think I just got inside my own head too much. My toes started to go numb and when that happens my knee starts to ache. </div>
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According to my Fitbit my time was 1:04:27 but the distance was only 9.33km so am not sure I can really claim it as a 10km run PB.... I felt so many emotions that day, most of all frustration and disappointment.<br />
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It was that day that I decided I needed to break up... with my Fitbit. I had become so focused on it and feeling like a massive failure if I don't meet some kind of target that I felt like it was stopping me from just enjoying my runs and enjoying exercise in general. I hate the inner-struggle and dialogue I was having with myself both during and after the run that day and I hate the use of the word failure.... </div>
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To me, I am not failing...... at 38 I know I am close to the fittest and strongest I have ever been. I know I live a healthy balanced lifestyle and I know that my thoughts and feelings about myself and my body are improving every day. I know that my health and being healthy is and always will be top of my priority list. So I'm "breaking up" with the obsession I had with checking my Fitbit all the time and with the word "failure" because being the best version of myself means being ok with where I am at and the decisions I make throughout my day and living in what is my reality.... and now I just run because I want to, and I enjoy it and don't focus on anything else except the very next step...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVNU_bkWviv8cLGBnOs-5oJgpAt5TSEaSO1bZc_O2fZzDZoOk9OHF83uXSJSMyK_lgDamgXXH0-yguBCTi8NtTEsayvxDR1zYptBNSJgcyjMqhO_biM3AP0T8MYGWmc1cIow__uJWwL7J/s1600/itstime_signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVNU_bkWviv8cLGBnOs-5oJgpAt5TSEaSO1bZc_O2fZzDZoOk9OHF83uXSJSMyK_lgDamgXXH0-yguBCTi8NtTEsayvxDR1zYptBNSJgcyjMqhO_biM3AP0T8MYGWmc1cIow__uJWwL7J/s1600/itstime_signature.png" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-78796169869770128192017-10-01T15:21:00.000+10:002017-10-01T15:24:24.059+10:009 months on...<span style="font-size: large;">I stood at the harbour at the port of Yeosu in South Korea and watched the sunrise in the distance and decided it was time to put into action something I had been thinking about for a while. I have always enjoyed watching both the sunrise and the sunset. Each signalling an important time of the day... A sunrise, a new day with new beginnings possible.... A sunset, a time of reflection of the day that was...</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOszwxXB9Mh/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">January 1st, 2017 ~ Sunrise at the harbour in Yeosu, South Korea. 🔆💛🇰🇷 . #iphone5 #lpfanphoto #photooftheday #picoftheday #wanderlust #travel #traveller #travelling #instapic #instatravel #visiting #instago #instagood #tourism #tourist #southkorea #instatraveling #mytravelgram #travelgram #igtravel #sunrise #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #foreignfocus #sun #kissfromtheworld #instapassport #january #travelpassage</a></div>
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A post shared by sunrise.or.sunset (@sunrise.or.sunset) on <time datetime="2016-12-31T23:34:39+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 31, 2016 at 3:34pm PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The one that started it all.... my first sunrise picture.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">I had thought for a while that I would challenge myself to see if I could enjoy this time of day more and share it with anyone who may have been interested by taking a photo and sharing on Instagram. And so on the harbour in that foreign country, thousands of kilometres from my family and close friends the Instagram account <a href="http://sunrise.or.sunset/">sunrise.or.sunset</a> was born with the challenge being for me to take a photo of either the sunrise or the sunset each day for at least a year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO65EOIhYTd/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">January 6th, 2017 ~ beautiful skies were back tonight! WOW! . #photooftheday #picoftheday #mylife #outdoors #sunset_pics #sunset #sunsets #sunsets_captures #sunset_hub #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #korea #sun #ocean #boat #gold #clouds #weather #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #instadaily #instagood #instagram #instasky #instapassport #instalike #mokpo</a></div>
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A post shared by sunrise.or.sunset (@sunrise.or.sunset) on <time datetime="2017-01-06T10:50:22+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 6, 2017 at 2:50am PST</time></div>
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My apartment in Mokpo, South Korea was a 10 minute walk from the harbour and the perfect spot to take my sunset photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nine months later and I'm happy to say that I am still going. In the last 9 months I have taken photos in 3 different countries, starting my year in South Korea, moving back to Australia in February and some from a holiday to Fiji in June. Admittedly I am more of a sunset person as I find it difficult to get up early enough to catch the sunrise, but there is the odd sunrise photo among the photos. Some days I have been organised enough to catch both!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZQiOd-hlTW/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">September 20th, 2017 ~ managed to snap both the sunrise and sunset today! . . #sunset #sun #sky #skyporn #cloudporn #nature #horizon #photooftheday #instagood #gorgeous #view #night #instasky #all_sunsets #sunset_pics #sunset_captures #picoftheday #sunset_hub #sunsetsforkate #ourqld #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #SeeAustralia #AustralianLife #goldcoast #australiagram #downundertourism #thisisqueensland #visitgoldcoast #DiscoverQueensland #aussiephoto</a></div>
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A post shared by sunrise.or.sunset (@sunrise.or.sunset) on <time datetime="2017-09-20T09:48:01+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 20, 2017 at 2:48am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am often asked if I have missed a day and the answer is, there is a photo for every day but there are a few that have been taken by my trusty sister who I have had to madly text on the odd occasion to take a photo for me because I have been caught up with something, or that one time I was laid up in bed horribly sick and I didn't even have to ask, she sent me one anyway!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BVyqln8BsNs/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">June 26th, 2017 ~ Sailing off into the sunset.. . . #sunset #sun #sky #skyporn #cloudporn #nature #clouds #horizon #photooftheday #instagood #gorgeous #view #night #instasky #all_sunsets #sunset_pics #sunset_captures #picoftheday #sunset_hub #sunsetsforkate #boat #fiji #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #fijiwater #fijisunset #myfiji #fijitourism #fijifinds</a></div>
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A post shared by sunrise.or.sunset (@sunrise.or.sunset) on <time datetime="2017-06-26T05:49:41+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 25, 2017 at 10:49pm PDT</time></div>
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Sunset in Fiji is pretty spectacular as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things I have loved about this challenge I have set for myself is that it's allowed me to explore my local area a lot more. Early in the piece and with the changing seasons and movement of the sun, I have driven all around the local area finding the perfect spot to take my photo. Some nights I take my time, enjoy the drive, wait and watch as the sun drifts down over the horizon, reflect on the day that was and what is to come, and other nights it's a quick snap out the car window before taking off again. Either way it is nice to stop, even if just for a moment, and soak in the moment. Something I don't think happens enough in this crazy world.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWe0X6DhF2Z/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">July 13th, 2017 . . #sunset #sun #sky #skyporn #cloudporn #nature #clouds #horizon #photooftheday #instagood #gorgeous #view #night #instasky #all_sunsets #sunset_pics #sunset_captures #picoftheday #sunset_hub #sunsetsforkate #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #SeeAustralia #AustralianLife #sqcountry #australiagram #downundertourism #thisisqueensland #southerndowns #DiscoverQueensland #aussiephoto</a></div>
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A post shared by sunrise.or.sunset (@sunrise.or.sunset) on <time datetime="2017-07-13T09:21:47+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 13, 2017 at 2:21am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of my absolute favourites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So if you, like me, are a lover of this time of day and have not already followed me, please do so <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunrise.or.sunset/" target="_blank">here</a>! And tag me in your sunset photos on Instagram, I'd love to see them!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-81330791183516193222017-01-10T06:00:00.000+10:002017-10-01T15:24:37.782+10:00for my plans for 2017<span style="font-size: large;">Since announcing to many family and friends that I was coming home at the end of January after a 6 month stint teaching English in South Korea I have been repeatedly hit with one question and one question only....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What are you plans for when you get home?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of this hit me with much frustration as I still had some months to go to enjoy my time in South Korea and also because I thought.... why do you want to know? why do I need a plan? and why can't you just let me enjoy the present rather than worrying about the future?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I realised that I know the answer to those "whys" and it's because they are my friends and my family and they care and they are concerned and interested in my life. Some even thought that the reason I am coming home is because things "didn't work out" over here for me.... and that kind of annoyed me to... Absolute, hand on heart truth is that I came here with no expectations of how long I would stay and came with the intention to enjoy and experience every moment and go with the flow and see what happened. I have absolutely LOVED my time in South Korea. I have met some wonderful people who I am sure will become life long friends, I have experienced living within a whole other culture (which hasn't always been easy and there have been many "what the fuck have I done moments"), I have done things (and eaten things) I never thought I would, I have been pushed out of my comfort zone. Most importantly though I have had many many moments of reflection and clarity over what I want my life to look like and the person I want to be moving forward. Truth be told I need to be at home for things to happen and when push came to shove and I had to make the decision to sign a new work contract here or not it came down to the fact that I wanted to stay here... but I wanted to go home more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So to answer the question... what are my plans for when I get home... here goes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I plan to run more - running is always something I have done half-heartedly, I never really enjoyed it that much and always seemed to focus on time and distance rather than just running for enjoyment and health. Since being here I have found a new enjoyment in running and ran because I wanted to. I even ran 10km in a fun run event over here and it was one of the best things I did. So I am hoping to continue to run for the joy of it when I get home.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhU-9EbAKJZr0ubL6bYGJXbWyjo8nTOVRgidem6a_EJJJ_cAswpEmMEt_fkhDE_jdLPX1QXATE39anvrmUCjIcj1yfy_8VsCeum6j5P1jal9wxGUg5elU0vQIomslXufjVzF3Pj0g70em/s1600/30082371491_bfbf044acf_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhU-9EbAKJZr0ubL6bYGJXbWyjo8nTOVRgidem6a_EJJJ_cAswpEmMEt_fkhDE_jdLPX1QXATE39anvrmUCjIcj1yfy_8VsCeum6j5P1jal9wxGUg5elU0vQIomslXufjVzF3Pj0g70em/s640/30082371491_bfbf044acf_o.jpg" width="479" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We just ran 10ks!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I plan to hike - hiking is like a national sport in South Korea and with 22 national parks and amazing landscapes and views it's easy to see why. Whilst some of the hikes I did were challenging, there was this amazing sense of accomplishment standing at the peak and soaking up the view and the atmosphere! I loved being outdoors with nature and again, I hope to further indulge this new passion of mine at home!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG57UnnnJY9m28vjDpat8I0ZEBn-d2feqitCAozCT5g5hkj8Op-p1kk-V1odaMIU04aLv7lPGwGHh4_wQPZElrUmlxQA7WDwcrJcALDR8QmoNsuRy7YjLf6nBpRsUm59vhtNBghwfDUsC/s1600/30650417230_3ed78e47b1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG57UnnnJY9m28vjDpat8I0ZEBn-d2feqitCAozCT5g5hkj8Op-p1kk-V1odaMIU04aLv7lPGwGHh4_wQPZElrUmlxQA7WDwcrJcALDR8QmoNsuRy7YjLf6nBpRsUm59vhtNBghwfDUsC/s640/30650417230_3ed78e47b1_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the peak of Wolchulsan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I plan do all the things I have said I have wanted to do but have made up excuses for not doing them - make sense! lol... I have said many times that I want a new tattoo and have had a photo saved on my phone of what I want since September 2015, I have said I want to try stand up paddle-boarding, get my grandmother to teach me how to crochet, run a half marathon, donate blood, go on a retreat, do another course in photography but for some reason I have never followed through on any of them....This year I am going to do them!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSaWlz2BTegyhM3utmvgjir_bNmWIWJ5YRTnppVRrV84UWZ7Y2I_jKWl3Uy7SkHynoG5n7LcgubWynRelxUTKkwdgofNbzGKCYZAWLKpiNQHukmERz2d8eCc3XezAswbotq1yXuQqgGGB/s1600/31812949301_c54b23eab0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSaWlz2BTegyhM3utmvgjir_bNmWIWJ5YRTnppVRrV84UWZ7Y2I_jKWl3Uy7SkHynoG5n7LcgubWynRelxUTKkwdgofNbzGKCYZAWLKpiNQHukmERz2d8eCc3XezAswbotq1yXuQqgGGB/s640/31812949301_c54b23eab0_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am going to jump into doing all the things I've said I always wanted to do!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I plan on seeing more of my own country - I have managed to squeeze so much into such a sort period of time here. There are so many things to do and places to see and that is true of my own country as well. When there was a festival in another town that I wanted to go to but was 2 hours away, I didn't even give it a second thought, I jumped on a bus and I went. I went on so many day trips and explored so many areas that I really want to do that when I get home as well! So many times I have sat at home on weekends and said there was nothing to do, when the truth is there is plenty to see and do, I just, for whatever reason, didn't do them!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtt07X-DD2LpwoW0cYD8QH-__bpHq9-d3LUA_zi_r6PiKvm3LlxdEjZQ6nwFNNqQFWFqn-fl8tPBlWg2DXIREqXXsXhjm7_P5Q3ILPV4m2ypIDgVlS4G1TlF7aiB1tMgqfqdeaMKGuLTwM/s1600/31120477043_a1e8379cf1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtt07X-DD2LpwoW0cYD8QH-__bpHq9-d3LUA_zi_r6PiKvm3LlxdEjZQ6nwFNNqQFWFqn-fl8tPBlWg2DXIREqXXsXhjm7_P5Q3ILPV4m2ypIDgVlS4G1TlF7aiB1tMgqfqdeaMKGuLTwM/s640/31120477043_a1e8379cf1_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took 2 buses and a taxi for 1 hour and 45 mins to visit the Damyang Bamboo Park all by myself and had a wonderful day!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I plan on maintaining my positive mental health - for so long I have focused on all the things I don't have and on how I thought my life should be and what I should have. Since being here I have been able to work on my mental health and feel good about the things I have done and the good things in my life. It's not roses here all the time but my positive mindsets have been outweighing my negative ones for quite some time now and I know it MUST stay like that for me to attain all the things I have planned. I know this one will be difficult to sustain but I need to make sure those little voices in my head maintain a positive dialogue and that I don't get drawn back into the negative. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-VvbgrPHduiSHaWKLUjiw_50rnxXvmLOsEegs-7WshVhagFxAsWy3WcVzDmRN_Isv3kG_0nDOZPCrxEpO2BmvxE4xz5JwvurKphHRkdyvzG7I0qNf_JvxMRzC0Wc_C_aGBXpySHBRYu-/s1600/22773717108_0a3b034613_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-VvbgrPHduiSHaWKLUjiw_50rnxXvmLOsEegs-7WshVhagFxAsWy3WcVzDmRN_Isv3kG_0nDOZPCrxEpO2BmvxE4xz5JwvurKphHRkdyvzG7I0qNf_JvxMRzC0Wc_C_aGBXpySHBRYu-/s640/22773717108_0a3b034613_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending time focusing on my mental health will take a priority</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it.... my plans for when I get home....</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously these aren't really the plans they want to know about, they are asking about other plans ....the big ones.... the ones that they think matter the most... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">where am I going to live and what am I going to do for work</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and I have plans for that as well which will come in time but for now I am not focused on them because I know that if I focus on the above mentioned plans, those will fall into place as well. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-19172399887096457262016-12-26T06:00:00.000+10:002017-10-01T15:24:52.454+10:00to make a comeback...<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: large;">I got overwhelmed, I started drowning from information overload. I thought I had to be something I was pretty sure I could never be and wasn't even sure I wanted to be. I lost sight of why I even started in the first place.