Espana Part 4.

Hola!

It's three in the afternoon over here, and I woke up an hour ago,
nice and peppy after a beautiful 10 hour sleep (I never get these kinds of sleeps
after partying anymore ...)
So, I had a fun night Friday, went to Barbol with one of Dads students, Havi,
and his friend whose name was uber hard to pronounce, and I actually can't
even remember what it started with, but anywho..
We stayed there for awhile, having shots with the bartender, and Havi's friend
paid for all my beers (i love drunken spaniards) and got quite a few free beers
because everyone here is friends with everyone, therefore people I go out with
are friends with bartenders, therefore I get free drinks...
After sitting around trying to speak a ridiculous combination of pseudo-English
and pseudo-Spanish, drunken Spanglish if you wish, we headed over to the
cowboy bar around the corner, and got more free drinks, and the bartender
let me go behind the bar and check out his music collection, it was fiiiine..
But the Spanglish started to bore me, so I headed home really early (1am) and
slept.
Got up yesterday and wandered about while the fam was in Alcazar (how do you
get the pronunciation Alcarath from Alcazar!?), went and did some emaily shit,
and had coffee with Ed. We talked about the fact that the highest taxed product
in Spain is condoms, and my last night in Australia, and scientology, twas great.
I went home, and then had a yummy dinner of ricotta stuffed mini capsicums,
yum yum yum, and got ready to go out, again.
I headed to Barbol at like, 11, and Ed and Stefan were late, so I sat at the bar,
drinking beers, talking to this guy (whose drunken friends told me sooooooo
many times, 'wapa, wapa!' 'you is b-oooo-teee-fal', wapa means beautiful in Spanish)
who was uber excited to speak English with me, and learning quite a bit whilst
working on helicopters in Germany (how do I meet such interesting people?).
So we talked about surfing, soccer, his wanting to go to Australia, and about his
sisters job as a magicians assistant, oh and tequila.. The bartender helped out
there by saying in Spanish to him, 'She drank a fuckload of tequila last weekend
and lost her ring twice ..' Yay!
Ed and Stefan finally showed up half an hour later and saved me from the throws
of WAPA WAPA, and we grabbed some more beers and headed out onto the patio.
They were in fine form after consuming some Cuban rum (yes, who knew ..) and
we sat outside for awhile, cringing everytime someone opened the door and
Rihanna or Lady Gaga came blasting out, 'PLEASE, DON'T STOP THE MUUUSIC!'.
But, Tocas Miracle came on, and I did have a bit of a dance and sing..
And made a video just to prove that an old eurotech song did play in a european club.
At about 1, after Rosalia and Alli came for a bit, we all headed to the cowboy bar,
and listened to a mix of ACDC, Spanish flamenco music and sixties soul, and danced ourselves
crazy.
Some old guy told Stefan to tell me I was the best dancer he'd ever seen, but he was very
drunk, and obviously hadn't seen many people dance.
I was just teaching Ed how to do the hip bang ..
And more, 'wapa, wapa'! I could take it as a compliment, but all of the guys saying are usually
really fucking pissed, so there vision could be failing them very easily haha.
And then the most amazing thing happened..
A little less conversation had just finished, and we were gearing up for the next song,
when ...
'dne dne dne, At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side, but then I spent so many night thinking how you did me wrong
and I grew strong, and I learnt how to carry on.. etc etc'
It was amazing, amazing, amazing, es stupendo, like, oh, just so beautiful.
I sung along to every last people, completely oblivious to Ed and Stefans laughs,
just enjoying the perfect moment that was that song.
It's funny how you remember the words to songs so much better when you're drunk..
So after a lot more dancing, and a lot more beers (my tolerance of beers is upping at
an extreme rate, I've been on 10 - 12 a night with few spirits in between ..) we decided
to call it a night at 4, coz Ed and Stefan had to trek back up to Stefans mountain house
5 km away, and I wanted to sleep..
So we said our goodbyes, and I got home, popped two Nurofen, drank a lot of water
and had an amazing ten hour sleep.

Again, I love life.

AND I LOVE SMOKING ROLLIES AGAIN! Wapa, wapa..

Espana Part 3.

There is seriously nothing for me to write about.
The highlight of my week has been doing South Park jokes
with Pearl, and then mum coming in and telling me to act my age... haha.

I have spent the week avoiding Stefan, making sure I´ve had a coffee from
every cafe in Riopar (yet to find a bad coffee, it´s ridiculous!), and drinking
lots of wine, and beer, and eating lots of food, and walking alot.
It seriously has been that boring.
OH, and watching lots of Gags For Laughs.. because its the only tv show
on here that you don´t need to speak Spanish to understand.

