Lost Luggage Tales

2010-06-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Extremely Well Traveled in the Southern United States (92%)

You Are Extremely Well Traveled in New Zealand (83%)

You Are Well Traveled in Western Europe (57%)

You Are Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (57%)

You Are Well Traveled in Southern Europe (53%)

You Are Well Traveled in the Western United States (53%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Canada (40%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Scandinavia (40%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Australia (38%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Latin America (27%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (25%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the United Kingdom (25%)

You Are Mostly Untraveled in Eastern Europe (20%)

You Are Mostly Untraveled in Asia (8%)

You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%)

You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

2006-10-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

I tell you... working at Saint's and Sinners just gets better and better. Well I guess only better if I'm a total groupie, which I'm not, but it still is exciting. Why you ask? Well last night the Cantebury rugby team (Air New Zealand Cup) came into the bar.

This is where it's funny tho... These 2 guys come stumbling up to the bar - one of whom was wearing a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. So I asked him if he was a Cowboys fan. I had no clue who he was and he couldn't speak so I told him that I couldn't serve him. I got the bouncer to escort him out. Effie then tells me that the 2 are All Blacks. Yep, the NZ national team - basically gods in this country - and they got kicked out of a backpackers bar. Oh well. I don't care who you are if you're wasted you're out.

Turns out Effie's (the bouncer) cousin is Tone Kopelani, a player on the Crusaders and Canterbury team. Very cool.

Well most of the boys left but by closing time Cory Flynn and Tone were still hanging out - trying to avoid the town bike to be honest - and just having a great time. Very nice boys. I'll tell you what, my faith in the NZ professional sports guys is being redeemed slowly but surely.

It was just such a fun night. It was my first night in charge and it went quite smoothly. I'm quite looking forward to this new job. I was exhausted this morning tho when I woke up after only 3 hours of sleep. And I get to do it all again tonight. This temping during the day and slinging piss at night is gonna do me in I tell you!! At least I have the next 2 days off...

There were heaps of cool people in the bar last night, not just the rugby guys. People definitely on a mission to drink. Hell, monday night i saw enough boobies to last me a life time... Brent was offering shooters for hooters. I asked if i could offer drinks for cocks but I was quickly shut down. It wouldn't have been a pretty sight anyways!

So anyways, as usual life in the backpackers world is exciting and fun and exhausting. From the band, to the street performers to the backpackers themselves, there is always something exciting going on at Base and Saints and Sinners....

Well until next time...

2006-10-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

when it rains it pours... so i've just gotten back from my holiday in the us and come back to unemployment. the job that i was at just wasn't working out and unemployment is better than that slave driver.

so anyways, i'm still bartending 2 nights a week at base backpackers bar saints and sinners. any i'm very happy to announce that they have just offered me the position of bar manager. quite exciting. it's just i'm not sure that i want to take the job. i'm not sure i want to go back to working nights again. it's fun but it can be a bit much. and of course the same day that i was offered the bar job i was offered a part time job back at the ministry for the environment. why does it all come at the same time?

so about this bar job. not quite sure to take it or not. i'll tell you this tho, i had a friggin blast at work on tuesday night. now while we are a backpackers bar, we do get a lot of locals that come in. maybe it is for the easy backpackers or maybe just for the cheap drinks who knows. anyways, the Blackcaps, the New Zealand Cricket team, came into the bar. they are the nicest guys! esp. compared to the rugby boys. i was well impressed with the blackcaps.

the whole team was there but most left early. 4 of them (taylor, sinclair, how and mason) ended up hanging out at the bar and i spent several hours talking to them. they're on their way to india for the championship trophy or something. neato.

so do i take the bar job or not? it still gives me time to manage LLT and build other websites. i just don't know. any suggestions??

2006-07-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

well it's official... i don't like vindaloo. i've tried it 3 times now and none have them have been good. it's not the spice. i like fire, it's the flavor of it all that i don't get. i do like butter chicken tho.

the sun has been shining lately which is quite nice. it's been warm and i can walk without a jacket and not freeze my balls off. which is a good thing as i don't have balls to freeze off in the first place.

i've been busy interviewing all week for jobs. hopefully by friday i will have word back and have a permanent job here in christchurch. that would be nice. especially because other than the website which does consume a lot of my time, i haven't had a real paycheck since feb. well that's not true. i haven't worked since february 15. i haven't had a paycheck in much longer than that considering i worked at corner bar and never got a paycheck but the very first one i got over a year ago. gotta love taxes!

i've been temping at the ministry for the environment here in chch which has been actually a lot of fun. it's easy work and they think that i'm just fabulous. which of course is true.
so i'm heading back to dallas in september for whitney's wedding and that should be fabulous. especially because i have a wonderful date for the wedding! ;-) with over 500 people invited, how can it not be an absolute blast?? talk about a party!

i'm bummed as i'm not sure i'll get to spend that much time back stateside if i score one of these jobs. i guess that's what happens in the real world tho. time to grow up.

so i met these 3 aussie boys a few months back when i went to a Crusaders Rugby game right? well it turns out that they had lived in bunbury with this dude that i had met in broome. talk about a small world!! well the boys are in dallas now and i've totally hooked them up. gotta show them what dallas is all about! i've got one of my sister's friends taking them out on the town and showing them all that there is to offer. i think they are in austin at the moment. regardless, i love it. it just goes to show how small the world really is today.

i've run into way too many people again in random places to believe that the world is small. especially with the internet these days. there are just too many occurrences for me to mention... running into a boy i went to college with in an apartment lobby in nyc; a girl i went to summer camp with in line at the uffizi in florence; a boy from high school in the bay of islands new zealand; the list goes on and on.

and now so do i. alright, i've rambled and now and i'm becoming redundant and pointless. i guess it's time to sign off.

so what's the point of this blog? i dunno... but hey, at least i've posted a new one this month! i've been slack lately, i know it.

2006-06-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Snow in june... supposedly it hasn't happened this bad in over a decade.

So, needless to say its a bit cold out. So cold I don't want to leave the house. But at least I don't have it as bad as some of the others here in the south island. some people have been without power for 3 days now.

we went to queenstown and wanaka this weekend and had an absolutely fabulous time. the weather, surprisingly, was quite warm. jamie was able to walk around queenie in a tshirt.
caught up with some mates i hadn't seen since i left nz a year ago. its good to know that you can pick up where you left off even if you haven't spoken in a long time. that's the sign of a true friend i believe.

so queenie was cool. we were only there for 5 hours but it was fun. stopped in at fergburger - a must when there. it was good but i rate burger wisconsin better. didn't get to do a bungy but did stop in at the aj hackett shop and picked up a tshirt. it touristy but i wanted one.

wanaka was an absolute blast. jamie had met a boy named mike when he was working in canada. well mike is back now and is running a bar in wanaka called woody's. it is awesome. the coolest thing is that mike's best friend is running the bar next door, barluga. two buddies running bars next to eachother? how much fun!!! they are both different from eachother but really classy and neat places. wanaka is an expensive tourist town but these places aren't that bad. then again it helps when you know people in high places!!

so didn't see much of wanaka other than the bars and morning breakfasts. it is beautiful though. and a gorgeous drive from christchurch. i'd never seen any of the south island and this was definitely the way to do it.

we got to see it without the snow. i'd like to go back but i'd need some thermals that's for sure!!

until next time...