</span><span class="x_Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">I got lost in a sea of terminology that made no sense to me... of Facebook 'support' groups and blogging courses that had a mould I wasn't sure I could fit or could be bothered to fit.</span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">I was reading blogs that were of no relevance to me and loosing hours of valuable time doing so. It wasn't that they were boring<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span>they just weren't where my life was out but I was reading them anyway out of a sense of obligation. I was linking up to link ups and feeling overwhelmed with rules and regulations but did so because that was the right thing to do, the 'blogging' thing to do.<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">Don't get me wrong it definitely had its benefits. I met some amazing people, some I've even managed to meet in real life and now I call my friends and for that I am grateful.</span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">For a while there I thought that was the life I wanted. I started focusing more on travel blogging, writing articles about my trips, sharing photos, hoping to inspire others. Watching from the sidelines as other travel bloggers were getting fully paid trips from travel companies for exposure, making a living off of travelling and for a while I wished that was me! I wanted to be the one jet-setting off to exotic destinations first class on fully funded trips and really thought (somehow) I could make that happen, but that it would somehow find me. I knew/know it's bloody hard work and not every one who tries makes it and after a while it dawned on me that I was never going to make it, partially because I didn't really know how and didn't have the time to learn<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: large;">while working full time but mostly because I didn't really want to.</span><span class="x_Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">So after some time away I've decided to come back... sort of. I'm going to blog on my terms. When I want, how often I want, about what I want and not get caught up in what I think I should be doing but enjoy what I want to do and hope that some of you out there will also enjoy it!<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">So... what have I been doing since I stepped out of the blogging world all those months ago... here's a brief update...</span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">I applied for what I thought was going to be my dream job and was super excited at the prospect of what may lie ahead, but jumped the gun a bit and was bitterly disappointed when I didn't get it.</span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">I signed up for a health and fitness challenge and kind of failed miserably. I felt I gave it my all within the boundaries of my abilities at the time but was not overly happy with my results. I started a new <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_themakingofme_/" target="_blank">Instagram Profile</a> to share my journey as well as general things from my life as my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/?hl=en" target="_blank">It's Time</a> one has become more about my travel.. If you want to stalk my life away from my travels you can check out my second <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_themakingofme_/" target="_blank">Instagram Profile here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">So feeling like I had failed at two things that I thought I wanted so badly, I took up a contract doing my old job, High School Guidance Officer, but at a different school, I felt I needed some certainty and consistency in my life for a while and while it was good to have that it was also the perfect reminder of why I walked away in the first place.<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">However, it gave me the chance to save some money and I decided to follow another path I had been poking my head down for some time... if you've been following along on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/itstime/" target="_blank">FB page</a> then you'll know that in a whirlwind of events I up and moved to South Korea with about 2 weeks notice!<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">I accepted a six month contract teaching English in after school classes and was on a plane before I knew what had happened. And here I am.. still here but almost at the end of my contract and it's almost time for me to hop back on a plane and head home!<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">It's been an amazing six months that has given me so much joy. I've explored the beautiful country, met amazing people, had so much fun (and craziness) teaching English in a Korean school, attended all manner of festivals, fallen in love with hiking mountains, eaten foods I never thought I would and had time to reflect on my life, my goals and my dreams!<span class="x_Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="x_s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: large;">So standby as I slowly re-enter the blogging world. Share my travels and whatever else is going on in my crazy world! </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-18039077208031364392016-03-28T05:30:00.000+10:002016-03-28T05:30:00.748+10:00til next time... <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I must confess this is my second attempt at writing this and I am frustrated beyond belief! I had more or less finished my post, drafting it using the blogger app, walked away... app closed... draft gone...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Really just links in with what I am blogging about today anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today we are confessing words that makes us cringe... Here goes...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blog...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's been 3 weeks since I posted my <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2016/03/new-york-regrets.html" target="_blank">New York Regrets</a>. In the time I have barely given my blog a second thought. I must confess I really am not seeing the point of blogging at all and it has seemed to be more of a task than a joy. I love sharing my travel stories on my blog because, let's be honest, no one in my real life really wants to hear about it and blogging about it allows me to somewhat relive my experiences. I love sharing my photos, particularly on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, but the desire to blog has disappeared and I am not sure I see the point of continuing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Facebook...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I must confess I'm over it. I deleted the app off my phone a bit over a week ago and have not missed it at all. I still have messenger and can still access it on my iPad and laptop and that is all I need. It was becoming something I was doing to kill the boredom and giving no real value to my time or life. I would cringe looking at things people were saying and sharing and wondering why I bothered giving it my time. I need to give that time to something else. I would cringe when I would hear so many of my sentences starting with, "Did you see on Facebook..." or "Yeah I saw that one Facebook"... </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In
my current circumstances I am feeling more and more disconnected from
those who were once so close and dear to me, even with Facebook, as our lives have taken such
different directions and paths and I know
it's never going to be the same again, and it's no ones fault, it's just
life... it happens, but somehow Facebook was/is making that feeling even worse. </span></span>Truth be known I have barely posted on Facebook over the last few years anyway so I don't think I have been missed. Now don't get me wrong, I totally see the value of Facebook and think it's a great tool, when used appropriately, it's been a fantastic for keeping up friends and family up to date while travelling and connecting with all those friends I have made all over the world and it will always be there. I just don't need it to be there all the time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Passion.. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now bear with me on this one... In my current situation I spend a fair amount of time with my thoughts and the little internal voices we all have. I have been questioning and thinking a lot about the decisions I have made over the last 18 months, as it was about that time I decided to walk away from my job. I question that decision, the decision to travel and how I went about that, the decision to come home, the decision to move in with my parents at the ripe age of 36, the decision not to take a job I was offered and all the implications that have come with all those decisions and where I find myself at this present time. So what has this got to do with passion... A lot of people talk about finding their true passion in life and there's more than a few quotes along that theme... I must confess I still have no idea what my passion in life is and I know that there are a lot of people in the same boat, but every time someone asks what I am doing/going to do/want to do/what my passion is... I cringe. I know it comes from a place of love and concern but my concern is that I have made so many decisions that seemed right at the time that with the value of hindsight I am questioning, that I'm going to end up back where I really don't want to be because I have left myself with no other viable options. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Goodbyes... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I must confess I am not a big fan of goodbyes. I'm not sure if I would describe the feeling I have about it as a cringe, but it definitely evokes something within. Some might say a goodbye is the start of something new and sometimes that is the case and sometimes that is a good thing... but sometimes it is not. Goodbyes can be so unpredictable, you never know if it is going to be the last goodbye or what might happen after that goodbye is spoken. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I must confess that this post is goodbye from me. I can't be certain of the length of this goodbye. I still want to write, I still want to share my stories but for now I don't need or want the pressure and to feel like I HAVE to do it (and that pressure is only coming from within I might add), so I'm pulling up stumps but wanted to take this opportunity to thank each person who has taken the time to read, like, comment, share here on the blog and I will try and keep dropping by and supporting your blogs as I really do appreciate my blogging friends! Stick with me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> though as that has always been my favourite form of 'blogging' and I will continue to do so over there! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Linking up with my favourite hostesses Kirsty at <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> & Alicia at <a href="http://www.onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a>** </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-12814759561472894922016-03-07T05:00:00.000+10:002016-03-07T05:00:09.506+10:00New York regrets<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Research <i><b>Things to do in New York</b></i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Write out your <i><b>Must do things in NYC </b></i>list"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> "Plan, plan, plan, you'll need a plan"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These were all great pieces of advice I was given when talking to people about my trip to New York City. And despite listening and taking this advice fully on board, I still have regrets and things I wish I had of done! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had put a lot of thought and time into planning what I wanted to see and do and even set out a pretty firm itinerary with the help of many Pinterest searches, blog post<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> readings</span> and advice from a 2 time New York traveller. I had just 5 days and a long list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I didn't take into account was the fact that I would be flying in (late, thanks to a big storm in the city which delayed my flight by 3 hours) after a mammoth 8 days in Nashville for CMA Fest!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/06/from-nashville-to-new-york.html" target="_blank">WANT MORE: Read my post on the culture shock that was Nashville to NY here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst I managed to cross of the massive majority of things that I had on my list, and after my day 3 regroup, there were some things, that with the glory that is hindsight, I regret not doing whilst in the Big Apple. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Not seeing Grand Central Terminal </span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's number 9 on <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attractions-g60763-Activities-New_York_City_New_York.html" target="_blank">Trip Advisor's Things to do in New York</a>, and I really wanted to get there, but I just didn't. I am not really sure what my excuse is for this one. Perhaps time just was not on my side and I was not in the area, but now, every time I see a photo of it I really regret not getting one of my very own<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and checking it out in all it's glory!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Not braving the subway earlier</b></u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love walking around cities as opposed to sitting on public transport. My accommodation was only about a 20 minute walk from Times Square and right near Central Park, so I figured it was easier to just walk to where I needed/wanted to be. Eventually, 3 days in I gave in, possibly<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> due to</span> pure exhaustion after so much walking and getting a little lost, I decided to brave the subway. Despite what people say it is not as easy and simple as I anticipated it to be and it really doesn't cover the city as well as other similar public transport systems around the world, but I really do wish I had used it earlier as it may have saved my sanity, and some time, a little. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not checking the schedule at Madison Square Garden</span></b></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As my tour departed New York from Hotel Pennsylvania I decided to move there the night before to make sure I wasn't rushing the next morning. This hotel was right across the street from Madison Square Garden. The thought never even crossed my mind to check what shows or events might have been playing there during my stay. Sure enough, that night there were people and taxis everywhere! A quick Google search revealed that Billy Joel was playing his record breaking 65th show there, surpassing Elton John in the process. To think I could have been there for that history making show.... instead I grabbed takeaway from the burger joint next door and headed back to my room..... FAIL!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Not walking the Brooklyn Bridge</b></u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I saw it from a boat, I saw it from the top of the observation tower, I rode over it in a bus... but I did not walk on the Brooklyn Bridge and I regret that. There are so many different types of tours you can do that revolve around the bridge, including a free walking tour, a bike riding tour and a historical tour, or you can just visit the park and the bridge yourself and I did none of them and I wish I had. I could have stood on that <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">very spot where Miranda f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">inally</span> forgave Steve in Sex and the City! Another moment lost for<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ever..</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I purchased a ticket on one of those open top Big Bus Tours that took me around to the major highlights of the city. It included a cruise around the harbour taking in Brooklyn Bridge and Liberty Island with pretty great views of the Statue of Liberty. The day I chose to use my ticket was a cloudy and gloomy day and while it was still an amazing sight I really wish I had of gone again. And despite people saying that you don't need to go right to the island, I do think it would have been pretty amazing to get up close to the statue and even do a tour of this great attraction.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Have you been to NYC?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Do you have any regrets?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Would love to hear about them in the comments below!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Don't make the same mistakes I made.... Pin this for later!</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WANT MORE NEW YORK AWESOMENESS!!??</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/08/on-location-tv-and-movie-tour-of-new.html" target="_blank">Check out my review of the On Locations TV and Movie Tour here!<b> </b> </a></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-19095548114055100632016-02-29T06:00:00.000+10:002016-02-29T06:00:12.990+10:00to remember..<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am revisiting an old post for this week's <i>I <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M</span>ust <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">C</span>onfess</i> prompt because I don't understand how 10 years can pass and it still feel like yesterday. Today is a day that only happens once every 4 years, meaning that it didn't happen 10 years ago and it means this year we get an extra day, a day between remembering the day you left us, and the day we celebrate what would have been your birthday.....</span><br />
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<i>I remember the day as if it was yesterday....</i><br />
