What a week...

Last year I had so much fun when i went to Ibiza and Oktoberfest, i just had to do it again this year... so I did! And i did it in 1 week! Carey, my mate (originally my brother's mate - he's mine too now!) thought it be best to join me on this week of hedonism.

It started in Milano where i had to be for my cheap flight to Ibiza. I found a lovely guy to stay with courtesy of couchsurfing.com (if you haven't heard of this - check it out!). Paulo took me to a friends place for dinner and it was awesome to sit around a table of Italians with some traditional Israeli food (the mum of the friend (half Israeli) was cooking cus cus, a special occassion that happens rarely apparently) so i just knew that this was going to be a great week.

Then off to Ibiza on the monday - happened to september 11 too! The people in the plane cheered when we landed, as you do because Ibiza is where all your dreams can come true... if only for a few days. Cracked the champagne with Carey when i got to our Jet Apartments on Playa Den Bossa. Then we headed out to DC10 in the afternoon. I remembered reading last year that the monday party at this club was the best party on the island and we didn't go last year so...
And yeah, it was the BEST...
Wicked music, wicked crazy people, hot naked dancers, met an awesome guy - Gianny from Italy who has been living in Ibiza for 2.5 years. Everything about the party was perfect.

The next day, Tuesday, Carey and i wander around Playa Den Bossa and down to Bora Bora in the early afternoon. We soon stumble across some other like-minded party people and have an AWESOME afternoon chilling and boogieing with our new friends on the beach drinking Jabas (apparently its spelt HUERBAS - thanks olaf!)... mmm jabas (some ibizan jagermeister type drink...) and of course sangria!
Then off to Carl Cox closing party @ Space. Again, a very cool party, but i couldn't last and was in bed by 2am. Carey danced the night away until very late - legend!

Next day a bit of sun baking and soon we found ourselves back down at Bora Bora (as u do...) and our friends from the day before were there again... the same thing as the previous day pretty much happened...But i met the Ange and the girls who had just arrived in the late afternoon and they soon joined us for a night of partying. That night ended up being a bit scattered, checking out El divino and DC10 but having a relatively early night...

The next day some more chilling and then Carey and I headed over to the other side of the island - San Antonio to catch the sunset. It was a mission getting buses over there and once we finally got there we made in time for a beautiful storm coming across the ocean... Truely memorable... Then off for some dinner then to Manumission Bar for a warm up before Cream @ Amnesia... Wow - another fantastic party... lots of shenadigans... spent most of the night in the terrace room, music was fab and so was the crowd. Kicked it on the dance floor until 6am...
Then off home and well for me - the party continued! Wandered down the beach and found some trippers to hang with. Before i knew it i had checked out of my hotel and was at Bora Bora (as usual..) all day until we had to leave to catch our plane to Munich...

Ah yes, and so now the party goes from clubs and the beach to tents and beer!
The opening weekend of Oktoberfest... Carey and I caught up with my brother Simon and their mates, all of who i have known for years, since i was a very little girl. We found ourselves in the Hofbrau Tent along with all the other aussie beer loving backpackers too! A big day of drunkeness, but i can be proud to say that we - Carey and I lasted the longest! It ws funny to hear of my brothers story of waking up on a train at 3am having no idea where he was! Funny, because we were only a 10min walk from the festival to our hostel!
Another day of the same beer drinking shenadigans but a different setting - this time in the Augustiener Tent, a bit more traditional... Highlights really were the amusement rides, the roller coasters were awesome!

Then i dragged my sorry ass to Roma on monday where I stayed with my mate Davide, a great guy i met in India last year... Wow - Roma, fab city, will be back in a few weeks...

So yeah, that was my week of serious partying... Not bad ey?

Dreaming about Ibiza next year...

Ibiza Photos

Me and Gianny at Circo Loco party @ DC10
Circo Loco @DC10 on monday
Hot dancers @DC10
Me and Daniel - guy i met last year, still works at the same bar!
Carey waving to the new party people landing, Bora Bora
Ourapartments - Jet on Playa Den Bossa, very cool
Carey and Olaf - a very cool German dude we met and partied with, Bora Bora
The gorgeous girls that joined us on wednesday to continue the party - aussie chicks are so hot!
Wow - how good is this pic?! Went to go to cafe del mar for sunset and arrived for a storm - much cooler!

Cream @ Amnesia


Me and Carey in Mallorca on our way to Munich with no sleep - looking and feeling a little rough!

Oktoberfest Photos

Graham - asleep as usual!


















Our table, waiting for the first keg to be tapped in the hofbrau tent



My brother Simon and me...









Check out the locals!



