HAHA my NYC JOKE of a LIFE

OHHHHH MAN!!! I have to say for the past two weeks I've done a lot laughing at the weird way my life likes to play with me, including some crying about it aswell.
This entire year I've had one plan with my life. JUST ONE that would last a month, and that plan was to go to HArlem again and sell Christmas trees. Well everything was planned and I was ready to go. I came home from Asia/Australia early due to these plans, set it up with the bosses, and got Andrew onboard to come with me.
Obstacle #1 started when They wouldn't let Andrew across the border in New York. So I felt bad leaving him in no mans land all by himself, so I got off the bus, and walked back to Canada with him. I never have problems with any borders so I didn't see it as a problem. So we got back to Berri Metro, we got Andrew his documents and hopped on the next bus back to the border. This time they didn't let EITHER of us across, and not only that, they let the dogs loose on my bags and apperantly it smelled like drugs so they tore the ENTIRE thing apart, all over the place.
Anyway after some more questioning we took the walk of shame back to Canada for the second time. Ok, the next day I got all my documents ready and with a very juicy bribe recruited an old friend to drive me across the Vermont border, with Andrew's friend Sam (andrew gave up at this point). Anyway they questioned me for an hour and a half, and went through all our stuff, and finally we made it across. YESSS! I made it, or so I thought!

So I get to Vermont, met George and the rest of the X-mas tree gang. We hop in the trucks and are on our way. I slept most of the way there. I get to NYC at about 2 am, sleep on a freezing cold floor of our apartment (because everyone else already took the air matresses) and start work the next day. It's all good, within hours I meet up with all my regular Spanish Harlem friends, we set everything up! The first 2 days go great, then my hands start to itch "hmm just parinoia" I think. But that night I woke up with massivly swollen hands and lips and for some reason my heart is racing a million miles a minute!! just like the last week of x-mas tree selling last year. "SHIT allergies, FUCK not again on DAY THREE!!!!!" So I tell my boss who happens to also be a doctor. She gives me 9 that's NINE!!!! pills to take everyday. Its all good, I don't mind, I feel a bit naucious but my allergies are fine. I spend all day building the stand selling trees, and talking to the locals. At the end of the day I'm sitting around having a chat to Max, when all of a sudden I feel like I'm having a mass asthma attack. FUCK, I gotta get out of here! I was biking back to my apartment (oh ya I was biking back and forth from my apt to work which is about 15 minutes away) thinking of how i would get in contact with someone to take me to the hospital incase (Max and Ace)
my lungs colaps (I was actually really scared for myself,and if you knwo me you knwo that doesn't happen easily). I got to the apartment and realized I just can't sell trees,just no way. Everytime I get a reaction it gets worse, and next time I would probably need a shot at the hospital, I had to give in. Its not risking my health or having to owe an american hospital tens of thousands of dollars.
So completely defeated, discouraged and lost I called my boss and told her. I am now jobless, after everything I did to get to New York and everythign that was counting on this job, I had to give in.

At this point my boss came to give me a big spiel about how they're so sad that they're losing me and yaddayaddayadda! he gave me a lot of bullshit, and told me it would totally be fine if I stayed at the apartment for awhile until i figure out what I'm going to do.
Two days later, after wandering through central park ponderting life he calls me and tells me I'm abusing the fact that i'm staying at the apt and I have to get out because I'm causing "friction" with the others (just one of them infact, cuz he's a complainy bitchy bastard) Eventhough no one even ever saw me there, I made an extra special effort to be invisible to everyone there just cuz I know the last thing people want to do after a long day of selling trees is deal with someone aroudn the house.
Anyway I'm now lost and homeless in Harlem.
When I run into the crazy man who asks me for 2$ once in awhile, I complain about life to him and he offers me a place to stay. Man let me tell you this guy is insane, really nice and hospitable, but CRAZY. I got woken up just before 5 am with violent banging at my door with him yelling "ISABEL FOOD YOU GOTTA EAT GET BREAKFAST IIIISSSAABBBEELLL WAKE UP" Oh god just to give u a tiny example of his crazyness hahahah..