2006-06-03T03:41:00.000-07:00

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Very Well Traveled in the Southern United States (77%)

You Are Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (57%)

You Are Well Traveled in the Western United States (53%)

You Are Well Traveled in New Zealand (50%)

You Are Well Traveled in Western Europe (43%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Canada (40%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Scandinavia (40%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Southern Europe (40%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the United Kingdom (38%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Australia (25%)

You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (25%)

You Are Mostly Untraveled in Eastern Europe (20%)

You Are Mostly Untraveled in Latin America (13%)

You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%)

You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%)

You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

2006-05-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

bored!

seriously. that is the state of my life. one big being bored day...

seriously, i don't know why i even bother to wake up in the morning. things are not going well.

not just kinda maybe okay we'll get through this. but bad. and i mean bad.

i've said to much.

i may be on a misch around the south island. at this point i'm down for a misch anywhere!

alright. late and drunk.

goodnight!

2006-03-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

i didn't know they happened, but it is a cold, rainy, windy day up here in the bay. i was hoping for a little more sunshine before we headed down south, but i guess thats a no go.

jamie and i are in russell now and will head over to paihia for the night before flying down to christchurch on monday night. i'm quite excited to get down there and start living. no more suitcases and no more backpacking for me please!!

it'll be great to catch up with liza and andy for sure!

so here i sit on this rainy day with heaps of work to do in front of me yet just can't get motivated. all i want to do is sit in front of the heater and relax. i've been on vacation for 3 weeks now and while i'm ready to get back into the real world, i'm sure not ready for the vacation to end.

until next time...

2006-03-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

i have finally returned to new zealand. yippee!!

its about time i would say... after 9 months of being back in the states, the suitcase has started travelling again! and wouldn't you know there was luggage dramas. life just wouldn't be the same if there weren't luggage dramas!

this time was easy tho and all they made me do was check my carry on luggage as it was about 20kg over the limit. i reckon i need a new carry-on bag as the one i have now is at least 7kg empty. oops!

so i'm in auckland now and heading up to the bay of islands tomorrow. it'll be a laugh for sure to catch up with all my mates again. faces have changed but mostly everything else has stayed the same.

its off to christchurch on the 27th and then there to set up shop. i'm quite excited to get settled and live life and not be out of a suitcase thats for sure. it'll be a while before i can work here in nz so i'm trying to live on a budget. its not going that well...

should run as i have lots of stuff to do. keep checking back here tho as there are about 20 new hostels we've reviewed and getting ready to put up. perth was good to us in that nature.

well take care and be safe in your travels, wherever they may take you...

-meg.

2006-02-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

my my my how busy things are when you start planning a trip!

things have picked up in the suitcase and the countdown is on to Trip 2006. My emotions have been going crazy this week as I trip to figure out what I'll be doing and how I'll be getting there and all that fun.

Let me back track a little. you see when i did my whv in australia i also overstayed by 3 mos. i haven't been back since. one of my best mates in now getting married mar 10 in perth and don't you know i want to go!! so i applied for the eta and was denied. then i spoke the offices in ottawa - and was denied. then for my 3rd go i sent off to washington. they didn't grant it right away, they wanted more information first on why my entering australia would benefit an australian citizen or one of 3 other reasons. without this information i was subject to the rule that since i had overstayed by more than 28 days i was subject to a 3 year refusal of entry.

so if anyone was wondering, it is true - if you overstay you will be banned from the country.

well i recieved my passport back today. actually i missed the mailman when he delivered it to the house and had to run to the post office to fetch it. it was NERVE RACKING. so i got it, went to my car, took a deep breath and then ripped it open. i was granted my visa and will be able to attend jess' wedding. YIPPEE!!!

so now i have to plan. so much planning to do. and what to wear! what to pack! that is another drama in itself. i can't believe i'm getting to go. it'll be such a blast.

so i think i'm gonna try and fly lax-sydney and stay a day or two with a mate in sydney. then fly to perth. if i'm lucky then a day or two in broome after a week in perth and margaret river. then fly sydney to auckland to meet jamie and then a trip down to christchurch. it's gonna be a sweet adventure. I CAN'T WAIT!

so with just the planning consuming my time you can imagine what the bar and my other activities are doing to me! so please forgive me for lack of writing of late. i do believe i've sent a few photos in tho from along the way!

til next time...

xoxoxo meg.

2006-01-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

How was vegas you ask? Well it was totally awesome! I had the time of my life. I'd never been before and totally took advantage of all that was laid before me. It was wonderful! I'd don't rate the palms very much but the venetian... Well that is one hell of a hotel. I haven't put the pictures up yet but they are friggin cool. I didn't realize you can get from one hotel to another without ever having to see the light of day. Interesting thing they got going on there... By the way, grrr you still out there?

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2006-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

Okay so i suck at blogging.... But i hung out with to tonight. To you ask? Yes.... as in terrell owens. Oh yeah, he bought me a drink. He's still an ass, but i'll let him buy me drinks! Vegas has been good to me so far!

2006-01-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

I'm going to VEGAS. I'm gonna party. I'm going to VEGAS!

I've never been before and I leave bright and early tomorrow morning. WOO HOO!! Can't friggin wait! It's gonna be awesome. I'm so so so excited about going to VEGAS!

I'm gonna have so many stories to tell and so mnay fun things to report back to you on. I'm gonna need a vacation from my vacation after this one I think.

Watch out Las Vegas, the suitcase is coming to town!!

2005-12-15T01:08:00.000-08:00

so i suck at blogging. i admit. it i am horrible at keeping up with this but here are just so many things i must do each week that i often forget about keeping ya'll up to date.

did i say ya'll? yes i did. i'm texan. whatcha gonna do about it? i have this guy on myspace telling me i'm a loser because i call myself texan and not american. well he's a loser if you ask me!!

alright. tired meg. worn out meg. have lots of GREAT LLT NEWS! will tell you next time tho... ha ha ha.

xoxoxo

2005-11-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

How would you flush a non-flushable in the first place? Found this funny sign in the ladies room at the salon in dallas. It's another nice day here with the temp just around 75. A great fall day!

2005-11-06T12:33:00.002-08:00

so i found this picture on my phone the other day. i was scrolling back through all the pictures that i had taken and i came upon this one.

i remember this day in paihia. it would have been in february or march and chops was in town for a couple days. the boys took us out on the parasail boat for an adventure. you see, jamie had never been before... and don't tell anyone but he was definitely scared while we were up there.

this picture here is of chops of in the air. the boys had a great time messing with him, causing him to freefall and all kinds of other neat tricks.

oh new zealand... i do miss it.