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<i>The day started like any other, It was a Monday, I got up I went to work, I was on autopilot like I am most days. I was teaching an early years class, year 1/2. For the most part they had no idea of the inner struggle I was having with even being there. My mind often wandering, wishing I was some place else. We had started the day just like any other following our usual routine, I had set them up for our Literacy Rotations and was just making a start when my mobile phone rang. I had forgotten to turn it on silent and by the time I got to it, it had rung out. Within minutes the Principal had entered my classroom</i>, <i>(this never happened so I knew something big was going on) I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to say before he even said it. "Miss Hooke, you need to leave now" I knew what he meant, I knew where I had to go. From memory I don't even think I said anything to the kids, I just grabbed my bag and left, leaving him to manage my class. </i><br />
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<i>I drove home and packed a bag, not really giving much thought to what was going in it. I was four hours from where I needed to be and I was wishing I had never left. I drove in a daze, trying hard to stay within the speed limit but desperately wishing I could get there quicker and begging her to hold on, I would be there soon. A phone call from your boyfriend along the way eased some of my anxiousness.</i><br />
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<i>I flew into a car park and got up to the room as quickly as my shaking legs would take me, what would I be faced with when I walked through that door? I met Dad in the corridor and I saw the relief in his face when our eyes met. I was there... I went inside to see you sound asleep. Your pain was being managed and sleeping was a regular occurrence. When you did wake, and saw me there you looked slightly confused "What are you doing here?" you mumbled, It occurred to me that perhaps you didn't realise what was happening.... Trying to make light of the situation I returned with "ahh The kids were giving me the shits, so I walked out". </i><br />
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<i>Day turned into night and we never left your side, still wearing the same clothes the sun rose on a new day and you were the only one that really slept. Too scared of what might happen should we dare to close our eyes or walk away. More and more loved ones were arriving as well as medical staff fleeting in and out.</i><br />
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<i>The sun set on another day and you were still holding on, your breathing was become difficult, often taking long deep breaths and occasionally gasping for air. No one really knowing what to do but be there. Now it was Tuesday night, the TV was on. We were all quite absorbed by Dancing with the Stars. Jennifer Hawkins was on dancing to James Blunt's song "You're Beautiful" and I sat beside you holding your hand singing (very badly) the words of the song in your ear. We knew it wouldn't be long, we knew we had to let you go, we knew you had fought as much as you could possibly fight. Fifteen months of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy had taken it's toll on you and it was time to tell you it was ok to go. I had been with you for many of your challenges, your surgery in Sydney, your first dose of Chemotherapy, countless specialist appointments. You'd fought a good fight, amazing us all with your strength and determination with even Dad asking how someone so little could take so much and fight so hard. </i><br />
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<i>Then it happened, at around ten to ten on Tuesday the 28th February 2006 you took your last breath surrounded by many family and close friends who could do no more but hold each other and cry. For reasons we still don't understand the date of your death as written by your doctor is the 1st of March..we could not accept that... that day was your birthday. You didn't quite make it. Over the following weeks I helped plan your funeral, travel with your boyfriend to your home to gather your things and sort through them, and try and work out what life without you was going to look like. </i><br />
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<i>When it came time for me to return to 'my life' 3 weeks later and four hours away, I cried the whole way 'home'. People tried to be helpful and say the right things but I have learnt there is nothing that can be said. People end up saying things that could not be further from the truth in an effort to make you feel better, "It'll get better/easier" being the one I hate the most. Hours turned into days, days into months and months into years but the pain has not eased. I think one of my friends summed it up nicely when she didn't try to cheer me up or sugar-coat the situation when she said... "It doesn't get easier you just move further away from the time when your life turned to shit".. 8 years on and I don't think that my life is shit but I do always think of how different it would be if you never left us. </i><br />
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<i>It ain't fair you died too young<br />
Like a story that had just begun<br />
The death tore the pages all away<br />
God knows how I miss you<br />
All the hell that I've been through<br />
Just knowing no one could take your place<br />
Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today</i></div>
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<i>- Kenny Chesney</i></div>
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<i>You will always be my little sister, you will always be missed... you will always be Forever Young...</i></div>
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<i>KLH 83-06 xx</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswBmXznqPteNJ9N6DPhTZz7pQWi6oB0xTjbtUn6SP0BSzg3AmOJppAO54n-ao-kjb7IKd0g8J2J49cvUsznzIEqWGpwnBG6EWoZnimhyphenhyphenkq3LYfva5hTiREdJVsCt-T9O2rwE0gJYsTi4/s1600/kathy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswBmXznqPteNJ9N6DPhTZz7pQWi6oB0xTjbtUn6SP0BSzg3AmOJppAO54n-ao-kjb7IKd0g8J2J49cvUsznzIEqWGpwnBG6EWoZnimhyphenhyphenkq3LYfva5hTiREdJVsCt-T9O2rwE0gJYsTi4/s1600/kathy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Picture courtesy one of my other sisters, Linda</i></td></tr>
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<i>Here's hoping you are resting in peace by beautiful sister.</i></div>
<i>xox</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-8943573159210103332016-02-22T05:00:00.000+10:002016-02-22T05:00:06.295+10:00Confessions of an extroverted introvert traveller<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Introvert</b>... <b>Extrovert</b>... I always thought you were either one or the other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always swore I feel into the introverted side of things but recently I became aware of a new term the <b><i>extroverted introvert</i></b> and I think it suits me, almost, to a tea...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">When travelling solo, being an introvert can be extremely difficult, but being an extroverted introvert can be even more so. As an extroverted introvert I hate having to make all the small talk and so meeting new people can be extremely difficult because that's often what happens first. If someone strikes up a conversation with me, I'm usually fine, but I find it extremely difficult to be the one who instigates things and feel like I come across as all nervous and awkward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can be the life of the party, but I never want to actually walk into the party and when I am done with said party... I AM DONE.. I cannot get out of there fast enough. What I mean by this is, I actually really love being around people and getting to know people, I just hate having to walk into a place and actually striking up a conversation with someone and when I am ready to go home, I need to go home immediately. The distance between having fun being around lots of people and wanting to be alone is very short. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I watch in awe as the fully blown extroverts, in those first few minutes of meeting a new tour group take over and make everyone laugh and seem so wonderful and my mind is blown. The extrovert in me is screaming to come out and show them that I am just as funny/wonderful/fun as they are but the introvert is so much more dominant and just can't do it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I desperately need my alone time but I love being around other people. This is why I chose to do a blend of solo travel and organised tours by myself. When on a tour I am alone but I am never lonely and because I am travelling by myself I don't have people relying on me. I can choose to be by myself or I can join in activities with other people on the tour... It's almost perfect for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>WANT MORE</b>: <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/11/my-lovehate-relationship-with-organised.html" target="_blank">Read about my love/hate relationship with organised tours here.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>But</i>... (There always seems to be a but when it comes to extroverted introverts) when the whole group is together I almost always clam up and cannot find my voice. When there's group conversations happening things run through my head that I could say to contribute but it's literally like the cat got my tongue and I cannot say anything, or I say it quietly to the person next to me. I am much more comfortable one on one or in small groups. The extroverts of the group just about do my head in. They are often the ones who monopolise and dictate so much of the conversation and the decision making and always have to say something because they know something about everything. As an extroverted introvert I flick between wishing I could be them, to wishing they would just shut up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel that I have gotten slightly better at drawing out the extrovert in me during my travels as I've gotten older. Once during my organised tour in Vietnam I had arranged to meet some of my fellow travellers at the hotel bar after we had all been to our rooms to drop stuff off. Not knowing which rooms they were staying in I waited about 15 minutes before heading up to the roof top bar thinking that they would surely be there by then..... they were not. It took all my extroverted strength not to turn around and run back down to my room, but I didn't, I propped myself up at the bar, alone, and ordered a drink and drank it as quickly as I could, waited an appropriate amount of time and then headed off looking as cool, calm and collected as possible but cursing them on the inside for leaving me stranded! Now I am not so worried by going to restaurants and such alone, after all I have to eat, but I still can't strike up a conversation with a stranger first!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Are you an introvert? extrovert?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Or like me and fall somewhere in the middle?</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-83413157420762071912016-02-15T05:00:00.000+10:002016-02-15T05:00:09.115+10:00Must have handbag items when flying<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether is a short trip or a long haul, there are a few vitals that must be packed and taken on the plane with you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When choosing a handbag to take on the plane I always go for something on the bigger side. Each airline has its own restrictions as to what you can carry on, so be sure and check the allowances for your airline. If you aren't checking any luggage in, then you will need to choose wisely, as, if you find yourself on a full flight, you may end up having your carry on weighed at the gate and if you find yourself <i>over the limit</i>, your luggage may be checked in with no guarantee it will make the same flight as you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been pretty lucky with this and when they have weighed my carry on, they have not weighed my handbag, and in some cases this is just a well! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So apart from the obvious; wallet, ID/Passport and travel documents, what is it exactly that I can't live without in my handbag while I'm flying... Here's my top 5!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. My iPad</b> - this is especially vital when flying domestically as I usually fly with a budget airline that doesn't have inflight entertainment available or they charge extra for it! Stocked with games, movies, music and books, my iPad is a must when I fly. I always make sure it's fully charged so it can last the distance and kill some of the boredom inflight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Chewing Gum</b> - despite many years of travel I can still sometimes be a nervous flyer, especially during take off and landing. Chewing gum gives me something to focus on during these times and also help with the changes in air pressure in the cabin and those nasty popping ears. It also helps on a longer flight if you've forgotten to bring your toothbrush on board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. A pen</b> - this one is more relevant when flying internationally as there are usually forms to fill out when arriving at your destination and it saves time if you can have these all filled out prior to arriving! You'll also need information from your passport and boarding pass so keep these handy as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Snacks</b> - again, when I fly budget domestically I am usually too tight to pay the extra money for a meal (because let's face it, they are ridiculously over priced and usually not that nice) so I always make sure I have a few nibbles in my bag to get me through the flight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Moisturiser/Chapstick</b> - I always feel like my skin and lips dry out so much more than normal when I fly so I always make sure I have my hand cream, paw paw cream and face moisturiser close by... in under 100mL amounts and in a ziplock bag of course!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WANT MORE: <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2013/09/for-holiday.html" target="_blank">Read how I packed for a 2 week trip to North Queensland in just a carry on</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's a must have in your handbag?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What can't you get through a flight without?</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-72172671697335247862016-02-08T05:00:00.000+10:002016-02-08T05:00:21.023+10:00Why I love Melbourne!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3bcE2zKsgfIW62wkAQhGO1GDvV-hXU6HGV6itDJIG2s34iMPrPjmw-IEG_6wPOeM72EI6cO8LEYATTgkN4IkAO27A2z5I_J1I_2BlitDZd-Xo0Yjj-bBKpA2koy1helMUWMwZIPzrC9I/s1600/Melbourne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3bcE2zKsgfIW62wkAQhGO1GDvV-hXU6HGV6itDJIG2s34iMPrPjmw-IEG_6wPOeM72EI6cO8LEYATTgkN4IkAO27A2z5I_J1I_2BlitDZd-Xo0Yjj-bBKpA2koy1helMUWMwZIPzrC9I/s640/Melbourne.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are so many <i><b>things to do and see in Melbourne</b></i>, which is just one of the things I love about it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have never claimed to be a lover of big cities, give me the wide open spaces and red dirt roads any day but there is just something about Melbourne that has captured my heart and often finds me saying 'I love Melbourne' to anyone who'll listen. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_8l7UlKmhsOecXiQMh4HJ3J3sjTU3OvxivryWBrh809ll5qM7OaltV4gp7H1iZN3pc7zoUbQLolWawx7BfA7pbHX347-ftRkLepDBCXZ94IiTppb10441xkVthCbrgj1EVNOw6JCRslO/s1600/23929782224_b31980ac70_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Things to do in Melbourne" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_8l7UlKmhsOecXiQMh4HJ3J3sjTU3OvxivryWBrh809ll5qM7OaltV4gp7H1iZN3pc7zoUbQLolWawx7BfA7pbHX347-ftRkLepDBCXZ94IiTppb10441xkVthCbrgj1EVNOw6JCRslO/s640/23929782224_b31980ac70_o.jpg" title="Flinders Street Station" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 2015 Melbourne was once again named the World's Most Liveable city for the 5th year in a row, so it's not just me in love with this thriving metropolis! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT17BgfxEaAkibF3oioAOpIHLLGjL1WNz3PyJTx7msGXHgEZF5YwiOXKO1pK459bfAMYaV76f8wWSX2KJz5qsQrFMAvmHSNjGW6S8Xi_GVWJ8in-_8gwecAuF5PthJskJ3rNIbhmDWE2o/s1600/23932532923_2317e7c9d4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT17BgfxEaAkibF3oioAOpIHLLGjL1WNz3PyJTx7msGXHgEZF5YwiOXKO1pK459bfAMYaV76f8wWSX2KJz5qsQrFMAvmHSNjGW6S8Xi_GVWJ8in-_8gwecAuF5PthJskJ3rNIbhmDWE2o/s640/23932532923_2317e7c9d4_o.jpg" title="Melbourne Yarra River" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what is it about this city that gets my country girl heart in a flutter...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. The Street Art</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRygr7TLc1XDgIfQ9hfJWCm3BT-v_KGgVm6by9-8qf-GkcDSGUkRQAmTS2TgqbLzSm3V3tIlsp3HTUrs0sZjm-vD2zIIGnEa_omNJX6dVAhqG7-pop-uec2Rd6aSpZots27CywhyR2hUa/s1600/24262538390_f4d9c8eb5a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRygr7TLc1XDgIfQ9hfJWCm3BT-v_KGgVm6by9-8qf-GkcDSGUkRQAmTS2TgqbLzSm3V3tIlsp3HTUrs0sZjm-vD2zIIGnEa_omNJX6dVAhqG7-pop-uec2Rd6aSpZots27CywhyR2hUa/s640/24262538390_f4d9c8eb5a_o.jpg" title="Melbourne Street Art" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even the bins are safe!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Laneways are a plenty in the Melbourne CBD and you'd be hard pressed to find one not covered in brightly coloured murals, tags, and what some might call graffiti. I just love wandering down this laneways and sometimes, if you're lucky, seeing artists at work. Each and every time you visit them they will be different which is both disappointing and exciting at the same time! My favourite lanes to explore at Union Lane off the Burke Street Mall and Hosier Lane just a short walk from Federation Square.