(Derek and I)
Anyway the next day when he left to walk his dog I took all my things and RAN haha back to the trees that is. When I called Tafa. He's an artist in the area, with really impressive work, he's also one of the most coherent people in the area, I always enjoy speaking to him. I complained about my joke of a life when he offered for me to sleep on the floor of his art studio. No one is there during the day and its safe, secure, quiet and warm! PERFECT! this is where I am staying now. I have a queen size air matress I blow up every night and a mass comfy comforter with a wolf on it. I'm quite happy sleeping there. (where I slept in Tafa's studio)
I got up the next morning to buy my coffee and croissant from the moroccan/french guy across the street, and as I had been doign for the past 3 days, I complained about how life was being a bitch, he responded "Hey you want a job, I need help!"
So that is life now, I sleep on the floor of an artist amonst crazy abstract paintings and paint fumes, and during the day I practicly run this bakery which is about 10 meters away. all of this of course is next door to the trees I used to sell. I'm sure Max is sick of seeing my face about 5 times a day. I think I'm sticking around a few more days then coming home,

(the bakery I worked in for nearly 2 weeks) life is too strange here.
Today my bakery boss showed up 2 hours late for work, so I took the day off to wander around downtown NYC what a crazy world it is here!!!well this is the condenced version of my life up to date! see u back in montreal soon!

Oh an here is teh web-site of the guy whose art studio I'm staying in
www.tafagallery.com

(sam,ben and I coming home on the 6 train)

(Rockafeller centre)

Last few days in Bangkok-MONTREAL

The last few days I just hung out around the guesthouse, didn't do too much. I went on a mass shopping spree for random things. Ran into some guy who practically lives down the street from me.
I had some issues sleeping so I went to the pharmacy to get some sleeping pills. The pharmacist gave me some no name white pills in a baggy. She told me it was Xanax and she promised they were weaker than valium, which is what I wanted. Anyway i popped two, and they kicked in just as expected and I slept great. I woke up however completely out of my mind! My god, i was completly messed up for the entire days, I just sat in a chair all day, and slept for the rest of the day. I could barely move. Crazy thai lady drugging me with no name drugs BAH! Needless to say i threw the rest out...
Anyway the day later Debby came back into town after having a crazy adventure in near burma, it was great to have her around. We snuck into the 5 star hotel across the street and did some sun bathing and swimming...
I left to go to the airport a day later. It was good to have her around, it was nice to have someone to say good-bye to.
Anyway it took over 30 hours to fly from Bangkok to Montreal ( via tokyo and chicago) ! Not a very comfortable flight at all with way to many stop overs.
I've been home about 18 hours now. I'm still a bit overwhelmed and confused and cold! But I'm still glad to be back! I'm going to go join the gym today to keep myself busy for the next 3 weeks until new york, and buy a new phone, since i realized the crazy french girl stole that too!! damnit! heh
;)

30 degree difference?!?!?!?!?!?

So i booked my ticket about 15 minutes ago now. I WAS really excited until i realized at the moment its 32 degrees,and I'm walkin around quite comfortably!!
IT'S 3 DEGREES IN MONTREAL!!!!!!!
I am going to die a very cold and painful death especially considering I own no winter clothes, not even a jacket as of a few days ago i didn't even own shoes (just a pair of flip flops). I had to go on a mission to buy myself some. I haven't had shoes on my feet in months!!!
what am I doing?!?!?
I don't know
hah, but i'm still excited

Koh Samed

So i bussed/ boated my way to Koh Samed. It was nice, i went on my own, but met a really good group of people on the boat over. Though i was feeling pretty anti social. I went out with them one night and got reminded how terrible Thai whiskey was for hangovers. I spent the rest of my time on the island trying to cleverly avoid them, though they always tracked me down. I spent alot of time just lying on the ebach and did lots and lots of swimming!
Now I'm back in BAngkok, and guess what I did 5 mintues ago>!??!?!?!
I BOOKED MY FLIGHT HOME!!!
YAY!

ARGHGGHGHGHHG!!!