2005-11-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

So i'm not sure if you can read what the underwear says, but it proclaims "eat me." nice thought. Now, why do you guys care? This is what i found outside the back door of my bar tonight. I've seen all kinda things here, but yet a pair of panties... It should be a good night here tonight. There are tons of football games - all 3 texas teams play today. I'm waiting for the usc-stanford game myself. You see, usc is my team! I hated la but i did love going to school there! I miss being in college sometimes. It was so fun and carefree then. I'm getting itchy feet here again. I need to travel. I need to get out and be on my own and doing my thing. I don't really know where i want to go - asia or south america - but i know i want to go and in soon. I'm due to be in perth in march for a mates wedding and them back stateside for another wedding in september. Busy girl i am! One idea is to leave mid january for asia and then off to oz and around. Who knows where i'll in or when i'll do it...

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2005-10-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like Bubbas. So greasy and bad for you but it is so so good. Every piece of chicken is crispy and melts in your mouth. I'm so so full after dinner tonight. Bubbas has been in dallas for years and is an institution when it comes to fried chicken. They do a mean breakfast as well, but nothing beats a drumstick!

2005-10-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! The weather is turning cold and the uggs are coming out. All the girls at work are wearing them. Its so funny to me, and i would imagine to most of the antipodean world as well, how uggs are a fashion statement here in the us when they are nothing special in the land they claim to be from! All my aussie and kiwi mates just laugh.

2005-10-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

home again after another night at work. tonight wasn't bad to be honest. i really had a good time and made some money. didn't see shit but i had some regulars who tipped me well. ahh, gotta love your regulars.

so home again and checking the email and maintaining the site. it really is getting out of control these days and i just don't have the time to do it all. it would be great if i could hire some help...

i've been trying to recruit some travel writers and get you guys to submit more tales, reviews and tips but its been hard going. if you have something to say, tell us here . We'll love you forever!

Alright well its 3am and I should head to bed. even tho the dogs will wake me in an hour and then again at 630. i don't know what their deal is lately but for the past week or so they, or should i say molly, sees fit to barking continuously for at least 20 minutes. it really has become quite unbearable. i'm not speaking to her at the moment... but she is a dog. how can you not speak to a dog? whatever makes you happy i guess.

so off to bed i head. good night and good luck.

2005-10-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

So here i am home again after another night of work. It sucked tonight! I mean sucked! I got off early and went to knox street with jason the valet. He really is a cool dude. So anyways made no money and got off early. Not bad i guess. We did figure it out to be 25 an hour. So really an i complaining? Anyways jason got into a fight with his woman and whatever. Ran into josh eckel tonight. That was funny. What an old friend. Told him about the mate of mine getting married in perth in march. Ha ha old times. Well am off to bed. Internet isn't working but have totally mastered this whole mobile blogging thing! I love it! Good night for now! Xoxo meg.

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2005-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day here in dallas! The sky is blue and the temperature is perfect. I love dallas in the month of october!

2005-10-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me that in the south island of New Zealand, loud rivers are called Megs after one vocal lady. So supposedly a roaring meg - also a vineyard in Otago - is a raging river or stream. After seeing this i wondered he the same had travelled to Oz.

2005-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

so i've totally slacked lately when it comes to the blog. i seem to do that a lot. i don't mean to, its just there are so many other things i'm working on that i sometimes forget to update here.

i'm in dallas at the moment, but that constantly changes. as of the last update we did the texas trip. it was great fun and the first time i'd taken a trip in the us in ages!

jamie was here for 2 weeks and then i went up to calgary a week later just to hang out. man was it cold when i was there! it was september and the last night i was in town in strated to snow. thats just ridiculous. its been a ew years for me since i've seen snow, and while it wasn't much, it was still snow.

tx/ou weekend was last weekend. its one of the largest college football rivalry's in the country and this year was the 100th Anniversary. I worked obscene hours, made ridiculous cash and my body took a bruising but it was worth it. there have been some fantastic college football games lately. the notre dame/usc was incredible. the trojans sure know how to win!

but back to travels... not much. i'm hoping to head to central america with my mother for thanksgiving. it'll just be the 2 of us this year so i figured we should go do something fun and take off for a while. not long but a mini break will do us both well. i'm thinking belize or costa rica. hopefully i can find something cheap.

been trying hard to get more research done and more of the city guides up. there are just millions of cities out there and its taking me a while. I'll tell you what tho, I've learned all about some random places thats for sure!

well i'm gonna try and make it an early night. i'm going to the state fair tomorrow which will be awesome. i haven't been in years. coney dogs and turkey legs and funnel cakes. i even hear they have deep fried smores this year! i'm not so sure about that, but we'll probably have to give it a go just for fun.

i'll try and make an appearance more often... i know you guys miss me!

2005-08-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

a trip is in the works... aren't you excited??

well cross your fingers that hurricane katrina doesn't cause too much damage to new orleans as the suitcase plans to spend a week there over the US Labor Day holiday.

As of now, things don't look good... but as i said, keep your fingers crossed.

so so so many exciting things in n.o. and it also happens to be the weekend of Southern Decadence - a festival supporting gays, lesbians and bisexuals. it should be A BLAST! well at least from the stories i've heard.

other than that its just hot here in texas. friggin hot. like 104F/43C hot. i've become a vampire only going out at night. then again its 3:30am and its still 92F out! ahh the joys of living in texas.

good night for now!
-meg.

2005-08-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

OOOOH!

I can't believe i forgot to tell you. here's another story to cement the fact that the world is truly a small place...

the day of london bombings i watched the news all day... didn't you? well it took me about 6 hours after the fact that i remembered my good friend grrr who is a london police officer. well i sent him a text to send my wishes and hope he was okay. it didn't take but 5 minutes for him to call me back and tell me he was alive but the city was chaotic. how is that i can sit on my couch in dallas texas and send a message without any wires what so ever to london england and then receive a call back???? the world has truly become wired as one.

don't take me as shallow, it was horrible what happened in london, but on a happy note i stand in disbelief at our communication state.

thats all.

-meg.

2005-08-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

so what's new in the suitcase? where do i begin???

the site is popular. popular beyond belief and its taking over my life. don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining, it's just there are so many hours in the day and i already expect 27 of them!

here's something new.... wanna add our feed to your stuff? here's the info: http://lostluggage.blogspot.com/atom.xml

other than that i'd have to say check out the forums... we've redone them (and in the meantime lost all the old stuff, oops!!!) but they are still alive and kicking. we're at 300 posts already!!!