Me and my stein - My bavarian look... You like?

The dirtier the better

I like real cities...

the dirtier, the more livable, the better... these real cities are the ones that steal a bit of my heart.

Roma is a real city. I am here now. I love it. The Gaffiti, the homeless people, the drunks, the multiculturalism, the crowded subway, the crowded buses, the 180,000 homeless cats, my mate David and his moterbike, the ruins, the sunshine... its just great. Roma e bella citta...

This is why i liked Belgrade too. A very real, very livable city.
New York, and London also fit this catagory too. So there you go... My shortlist for "real" cities.

I know that the reasons why i love these cities so much are some of the reasons why many people hate certain cities... and i like that.

Some new places to discover

So the original plan after my training trip in Eastern Europe was to go back to Croatia for more sun and party... but then thought, why don't i actually go somewhere new? So i did... From Budapest to Sarajevo... beautiful quant tiny city in a valley with big green mountains all around. They actually had the 1984 winter olympic games here... so there you go. On the same theme - it was frigin freezing (in here Mr Bigglesworth). Yet the cold (14C) and rain didn't put me off as i headed out to see what was going on there. My hostel guy, Tark, was so kind as to show me around and i had a fantastic opportunity to get an incite as to what its like to live in Sarajevo, be Bosnian and what life was like during the war. In the oldest part of the city (wierd to call it a city as it's so small!) is the Turkish quarter and that's exactly what its like! I thought i was in Turkey! I really enjoyed this as i thought i was a little off the beaten track and definately not in Europe. Mostly because of all the mosques everywhere. There are heaps of them, small and beautiful, you hear the call to prayer around this area (which is where i stayed). I met some guys from Brighton on the train on the way there and we hung out that night and smoked Arghile (or sheesha or hookah... whatever you want to call it). It seemed pretty popular with the majority of the muslim youth (can't drink... so smoke some flavoured water pipe).

The next day i took the 8hr bus journey to Belgrade, Serbia. I'd heard many great things about the nightlife of this capital city, so my expectations were high. Admittedly, i was disappointed on the first 2 evenings as i headed for the barges on the river, but apparently the 'shitty weather' we were experiencing at the time corresponds to the popularity of these floating discoteques. RnB just aint my thing! Hung out with some other aussie travellers i met and once again, one of the hostel guys, Gagi, showed me around the city. He took me to a very cool/beautiful Afganastani bar, can't remember the name, but you should go there... very nice Rakija!
Finally on the last night, a friday, i went to a party in the fortress called GreenBeat. Progressive House with Felix da Housecat and Darren Emerson. The latter suprisingly sucked big time, but the people i met were awesome. Big up to Darko and his crew!
Serbian people, no, let me say that the younger generation plus some of the older generation - are some of the most friendliest, up for it people i have met. Plus, from what i saw at this party, extremely goodlooking (and i'm talking about the guys even more so!) Now, in contrast, i also had the WORST customer service when i purchased my bus ticket to Zagreb, but it was so bad, that i thought it was funny...
Was eating a piece of pizza, waiting in the line
Saw a window without anyone there, my mate asked if she was open, finaly she said yes...
I went over and asked through the tiny air space in the plastic window for a bus to Zagreb at 11.30 tommorrow...
She took about 1 minute to look up at me and with the most disgusted look i have ever
witnessed she finally says, 'finish your food, then come back to me'
I give my food to my mate who then steps out of sight.
Then i ask for the same thing again, this time with 'molim' at the end (please)
Another minute passes.
Finally she looks up at me (trying to think of a good similie that really describes that look of disdain - fuck it, its taking too long!)
'what do u want?'
i say the same thing, the third time now...
she presses some things on the computer and asks what time
Then how many passengers
then asks that again...
She points to the price which comes up on a screen, i hand the money over.
I ask what platform it leaves from... (maybe it was too much?)
And with the final look that could have shattered that flimsy communist time plastic window (maybe i can start a new cliche or myth or something - you know, like being ugly can shatter mirrors, so too and being so fed up with life and showing it everyday in you services job)
she finally tells me '26' ... wow, never had such a... not painful, i actually thought it was hilarious, experience at buying tickets!
I understand it all though. During communist times everyone had a job therefore, u didn't have that much work to do, and because everyone else around you were poor, it was probably more bearable. Now there is less work, and the pay is shite (average €300 per month) but due to inflation things are getting relatively expensive (ie clothes etc).
I loved the laid back attitude of the Serbs... they only do enough to get by, and live more in the moment.

All in all, i loved the two places, and can't wait until i go back to Belgrade. Will definately go to the EXIT festival next summer.