Well I went Kayaking again, just as much fun as the first time. Right now I am in a jam AGAIN!! the last month has been pretty stressfull for me.
Well I haven't gotten my taxes back from Australia yet. They were supposed to come in a week ago. Well anyway my credit card maxed out, which leaves me with 0$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (literally)
BAH! oh the stress! Debby decided to go volunteer on the Burmese border with orphan children, which is cool, I was tempted to go aswell, but i'm not in the right frame of mind to do anything like that now, I've got my own (much smaller ) problems to think about!
Anyway i'm freaking out about a bit. I can't make up my mind as to what I'm doing, and the Tax guy is beign a GIGANTIC JERK!!!! and avoiding me!! I smell a scam!
BAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway i catch a bus to Bangkok in a few hours, i'll take it from there

Found my new favourite place in Thailand

Well I spent almost a week in Bangkok. I hung around Kao Sarn for a day just shopping and bumming around. Then moved back To Suk 11, the same hostle I've been staying at for years now. There I met up with Derek. Was preetty much the same old stuff. I ate some Good Somtem (papaya salad) from the lady in the back, and had a Banana Roti from "happy" down the road. I also met (yet another) crazy English girl from London. Anyway we both didn't have any plans so we decided to hook up and head to Kanchaniburi. I've never been here before but it has been recommended by several people. I absolutly love it here.
This is where the bridge over the river Kwai is.
Well lucky for me, Debby is one of those people who loves to do things and get things done!
So in the past 3 days I went to the tigre temple ( I got to pet a tigre). Went for a hike up the most beautiful limestone water falls. I didn't swim in the pools though, Eventhough we had been hiking up-hill fo 3 hours and i was sweaty and hot and the pools were gorgeouse and blue. And the water was clear, so you could see each and every one of the fish, and there was lots of them, So i chickened out (ask me to pick up a snake, hold a spider, no problem, but swim with fish? Forget it!!)
anyway after that I went to Hellfire pass. which is where POWs and asian labourers built the way for the train to go through, many people died there, and also hung around the Bridge over the river Kwai.
Today I went Kayaking down the river Kwai, which was amazing!! We saw a pretty blue bird .I liked it so much I'm going to do it again tomorrow.
The reason why I love this city SO much is the people here are just so amazingly smiley and friendly and food, MY GOD the food, is just too good. Actually the only reason why I'm going kayaking again is to have a reason to stay one more day to eat more food!

thailand...sigh

Well I hopped on a bus and then a ferry and ended up on Koh Phi phi in Thailand! This is the island where "The Beach" was filmed. It was really beautiful... but unofrtunatly you can still see the mass damage the Tsunami did to it, but they're recovering well and have plenty of tourist to give em lots of money.
(Koh Phi phi, where the movie "The Beach" was filmed)
Unfortunately the second day we were there, or was it the third?? hmmmm...Mikey got some bad news from home, and immediatly flew home. I hopped a plane with him to Bangkok, because I figured bumming around on the islands on my own would be a) boring, b) too pricey.
So for like the MILIONTH time I am wandering around Bangkok confused and alone. It kind of sucks because I'm really burnt out from travelling, I was really looking forward to slowly and casualy meandering north with a friend (who was just as easy and hassle free about evrything as I am). Meh I guess that's travelling for ya.
Well the imfamous Derek is somewhere in this city at the moment aswell, though I haven't been able to reach him, I'm sure we'll meet up. I'll try to come up with a rough plan as to what I'm doing within the next few days!