2005-07-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

so have you checked out our new forums yet??

have ya have ya?? they are pretty cool!!

life has been great around the suitcase lately. i'd say i haven't travelled much lately but i just returned from a quick trip to calgary canada.

i'd been to quebec before but i was a youngun then and don't remember much. calgary was fun. i didn't see much, it was more important to me to spend time with the boy than visiting the tourist spots. no worries, i'll get back to canada and see the sights soon - this trip was pleasure before business!

it was cold. i'll tell you that much - and this is july! it was 8C (around 40F) one morning. 8C in summer are you kidding me??? it's been hovering about 40C (100F) for over a month now here in texas. if i had a pair of balls i would've frozen them off!!

so back to llt and whats been happening here... well i've been doing a lot of research on RSS feeds and learning about them and how to bring them to the site... there's still a lot of work to be done, but NEW AND EXCITING you can now get updates to this blog in your news reader. here's the feed: http://lostluggage.blogspot.com/atom.xml

it's great and hopefully the rest of the site will be available soon. we'll let you know when!! make sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the happenings in the suitcase.

well thats about it for now. hope all is well in your parts of the world! happy and safe travelling!!

-meg.

2005-07-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

okay okay i know i promised i'd write more often. i have been slack lately but i've been preoccupied with the forums.

you see, we've completely revamped and redone the forums. its been a lot of work but we love the new results and hope you do too! make sure you register and check out the boards.

i've been trying my hardest to put posts up and spur conversation, but we need your input as well! cheers!!

other than that i'm getting ready to go to calgary for a week. never been there before so this will be exciting. flying direct which will make it easier. hopefully the weather will be nice - then again anything will be better than the heat of texas. its been around 44C or 112F out. thats hot man!!

well i didn't have to work tonight which is something new. i've been working my ass off lately, but i've made heaps of cash which is nice. i'll be able to truly enjoy my vacation eh?

off to bed i am. want to have a decent day tomorrow. will try to write more if you promise to check out the forums!!

-megs.

2005-06-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

don't have much to say, just want to get credit for checking in, so here i am...

late night at the bar. made a decent amount, more than i would have made sitting at home sitting on my couch!!

well, that's about it. told you i didn't have much to say!!

heck, its almost 3am. i'm knackered!!!

-meg.

2005-06-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

so i know i've been really slack lately in keeping up to date, but things have gotten interesting around here and i haven't had heaps of time. sorry. plus, it's only been a month, i'm known for much worse!!

whats been happening you ask? well i had a guest in town and had to do the dallas touristic thing and show him all around. we had a great time and hit a bunch of spots that i hadn't been to since i was in high school. oh how don carters bowling alley has changed!!!!!

we went to dave and busters which was pretty cool. ended up staying for 4 hours playing shuffleboard and pool and havin a few beers. it was fun. something different to do on a hot day.

living in dallas most of my life you'd think i was pretty familiar with the JFK assination eh? not so. jamie and i went down to the sixth floor museum, the grassy knoll and dealey plaza. it was a great day to be down there weather wise, but it was also memorial day. didn't plan that one out too well!! heaps of crowds everywhere. but it was still interesting.

i'd been to the 6th floor once before with my grandfather. it hasn't changed much in the 10 years since, other than the fact that the originl window oswald supposedly shot out of has been returned to the museum. they took it out after the shooting and replaced it with another... they guy who kept it returned it a few years ago. still has the original paint on it and everything... oooh aaah

then took him to the west end (our tourist area), deep ellum (nightclubs) and around to see all the nice homes.

it was a great week to be in dallas celebrity wise... luke wilson stood behind us in line at whole earth - he kept listening in our conversation so as to hear jamie's accent. down at the corner bar one night, the most recent bachelor and brother of jerry o'connell, Charlie, and his girlfriend from the show, Sara, were there.

see dallas is an important place! we get some famous people here... heck, luke wilson is from here!!

alright, enough ranting and raving. that's it for this update, but there will be more. and more often. i promise!!

2005-05-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

so its sunday afternoon and i'm sitting at home on a lovely day. i should get outside and work on my tan. it's nice to have the endless summer again. i deserve it after dealing with winter for 2 years straight.

been thru the link section and checking for dead links and to make sure that those we link to link back to us. it's all part of the deal.

since i've been home i've done a bunch of research of oceania. the french polynesia and other island nations should be finished by the end of next week. i don't know how may backpackers actually travel thru the pacific islands as they tend to be quite expensive, yet tahiti is often a stop over for air new zealand.

hopefully when i get the islands done i'll be able to move on to asia, particularly SE Asia - the center of the backpacker universe. have you done any travelling in SE Asia? If so, we could definitely use some reviews!! submit them here...

well thats about it for now. thinking i may take a nap. i'm tired. eggs benedict will do that to me. rough life i lead. even when i was living in nz i was working at a flash restaurant and would have eggs benedict every sunday and steak at least 3x a week. good life meg, good life!

alright. talk to ya later!!

2005-05-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

today has been another annoying day. wouldn't you know that i get sick as soon as i get home from travelling. at first i just thought i was a bit hungover today but when i continued to be sick all day long, i realized otherwise.

i was so sick i couldn't even work. i basically slept all day long and have felt like crap. not good for me. i have things to do. i'm a busy lady. i've got people to see!

calling it an early night tonight. hopefully i'll feel beter tomorrow and can get some stuff done.

i've now caught up with all my mates back here in dallas, so i won't be needing to go out and party it up! time to save money and work hard!!

talk to you later.

-meg.

2005-05-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

today has not been a good day. i hate the real world sometimes. i really do! not that i haven't been living in the real world, but really i haven't. it's been more of a fantasy and exotic life than anything.

haven't driven my car in over a year so i took it into the shop to get it fixed today. well not fixed, but to see how much it is gonna cost for me to fix all the problems before we go on our great big road trip. $2200. yup that's $2200 i don't have.

it's so much easier to travel and not have a car to worry about!!! this is the last thing i want to hear right after i come home from a year abroad! i'm trying to go away again and now i hear that i need to spend $2200 on my car before i can go. great! guess i won't be going away again!

i hate the real world sometimes.