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT-SMAeq08ZQGClgc3GeCPKToNYQv1V5D9x50-nakLk0Ly29XYA-8tYYyB3nYFygYs8h-UOP7Yaz3fYEhM9xPHLZbSkoexwHrRfnL1btgTXR2hTy66-JF6TwFol_qmFcM4z43yBUvowjL/s1600/24262407620_e462760f5d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Melbourne Street Art" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT-SMAeq08ZQGClgc3GeCPKToNYQv1V5D9x50-nakLk0Ly29XYA-8tYYyB3nYFygYs8h-UOP7Yaz3fYEhM9xPHLZbSkoexwHrRfnL1btgTXR2hTy66-JF6TwFol_qmFcM4z43yBUvowjL/s640/24262407620_e462760f5d_o.jpg" title="Hosier Lane Melbourne" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. The Laneway dining</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKxLH36qc5jWXFVLWFq6tCp_z4HjzYRNWDn3OoZLHj4_2089Vt-iPVh-DKL7sHDcJyCOnCJOThDNJ5vSG0ads32bE1-O10SMW1m-Fl2DeiBbaKvusOGfkU-PSDHb5w4u3fN10KDcNnO5W/s1600/24558689005_079e198a27_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Melbourne" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKxLH36qc5jWXFVLWFq6tCp_z4HjzYRNWDn3OoZLHj4_2089Vt-iPVh-DKL7sHDcJyCOnCJOThDNJ5vSG0ads32bE1-O10SMW1m-Fl2DeiBbaKvusOGfkU-PSDHb5w4u3fN10KDcNnO5W/s640/24558689005_079e198a27_o.jpg" title="Laneway dining" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another favourite thing in laneways are places to eat out! Melbourne is known for it's laneway dining where small restaurants and cafes face out onto the laneways and dining tables and chairs take over where once a car may have been. Be warned though, Melbourne likes a sleepy start to the day and many you may have to search a little if you are looking for somewhere open prior to 10am. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYfMdvPwHuLJfyioYb5uR3ksuGnhqVGhwPQgWgyM5EVs-7MYQpLpPNh_pYkElOpuIRqi39tA3tkcrUAoOm_5oF4MsPbyNa2lSQH2q42c3BTMn-1NcUegOWIKq_6q2E9cBjBqu9bzbfuRB/s1600/23931142973_0995699b50_o%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Zita Hooke travel blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYfMdvPwHuLJfyioYb5uR3ksuGnhqVGhwPQgWgyM5EVs-7MYQpLpPNh_pYkElOpuIRqi39tA3tkcrUAoOm_5oF4MsPbyNa2lSQH2q42c3BTMn-1NcUegOWIKq_6q2E9cBjBqu9bzbfuRB/s640/23931142973_0995699b50_o%25281%2529.jpg" title="Laneway dining Melbourne" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. The Sporting Arenas</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfkvleLq19wv3XZnhtmAg0DZI_kVQpfbwH4uK-zMjQR2cG-MfQnYFCe9VJO_JvffXlAcOIuyK1KQbQCYRNHGahu81a1hK9eFaxawVrjGi5i4WpwMg4fnugiPBBOxiKN6EnYmUSSjOezDX/s1600/24263658230_f2e7d86920_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="MCG" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfkvleLq19wv3XZnhtmAg0DZI_kVQpfbwH4uK-zMjQR2cG-MfQnYFCe9VJO_JvffXlAcOIuyK1KQbQCYRNHGahu81a1hK9eFaxawVrjGi5i4WpwMg4fnugiPBBOxiKN6EnYmUSSjOezDX/s640/24263658230_f2e7d86920_o.jpg" title="Melbourne Sporting Fields" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Within a short walking distance of the CBD are 4 of the biggest and best sporting arena around! Melbourne, known here as the sporting capital of Australia, if not the world, is home to many great sporting events and if you are in town and there is nothing on at at least one of these stadiums then you have lucked out my friend, because there is almost always something on at at least one of them! And if you are not that into sport, there are often concerts and other events housed here as well! You never know what event may be on.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXTYLEE73eYC-jrnuu9dfxMzvhx8pnjvyd2Jhw_4n8wPuvsBV8RiUYRZW5kQ5gj6adnaHapJH-D8u0EQ2RX3AEnaVe4FOmJQZewB96BFtXI2rpCp5zCn24yq-wh3LiZGomFMDAxj7OWKa/s1600/img_9027_17631777611_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Things to do in Melbourne" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXTYLEE73eYC-jrnuu9dfxMzvhx8pnjvyd2Jhw_4n8wPuvsBV8RiUYRZW5kQ5gj6adnaHapJH-D8u0EQ2RX3AEnaVe4FOmJQZewB96BFtXI2rpCp5zCn24yq-wh3LiZGomFMDAxj7OWKa/s640/img_9027_17631777611_o.jpg" title="Etihad Stadium" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. The fact it's super easy to get around </span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfW40oMWpQ9XGqrfe3s_D1Mo8G-g1xbOuY2A_qgE04P4g6LCOtoOlJDwjF8ZisYccD946GyF2yAOqW8MFXTYkSiVU8W5jg_eAlQeAKsMEHfEIVvYpHySaiswXW1bV02f47og7pp9Cax76/s1600/23932547313_f5b6196a1b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfW40oMWpQ9XGqrfe3s_D1Mo8G-g1xbOuY2A_qgE04P4g6LCOtoOlJDwjF8ZisYccD946GyF2yAOqW8MFXTYkSiVU8W5jg_eAlQeAKsMEHfEIVvYpHySaiswXW1bV02f47og7pp9Cax76/s640/23932547313_f5b6196a1b_o.jpg" title="Melbourne Trams" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Super easy! I am often daunted in my travels with arriving in a new big city and having to work out the best way to get from a to b, but Melbourne is super easy! With a shuttle from the airport for just $18 you can get right into the heart of Melbourne, Spencer Street Station and then it's a short walk to most hotels, if not a shuttle will take you right to your hotel door. Once you are within the city the tram system is super easy and convenient and best of all... FREE! Yep, within the city square all trams are free and you can easily find your way around as tram stops are all signed and easily identified. If you are travelling outside the city limits then you can purchase a Myki card from many of the convenient stores or main tram/train stations around the city, load them with some dollars and then scan on and off the trams/trains/buses (all public transport uses the same system!) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-Pct_d7TLRLMzT4YmSVvfLs10_1f_1sjqnlr_ZzfqEL5oWDJFSMM_6gNnJ_9cdcAbuhSm4_OfNtynert3BIQRG2HShXYHXDJCL3qDWOxQ0sNYRt0Mp9jTRnVgRqLvHOE-sw4ofh8BmLh/s1600/17635207492_dd80910ec8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-Pct_d7TLRLMzT4YmSVvfLs10_1f_1sjqnlr_ZzfqEL5oWDJFSMM_6gNnJ_9cdcAbuhSm4_OfNtynert3BIQRG2HShXYHXDJCL3qDWOxQ0sNYRt0Mp9jTRnVgRqLvHOE-sw4ofh8BmLh/s640/17635207492_dd80910ec8_o.jpg" title="Melbourne City" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. <b>The freaks, geeks and downright weirdos....</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXiYWS5gAYF8kXB6BX5vlMJdNKNKEaqev_aVm3lmKdMb6gqGUo3Io3u4jX079SSkFSx_3nXbX3uicOOCGusoKuvANa6JOa0782BLzgkK7LhLbmikBkuM3X8bbxI4OCWOAHf7P9FaCdpt-/s1600/24475769571_31770b31ab_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Melbourne" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXiYWS5gAYF8kXB6BX5vlMJdNKNKEaqev_aVm3lmKdMb6gqGUo3Io3u4jX079SSkFSx_3nXbX3uicOOCGusoKuvANa6JOa0782BLzgkK7LhLbmikBkuM3X8bbxI4OCWOAHf7P9FaCdpt-/s640/24475769571_31770b31ab_o.jpg" title="Buskers in Burke Street Mall" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now I really do mean that with love! You will see all sorts of sights in Melbourne and one of the best things to do is simply sit and watch. Everything and anything goes in Melbourne and no one seems to care... Unless of course you are a middle aged over weight drunk man walking down the street half naked hurling abuse at people... Then the police care and will surround you and people will stop and stare at you (true story). Buskers line Burke Street Mall set to amaze and entertain passersby and shoppers with many people crowding the steps of the GPO Building to get a glimpse of the entertainment. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQIVGwGNLYT_U9VGw_P5VOXexGds6H8iVTUu26HsO_iG-ACXXKAymC9UrNwpeTuhuBUs6kWHzPholsWFfpbEjr8AIxxEZ8bwAuKJyIKHE5l6euSauC-Acj3OdJePUfioCIxQg7zyoTTCj/s1600/24532341286_a070da6480_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke travel blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQIVGwGNLYT_U9VGw_P5VOXexGds6H8iVTUu26HsO_iG-ACXXKAymC9UrNwpeTuhuBUs6kWHzPholsWFfpbEjr8AIxxEZ8bwAuKJyIKHE5l6euSauC-Acj3OdJePUfioCIxQg7zyoTTCj/s640/24532341286_a070da6480_o.jpg" title="GPO Building Melbourne" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Whilst this may read as a love fest to Melbourne there is just one thing that I strongly dislike about it... The weather... Oh. My. God!!...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the most part, most of Australia has 4 distinct seasons; Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. Melbourne can have all these seasons in one week, sometimes even in one day! Word to the wise, check the weather several times before attempting to pack for a trip to Melbourne. On my most recent trip, the day before I arrived the Mercury was soaring to a whopping 41 degrees! HOT!! The day I arrived, it barely cracked 18 degrees!! NOT HOT AT ALL, and then the few days between my arrival and departure it fluctuated somewhere between the two. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But never fear if you don't quite get your wardrobe right, there is an abundance of shopping to be done in Melbourne so you are bound to find a ski jacket or a bikini.. Whichever one you require at the time!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCHror9reMgVyc1UIvQ0MJw5bwa0v0bRUnzkzj9AUJ23Q8unbnUXgSj3Y5v1iwnrU_h_wYcOTFAjLufi72ba5D2HeAS0IojP4ve8dPawP04TtSSSGM3GgRn2THXDnfzhk-HIqj8Wu6mBy/s1600/23930159714_d254bd3ffc_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Things to do in Melbourne" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCHror9reMgVyc1UIvQ0MJw5bwa0v0bRUnzkzj9AUJ23Q8unbnUXgSj3Y5v1iwnrU_h_wYcOTFAjLufi72ba5D2HeAS0IojP4ve8dPawP04TtSSSGM3GgRn2THXDnfzhk-HIqj8Wu6mBy/s640/23930159714_d254bd3ffc_o.jpg" title="Brighton Beach Huts" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gorgeous Summer Day at Brighton Beach admiring the Beach Huts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melbourne is such a versatile bustling city with so many wonderful things to see and do for all ages and adventure types! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Have you ever been to Melbourne?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What do you love about it?</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h_6NxvKW_-w2C6oq0OIJyUndGs5S95GqanSQtmJbci7X6_-BCYB7QBRBOLROsMc7JLUn7C0CxhKcoa7sWm4ygGUm43cWqr1bNg7238Twvmwu3f0Si2tBLWt_nHmTY8gEf3wYte2-VBVQ/s1600/sailorsclub%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h_6NxvKW_-w2C6oq0OIJyUndGs5S95GqanSQtmJbci7X6_-BCYB7QBRBOLROsMc7JLUn7C0CxhKcoa7sWm4ygGUm43cWqr1bNg7238Twvmwu3f0Si2tBLWt_nHmTY8gEf3wYte2-VBVQ/s400/sailorsclub%25281%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-17446239257859232622016-02-01T05:30:00.000+10:002016-02-01T09:50:16.479+10:00for the Australian Open<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must confess that for 2 weeks in January I am glued to one channel (ok, so they've added a few more now and you can watch any match live on the app) and <strike>waste</strike> spend countless hours watching one sport.....yep, The Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam is my January guilty TV pleasure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been a big tennis fan from way back when I used to swing a racket in primary school and every year since I have dreamt about attending the Australian Open and this year I ticked it off my bucket list! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started my morning early, heading down to the banks of the Yarra River where the Sunrise crew were broadcasting live. This area is such a hive of activity even as dawn is breaking.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXAEFo8cTW9HfcbmDlsv_WslWBmeg8JAYXOIIzv7lJu1vh0ugYkpcy_z70IwANhI2fgMNFm2azFnyyOeO_CCinsi7ULKeJc6zI4YjYpTQptPjqR9xiOlK_jUHhTE6BhzzKOluIVG_b-7b/s1600/24477066131_1f87bb79ef_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke travel blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXAEFo8cTW9HfcbmDlsv_WslWBmeg8JAYXOIIzv7lJu1vh0ugYkpcy_z70IwANhI2fgMNFm2azFnyyOeO_CCinsi7ULKeJc6zI4YjYpTQptPjqR9xiOlK_jUHhTE6BhzzKOluIVG_b-7b/s640/24477066131_1f87bb79ef_o.jpg" title="Sunrise in Melbourne" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was in Melbourne for day one of the tournament and could not have asked for a better day. The sun was shining, the fans were out in force and the players were playing some awesome games. I was certainly not disappointed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTiQvTQ682Ym_vS6yL5hE-eEVDOSXMpTC8unXZhDenu6ga3Xu0p7fNVRwntNSSutf12DrnK0uADcXXQid6sgFJIq56JzvrS0uLzCnCqVD7O5c1KcKLhwsmw2HqPNw0C0LC6gpucC_0oOE/s640/blogger-image--1899737753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Australian Open 2016" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTiQvTQ682Ym_vS6yL5hE-eEVDOSXMpTC8unXZhDenu6ga3Xu0p7fNVRwntNSSutf12DrnK0uADcXXQid6sgFJIq56JzvrS0uLzCnCqVD7O5c1KcKLhwsmw2HqPNw0C0LC6gpucC_0oOE/s640/blogger-image--1899737753.jpg" title="Novak Djokovic" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We got there in time for me to see my most favourite player, Novak Djokovic on the practice courts and for my friend to see her favourite player, Rafa Nadal on the practice court beside! Stoked! As it was the first day of action and a beautiful day at that there were people everywhere. We had only purchased a ground pass ticket, just $39, which gave us access to everywhere except the 2 main courts. Hisense Arena, the 3rd biggest court I guess and what has become known as the "People's Court" was where we had decided we wanted to be. Unfortunately so had everyone else, but we joined the queue as for this arena it is a case of first in best dressed and once you are in, you can only get a 30 minute passout. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most people had gone to that arena to see one man, Australia's Nick Kyrgios, our 'bad boy of tennis'. He was playing the night game, starting at 7pm but by the look of the lines we knew we had to stake our seats and not move, apart from ducking out to use the facilities and grab some snacks one at a time while the other stood guard over our seats. Fortunately we got an awesome afternoon of tennis with 2 seeded players being bundled out of the tournament by qualifiers who played the games of their lives! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxzoLHJi29tIWPeLREAOOmjCPpTNaIhtjq59L8HYfW6r5RRLgvZinaNW5ZyvLNgfWNdOE7CyunM9PT0CeHfIxCu9YTpwfaZqQe8P5UcQSHKxC7DgaFBAOY366OAMnT6xehWdJF9yQoqkq/s640/blogger-image--1393892436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Australian Open 2016" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxzoLHJi29tIWPeLREAOOmjCPpTNaIhtjq59L8HYfW6r5RRLgvZinaNW5ZyvLNgfWNdOE7CyunM9PT0CeHfIxCu9YTpwfaZqQe8P5UcQSHKxC7DgaFBAOY366OAMnT6xehWdJF9yQoqkq/s640/blogger-image--1393892436.jpg" title="Hisense Arena" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the match my friend had to head off but I hung around Melbourne Park to soak up more of the atmosphere and watch another Aussie, Sam Stosur, in action on one of the big screens that are littered around the grounds. She was playing on the main court, Rod Laver Arena, which is a ticketed court. As I sat eating my mexican nachos minding my own business I was approached by a young couple who told me they were heading home but had tickets to Road Laver Arena and wondered if I wanted their ticket so I could head inside...ummmm <i>YES PLEASE</i>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6FHn2xUJy4cgDTQzWpCD0gy8yVlNJ0-bvqt3Aj0TiLTlUSG5sR_iN72ufZvBhBuMo86rS6enr9-uwE1knEd5gh9t9tKAWZ2kd4WmXXxaDGG_0VDvi28BqkCB7uLPeuRjxFGJVYVlaTLB/s640/blogger-image-469034003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6FHn2xUJy4cgDTQzWpCD0gy8yVlNJ0-bvqt3Aj0TiLTlUSG5sR_iN72ufZvBhBuMo86rS6enr9-uwE1knEd5gh9t9tKAWZ2kd4WmXXxaDGG_0VDvi28BqkCB7uLPeuRjxFGJVYVlaTLB/s640/blogger-image-469034003.jpg" title="Rod Laver Arena" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After her game I joined the swarms of people to catch the free shuttle tram back to Federation Square and walked the short distance back to my hotel still buzzing about the amazing day I had just had. Definitely a sporting event I would go back to time and time again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Want more Melbourne awesomeness.... Check out my post on <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/05/street-art-in-melbourne.html" target="_blank">Melbourne Street Art</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What's your guilty TV pleasure?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Is there a sporting event you've always wanted to attend?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Visiting the <b>temples of Siem Reap</b> is a <b>must do when in Cambodia</b> and if you are pushed for time then you
have come to the right place. When <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">most people think of the temples they immediately think of Angkor Wat, t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he most famous, but there are so many <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">more <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">beautiful temples in areas to visit.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was in Cambodia for a month on a volunteer project and was
assigned to a child care centre in Phnom Penh. We worked from around 7:30 in
the morning until around 4:30 in the afternoon which left only our weekends to
explore. On one of the weekends two of the other volunteers and I travelled from Phnom Penh via an overnight sleeper bus to Siem Reap. The sleeper bus was perfect as it meant there was no time wasted during the day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WANT MORE: Read my post about <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/03/volunteering-in-cambodia.html" target="_blank">Volunteering in Cambodia here</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We caught the Giant Ibis night
bus at 10pm for the 6 and a half hour ride to Siem Reap at a cost of $15USD.
The trip didn’t quite take the 6 and a half hours as there were a few stops
along the way and the roads in Cambodia are not known for their smoothness. We
had been looking forward to spending time on the air-conditioned bus as it had
been so hot and with no air-conditioning at our volunteer accommodation or at
the Child Care Centre I was telling anyone who would listen how excited I was.
Of course I regretted that excitement about half an hour into the bus ride as
my top bunk was closest to the air vent and with the air-con on full steam I
was freezing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite this I did manage to get a little shut eye before
arriving in Siem Reap just before sunrise. We had enough time to haggle with a
Tuk Tuk driver, and venture the entrance to the Angkor Temples. And haggle we
had to! There were <i>PLENTY</i> of Tuk Tuk
drivers waiting for us as we got off the bus almost begging for our business.