Malaysia

(Mike and the trishaw driver)
hmmm what can I say about Malaysia. It was a pretty neutral place. I probably would have liked it a lot more had the air been half decent. I spent just over a week and only travelled through 3 cities, including Malacca, Kuala Lumpu (the huge twin petrona towers were nice except they were barely visible with the smog.) and Georgetown which was an island off of Penang. We really didn't do much but wander around and watch movies, we actually couldn't find more to do.. maybe we were just being lazy, i dunno...
anyway our stop after that was Koh Phi Phi which was that island where they filmed "the Beach"
(these are the Petronas, usually you can see them clearly form this tower, but thats how smoggy it was)

(on the trishaw with Mikey)

Singapore! cough, cough

Monday morning we had all our taxes figured out, We bought a plane ticket and flew to Singapore a few hours later. Hmmm what can I say about singapore. We didn't stay long at all. It was a weird country. The way I would describe it (and this is only after 3 days of being there ) is Singapore is to Asia as North America is to Europe.
Let me elaborate on that; In europe you have lots of different countries, each country having its own unique culture and way of life. then you go to North America, which is filled with people originally from europe all from different parts however. Because of this North america has no real culture or religion or one way of life, its just one big mess of everything. And in my personal opinion I felt like Singapore was exactly that to Asia. There were so many different Nationalities that it was just a big mess of randomness, plus everyone spoke perfect english ad drove fancy cars ( real clean looking fancy cars) and listenbed to 50 cent. It was strange..nice, and clean, and friendly...but strange...
what did we do there? hmm lots of walking around and taking the train all over the place..nothing too exciting, then again i don't think there was much more to do.

anyway I just got to Malaysia a couple hours ago to a city called Malacca. So far I like this place...
However, YAY for me, just in the Isabel way I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time again, Singapore and Malaysia are currently covered with a really bad haze. Its caused by forests they're burning in Sumatra, Indonesia. So everthing here is really dense and smoggy and the sky is grey (eventhough its sunny out) and its unbarebly humid and hot. My lungs hurt!
Stoooopid smoke!!!

here's some news about it
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/10/5/nation/15633707&sec=nation
(No DURIANS! HA! Durians are stinky fruit, I thought it was funny they forbade them in the subway)

Good-bye Australia

Life in Darwin has been pretty boring. At first it was alright, but i've been here over a week now and it a small town and I've run out of things to do. Anyway, while beign here I've been doing a lot thinking. And a lot of spending money, on NOTHING!! Where did it all go?!?!!?!?
Well with all my thinking and all my money spending I came to a conclusion. I don't have enough time left to work again, and I don't have enough money left too travel a month and a half in Australia, so i decided, I would go to Asia instead. I've got plenty of moula for a month and a half there. Mike decided he would want to come along too, so that should be cool
So that's what we're doing, we're waiting for our tax return, then booking our tickets. We might leave today, or in 2 days.

(good-bye my roadtripping friends)
Our flight will be landing in singapore. Then we plan to bus our way through malaysia to Thailand. Woohoo good times!
I can't wait to be back in Asia!
All in all Australia's been great times, I met some great people and did some cool things, but I'll ready to leave now, I've had enough, for now

5000 km, 5 people and a Ford Falcon

On september 12 th we picked up our grey Ford Falcom and jammed all our stuff in the back. It was a bit cozy with the five of us squeezed in the back and all of our stuff , but luckily, driving still makes me sleep so I slept through most of it. We managed to cover nearly 5000km within 10 days. It was a lot of driving.
We started off from Cairns did a small detour to go visit 2 of our friends from work, Dan and Jacinta from Melbourn, in Mossman.
The 7 of us spent the evening having a few drinks in the CAR. hahaha it poured rain most of the night. It was a bit of a nightmare.

(having drinks in the car with our co-workers fromChilders, Dan and Jacinta)
From Mossman we went to Mt. Garnet, which was cool, it had hotsprings, but it still rained more of the day.
(in the hotspring)

Mt. garnet- Normanton

Normanton was cool, it was really hot day, but this place had a nice, pool and a warmish jacuzzi, good relaxing times.

Normanton- Mt. Isa
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Mt. Isa- Devils Marbles

Devils Marbles had to have been one of the coolest places of this trip. This place literally looks like someone dropped gigantic marbles all over the place. We found a free campsite here and camped amongst the marbles under a gorgeouse clear sky. Some random Japanese people camped here as well and put on a bit of a fire show for us ( a la full moon party in thailand).
Mike also SWORE a kangaroo kicked his foot in the middle of the night, right mike!