2005-05-08T04:28:00.000-07:00

happy mothers day!

it's been a very interesting day here in the land of the suitcase.

it's mothers day so we - my brother, sister, and i - took mom to ozonas for brunch. the service was crap - it always is - but the food was decent. it's the bloody mary bar that makes it all worth while!!

basically, they bring you a glass of vodka then you take it to the bar and fill it with your choic of about 12 different tomatoe juices, and about 50 different types of condiments. its wicked. i used to go every weekend when i was living in dallas on a full time basis.

the rest of the day was spent working on the links section. it is such a tedious process, no wonder i rarely check them all out! i hate doing links but you have to. its a requirement these days. its just so boring and annoying to have to do.

i went over to a mate's house this afternoon and returned to find that my mum had bought me a new camera! you see, the one i've been using is absolutely wonderful, but i've abused the hell out of it. it's only a year old and it looks like its been around the world 10 million times... this new one is wicked tho! it looks just like my old one but is newer and better. plus it records sound on the video. thats wicked. so excited to use it!

bought the plane ticket for jamie to come to dallas this evening. i feel a lot better now that that is behind me. he is for sure coming to visit now. then its on our roadtrip. it'll be a long drive but it should be fun. gonna stop up in estes park colorado at my dads house for a few days. i've never been and jamie wants to see colorado so it'll be great.

my body is still messed up with all this jetlag. i hate it. i'm so not tired right now. that could be the adrenalin from knowing my boy is coming. dunno.

so check this out right? well, when i left last year to head to nz, there was not a single place in dallas to buy stella. no where. nada. nothing. well, i went out on saturday night with some of my mates and we ended up at the Tipperary Inn in Lakewood and low and behold they had stella. Not only were the mavs killing the rockets, but my favorite beer was being sold. i was in heaven. then to top it off, we went across the street to cosmos and they had it on tap as well. i think i've found my new favorite bars!!!

when i left auckland i remember being in the airport bar - surprise surprise - and commenting on how it would be my last stella for a while. what a shame. i was returning to the land of budweiser. which for a stage of my life was the way to go. not anymore. i've learned. i've moved up in life! even if i do drink the wifebeater!

so all in all its been an exciting weekend. i've gotten to catch up with all my friends but one of them. its crazy because we just pick up where we left off as if i've never left. i guess thats the sign of a true friend!

well i'm starting to get tired. not surprising considering it is almost midnight. i've got to find myself a job tomorrow. thats the mission. the goal.

keep travelling and stay safe!

-meg.

2005-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so very proud of myself!! I figured out how to log back into the forums. You see I had forgotten the admin password and tried everything i could think of and then boom today, it just came to me. I'm so proud!

so, needless to say, the forums are all cleaned up and have tons of new topics in place. i've spent all morning working on them. there was a lot of unwanted advertising in the forums and i've erased it all as well as added a few new sections such as Business Travel and Travel News... you can check out the forums here...

well that's about it for now. just wanted to share in my excitement!

2005-05-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

i hate jet lag!!

my body clock is so far off that i can't tell which end is up and which end is down. it's quite frustrating actually.

being back in texas is quite an adventure in itself. i had onion rings this afternoon for the first time in a year. i love onion rings and oh how i have missed them!!

so the countdown has begun for the next experience abroad. canada will definitely be an experience. i've already caught up with most of my mates here and i'm ready to move on. i'll tell you i was ready to leave paihia but sad to go. if that makes any sense.

i've been out looking for a job to keep me busy whilst i'm home. i haven't had much luck but the major problem is tht i can't tell anyone i'm only home for 3wks. who'd hire me? i'm in my own country where i don't need a work visa and yet i can't find a job. mind you its not like i've been looking that hard. gimme a break, i've only been home just 2 days.

well, it's getting late. i just realized i need to change the clock on my computer as it is a day ahead. i'm gonna try and get some sleep and get rid of this horrible jet lag. i've never experienced it like this. then again my flight was horrible so i'm not surprised i'm still tired.

stay safe in your travels!

2005-05-05T00:33:00.000-07:00

well talk about excitement!! after a year of travelling i have finally returned home. it's not for long - i take off about a month from now to head to canada - but at least i'm home for now.

i didn't tell anyone that i was coming. it was a great mother's day present. have any of you ever surprised your fam by coming home early? let me tell you, it's worth it. my mom kept touching me to see if i was real or not. as if it wasn't really me that was home and she was dreaming. it was great. got the siblings to pick me up at the airport and off i was.

it was quite an adventure coming home thats for sure. i was truly unimpressed with qantas this go round. so much so that i'm gonna write a letter to customer service. qantas is usually one of the best airlines around. not this trip my friends not this trip. the stewardesses were all extremely rude and unhelpful, they ran out of food, the lights were broken and couldn't be dimmed the entire flight, not everyone's personal screen worked, the list goes on. quite unhappy.

to top it all off i arrived in lax with plenty of time to make my connection yet i still missed the plane. how you ask? because i stood in a friggin line for an hour and a half waiting to get my boarding pass. my bags were checked all the way thru and arrived on my original flight. not i tho. the people working behind the american airlines desk were complete idiots. not a happy traveller was i!!!

getting thru security wasn't that bad. then again i was returning to my own country so it should have been easy for me. it seemed like most people got thru quickly tho. i wonder if they are still doing the eye scanning thing? i know that they were finger printing everyone. what are your thoughts on this?

well my body clock is totally off and i'm wide awake with it being 3am here and i feel like it is 8. i should try and get some sleep. for the next 3wks look for lots of updates as i'm home and not working much plus i have 24hr internet access which will make it a lot easier to update and bring you guys new stuff.

take care and keep travelling!

2005-04-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

woo hoo! today is my birthday!! but wait that means i'm another year older and another year closer to 30 than i am to 20. whats that all about? i don't like the idea of that. plus it's alot harder to explain to your parents why you must continue travelling instead of settling down and getting a job.

winter has finally hit paihia. it has been so friggin cold here. i mean like under blankets with thermals on and drinking hot chocolate cold. it's april. it's never been cold on my birthday before. i just don't know what to make of all this.

going out to dinner to the sugarboat tonight. that should be fun. it is one of the nicest places in town and i'm looking forward to it. the restaurant is actually an old boat that has been converted. it used to be kelly tarlton's shipwreck musuem. now its a restaurant.

we went out on the cape brett hole in the rock cruise on sunday which was fabulous. i was a bit hungover from the party the night before and the 4 hour cruise was exactly what i needed. sara, my flatmate from australia, was in town. we did it up in style - breakfast at cafe over the bay, the cruise, dinner at swiss cafe and drinks at 35 South. It was quite a night. and then i had to go to work yesterday. it was anzac day and everyone else had the day off but i had to work. whatever. its all good. at least i was paid time and a half.

alright. i better go. have some stuff to do before the big night out. quite looking forward to it actually.

-meg.

2005-04-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

so people have been telling me lately that i haven't added any new photos in a while. sorry about that, but i've been trying to be a good girl and stay in and not spend any money. but i've listened to your worries and have been working hard on the photos. i hope to have a bunch of new ones up tomorrow. you see it takes a lot of effort to go out every night and have drinks with mates... no just kidding.

so things are starting to wind down here in new zealand. it's been a good year, but i'm ready to go home. ready for the next adventure. plus i can't wait to be in canada where i can have internet access at home and be online all the time and constantly updating things for you. i realize i've been a bit slack about things like travel news and travel advisories, but it's been overwhelming with all the other stuff i've been doing.

we are going out on the r. tucker thompson this weekend. it is a huge ship that is made to look like one from the old days. it should be an absolute blast. the boys have decided to dress up like pirates. that should be an adventure.

well that's it for now. i'm gonna head home so that i can get these pictures done and put up for everyone. there was a toga party last week so i have a few funny ones from that.

keep having fun in whatever part of the world you're in!