We started speaking with one who wanted to charge us $20 each to be our guide
for the day. Luckily we had already been given the heads up from some of the other
volunteers at the house to not pay any more than $15 for the day for the whole
Tuk Tuk…. So $5 each! We found a driver and headed straight to the Angkor
Temples entrance, paid for out tickets ($20USD will get you a pass to visit the
World Heritage Sites for the day and is open from 5:30am to 5:30pm, your photo
is taken and printed on the ticket) and took off to watch the sun rise over the
famous Angkor Wat Temple, along with a few hundred other people. Sunrise is an
extremely popular time and it wasn’t long before we realised why.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eSDQY8Luai-HOwjwX2IQF6jNGgIf1Gfzsw4ptTBT1yAQSLaMbYdkLHLVG7uAVLwtkktEgiNX3z1NgeE6dXb8iAfl0-jKWFd2G-6lyjsSbEhdK-O4RDweXLLaSp1ID9bqywleRn5Sn7tI/s1600/24577179805_b762f443e0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eSDQY8Luai-HOwjwX2IQF6jNGgIf1Gfzsw4ptTBT1yAQSLaMbYdkLHLVG7uAVLwtkktEgiNX3z1NgeE6dXb8iAfl0-jKWFd2G-6lyjsSbEhdK-O4RDweXLLaSp1ID9bqywleRn5Sn7tI/s640/24577179805_b762f443e0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVnZwmY-YMQJbzgSXu-KaSngV9EmHqPb6FkuXJQuOfRh2_WK4MfhhCszJAOzrJ6QMGFeKeApRsLN0ZcwSWpbX2DxcdtNskoVBbx97KRrsd1PMhlAHPf_CZlIlU81sLXtrWGNXlDx_x_Iv/s1600/23068379873_e039c27de1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVnZwmY-YMQJbzgSXu-KaSngV9EmHqPb6FkuXJQuOfRh2_WK4MfhhCszJAOzrJ6QMGFeKeApRsLN0ZcwSWpbX2DxcdtNskoVBbx97KRrsd1PMhlAHPf_CZlIlU81sLXtrWGNXlDx_x_Iv/s640/23068379873_e039c27de1_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s plenty of places to have breakfast there and if you
are “lucky” you’ll get people showing you menus and begging you to eat at their
‘restaurant’ when you have finished taking your photos. They are likely to tell
you their name is <i>Lady Gaga </i>or
something similar and will come and escort you to their area. The food prices
were a little more expensive than other places but that is to be expected when
you are in such a tourist thick area. The banana pancakes were amazing though
so I was more than happy to pay the little bit extra. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We spent a fair bit of time exploring the grounds of Angkor
Wat before heading off to our next stop, <i>Bayon
at Angkor Thom</i> – <i>The temple of faces.</i>
This area is believed to have been established in the 12<sup>th</sup> century
and covers an area of 9 km squared and is home to many different monuments. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our final stop of the day was at <i>Ta Prohm – the jungle temple</i>. Located about a kilometre from Angkor
Thom, Ta Prohm was abandoned in the 17<sup>th</sup> century and has remained
relatively untouched since that time. Work has been done to stabilise the ruins
to make them safe for visitors but its ‘neglected’ status is evident as over
the years it has merged with the jungle. This area is also extremely popular
with tourists as it was the main site for the filming of the Angelina Jolie
movie <i>Tomb Raider. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By this time it was 1 in the afternoon and despite having
more time to explore the temples, we were hot and tired and hungry so decided
to head to back into town to our hostel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The temples of Angkor in Cambodia are rich with history and importance
to the Cambodian people. They are a must visit when in the area but remember to
be a responsible and respectful tourist by wearing appropriate clothing, knees
and shoulders covered, sticking to designated areas and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">keeping th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e noise at a minimum</span></span>.Take some time to wander around, enjoy the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">magnificent</span> views and soak up the atmos<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">phere.</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-74162021524789651142016-01-11T05:30:00.000+10:002016-01-11T05:30:03.838+10:00Goals and plans for 2016<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So... Here we are... 2016... Another year is upon us... 366 blank pages ahead of us to fill with memories, hopes and dreams (well technically a few less now but this sounds better).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what has it got in store for me, or what have I got in store for it.... read on to find out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Usually at this time of year I am in the grip of holiday catch up mode, in complete denial about school returning and my endless summer days coming to a screeching halt, whilst perusing glorious stationary and deciding what colour diary I should go with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not this year... I must confess this year, at this very moment, I have literally no idea what I am doing in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have no set plans. I have no set job. I am living each day quite unsure of what I am doing today, let alone tomorrow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was offered a job, pretty much the same job I was doing before <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/12/2015-round-up.html" target="_blank">I took the year off to travel</a>. It was a good job. The money is good, the holidays are good, the conditions were possibly going to be better than I had before. But every time I considered accepting the job my stomach would drop a little and I would feel like crying. I knew I couldn't accept, I knew I couldn't go back, I knew all the reasons I needed to leave in the first place were all still there and so I declined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have one egg and one basket at the moment and while that is a little nerve wracking it is also a little exciting. I have applied for a job that I have now realised is a dream of mine. I've always wondered what people were talking about when they said they were 'meant to do something' and now I think I've had that feeling. I head to Melbourne on the weekend for the interview and should know by this time next week if I am the successful application. Whilst I don't want to go into all the details yet, let's just say that I feel this job is a once in a lifetime opportunity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It will quite literally change my life and whilst I have briefly thought of a plan b, it's not something I am giving much energy to as I really hope my plan a comes to fruition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> at the moment while I am a little footloose and fancy free it is making making plans difficult. It's been a little </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">difficult to make a start to 2016 in some aspects of my life. There are events I would like to attend, tickets I would like to buy, a fitness challenge I'd love to sign up for... but all of this is dependent on this job as it will change everything.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am not one for New Years resolutions. I believe that if there is something that you want to achieve then you should make that change at any time. But a new year is a time to reflect and refocus. I received the Lorna Jane diary for Christmas and love that at the beginning of each month it encourages you to set your monthly goals in areas of work, lifestyle, relationships and health and wellness. This sits right with and suits me much better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So while I might say I have no idea what I am doing, that is only in one part of my life. I do have other goals for my year. I still have some<a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/09/coming-home-with-unwanted-luggage.html" target="_blank"> excess baggage</a> I need to rid myself of and have been putting a fair amount of effort into that and making some good progress....but could be better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am not sure yet about my goals for the blog. I flick between not really caring and thinking that no-one would miss me if I was gone, to wanting to make a good crack at it. In this over saturated market though I know it would require a lot of work and I know that my blog requires a lot of work. I know, deep down, that I need to make the move over to wordpress if I am serious about blogging but to be honest, that thought scares me a little. I know it's a lot more technical and complex and that I could not do it on my own and that I am not in a position to pay anyone. I wish I was tech savvy sometimes and confident that I could make it work without losing everything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the meantime though my goal is to just blog more on a regular basis and continue to just tell me stories and try and be more organised. I feel this will come when I can get some routine back in my life. A short term goal is to continue to grow my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/itstime/?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> following. If you are not already a fan...<strike>WHY NOT???</strike> I'd love it if you would join me. I promise I follow back and don't post heaps on annoying stuff!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What are your goals / plans for 2016? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Give me your hot tips to help me nail my interview on the weekend?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Let me know in the comments below</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">***Linking up with Kirsty at <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess and Alicia at <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen </a>for Open Slather***</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-70395974199972032082015-12-21T05:30:00.000+10:002015-12-21T05:30:17.227+10:002015 Round Up<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year, 2015, will go down in my history as a big year. It was the year that I decided to take a big risk. I took leave from my job, the security and stability that came with it, but to walk away from the stress and worry that also came with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I planned and planned and looking back now I probably planned a little too much, but hindsight is a great thing and at the time I thought that's what I needed to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So my great year of travel has meant a lot wonderful content for the blog, some of which I haven't even gotten around to sharing with you. Today I am going to share with you my most popular 11, because I just couldn't leave one out, in no particular order, culminating with my most favourite post of the year, which also just happens to outline the most favourite thing I did whilst overseas.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WznPieRp0f7ACrok0xzy1htI5d_7VZzhxDvGIgqQLxlYk7CgHV4Wb8aFoRWH64svk6rbu80NaW2ETpUL34q0Tct_4A9fvkVYHHIM1PiAQxnd-H8F8hgT3_-5eSKgUBu65kU4KsoV1il8/s1600/What+to+pack+for+Thailand+and+Cambodia%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke blog" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WznPieRp0f7ACrok0xzy1htI5d_7VZzhxDvGIgqQLxlYk7CgHV4Wb8aFoRWH64svk6rbu80NaW2ETpUL34q0Tct_4A9fvkVYHHIM1PiAQxnd-H8F8hgT3_-5eSKgUBu65kU4KsoV1il8/s640/What+to+pack+for+Thailand+and+Cambodia%25281%2529.jpg" title="It's Time" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am often told that I am brave and sometimes crazy that I travel alone. For me, travelling is an exciting adventure that I will always feel the need to do. Travelling alone is not always a choice, but as I confessed in my 11th most popular most of the year, <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/04/why-i-chose-to-travel-alone.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Why I choose to travel alone</b></i></a> if I didn't travel alone then I wouldn't travel at all, and for me, that just isn't an option. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course whenever I fly I put a lot of consideration into what I am going to wear. If I am flying domestically and it's a short flight I will usually wear my heaviest items, especially if I am only taking carry on. But when flying overseas the flight is usually a whole lot longer and I definitely one who dresses for comfort but attempts to keep it stylish at the same time. My post <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/02/for-what-to-wear-on-long-haul-flight.html" target="_blank"><i><b>What to wear on a long haul flight</b></i></a> was my second most popular post of the year. It is also one of my most popular pinned posts to Pinterest.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/zBBQF5TQsK/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Zita Hooke (@_itstime_blog)</a> on <time datetime="2015-02-12T21:18:18+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 12, 2015 at 1:18pm PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my most popular posts for this year was actually written about a trip I took last year. in September of 2014 I travelled to Vietnam, my first trip to South East Asia. I loved it! Especially Hoi An where I had several items of clothing tailor made to fit my mismatched shape body! My post <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/05/getting-clothes-made-in-vietnam.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Getting clothes made in Vietnam</b></i></a> has proved popular in providing tips and advice on how you can have a successful experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first stop on my first trip was Thailand, I spent a little over 2 weeks in this beautiful country that is known as 'land of smiles' and it wasn't long before I worked out why. I quickly fell in love with the country and it's people who literally did, have a smile on their face all the time! My post <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/05/travel-tips-for-thailand.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Travel tips for Thailand</b></i></a><i><b>, </b></i>sharing tips like, <i>you are more than likely going to get ripped off...get over it! </i>made this post my most popular post for 2015 and also another one of my most pinned posts on Pinterest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spending a month in Cambodia after Thailand meant some time to explore. One place I was so happy to have found and visited was Mondulkiri and in particular the Mondulkiri Elephant Project and meeting it's leader Mr Tree. He, and his team, are doing wonderful things to try and end illegal use of elephants and logging in Cambodia's forests and it really opened my eyes about what is going on in these countries and I wrote a post about <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/05/for-why-riding-elephant-shouldnt-be-on.html" target="_blank"><i><b>why riding an elephant in Asia should not be on your bucket list.</b></i> </a> If you only read one of my linked posts in this post then can I please suggest this one! Practising responsible tourism has become very important to me since visiting this area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cambodia, whilst wonderful and amazing, also had a few little downsides for me which I shared in my ninth most popular post <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/03/10-things-i-will-not-miss-about-cambodia.html" target="_blank"><i><b>10 things I will not miss about Cambodia</b></i></a>. To be honest, I look back at that post now and see how pathetic some of them sound, but at the time that was obviously how I was feeling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After Cambodia I had a few days in Singapore on my way home. I came home for a few weeks before heading off again. Revealing my next destination was obviously something that intrigued many of my readers making my post <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/04/my-next-destination.html" target="_blank"><i><b>my next destination</b></i></a> my tenth most popular post of the year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now in case you <strike>couldn't be bothered reading it</strike> don't know, my next destination was the United States and Canada. My first stop was Nashville, where I was in country music heaven for 10 days! It was such a wonderful trip and introduction to America. From there I headed to the big apple where my posts on <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/06/where-to-eat-in-new-york-city.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Where to eat in New York City</b></i></a> and my review of my <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/08/on-location-tv-and-movie-tour-of-new.html" target="_blank"><i><b>On Location Movie and TV tour of New York</b></i></a> have both proved popular. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is still so much to blog about with my trip to the States and Canada, but one I did share was some pictures of the amazing day we spent at <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/09/monument-valley.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Monument Valley</b></i></a>. I was a little speechless at the vastness of the area, the redness of the dirt and the height of some of the 'monuments'. Such a famous area that has been used as the backdrop to many movies over the years it's beauty is something that really needs to be seen to be believed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, with everything that I have seen and done this year, probably the most memorable and favourite thing that I did, and my favourite post of the year was sharing my experience <i><b><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/03/volunteering-in-cambodia.html" target="_blank">Volunteering in Cambodia</a>. </b></i>I spent the month in Phnom Penh volunteering at a Child Care Centre for some of the cities most disadvantaged children. Seeing the smiles on their faces each day was so heartwarming and made the experience even more special. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So that's it, 2015 is all but done and this has just been a little snapshot of what I have been up to and what has been popular here on the blog. As I said, there is still so much more to share so hopefully you'll stick around, subscribe even, and join me again in 2016... who knows where it may take us!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">***Linking up with Kirsty from <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> and Alicia from<a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank"> One Mother Hen</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or the first time with the <a href="http://girlvsglobe.com/2015/12/girls-vs-globe-linkup-1.html" target="_blank">Girl vs Globe</a> monthly l<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">inkup***</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All pictures in this post have been shared on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_itstime_blog/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a>...make sure you follow for more great pics! </span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-8863365981533145512015-12-14T05:00:00.000+10:002015-12-14T09:43:12.046+10:00Christmas Confessions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg3AJg6bC6wYvrEnjaRA0jOFWnycE8CpnBzlES9iIO6KDJYSKdq-59Gy_Q5uY5XThSjcCANr6Lg48ozlqf53J_E8uv8VlZhQCi0W1kKQtUMs4cOwxbDXM1QCZ_d0UXB-LPMJ3FLlAvf1W/s1600/Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg3AJg6bC6wYvrEnjaRA0jOFWnycE8CpnBzlES9iIO6KDJYSKdq-59Gy_Q5uY5XThSjcCANr6Lg48ozlqf53J_E8uv8VlZhQCi0W1kKQtUMs4cOwxbDXM1QCZ_d0UXB-LPMJ3FLlAvf1W/s640/Christmas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must confess as always I am met with mixed emotions when it comes to Christmas but this year it's extra difficult.