I just bought a 50gram pouch of Drum, and filters, and papers, any one wanna
guess the price?! 5 euros .. yes, that is 8 dollars ish ...
I should just fill up a massive package with pouches, and send it home for when I get
home, would save me, you know ... 200 dollars, maybe even 300..
Considering I buy a pouch every week, thats 22-23 sometimes 27 dollars, plus
filters and papers, so lets say on average I spend 27 - 30 dollars a week..
And I could fit maybe fifteen pouches, maybe even twenty into a package,
that´s ...... (someone who is good at maths please!!) around 500 hundred dollars
worth of pouches for ... 60 bucks?!
Wow.

Anywho, this has been a pointless post, but just updating you ..
I´m going to go roll my first rollie in two weeks..

I love life.

Bell.

This is what Spain did to me last time...





















Lols in the air, fourteen year old me.















Beautiful Spanish countryside, view from one of our many balconies.















Studying it up with the siblings.















Now. Trying to pull a MySpace pose and failing.



















Two years ago, La Longuera, Spain.














PLAY AEROPLANE, PLAY AEROPLANE!
(My siblings are saying this sober,
they're addicted!)














My hotel room in Alcaraz.















Hhahaha, Pearlie the pin-up.
















Empanadas!















On the phone to Al & Em, or Rosie & Lloyd.















Spanish coffee :)




















Where is the wi'fi?















The picturesque village of Alcaraz.
















Chilly mornings.




















Pearlie the hipster.















Sister sister time.
Or as mum likes to say, 'Tullah, git me sum more pitzah!'
'OK, Maria, I git it for you, I git it!

Espana part 2.

I forgot to mention .. yesterday, when we were walking
from the waterfalls down to the carpark, I got stopped
by this Spanish guy who asked to get a photo with me..
It was like deja vu Argentina, when my friend Ariel stopped
me on my way out of our hotel, because he thought I was
Lindsay Lohan...
Do I give off a star vibe? HAHA!
But yeah, last night was uneventful,
sat at home watching the Spanish version of Skins..
then went through every single photo from our last
world tour and got to bed at around 3am..
twas great.
Now I'm still trying to organize the fucking trip to Paris.
TRAVEL AGENT, REPLY!!!!

Posting some photos now!

Espana.

Hola amigos.

Wow, it has now been a week since I left Australia,
exactly seven days, and its been an interesting week to say the least.