2005-04-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

well it was one hell of a weekend thats for sure. it's been nothing but big ones lately. you see winter is coming to paihia and people are running for the hills. not literally, but its time for us transients to move on to bigger and better places.

i myself am getting ready to leave. i've been here in new zealand for almost a year now and it's time to get going. time to find a new place to settle down in. where that new place will be i'm not sure, but for the time being we are heading to canada. yup up to the freezing cold of canada. it will be, let's see, how do i put it, cold????

that's okay tho. i need a lot of work done on the canada pages so it will be good for me to be up there and have access to all the info.

speaking of which, the contest for Destinations Needed is heating up. Remember the deadline is May 1st and if you win, you get US$50. What backpacker couldn't use an extra $50. Just click here for more information...

as for me, i'm off to do some more exploring. talk to ya soon!

2005-03-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

my eyes are burning from staring at this computer all day long. but it is worth it as i got so much work done you wouldn't believe it. we've added over 50 pages just today! and we've been tidying things up. i know that there are a lot of coming soon pages throughout the site and some of them have been there for ages. well, i'm working on it. and we've even started a contest to help get the information we're looking for. here's the deal... send us the best review and get $50. just click here for more information...

i've gotten access to a bunch of new maps so we will be updating that section and actually providing you with maps of each country. it'll help when you start planning your round the world trip.

i'm really interested in getting the scuba and surfing sections going, just get some more action and activities for you guys. they boys around here are obsessed with surfing so i'm trying to purge the information from them.

been looking into getting a working holiday visa for canada but the website is a bit crap. you can't find anything you need to answer questions and when you call them you get a recording that says to check the website. what ever happened to personal attention?

2005-03-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

okay so back to the tiki tour...

we left otrohanga and waitomo and headed up to taupo where we'd being staying at the yha action downunder. the hostel was average but we know the owners so its where we were at. we arrived into taupo around 3pm and went for a quick night. it was gonna be a huge night out on the town as we'd seen the kiwi experience and magic buses.

after a quick shower and change we were ready and headed out the door. the hostel was a bit far out of town but it was great to walk along the water front and check out lake taupo and the beautiful sunset. we stopped and watch the golf challenge - hit a ball 80m to a platform and try to make a hole in one, not an easy thing!

we passed several motels and apartments before coming upon a bunch of waterside cafes and restaurants. unsure of exactly what we were looking for we strolled on, checking out menu along the way. as we rounded the corner to head up the main street we came upon the famed mulligans. if you're gonna be in taupo, you start the night at mulligans. its that simple.

wouldn't you know as we walked in, there was rangi and his magic bus and smiley with his crew from waitomo. the bar was packed and a bunch of our mates were there and ready to drink. we chowed down on barfood to line our stomachs and then the night was on. around 11pm we headed upstairs next door to the holy cow. the bar reminded me of the woolshed in cairns as the crowds were dancing away on the table. we ran into the owner, doughboy, and it was all over. jagerbomb after beer after tequila after jagerbomb, it was 1am and we had a big day ahead of us. it was time to go home! we stumbled back to the hostel with a requisite stop at the garage for munchies. the rest is a bit of a blur...

2005-03-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

okay, so i know i said i would do weekly updates from now on and i'm trying... there's just so much cool stuff going on that i run out of time before i get my blog done!

i'm trying to convince one of my travelling mates to start writing the blog for us but i haven't given him enough incentive. how many free beers do you need???

i promise to write more about the tiki trip thru new zealand. still working on it.

spent the weekend on "the rock"... it was a wicked experience and something i highly recommend. it is basically an overnight cruise for backpackers. we did it all and i even caught my first fish!! yes, me the girly girl caught her first fish. they tried to make me kiss it but i had none of that. it's quite a funny one!

well i have to run... talk to you soon!

2005-03-09T00:57:00.000-08:00

just a quick note to make sure you guys check out the new hostels section... it's been completely updated and redesigned to make it easier to use. also, check out this fantastic offer... book any tour or hostel in Paihia, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and we'll give you an hour of free internet! It's really quite simple. Just click here for more information...

2005-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Okay so things have been a bit crazy lately and its been like 6 months since we've written to you! SO sorry about that! But it's all better now because, well, it just is!

so here it goes,the update for the week of March 1, 2005. in case you haven't noticed, there are over 500 new reviews and resources that have been added to the suitcase. our guides to new zealand have had the most work - most likely because that is where i am spending my time right now.

i just completed a trip of the north island, well most of the north island that is, and had a fantastic time. we left the bay of islands and went south to Waitomo via Auckland and Hamilton. It was basically a lot of driving (with a stop in Aucks for a kebab!) so i did a lot of sleeping.

we arrived into waitomo when it was still light out and were able to see that there wasn't much around other than the glow worm cave attractions. we checked into the kiwipaka yha hostel and relaxed in our room. oh wow, was it a room. we were on the second floor of a chalet and had a huge balcony, room, and bathroom. even the shower was huge!!

around 7pm we walked down to the local pub - the only pub - and had ourselves a beer. it was just so nice to be on vacation that we took a deep breath and drew it in.

i had seen the kiwi experience bus at the hostel and so i knew they were in town. we finished our beers at the pub, bought a 12pk and headed back for the hostel. all you could hear was the raucous of drinking games and thus we had found our friends.

next thing i knew i was being woken up at 615 in the morning to head for a day of blackwater rafting. we had signed up for the 8am tour and had a full day ahead. we checked out of the hostel - a definite recommendation - and headed for the Legendary Blackwater Rafting Co. We had a bit of breakfast in the cafe and then grouped together for the adventure. they kitted us out in full wetsuits which were basically a pair of overalls and a jacket, boots and a helmet with a light on it. once everyone was ready we jumped into the van and were off for the river and caves.

glow worms are actually larvae trying to attract dinner but are still a cool thing. we entered the cave with our tubes over our shoulders and quickly plopped down into them. as we floated along in the dark the blue like glow above was enchanting. some jackass kept turning his light on and ruining the moment but as you do. we spent almost 3 hours climbing around in the cave and floating from point to point and having a swell time. next time i would go for the full day adventure and do the 100m abseil.

we drifted back to the van and went straight for the showers. the water was clean, it was just cold! it was then back up to the cafe for the complimentary bagel and soup. yummy! we then back tracked a bit to otrohanga to check out the kiwi house - an opportunity to see a kiwi in its natural habitat. it was fun. woo. it cost $12 entry. hoo.

alright... gots to run. stay tuned for the rest of the north island tiki tour...