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was not raised in a religious environment at all. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am not sure I truly believe in the 'true' meaning of Chri<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">stmas and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess if I H<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AD to state my believes or align myself with one group over another then I would say I am agnos<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tic. </span></span></span></span></span>The only times I am at a church is for a wedding or a funeral<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, </span>so at this time of year I must confess I often feel like somewhat of a hypocrite and that I am totally buying into social pressures and only buying presents and doing the whole 'Christmas thing' because the calendar and society dictates that I should.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then I also think that Christmas is also a time to gather with family and friends and those we hold near and dear and I love the joy of giving and receiving special gifts that have been especially chosen for the recipient. I love watching people, especially my niece and nephews, open the presents I have picked for them. My twin nephews are now 2 so are getting into the Christmas spirit a little more this year, pointing and smiling and saying Santa every time the guy in the big red suit comes on the telly, even though<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> their Christmas pho<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to doesn't disp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lay this same exci<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tment</span></span></span></span>. My family usually decides last minute what we are doing and where we are going and some years <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it can be a little like groundhog day</span> but I guess the important thing is that we are all together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year there is an added touch of sadness for me as Christmas also signals that the end of another year is just around the corner and while there are many of you that are happy to see the end of 2015, I am not quite there yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are n<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ew around here th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en you may not know that <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t</span></span></span>his year was to be a <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2014/12/to-share-my-secret.html" target="_blank">big year of transition for me</a>, I took leave from my job, sold many of my belongings and took off on two amazing holidays <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">overseas ticking off some big time bucket list items along the way. All of this was done with the intention of using this time to work out exactly what it was that I wanted to do with<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the rest of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my life</span></span>. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">B</span></span>ut as it's turned out it is one that is still very much in progress and no where near complete. I'm not ready to move on from this year as it's been one of such great adventures and I am still so unsure of what 2016 has in stall for me. I'm ending this year with no job<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">,</span> no set address and no set plans for the year ahead. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some people see that as brave and e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">xciting and others I know are possibl<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y</span> even more concerned tha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n I am</span></span></span>. I will admit that I am trying to go with the '<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">whatever will be will be<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">' and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'</span>whatever happens happens' attitude but <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will confess to losing a little sleep every now and then.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started 2015 confessing that my word for the year was <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/01/for-my-word-for-2015.html" target="_blank"><i><b>enough</b></i></a> and looking back at that post now I am not certain I have adhered to my mantra throughout the year. Every now and then it has popped up but it's an ongoing process. I thi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nk it is one that I need to refocus on as I still try and find my place in th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is crazy world. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I must confess I am a little excited a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bout Christmas and the spirit of g<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ving and recieving but there is a little anxiety about what is to come.... </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Are you excit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ed about Christmas?</span></b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What are your plans?</span></b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Would love to hear all<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> abou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t it in the comments below!</span></span></span></b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Linkin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g up with my Monday favourit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es.. <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> and <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a>**</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-49512268654353536312015-11-30T05:00:00.000+10:002015-11-30T05:00:00.090+10:00Christmas gifts for travellers<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must confess one of my go to guaranteed pick me ups is shopping, and with Christmas just around the corner I thought I'd share with you four of my <b>favourite gifts for travellers*.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/]]" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas gifts for travellers" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94TU5UdiMAVOXmel4VvUvGQHwkpfw_u__WLgMf74zryuQD8T8b-jm1JIm4Y2IJu6Yp6E3o1ucGVMN0kaRt4IRB3fwXZGA57AVYrWyI5pkLXvKyzMLkacQworf-KToH5F4ZLuoBB1KyItW/s640/gifts.jpg" title="Gifts for travelers" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Travel Journal - from <a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/193871927/a5-travel-journal-smash-book-junk?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=travel%20journal&ref=sr_gallery_10]]" target="_blank">InkyBlots</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Quote Print - from <a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/227264299/real-copper-foil-travel-print-exploring?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=travel%20prints&ref=sr_gallery_2]]" target="_blank">PeppaPennyPrints</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Quote Necklace - from <a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/255737908/not-all-who-wander-are-lost-quote?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=travel%20gifts&ref=sr_gallery_12]]" target="_blank">HonourYou</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Scratch Map - <a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/227770848/new-scratch-off-map-travel-scratch-map?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=scratch%20map&ref=sr_gallery_2]]" target="_blank">from Sellazaurus</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love shopping...if you know me in real life that won't be a surprise. But lately I have come to appreciate the value of a dollar a little bit more and instead of buying that gorgeous dress or that latest gadget I think about how that purchase is going to benefit me in the long term and how that money could be better spent (that dress could be a nights accommodation somewhere!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Christmas almost upon us (yes there is no denying it anymore!) I love shopping even more and thought I would share some gift suggestions for the traveller in your life. Best of all, they are all from Australian based <a href="https://ad.zanox.com/ppc/?36012690C897489643&ulp=[[https://www.etsy.com/]]" target="_blank">Etsy</a> shops and the Journal, Print and Necklace are all able to be custom ordered to suit your needs and wants. And how cool is that scratch map!? It's like a giant scratchie of the world and you scratch off the countries you have been to! If only I had a house to put it in!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Confess: Have you finished your Christmas shopping or haven't even started?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What would you buy for the traveller in your life?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Share your comments below!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">***Linking up with <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess & <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a> for Open Slather***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*<i>this post contains affiliate links*</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-66013244059064161872015-11-23T09:54:00.000+10:002015-11-23T09:54:02.133+10:00Random questions asked while travelling overseas.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you travel overseas you are met with many a varied response when you declare that you are Australian. For the most part people react positively, usually stating how much they love Australia, would love to visit Australia or have some personal connection with Australia. There's also the love for our accent and occasionally a request for a "G'day mate" which, sorry to burst your bubble or dream about Australians....we don't actually say it that much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must confess there are often some surprising reactions and questions I have been faced with while travelling when mentioning that I come from the great land down under....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>NO I don't know your friend/cousin/cousin's friend Phillip and I have not met any one from the cast of Neighbours or Home and Away!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Australia is a big country...huge some might say. And with the population of my great country edging towards 24 million people, no we do not all know each other! This was something that has been asked a few times but one that comes to mind was years ago when I was staying at a hostel and got chatting to a guy in the common area, as you do, and as always the subject of conversation turned to discussing our home countries when he stated "My cousin Phillip lives in Australia".... *awkward pause*... the tone in which he stated this indicated that he thought I may have in fact known his cousin... nope!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>YES we have an accent</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was shocked to be asked more than once while travelling overseas if I had an Australian accent!! I, like most people, love a good accent and get swept away listening to other people from other nationalities talk and apparently the Australian accent is also one that people love listening to. There were a few time on my most recent trip when friends I was catching up with were introducing me as their 'friend from Australia' and before I even had a chance to respond I was greeted with an excited "Do you have the accent?"... at one point my Canadian friend responded on my behalf with a "Nope, no accent, she doesn't speak with an accent at all!"... I usually responded with a cheeky "No I don't have an accent, you have an accent"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>YES it does get cold</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite what Summer Bay may have lead you to believe, my country is not bathed in glorious sunshine 365 days a year. Whilst there are some parts of the country that is blessed with warm weather for most of the year, most of the country has 4 distinct seasons and one of those is Winter and it does get cold! I was recently travelling overseas during our Winter and was often met with "Yeah, but how cold does it really get?" Some people who had never been to Australia were shocked to learn it snows in parts of Australia... Yes SNOW!! *gasp*.... so while it may not reach the horrendous depths of -40 degrees (and beyond) like it does in some parts of the word, we do experience cold weather. For the record, the coldest ever temperature in Australia was recorded in 1994 and it was -23.0 degrees. So be warned if you are travelling to Australia during our Winter months you are going to need to pack some winter woolies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>NO you are <strike>probably</strike> not going to die</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone I met overseas legitimately stated that they do not want to come to Australia because they thought they might die due to the number of dangerous animals we have. Sure we have more venomous snakes and spiders than any other country in the world and we have sharks, crocodiles, box jelly fish and other deadly creatures lurking in our oceans, but we also have 23 million people living in (almost) perfect harmony with these deadly creatures every day. Don't be scared, be smart... Come on over!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>YES I have seen kangaroos but NO they don't hop down the main streets of our cities.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the fact that last week it was reported on the news that a couple in Melbourne woke to find a <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/30101788/hign-jumping-roo-gets-stuck-on-roof/#page1" target="_blank">kangaroo on their roof</a>, they are not just hopping randomly down the main streets of our cities and towns. Kangaroos are also not the cute, lazy, friendly animals they are made out to be. The can actually be quite fierce and dangerous and in some parts, quite the pest to farmers. They are also known to cause quite a lot of damage to many a driver's car on outback and country roads. If you want to see one in the wild, you will have to venture beyond the city limits but unfortunately you are probably going to see one dead on the side of the road first. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Have you ever been asked a random question about Australia while travelling?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What stereotypes/myths have you heard about Australia?</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-41445618093728354812015-11-16T06:00:00.000+10:002015-11-17T19:42:20.777+10:00My love/hate relationship with organised tours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IEkzSSiQ1VA2feaXxDBCdF_56ogk-PykQ1KgnK6NAKw4A0Y0G344ZB_qQoCmoz2tWqIwzDs3MGvNinTbulCq6b2bwv3wUn4GaC5OFM-biOOriC74-ZBNYPM0rwUotzDy3wNJOo8Bs3Vf/s1600/To+organise+tour+or+not-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IEkzSSiQ1VA2feaXxDBCdF_56ogk-PykQ1KgnK6NAKw4A0Y0G344ZB_qQoCmoz2tWqIwzDs3MGvNinTbulCq6b2bwv3wUn4GaC5OFM-biOOriC74-ZBNYPM0rwUotzDy3wNJOo8Bs3Vf/s640/To+organise+tour+or+not-.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I like to think of myself as one of those people who tries to see both sides of the story. Someone who can look at the glass half empty and half full.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes I see this as a positive thing but sometimes it can be a little frustrating. It can make it very difficult to make decisions and determine which side I'm going to chose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So when it comes to the debate of 'whether to do an organised tour or not' I sit on the fence. I have seen this question pop up from time to time in various Facebook groups I am part of and am sometimes surprised with how quickly people respond with a resounding 'NO'.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first and last Contiki back in 2009</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think it comes down to personal preference really and that each person (and personality) needs to consider their own needs and desires for travel before deciding to 'tour group' travel or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Having completed numerous organised tours over the years with several different companies I think I am pretty equipped to give advice on whether you should consider an 'organised tour' or not. My most recent tour was 28 days across the USA from New York to Los Angeles with Top Deck and this tour has further cemented my love/hate relationship with organised tours. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Cocoa Beach, a stop on my organised Top Deck Road Trip USA</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a self confessed mega-introvert such as myself but also as someone who <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/04/why-i-chose-to-travel-alone.html" target="_blank">prefers to travel alone</a>, organised tours are perfect for travelling solo without actually travelling solo if you know what I mean! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love that you pay for almost everything upfront taking the stress out of having to worry about large expenses while travelling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hate that in paying for so much upfront you are often left with limited flexibility during the tour. You can, of course, opt out of anything you have paid for upfront, such as included activities and dinners, but you've already paid for it.. Catch 22.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcfh3ybdIYTnnDZ0xmELbjMFA3eS2AneNIk3M8NFsudI7U-WJjm5eKJvZdzswfx7A66Yj-Km3JF8nCMDZf1mbV0RIgUJv2UHFPglseOe2DwcxW50abqp5ID1xkrwNT848qvHo5ncEJgQ6/s1600/Rome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="It's Time Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcfh3ybdIYTnnDZ0xmELbjMFA3eS2AneNIk3M8NFsudI7U-WJjm5eKJvZdzswfx7A66Yj-Km3JF8nCMDZf1mbV0RIgUJv2UHFPglseOe2DwcxW50abqp5ID1xkrwNT848qvHo5ncEJgQ6/s640/Rome.jpg" title="Rome" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An included activity on this tour was a guided walk around Rome</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love that once you have booked the tour, that's it! There is very little that is needed to booked beyond that! In some cases the tour company will assist in booking pre and post travel for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hate that if you find a place you love and want to explore more, you are whisked off on a bus to the next place.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLnZXrCV6UnjPH-4G15tjtHesi838h4PZuzTrv8zro3bBESSwTqGvKL1NMJCGPNkK1n_Nr1q-Nu2s0zkiN0f1vWFS9gY4dWtwHG0ppcsZCWuhoRdmu3T_MwX_ytfLAKqHmoowcWtBtkqa/s1600/nice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="It's Time Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLnZXrCV6UnjPH-4G15tjtHesi838h4PZuzTrv8zro3bBESSwTqGvKL1NMJCGPNkK1n_Nr1q-Nu2s0zkiN0f1vWFS9gY4dWtwHG0ppcsZCWuhoRdmu3T_MwX_ytfLAKqHmoowcWtBtkqa/s640/nice.jpg" title="Nice France" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice, France was definitely somewhere I wanted to explore more.