Devils Marbles- Curtain springs

We saw a wild camel,
And I FINALLY got my campfire. We chilled around it, had a few beer, roasted some marshmellows, as James busted some tunes on his guitar. Two Dutch girls joined us for the night. Was a great night all in all.

ULURU (aka Ayers Rock)

This is the giganticly huge Rock in the middle of australia (it's one of the wonders of the world )
We hung around for sunset, really was amazing...
We also saw the Olgas, which was more cool looking rock formations.

Uluru-Renner springs
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Renner springs- Kakadu

Kakadu was a nice little rainforesty place, with a tiny waterfall (cuz its dry season now) and cool little lakes (though we are advised to swim at our own risk cuz there's Crocodiles everywhere! )

anyway our last stop was Darwin.
thats where I am now. Mel flew to Perth yesterday so I no longer have my travel partner (after 4 months of living and travelling with her. I'm going to miss her, she was great times!!! The other English guy, Rich and the scotish guy, James are headed to go pick mangos in a few days. and the Canadian guy, who knows
as for me I have no clue what so ever either hmmmm
for now I'll just relax get some sun and enjoy the 35 degree weather

here's a link to James' page, he put up some of the photos. have a look at that until i've finally get a chance to put mine up

In Cairns and free of hassles

Well Mel and I had a brief stop in Mission Beach, we got bored of small towns so we rushed up to Cairns! It's been great here. the weather is perfect, city is not TOO big but has everything we need. I've done some shopping and lots and lots of tanning and lying by this gorgeouse little Lagoon. We met up with one of Mel's friends, Rich, from England, and now Mikey the Canadian guy we worked with in Childers is comign to meet up with us here. We're goign to rent a stationwagon and drive up to Darwin which should take us at least a week. Should be good fun.

Oh and I am happy to announce that I am officially free of having anything to do with the van or the cranky girl inside of it. I had a great time living and travelling in it for 4 months. But after Joan visited me in Childers, and about 10 phone calls from her bitching at me for this and that and complaining about everything, I realized I would be absolutly miserable going on travelling with her. I just couldn't handle it anymore it stressed me out pointlessly. I figured I'm dishing out mass amounts of cash for this trip, and I decided, selfishly i must admit, that it would be best for me to head my own way. I lost a few hundred dollars in the process of doing so including a few of my person things, but at least I'm happier than ever!!!

Townsville and Magnetic Island

We only spent a night in Townsville, it was nothing too exciting we were just visiting a friend Mel had made in Airlie beach.

The morning after we hopped onto a ferry to Magnetic Island. After partying it up we were ready to just laze around for a bit and soak up some sun in peace and quiet maybe even read a book. The first day we arrived it was SO gorgeous and sunny and perfect, we decide to book an extra night right away. But unfortunatly for the past 2 days it has been miserable. Its been nothign but rain. And since we're on an island with nothign to do but lie by the pool or lie by the beach or in a hammock, we've been bored mindlessly...
We leave tomorrow to Mission beach, hopefully the weather will clear up by then.....

Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays

After a 12 hour bus ride we arrived at Airlie beach! The beach is gorgeose there. It was so nice to be back near the water. In Airlie we met up with our 2 Irish friends Seamus and Eimear from Childers. We went all out there and partied it up hard. It was so nice to see some new face and go clubbing a bit. Needless to say I feel much better and glad I got it out of my system for a bit.

I did a 2 night sailing trip around the whitsundays and OH MY GOD was it ever beautiful. For the first time in my life I saw a beach that actually looks exactly like it does on the postcard, it was breath taking! I also did some snorkelling which was a bit scary for me considering I have a fish phobia (don't ask I don't know why I have it either) but the coral was still amazing, I'm glad Mel made me go with her. Besides I did a lot of tanning on the boat and ate some tasty tasty food that they cooked up for us.

We left a few nights later after a few more drinks onto a 4 hour bus trip to Townsville.

What happens when a group of extremely bored girls get together and drink?

They forget they're too old to do the things they did 15 years ago...

Needless to say our heads weren't the only thing hurting the next morning..

HAHAH good times, i miss these guys

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....classic!