2004-10-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

greetings from the suitcase!!

alrighty there... oh the things i have seen and experienced in the past few weeks... it just reminds me how much i love travelling! as you may or may not be able to tell i've been travelling about new zealand and exploring all that this tiny country has to offer. we went up to cape reinga last week and went sandboarding down giant sand dunes amongst other activities. life is good.

haven't had much time to upload all the new tales and reviews for you as i've been too busy getting doing the things so i can write about them! do want to tell you about a new feature of the suitcase - tours. we now offer direct links to tours around the world that you can book directly from the site. here's whats cool tho, we've actually done some of them and have given you our reviews alongside what the company has to say. very nice.

we've also tweaked the hostel and hotel reviews so that if you read a review and decide you want to book a bed, you are just a few clicks away from a confirmation.

heading up to taupo bay this weekend for the labour day holiday. a mate runs a surf school so hopefully i can learn a few new things as well as have a bunch of reviews and photos. speaking of photos there are TONS that need to be posted so be sure to keep an eye out and keep checking back.

saw an interesting diving tshirt the other day... leave nothing but bubbles, take nothing but photos...

stay safe in your travels and keep enjoying it all...

-megs.

2004-10-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost 2 months since last i wrote?? Wow... Sorry about that.

Been up to a lot of stuff here in the suitcase. The reviews and resources for New Zealand are coming along quite well as is other Australasia information.

Up in the Bay of Islands in NZ now and trying out all the activities so that we can report on them bak to you. This weekend we'll even get to go up to Cape Reinga, the very top of the North Island.

I don't have much time to write but I will do more later... Make sure to check out the site tho!

-LLT.

2004-08-30T02:46:00.000-07:00

hold on to your hats boys and girls as the suitcase is about to get a whole lot heavier!!

yup, i've got about 100 new photos from all over new zealand to share with you as well as a bunch of new travel friends.

things have been good despite the fact i've broken my foot! good thing suitcases can roll eh?

well it's definitely slowed me down and thus i've had a whole bunch of time to devote to this. you aren't gonna believe all the new stuff!

we've practically redone the entire photo section... added TONS more info to the new zealand section, brought 2 travel photographers on board and just generally tidied things up.

well should run. hate to make this a short one, but the finger are aching from all the typing as of late.

take care!

2004-08-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

so it's been two months since i last update and i totally and utterly apologize. but you see, the suitcase has been doing a lot of movin and shakin trying to find out new stuff for you!

the past two months have been spent partying in new bars, trying different restaurants, and sleeping in lots of beds. wait, don't take that last one the wrong way... ;-)

so let's see, what's new eh? been staying at the acb hostel here in auckland and basically spend each night at the globe bar. you can check out all the crazy pictures here... keep an eye out for our cameras and maybe even see your picture!! (photos are updated as quickly as possible)

exploring outside the city whenever possible and enjoying all the new experiences. took some time to head down south to mt. taranaki and new plymouth and had a swell time, despite the fact the weather was miserable.

planning on heading up to the bay of islands and cape reinga / ninety-mile-beach next weekend. gonna meet up with some mates of mates from broome. crazy aint it?

well must get back to it. got lots more discovering to do. keep checking back for more as we're gonna try and be better about writing...

-the suitcase.

2004-06-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

The suitcase has arrived in Auckland!!

It's been two weeks now and we are living it and loving it here in New Zealand. Been staying at the Auckland City Backpackers and heading to the Globe Bar downstairs every night.

Rugby trials were here the other night and the All Blacks showed up at the pub.

Have lots of new reviews for you but haven't had a chance to get them uploaded off the laptop and onto the net... Travelling is just too much fun! Problem is we go to the bars to review them and end up having too many drinks! It's been our personal mission to find the best kebab restaurant in town so we've been to plenty...

Plan on staying in Auckland for a few more weeks and then heading out. Don't know if it will be to the North Island or the South, but I figure I have some exploring to do.

Been spending time at the Right Track Sports Bar where the staff is just sweet as...

Haven't really had access to the news so not much idea of what's going on in the world... Need to work on that one...

I think that's about it for now. Promise to get the new reviews up as soon as possible!

-Megs.

2004-04-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

hey guys-

how are things going? life in the suitcase is getting interesting as the days wind down before i hit the road.

i've been working feverishly to get everything done... well, we'll never be done but at least to a point where we can travel for a while.

there are tons of new pictures up. we finally got around to dividing it up into people, places and things. please submit your photos!!

the people pages are great, but we want to see you up there too! be on the lookout for our cameras out on the road...

also, if you have a picture of a funny sign, we want it. but it has to be original... trust us, we've seen all the ones out there on the net and that's not what we're looking for. we're even offering a prize for the best photo submitted each month. it can be a photo of anything and we are the final judges of what's the best... so if you have a great photo - anything from you & your mates in great bin liner costumes to an incredible sunset - send it in now... what are you waiting for.

oh and ps... we hit the 10,000 visitor this afternoon. things are picking up around here and it's all thanks to you guys!!

-megs.

2004-04-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

!!EXCITING NEWS!!
The Lost Lugagge Tales are hitting the road! That's right, we are getting out there to do some more firsthand research and bring back all kinds of travel news and reviews for you...

We, well actually I, are heading to Auckland New Zealand in mid-May... now here's what you need to do...
Keep your eye out for me! I'll have all kinds of travel schwag for you and will be collecting photos for our people pages. do something wacky and see your photo posted! (keep it clean now!)

thats it's for now, just wanted to give all you guys a heads up...

2004-03-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

oh so many new things to tell you about!! we've been on a roll over here at LLT trying to make things bigger and better for you.

where to start...

1. we've expanded our link section!
i've spent the past 3 weeks or so going out there trying to find the best sites, other than this one of course!, to link to. we've added over 200 new links so make sure you check it out. there are tons of great resources out there!!

2. the photos are up and running.
it was rough to say the least, be we finally got all the photos uploaded and have an incredible gallery for you. keep checking back as we will constantly be adding more... if you have a photo you'd like to submit, do it here...

3. the reviews are growing.
thanks to you guys, our reviews are growing daily! keep up the good work! if you have a review you'd like to submit, do it here... we are working feverishly to bring you the country reviews and resources, but with over 190 countries out there, it's been a little overwhelming :-)

4. our 5,000 visitor!!
we finally reached the 5000 unique visitor mark!! woo hoo us!! thanks to you guys for coming and checking out all of our hard work... if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have reason to travel anymore! well, not really, but it sounded good!!

so that about wraps it up from here in the suitcase... but keep checking us out, coz things change daily!!

2004-03-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

so i haven't written lately but you'll have to forgive me... many many things have been going on...

you'll notice that there is a whole new Photos section with pictures
of places all over the world from Sydney to Helsinki and a bunch of places in between. It was a lot of work but it was worth it... if you have any pictures you'd like to submit, let us know...

I have been busy planning my trip to new zealand... i leave on may 22... everybody asks me how i can just pick up and leave, but i know i'll be fine. all i know at this point is that i get in to auckland and i'll go from there! ahhhh.... i can do it...

well i better get back to it. there is tons to be done to make Lost Luggage Tales great for you guys!

take care!