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love the people that you meet along the way! I have made many life long friends by being on tours, and I think being on them solo meant I was forced to make new friends. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I met this awesome chick 10 years ago on an organised tour in the UK and got to catch up with her again earlier this year.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hate that sometimes the above can be a curse though as you can be stuck with a group of people you don't click with for long periods of time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love that you can see many highlights of the country you are visiting in, sometimes, such a short period of time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hate that by visiting all the highlights you can miss some other, off the beaten path, amazing sights the country has to offer and that the places you visit are the same places that all the other tourists are visiting. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4dAwMhbSkb30za3CI4hEKJg2D4qXmwEsDGp-AhEnzPZtLoPuGY410vbIel_oqPl8XSjfEl4FVh_gZOC4B6ITJO1swA5McHnMLMqOYCQpFZy9N7JvF3uWa9SOYd9Hu63Ql_RsJFyFmJ8F/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4dAwMhbSkb30za3CI4hEKJg2D4qXmwEsDGp-AhEnzPZtLoPuGY410vbIel_oqPl8XSjfEl4FVh_gZOC4B6ITJO1swA5McHnMLMqOYCQpFZy9N7JvF3uWa9SOYd9Hu63Ql_RsJFyFmJ8F/s640/IMG_2184.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hundreds (if not thousands) of people were at the Grand Palace in Bangkok that same day my tour was.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love that in most cases the tour guides are local people who can give you an authentic experience and personal accounts of their home country.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7b6GU_DV408LRz6nihYM73i9ikSu1ksst0KDVOIsGLFTb0VNgkqy_jZiOe-6P4ZS_UAPEg75OlFO5hyPZ0j_Qro8QRoHT3TKXU87xwaymDJmb_yXBnbk3yK1nFsQoI-diQqzSu4jO6Mr/s1600/vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="It's Time Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7b6GU_DV408LRz6nihYM73i9ikSu1ksst0KDVOIsGLFTb0VNgkqy_jZiOe-6P4ZS_UAPEg75OlFO5hyPZ0j_Qro8QRoHT3TKXU87xwaymDJmb_yXBnbk3yK1nFsQoI-diQqzSu4jO6Mr/s640/vietnam.jpg" title="Vietnam" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Intrepid Vietnam Travel Guide Quan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hate that the tour guide can make or break the tour. So much of the success of the tour is due to the guide and there have been a few times where I have not enjoyed parts of a tour because of the attitude and demeanour of the guide... and then I've shrugged my shoulders, thought "stuff it I paid for this tour I'm going to enjoy it" and gone on my way! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> sure I could have booked that Road Trip all by myself, hired an amazing car and cruised Route 66, stopping at all my own chosen places along the way, I probably would have been able to do it cheaper but I would have been doing it all alone, and whilst I love and cherish my alone time I don't need it that much! I will always have an element of both solo travel and organised tours when I am abroad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, do I think that you should do an organised tour? If you want..... I think that it's hard to 'judge' whether you are an organised tour person or not unless you have actually done one so why not give it a go. My advice would be to start small, dip your toes in with a short 10 to 15 day tour to test the waters and see if you like it, I'd definitely advise against booking a 49 day Mega European organised tour with Top Deck as your first tour! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Which do you prefer? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Organised tours or planning and going it alone?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What do you love/hate about organised tours?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me know your thoughts in the comments below</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">**Linking this post with <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess and <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a> for Open Slather</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and <a href="http://mybrownpaperpackages.com/" target="_blank">My Brown Paper Packages</a> for Wednesday Wanderlust**</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-74745785131836825062015-11-02T09:52:00.002+10:002015-11-20T13:54:20.811+10:00for Melbourne Cup in Perth<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must confess... it's Raych here from Agent Mystery Case. I<strike>'ve blognapped</strike> have the gorgeous Zita staying with me here in Perth this week and I've taken this opportunity to briefly take over her blog and her schedule. This means for the first time, I believe, Zita who normally works each and every Melbourne Cup is free to kick up her heels and have a bit of fun with the race that stops a nation in its tracks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of fabulous Melbourne Cup events here in Perth, so it was hard to know which event to choose for a first timer. In the end I narrowed it down to my top 4, that still had tickets available.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.matissebeachclub.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Matisse Beach Club</span></a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery location with a mystery Perth VIP</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I even had a chance to present my <b>top 4</b> to Zita, an offer landed in my inbox that included one of them that was just too good to refuse. You will have to head over and case us on Instagram to see what we end up getting up to, not only for Melbourne Cup but the rest of the week as well as our Perth mystery tour continues.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Raych aka Mystery Case</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Are you doing something for Melbourne Cup?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> Do you really think a race should stop the nation in its tracks?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">** Normal blogging from Zita will resume <strike>if she recovers from this trip</strike> eventually! **</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Linking up with Kirsty at <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-60472429837848064182015-10-26T05:30:00.000+10:002015-10-26T05:30:01.653+10:00to fly West... Perth here I come!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm sure for regular readers this won't come as much of a surprise but I must confess travelling somewhere new is never far from my mind, both domestically and internationally. And somewhere that has always been pretty high on my list domestically is the capital of the west, Perth.... Actually on my ultimate road trip wish list is flying to Perth hiring a small camper van and driving to Darwin but it's not a trip I am brave enough to do solo and I haven't been able to find someone to join my venture!... Anyway, back to this trip! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since being home from my last trip to the U.S. and Canada I had been thinking about where I'd like to venture to next, actually who am I kidding, I was already looking before I left Canada! So when a chat with a travel agent friend of mine turned into looking at flights to Perth and finding some that were at a great price, the travel bug in me couldn't resist and later this week I am taking off again! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My fascination for visiting Perth has only been strengthened by reading blogs about the most isolated capital city in the world (true story!), in particularly <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Agent Mystery Case</a>, who makes the city seem so appealing! But rumour has it that there is "nothing to do in Perth" and so I am making it my week long mission to bust this rumour and prove it all kinds of wrong!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now as soon as I mentioned to Raych aka... <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Agent Mystery Case</a>, she was on the case hunting down unique and super fun activities and events for us to partake in and I actually timed my visit to coincide with the <b><a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/2015/10/frocktober-friends.html" target="_blank">Event Ready</a> </b>show which looks just fab! (extra confession...I've never actually been to a fashion show and even though I do not consider myself a fashion guru and even though I am super nervous and have no idea what I am going to wear I am also super excited to get a glimpse into this part of the fashion word!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two regular calendar events happen while I am in Perth, the first being Halloween, which I am a little puzzled as to why Australia has jumped on this bandwagon but when an invitation popped up to attend the <a href="http://www.wolflane.com.au/#!newsevents/c1nge" target="_blank">Wolf Lane Halloween Howls</a> event we jumped at the chance ($10 Spiced Pumpkin Daiquiri's! Yes Please!). The second event being that little horse race that happens on the first Tuesday in November! Now working in schools since forever has meant that I have never had the joy of attending a glamorous or even a not so glamorous event so I am looking forward to what Perth has in store for the Melbourne Cup. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have a few other events that we will be attending but I don't want to give away all our secrets and plans, you'll have to follow along on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/itstime?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/zeet79" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to see what we get up to on our mission to prove there's heaps to do in Perth!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Having said that though there are a few gaps in the itinerary that I would love to fill with those gaps with suggestions from you! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Have you been to Perth? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Got a Perth based travel blog you love that I need to know about?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Please share in the comments below!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Linking up with <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess, <a href="http://www.onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a> for Open Slather and <a href="http://mybrownpaperpackages.com/" target="_blank">My Brown Paper Packages</a> for Wednesday Wanderlust and <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Agent Mystery Case</a> for Worth Casing Wednesday**</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Image Credit... Thanks to <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Agent Mystery Case</a> for supplying all images for this post, can't wait to see them in real life!!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-32663229945432525312015-09-28T05:30:00.000+10:002015-09-28T05:30:00.982+10:00This time last year....<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must confess that on one hand I am finding it so hard to believe that it's been 12 months since my trip to Vietnam, and on the other hand it feels like a lifetime ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my, spending my two week September school holidays in Vietnam was kind of like a test run. Up until this point all my travels had been to first world countries where the primary language was English so this was a step outside my comfort zone to see if I could handle a much longer holiday in a developing Asian country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was pleasantly surprised, and a little shocked, by all that Vietnam had to offer and had a wonderful time. One that I still think of often with fond memories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since my trip there I have blogged about may of the things I saw and did, and there probably are a few more blog posts in that trip that have yet to be written... Just add that up there on my list of things to do along with find a job and somewhere to live.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started off my sharing my <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2014/09/for-my-top-5-must-have-packing-items.html" target="_blank">5 must have packing items for my trip</a>, for any overseas trip I take really. I will confess that the awesome DSLR handbag didn't really live up to my expectations and the long handle broke whilst overseas which meant I've had to replace it but am yet to find something that I love and meets my travelling needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what's a trip overseas without a post on <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/02/for-what-to-wear-on-long-haul-flight.html" target="_blank">what to wear on your long haul flight</a>! For me I am all about comfort when I fly, and I try and do it with a little bit of style, but sometimes a 'stuff<i> it</i>' attitude sneaks in. </span><br />
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<img alt="Zita Hooke Travel blog" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPSDmMKORzN8iG0jyzmGTkC5fxGl_6svqwtfE4_7-YBwtoj2Ebb1b7vywYw4WxD-YhMSRLfjPmhdsamA84zt_H4TyAQoQ4Ckg_uhrfo_ElvojgnwywS_iHYssztLc3NveoNlb69JYfgca/s640/ImageProxy.jpg" title="What to wear on a long haul flight" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favourite days in Vietnam was when we were in Hue. We took a cyclo tour through the city to a local families home who showed us some traditional Vietnamese hospitality and food. It was such a great night and <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2014/09/for-what-made-me-smile-so-much-in.html" target="_blank">made me smile so much</a>!</span><br />
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<img alt="Vietnam Travel Blog" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8PLbh3mf18ge8YbBGMtRPYcNpYTSmaEXsRZsJLcZ5Q-jjaU5E-b55TswX79-qX3Da7dlPp12IAqaFH0-ywMKakWjAj_MwLiLwYsK9y5n41iX9eq5bg6vyReMet2MEEh9avrctHPxs7ni/s640/blogger-image--2096008711.jpg" title="Hue Cyclo Tour" width="480" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the things that I was looking forward to in Hoi An was getting some clothes tailor made. Having the body shape that I do means I find it extremely difficult to find clothes that fit me well, especially on the bottom, so I was just a tad excited by this. I had done my research and chosen some designs but it's not something that should be entered into lightly as there are some horror stories out there, so I shared my tips on g</span><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/05/getting-clothes-made-in-vietnam.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">etting clothes made in Hoi An</a>.<br />
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<img alt="Zita Hooke travel blog" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8769/18192437632_decc9c405d_z.jpg" title="Yaly Couture" width="480" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also partly confessed to <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2014/10/to-confess-what-i-ate-in-vietnam.html" target="_blank">eating some meat in Vietnam</a> that might make some people's stomach turn. I wouldn't say that I am a fussy eater in that I eat lots of different types of food, but I am not a very brave eater when it comes to exotic or <i>out there</i> foods so this was pretty big for me, but I took the <i>When in Rome</i> approach and gave it a go (albeit a very very small go!).</span><br />
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<img alt="It's Time Travel Blog" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYI4X0s55zC5ro26qZW3firCYuZss3zzHuEo6uKRcfDG1Iq0Mrj70RNLMPp25g-b493CFWv9ZWg-HklPugFLcyV73K3NMdigf0TzQuT2g0mYCc-6JJ9cPYu59hRqpYqgVJtRLqJSUGVEc/s640/blogger-image-1391680622.jpg" title="Vietnam" width="480" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vietnam was an amazing country and I do not regret my decision to make it my first South East Asian destination. There were a few things that surprised me and I <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/02/for-what-i-learnt-in-vietnam.html" target="_blank">learnt a few things about travelling in Vietnam</a> that may help you to if you have this destination on your bucket list.</span><br />
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<img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu7sjNxt0NBrKhz6aidHKXNIRWk9UqRqa8XXb3jmPJGJVMwC9Auqkhtkdt0CPBJXSSgiFixlXi-GQ4-k3MgaKaLixamcXzckm-0driLocsXlFxTzcjV5tN6qn7RG1GLj2ntV0oM1GZ2d-/s640/IMG_5163.JPG" width="480" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally when the trip was all said and done I scrolled back through the hundreds of photos taken and did the almost impossible task of choosing my</span> <a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2015/01/for-my-10-favourite-pics-from-vietnam.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">10 favourite photos from my trip</a>, <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">including the one below.</span><br />