-megs.

2004-02-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

MSNBC - London's traditional double-decker bus to be phased out

What, are you kidding me? These are like one of the most important iconic parts of London. The city simply won't be the same! You can't get rid of the double decker bus in London. That would be like standing the Tower of Pisa up. Oh wait, they already did that...

2004-02-09T22:21:00.001-08:00

okay okay so we've all seen and heard some really crazy things along our travels, but this has got to be one of the craziest things i've even read...

a friend of mine sent me this article from MSNBC, a very respectable news source. The article is entitled Thar she blows! Dead whale explodes and is truly something not to be missed.

it's a great article... especially the last few paragraphs... when fox news reported it they left this part out :-)

2004-02-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

i've been busy cleaning around the office and have found so many souvenirs from my trip to australia. today has truly been one of memories. i never realized how much crap i've collected along the way but i for sure win the title of packrat! i found coasters from Matso's Brewery in Broome Western Australia. I found coupons for the Subway on High St. in Fremantle. I have dinner coupons for the Kimberley Klub. It's nuts!

What kinds of things do you collect when you travel? I like to find the small things. Things that I can put in my pocket and don't take up too much room. I've taken a shining to lighters. They are small and easy to get your hands on. Maybe part of it is that I'm a lighter thief at heart, maybe not. All I know is I have like 500 lighters now from my trips around the world. I use them sparingly as I don't want to lose them. Then again if I catch one of my mates with my lighter at least I know it's mine, eh?

Well I should get back to it at the office. Things are waiting to be done and the Lost Luggage Tales sure don't write themselves. We're looking for some new tales so if you have them, please send them in!!!

2004-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

okay so we've made major additions to the Lost Luggage Tales... we've added a ton of new reviews and are working hard to get you more information on all the great places to travel to. if you have something you'd like to share we'd love to have it...

found out today that New Zealand is the top travel destination for 2004... kinda funny considering that's where our next big trip is planned for. not that we want to travel to the "top destinations" it's just where we seem to end up.

this new zealand trip is starting to take shape and come together nicely. we have until the end of the month to get everything together and get a work visa. thats the big thing. without a work visa there will be no year in new zealand. if only australia would give americans longer than a 4 month visa. it's all about reciprocal agreements we hear.

so back to the LLT... what's new you ask? well we're trying to get some info on Scandinavia for ya. At the moment we've added a section on travel to Copenhagen and a section on travel to Helsinki... Amsterdam is coming on it's way but there is so much we did and so little we remember that it's gonna be a bit difficult to get it put together soon.

that's where you guys come in... SHARE YOUR STORIES!

there are a ton more resources available for trip planning as well. We're still looking for the best ticket broker to get you guys the best cheap tickets for world travel out there, thus the reason there is no trip planner yet. LLT only uses the best sources out there and we know you want the cheapest tickets possible so bear with us.

if there's something we're missing that you'd like to see here at the Lost Luggage Tales, let us know!! We're a community built by travellers for travellers...

until next time... keep travelling the world and keep telling your tales of international debauchery!

2004-01-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

i can't tell if it's all a sign that i'm supposed to be leaving again soon or what's going on. i mean it's like in the past week everything that could possibly go wrong has and now i'm dealing with the wrath of it all. i dunno.

only 14 weeks until i leave for new zealand. i cannot wait. i am so ready to get out of here and start traveling again. i got an email from a mate in Australia... she heads back home in 4 weeks after spending a year Down Under.

That was the worst feeling ever... the coming home part. Seriously, when my plane landed I started balling. I knew that the adventure, or at least that one was over. It was the finality of it all, the plane finally landing, being back on my home soil after more than 7 months. And I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to get back to Oz as fast as possible.

So here I am, only 14 more weeks to go. I think I can handle that...

2004-01-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

Subject: The Start Of It All

so i finally figured it out it's the same guy everyday. he just walks up and down the street from one end to the other. and he's always wearing the same thing. i stop to ponder what this man thinks as he walks. always on the same side of the street. everyday without fail he walks. occasionally i nod, usually i just rush past. i usually run into him coming rather than going. but where i he walking to? there must be a point to his journey. or is he truly just walking nowhere but where he is?

these are the dreams i've been having lately. it's wierd. some say it's the pale ale, i say it's the fresh air and fresh perspective. i look up into the clear dark sky and see nothing but stars above me. but these aren't the stars i'm used to, theses are different from any i've ever seen.

i need to start writing all this down. maybe one day it will all come together and make sense. as for now, it's just crazy dreams.

####
when i started this journey i had absolutely no idea what i was getting into. i mean sure i did. i new exactly what i was about to undertake and i was ready. you couldn't have stopped me from going. i was making the first major adult decision of my life and it was absoluetly great.

i had just finished one chapter, well two actually- but more about that later, of my life and travelling was about to become the next.

it was time for me to venture out on my own and figure out who exactly i was and who i wanted to be and what type of impact i anted to leave on the world. i had grown up a privileged life and it's not like i was exactly out there on my own, but i sure didn't have a lot of supporters.

i had always known that i was expected to do great things but to be honest, i really couldn't be bothered. maybe that's what happens when you give children everything. they desire nothing so they have no work ethic. adn when it comes time for them to make good on their own they simply float through the motions never really doing anything but manipulating the situation to their advantage. well i wasn't ready to join the real world yet, regardless of what my physical age was. i still had a lot of life in me to figure out before i was ready to settle down and just do one thing. maybe that's the benefit to being given everything you want-- you are also given the opportunity to dream and make those dreams happen.

dreams. it always comes back to dreams.

2004-01-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

I'd been to Australia before. it was my high school graduation present. i had quite an adventure. imagine being 18 and let loose on a 14 hour flight where liquor was free. and that was just the start of the trip. imagine going scuba diving for the first time AND getting certified on the great barrier reef. could you ask for a better deal? my family has always been about experiences. you can't take your cash to the grave and what good does it do you sitting in the bank? having a fulfilling life to us, was a life full of experiences, good or bad. I've had some incredible experiences and I'm just getting started in the world... and i'm realizing there's a whole lot out there for me to consume.

maybe it's just here but i notice how unwelcome lonely planet. i keep hearing all these references. i've read the beach. in fact, this is my beach. it is why i'm sitting here writing right now. so lonely planet, what's so lonely about it really? everyday i realize how much smaller and smaller it is and with email today you can keep in touch with anyone anywhere. i was able to hook a finn and kiwi up from the states all via the internet and email. how far is it gonna go? i'm just starting to ramble.

i've always said i wanted to travel every country in the world before I die. It's a big dream, not impossible but will be very difficult to make come true. i still have a lot of waters to traverse to get there.

everybody has a point where one chapter comes to an end and another begins, this is chapter 2 of my life. i mean there have been a lot of sub chapters and side notes in the past 24 years but i feel like i have completely started a new and started over. this is chapter 2 in the book of me.