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<img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgk9GscKsLCVRjeesOWo_VBeGZ-KO2xyfEBvSifsVLG7NOTHIwb-tEBl9UdWsV1FUoBlD1q9bJ34NpnqXwYySBErHH3JwayQpRxE5npJIQXCu2MpVzRVipUUaAIeCgoQX0c_WlNYs0CUX/s640/HaLongBay20.JPG" title="Halong Bay" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that was it.... that's where I was this time last year and since this trip I have visited another 5 countries, 3 of which were also in Asia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If there was something here that caught your eye or you want to save for later, click the little <i>Pin it</i> button in the top left hand corner of the photo below to save and share this article on Pinterest!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">**Linking up with <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess and <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a> for Open Slather**</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVNU_bkWviv8cLGBnOs-5oJgpAt5TSEaSO1bZc_O2fZzDZoOk9OHF83uXSJSMyK_lgDamgXXH0-yguBCTi8NtTEsayvxDR1zYptBNSJgcyjMqhO_biM3AP0T8MYGWmc1cIow__uJWwL7J/s1600/itstime_signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVNU_bkWviv8cLGBnOs-5oJgpAt5TSEaSO1bZc_O2fZzDZoOk9OHF83uXSJSMyK_lgDamgXXH0-yguBCTi8NtTEsayvxDR1zYptBNSJgcyjMqhO_biM3AP0T8MYGWmc1cIow__uJWwL7J/s1600/itstime_signature.png" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-38851156864231605172015-09-23T05:30:00.000+10:002015-09-23T05:30:00.292+10:00Instagram photos<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of all the social media formats out there at the moment probably the one that I am visiting and engaging in the most at the moment is Instagram. I think it's because I find it quick and easy and less stressful and annoying as some of the others. And I find it easier to manage with who I follow and who I unfollow so that my Instagram feed is exactly how I want it to look. Sure there is the occasional sponsored ad on there now but they seem to be meaningful and appropriate to my interests so it doesn't bother me at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finding other awesome Instagrammers to follow also feeds my wanderlust with my feed filled with amazing travel photos from around the world.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like most social media there are things about Instagram that I don't understand. I've read a few articles about how to grow your following and I am seeing a steady increase. I try and follow a pattern of uploading high quality photos twice a day at set times. I use popular hashtags and interact as much as possible with my followers and people I follow (although I must admit I need to improve this). What I don't understand is what makes people like some photos and not others. Some photos that I have uploaded that I love and am sure are going to get big likes get a mediocre response while others that are good photos but that I sometimes hesitate to upload because they are not my best get a roaring response. I suppose you just never really know what people are after when looking and liking photos. I am not sure there is a way to track which hashtags brought people to your photo but as far as I know there is not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here are some of my recent Instagram photos from my trip to the US and Canada, some that were big hits and some that were little hits...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1HPyuYrAsbQc7Zxj3DEAmz_fvT3J9k_aml8fpX0XIJuRGKuY_VOcodR0m-8XUlRRws79XTgeodWiX1rlSYMqiaIXrgaXqUQ9Yh6p49YX8RSbI1NHbVSAW-i46rYt2sj6Rq407AiS2l8l/s640/blogger-image-350238504.jpg" title="Travel Photos" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvXMCNEOLgnypR4W-1NzMKu2FdInuFej3cJvP6lJK4fy7dYkmPZwksf3cO8STgA2Y7pVt6b7AXfixJ6wgkw3lrahLdpQKA5dJ-Q7coI_N6tasd_X1KIlrjc9Y4QjyizEay_-ysCvFhopn/s640/blogger-image--1364720132.jpg" title="Instagram" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU39-7vtVKWfrzNYV4GJPe-HjOZ91LV1DmsNhDJF4_7SX_mgvNCElkrbxLrQTAG89C8nlgaMAnloK0o3j4Jvd50zIUnA8WxT90Zgbl3iLYggMGO8rvHdFVaHt40luaBXWlCJm5wYwyoxSh/s640/blogger-image--269294498.jpg" title="US Travel Photo" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wy3q25tIgMdw80IwmTLHcLoIEZfuomaQ47acZph_kZPO21tlPneffWD3zZeUPlIa5_kN2n1jSERTtpIi1uDmZYyhZOUseU6wJy_FuEHLT5c-KWx19ryXcLXsjOnVBYtjzIJajXUCTAFn/s640/blogger-image-917639485.jpg" title="US Travel Photo" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEh3UPgZcJaMVkf0hhullfUzMZzBXXPm2o6zKnKzQ9sq6lILkC1-KZ_56TJzqcnrhxsqsn-SDHu2hZHJxu9ZxY_GfoZ6zEWURKs9kF0R8-Ih4C_wfP1eDqy20AUxwKhERRnJWt2oS7OK87/s640/blogger-image-687463619.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Fzfweq0cvS4dkxvZ7oEavwl0x-tKxlFRPDFjgEgfEiFNHN5kqa2KF5pKGNlBx9D1BdHaDK7Fb5jFIz4Uxnjd-Uh4QF4h6k5j5rMY81IjLfMS5fS2ooGr499T0NQgnxg0ktA9ZglYvDuN/s640/blogger-image-1119118736.jpg" title="Travel photo" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3ybb58QxXdR39AgXBq_QYrFhnoQ7Nmo6qhBSUq6f4IJ3nSHCbwxW1EqyqF46KI51Ys9UoT8qQPdRI9GCZlsPJkng_B5aH0CnTWloJ7v_rJnbMl2t-kcf52mZIm1HJqw5rh9fukXK4QtC/s640/blogger-image-1192542420.jpg" title="Toronto skyline" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFfW7EINsVOneTYgvUyY9qPRbxTSr86g_ixp3UKaSYOIUJ4qAYzoZsEp7QNFEps8DJgH4K6G3CpuLmjEVC9jKOipl7YgqDU6bjWkDjSopq1PVEUBMdD507xyEA7QBEOeBaQavYB71jdkf/s640/blogger-image--1339800394.jpg" title="Travel photo sunset" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgL9-VoOp5GN910IAy3sCeozNDlq10ehyphenhyphenGQoMdWyeWWj-c2PrtVq6mHh7himfyUMGeBLcdM7lyZnDZSa-5aeHD9no-xETP9wFNcJfjhVJP5POLlnOCqOKvKcDYeQMUZGNvYdN3hbV5ExA/s640/blogger-image--1848248350.jpg" title="Parc Omega Canada" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Zita Hooke Travel Blog" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41AnTlSREAjZpLJ6eohI5GGvlwEd9X0j9e8X9l7qtELovCnHOzdf_qVEw-AWr4XQJr31c2n055TXyH-IYRq8GDZX3vUBYIbnb8RPQlPuwZ5USZ-2X6_Pz8crUuBzysv4DDti-mhj5WQ8D/s640/blogger-image--490558682.jpg" title="Rockwood park Canada" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have been spending a bit of time on there lately trying hard to increase my following and would love for you to join me, I am also looking for more people to follow and I follow back people of interest to me. I get really disheartened sometimes when people do the follow/unfollow thing do be warned, if you follow me and then unfollow me, I will more than likely unfollow you back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clicking any of the photos above should take you to my Instagram account but if not, you can always click <a href="https://instagram.com/_itstime_blog" target="_blank">here</a>. I look forward to checking out your accounts as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you have any secrets for mastering Instagram?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Is there an account that you love?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Leave your tips in the comments below!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Linking up with <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Case </a>for Worth Casing Wednesday, <a href="http://mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">My Little Drummer Boys </a>for Wordless Wednesday and <a href="http://mybrownpaperpackages.com/" target="_blank">My Brown Paper Packages</a> for Wednesday Wanderlust**</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-23840032003436718152015-09-16T05:30:00.000+10:002015-09-18T10:49:18.249+10:00Monument Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFlbWtVNnI7UKSnUKlb1ELu15fofu3VVZXbfXJleWD8cRYzVOrQDgCMTSqBVuooynj6HB0_DfPatr8HzFtKoTs8jsCY4THyuRO4Z2v8knXDaaK4Pg-XlFaFr0NCsMX9Q1sh2UfM8S3cNK/s1600/THE+NEW+YOU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Travel Blog" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFlbWtVNnI7UKSnUKlb1ELu15fofu3VVZXbfXJleWD8cRYzVOrQDgCMTSqBVuooynj6HB0_DfPatr8HzFtKoTs8jsCY4THyuRO4Z2v8knXDaaK4Pg-XlFaFr0NCsMX9Q1sh2UfM8S3cNK/s640/THE+NEW+YOU.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, visiting Monument Valley is up there with Uluru in Australia and Niagara Falls in Canada, you have to see it to believe it. I knew it was going to be a highlight of my trip and I was not disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had been up early and weaved our way down from Durango in Colorado with a stop along the way at The Four Corners. This area is the only area in the United States where four states meet, the south-west corner of Colorado, the north-west corner of New Mexico, the north-east corner of Arizona and the south-east of Utah and the perfect place for a obligatory '</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sitting in 4 states at once' </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">photo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another stop along the way was at the famous stretch of highway that indicates you are well on your way into Monument Valley. This view has been used in many a Hollywood film and the particular spot where the above photo is taken from is pretty much the exact spot where Forrest Gump stopped running and decided to go home!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a John Wayne fan then you may recognise some of the scenery in the photos to follow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monument Valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation and for a small fee visitors to the area are able to explore the area from the comfort of their own car. We, however, went on a guided tour in the back of a ute which meant we were given access to some areas otherwise restricted. If you are going to the bother of going all the way there, I highly recommend the guided tour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZag3WcoECKY-5kB39PtS314gmeH20bYnPdTWpFMzbDOa_SrcAZx4Y7P0w8JKI0-swRyoxBQU7UouL03WQyF6U_zDkF0rjweKhEGNSuLhK0eKJ9UB0hyJFBPoxPlueKxCcob2FTSIbyhz_/s1600/19849384086_0b4bbbf887_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Navajo National Reservation" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZag3WcoECKY-5kB39PtS314gmeH20bYnPdTWpFMzbDOa_SrcAZx4Y7P0w8JKI0-swRyoxBQU7UouL03WQyF6U_zDkF0rjweKhEGNSuLhK0eKJ9UB0hyJFBPoxPlueKxCcob2FTSIbyhz_/s640/19849384086_0b4bbbf887_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTMvGnlfsM2OtT4tDdcXUOvpiNf6oYlldQajau2u1YGgIrZiV5dnE9EMUxhrTIAzXgsfqmnOgFvDOdXee-hiNaCUs4VR7cIbQh3mF6joyvO11Yem2_f-3sU-4_qOEhsRq04Ov86E9VxQF/s1600/19849572666_687ede025f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="It's Time Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTMvGnlfsM2OtT4tDdcXUOvpiNf6oYlldQajau2u1YGgIrZiV5dnE9EMUxhrTIAzXgsfqmnOgFvDOdXee-hiNaCUs4VR7cIbQh3mF6joyvO11Yem2_f-3sU-4_qOEhsRq04Ov86E9VxQF/s640/19849572666_687ede025f_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-_jDNwtunNLWG4C8z1NfgfqtKfSyZVoGqgGUgVrfDs3i-fQLJghTaZq8CmlsJC-8ad0uZuSzrz8BPoFCMpFKm3w5ZB-GAncXg3lIYNQ22EkFYpOcyngkYrVmMzYMjGaM-d7XyPDZa7Kg/s1600/19868419102_a9e66ba760_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Travel Blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-_jDNwtunNLWG4C8z1NfgfqtKfSyZVoGqgGUgVrfDs3i-fQLJghTaZq8CmlsJC-8ad0uZuSzrz8BPoFCMpFKm3w5ZB-GAncXg3lIYNQ22EkFYpOcyngkYrVmMzYMjGaM-d7XyPDZa7Kg/s640/19868419102_a9e66ba760_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tour group... Can you spot me?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUJaDGQWVa_oLUSwwzUGD8AR_wROi4sMmgBKka7Njnj8apzUgHmuTDzr-Eb4Ip3MKyGUUJSIUyex-pWK_-AaCB_tL2jHHzDpwUAHCDcPoD46sRO7CKNjSv1-O9bMZRF1thG4VzudDMwEk/s1600/20669323904_b180abe123_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Navajo Nation Tribal area" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUJaDGQWVa_oLUSwwzUGD8AR_wROi4sMmgBKka7Njnj8apzUgHmuTDzr-Eb4Ip3MKyGUUJSIUyex-pWK_-AaCB_tL2jHHzDpwUAHCDcPoD46sRO7CKNjSv1-O9bMZRF1thG4VzudDMwEk/s640/20669323904_b180abe123_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjS5Lj7mLwJGd53qPqkJHP1Il0JF1qtr2KOIcCH_SvW8xE0YHPAI7b43lDJFaiI0gIxraNOsPJAxFRIQ53zi8M-NYpBE4xu64HMnz7WXoMkKQauYB_zZ7TwKF2YcW8OGbL9Z1xLzlSVN4p/s1600/20669394864_17b8fb3700_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Travel Photography" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjS5Lj7mLwJGd53qPqkJHP1Il0JF1qtr2KOIcCH_SvW8xE0YHPAI7b43lDJFaiI0gIxraNOsPJAxFRIQ53zi8M-NYpBE4xu64HMnz7WXoMkKQauYB_zZ7TwKF2YcW8OGbL9Z1xLzlSVN4p/s640/20669394864_17b8fb3700_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47fifLURc52fXrmXDXKt4emSg3Ovtv7f3735VykJ2rJolxezjOmv7n8k1mEuJvZHjbkP9X5Pchaz8Np9pQIMgya4ZgzY3C-I0CCIFQckOy2tmXEa1ODhdu5wqQC4FvA9EZk4cSTJ4xP0X/s1600/21097445300_4c0fc426ae_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47fifLURc52fXrmXDXKt4emSg3Ovtv7f3735VykJ2rJolxezjOmv7n8k1mEuJvZHjbkP9X5Pchaz8Np9pQIMgya4ZgzY3C-I0CCIFQckOy2tmXEa1ODhdu5wqQC4FvA9EZk4cSTJ4xP0X/s640/21097445300_4c0fc426ae_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfzvZ-jxGncr1EKfvsrqn2-QTNqTzehUHwa16eiQweHiTEayUokQwX95aecVNBnPZcj_NUcNlLPuyKwJHLZxts4dazJuV_ceJTKknax5NH_u0xXyCUhx3zQ8e_o3qIOB5JGz0ataYn3S_/s1600/21275062312_3a1cb21afa_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="It's Time travel blog" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfzvZ-jxGncr1EKfvsrqn2-QTNqTzehUHwa16eiQweHiTEayUokQwX95aecVNBnPZcj_NUcNlLPuyKwJHLZxts4dazJuV_ceJTKknax5NH_u0xXyCUhx3zQ8e_o3qIOB5JGz0ataYn3S_/s640/21275062312_3a1cb21afa_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqVTqQM4mVNMEyFMuMkn8iR6ayLAfawWvX40-kTUeKt8qrbDIT5KyFj7wiJ2zmO_4h62j5Z29ojCXBxCRYFdr7SvU4zPAKXbPV2MyygMovSLeJsrEwfhJgZu-J9uWrPg8bUIqlHGRSjGC/s1600/21275092622_3e4c79e184_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Navajo Nation Reserve" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqVTqQM4mVNMEyFMuMkn8iR6ayLAfawWvX40-kTUeKt8qrbDIT5KyFj7wiJ2zmO_4h62j5Z29ojCXBxCRYFdr7SvU4zPAKXbPV2MyygMovSLeJsrEwfhJgZu-J9uWrPg8bUIqlHGRSjGC/s640/21275092622_3e4c79e184_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7P93fkhZYZO6iRoOhCvaRCqtRysePaaQVrXbuMVfP8Xbp8YGYpqfegMRV4TvVSoUgKxJ8EhuJ7EEtZpI_VhdgVhFOsPRodqbYjMHSmjB_eSMJQF1CAposLr_ks91Lr9IqdaX_qP8dWZje/s1600/21300105591_e563725014_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Navajo Nation" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7P93fkhZYZO6iRoOhCvaRCqtRysePaaQVrXbuMVfP8Xbp8YGYpqfegMRV4TvVSoUgKxJ8EhuJ7EEtZpI_VhdgVhFOsPRodqbYjMHSmjB_eSMJQF1CAposLr_ks91Lr9IqdaX_qP8dWZje/s640/21300105591_e563725014_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNTcZc-2YhS56amlDjis4v0ohIzRzk2lfey6J_Dzb47kCPZVllmAfY5QstyjoClh77aPPPWV7G903qZIGBrymbv8MqB2wmWlqOzrWf-bo8-bbhGiFweT2DdpzZvJd6oYAD07NIOoB8KP5/s1600/21281525712_9b9c094caa_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zita Hooke" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNTcZc-2YhS56amlDjis4v0ohIzRzk2lfey6J_Dzb47kCPZVllmAfY5QstyjoClh77aPPPWV7G903qZIGBrymbv8MqB2wmWlqOzrWf-bo8-bbhGiFweT2DdpzZvJd6oYAD07NIOoB8KP5/s640/21281525712_9b9c094caa_z.jpg" title="Monument Valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our three hour guided tour saw us weave in and around many of the grand sandstone masterpieces that are spread out as far as the eye can see. The sheer size of the area took me by surprise and my breath away at each and every turn. Our tour ended with a traditional Navajo taco lunch with a monumental view.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linking up with <a href="http://mybrownpaperpackages.com/" target="_blank">My Brown Paper Packages</a>, <a href="http://mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">My Little Drummer Boys</a> , <a href="http://agentmysterycase.com/" target="_blank">Agent Mystery Case</a>, <a href="http://abritandasoutherner.com/" target="_blank">A Brit and a Southerner</a> and <a href="http://www.aholeinmyshoe.com/" target="_blank">A Hole in my Shoe</a></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700706623301575280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760502581804337573.post-89985613872944099402015-09-14T05:30:00.000+10:002015-09-15T16:34:03.274+10:00Coming home with unwanted luggage<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I heaved my wheelie backpack onto the scales at the request of the airline hostess... 47.2 blinked on the screen! '<i>Holy shit'</i> was my first reaction until I remembered I was in North America and that was pounds. Not smart enough to do the calculations in my head I waited until I passed through several forms of security before asking Google to do the conversion on my behalf... 21.4kg.. My bag had put on around 8 kilograms in the 86 days I travelled through the United States and Canada and as my tummy jiggled a little more than usual as we bounced down the runway on the first leg of my trip home, I must confess I knew it wasn't the only thing that was coming home a little heavier. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many different types of people in this world.. That really goes without saying. One of those groups of people are those who are genetically blessed and given a powerful metabolism, who can eat and eat and never gain weight... I am not one of those people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another group of those people are those who somehow manage to maintain a healthy diet and routine exercise program whilst travelling... I am not one of those people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish I was the type of person who boarded the plane with their own yoga mat (yep... totally just saw that at the airport!) but I'm not... And now I have to deal with it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tried to convince myself that I was doing a buttload of walking and so it didn't really matter, and some days I was. There was one point where I was averaging around 15,000 steps a day.. And then there were days when I was lucky to crack 3000 steps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I even messaged friends back home telling them of my horror hoping that somehow they would give me a kick up the butt and tell me to make better choices, but they didn't, they encouraged to me lap it up and enjoy it while I could. So I did. And really I shouldn't have been reliant on anyone else to make better choices, this was something that only I could control. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ahhh.. The United States of America... Land of the free and home of the brave, and the super sized everything. I knew the food was going to be good, I knew the portions were going to be way bigger than I was used to... But I also knew that my willpower is a muscle that I don't use anywhere near enough and is way to weak to resist the countless buffets, treats, desserts and deep fried goodness that America has to offer. Heck I even wrote a whole post on the food I ate just while in </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1NnLoSb" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">New York City</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, sitting on the plane to fly home was not the first indication that my bag wasn't the only thing that had put on weight. I had noticed things getting a little lumpier, things were no longer as flat as they once were. Clothes that fit me at the start of the trip had long been sent home, or banished to the bottom of the wheelie backpack and had been replaced with new clothes purchased along the way, and don't even get me started on having to be weighed before my helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gaining weight is soooo easy! Eat and drink your way through endless days of hotel/pub/restaurant/cafe/fast food/food truck meals and with very little exercise and it's easily done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If only losing it was just as easy. It's hard enough to loose weight and get in shape at the best of times but I have read somewhere that it's even harder once you hit 30, and given that also on this trip I reached an age that if it were part of a rounding lesson in year 3 maths we'd be going up to 40 instead of down to 30... I know I have plenty of hard work ahead of me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regular readers of the blog will know that a few years ago I did </span><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2013/05/for-12wbt-round-1-roundup.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Michelle Bridges 12wbt</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and managed to achieve my </span><a href="http://www.zitahooke.com/2013/08/for-thankful-thursday.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">goal weight</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, well now I am about 11 kilograms off my goal weight but I am determined to get back there! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what am I going to do about? Well I have to eat better, drink more water and move more! Sounds easy right?! I need to make it that easy, because if I let my mind take over that it's going to be too hard or overthink it too much, then I will not succeed. I have to work on my mindset and become one of those people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been back just over a week and I have already increased my water intake and ensuring I drink at least 2L a day. I am walking every morning and will increase this and add back in weight training and more cardio this week. I am watching what I eat and am eating as gluten and diary free as possible as I notice this also has a significant impact in the state of my skin. And the good news is I am already almost a kilo lighter after just one week of being home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can do this!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linking up with <a href="http://myhometruths.com/" target="_blank">My Home Truths</a> for I Must Confess and <a href="http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">One Mother Hen</a> for Open Slather</span><br />
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