We arrived in Alcaraz (Al-car-ath) on the Tuesday, at midnight, and
I had a really, really horrible sleep, tossing and turning, waking up to
try and unblock my nose, and cough up phlegm, it was disgusting.
I got up at eight, and convinced my mother to let me have codeine,
so the pain flew away, but the head cold stayed.
I stayed in bed for most of the time, bored out of my brains, and finally
went out to look around the town, going to what would become my locale cafe,
Bar Tapas, to have coffee, and stopping at a bar to get uber duber duber cheap
cigarettes (3.25€ or $5AUS). It didn't really feel like I was walking that much,
even though I did. The villages in Spain are great, you never get puffed, or tired
because they have been designed for walking, and because everything
is so beautiful, you forget that you have been walking for two hours,
it seems like five minutes.
After exploring, it started to get really cold, so I went back to the apartment,
finding my parents ready to go out again.. so we went to the library to
check emails etc, then out for dinner. The librarian seemed like such a bitch,
she was so snappy, and just snarled at us the whole time.
In Spain, alot of people look down on tourists, get frustrated when we are trying
to speak Spanish etc, like we are just stupid tourists and can't do anything right,
though they are better with Australians than Americans (like most of the world),
but then there are alot of Spaniards who are so polite, and lovely, and excited to
meet a foreigner.
And they eat soooooo much, and so much fatty shit. For dinner, it'll be a salad,
or chips (patata fritas), then a big thing of meat or pasta, then cake or fruit
and icecream, plus tonnes of crap bread, and a lot of wine and beer...
The obesity over here is horrible.
After our lovely dinner, we went back to the hotel (Hostal Los Rosales) and
I watched a film for English (Look Both Ways) and went to sleep around one,
enjoying my first cigarette in nearly three days... hahaha.
I had another night of horrible sleep, tossing and turning, finally waking up at 7,
and unable to go back to sleep.
I was a little better, and kept stuffing the drogas into me, and decided to explore
a little more, going and getting coffee, bored by myself...
Mum and Dad and the kids had gone to Riopar with Richard (the courses organizer),
but I stayed home, not really wanting to go and look at another farm.
When they returned after 8 hours, we got dinner, and went to bed early.
It was that night that I got up to cough up some phlegm, and one piece
was soooooooo big and digusting, it looked like a piece of brain, probably
4cm by 1.5cm, but it unblocked one of my nostrils, so I could breathe kind
of properly again, which was amazing!! I wish I had've taken a picture
to show Em, she would've vomited all over herself!!
Friday was a little more interesting though. Pearl and I decided to have 'sister sister time',
wandering off to get hot chocolates (and coffee for me), calling a few peeps in Aus,
it was so nice to hear my friends voices, I didn't realize I would miss them so much after
so little time, and getting some empanada's for lunch (moi moi bien).
We got back to the hotel to find we were moving over to Riopar, and had got
a nice little 3 bedroom apartment. It was really great to be moving somewhere
different after experiencing all there was to experience in Alcazar,
and Riopar is bigger, and we could finally cook our own food (I was uber excited to
have eggs for breakfast!!).
The apartment is really, really cute. I have a massive bed, a clothes rack, and nice little
windowsill, and lots of cupboard space.
That night we went out for dinner at Hostal Rio Mundos, having this amazing feast,
drinking lots of wine, and being merry..
Richard ordered all the food, and it was absolutely delicious, I have never had such good
Spanish food. Though that may be because we can never read menus, and know carne,
tererne and patata fritas. Ha.
We got home, and everyone went to bed, but I climbed out onto my windowsill,
and did some writing. It was freezing, but so peaceful, apart from the uber loud neighbours
either having a fight or sex .. (Spaniards are quite passionate ...)
I had a great sleep, comfy and warm, waking up to go shopping and get supplies,
and made eggs with tuna, capsicum, olives and cheese with organic rye bread.
It was moi moi bien, and it was so good to have a real cup of tea!
Saturday was mostly uneventful, until later on. I started trying to organize
my trip to Paris to visit Freya, and found European travel prices to be quite
expensive, but I'm still trying! Mum is thinking of roadtripping there with me now.
My mums friend Encarne introduced me to her niece Rosalia, and so we had coffee,
and she invited me to go out clubbing with her and her boyfriend, Jose, that night.
So after dinner (at Hostal Rio Mundo again) I got ready, and went back to Rio Mundo
to have a beer with dads students, Eduardo and Stefan.
We decided to head out at around 11, going to this cowboy bar first, to find another student
of dads absolutely fucking pissed (I don't know how the Spanish do it, they drink all day,
but still manage to live. It's like a country of alcoholics), and the bar practically empty.
So we decided to head out to the club, Barbol, and started by sitting outside drinking
lots of beers (I was having the strongest Spain has to offer, the weaker beers taste like shit,
though it was probably not the best idea in the long run).
(Quick note to Al, Em, Gret: That song, '..put your trust in me, and you will find infinity' just came on the radio, hahahaha gooood tiiimeeezzz bruddazz!)
After Rosalia and Jose turned up, we drank more, getting on to the Jamesons and coke (Rosie,
Jamesons in 9€ over here, thats like 12 bucks!!) and sitting around having all these
weird political conversations, it was like I was stoned or something... haha.
After Ed left at four am, we decided to get on the tequila shots, drinking maybe four too many,
and started to dance. I got up on the podium, and this is where is started to go downhill..
I lost my lonely planet book, and Encarne's dictionary thing that she lent to me, and my silver
and amber ring that I have had my whole life and never take off, and kissed my dads student,
Stefan, who is about two million light years too old for me.
So, from that point on, I really don't remember much, up to walking home, and getting through
the door at 8am to my furious parents, who had been up since 4 worrying about my whereabouts.
I honestly didn't even know my whereabouts after 5-6am until then .. eeek.
But after a few dramas all is fine now, especially after a session in the car with
DC's Seraphim pumped (the only music I have, the best music I could have) and
a few sniffles.
I got up at 1 on Sunday, went and got coffee at Rosalia's dads pub, and hung out with her for
a bit, before going home to sleep at nine..
Today, we went to this amazing waterfall and cascades just out of Riopar. Seeing things
like that really make you appreciate natures wonders.
I haven't really eaten anything in the last two days, apart from a bit of salad, so mum
took us out for lunch, and tried to make me eat, but I really just didn't feel like it.
I've been exercising heaps, and not really feeling like food, all the Spanish food just
makes me feel bloated, but I feel healthier, especially with hardly smoking at all,
and I feel skinnier ... haha, not that I'm trying to become anorexic, smaller portions
of everything just seem better at this point in time (apart from coffee, can you imagine
me not drinking coffee?!?!?! I'd be some uber crazy bitch, without cigs its bad enough,
but coffee as well?! I don't even WANT to think about that .. haha).
But yes, now I am uber excited about potentially going to see Freya's boobies (and Freya)
this week, and parading around Paris with her, but need to find someway of getting to Paris,
with flights being $151 dollars, trains $225, and my mother iffy about leaving dad, but seems
to be getting pretty chummy with the idea of a roadtrip. DC all the way (haha, em & al, thats
all we have been listening to apart from our learn spanish in a day cd, its great!).
I really just want to get out of Riopar, I've kinda been avoiding all of dads course..
Eh, life, life, life, mistakes ...

But otherwise, I'm great, enjoying Europa, missing you guys like fucking crazy,
but great.

Love, love, love,
Bell.

Travel.

Hola amigos!

I write to you from the Ecologica Centre in Riopa, Albacete.
We have just moved towns, and my nose has just cleared up, so everything is well!
It´s been five days now since I departed from AUS, and a bit has happened,
mostly scatterdness, jetlag and complete sickness, but I shall tell all.

I had a magnificent going away. Al, Em, Meg, Rosie and I all went to Pony for
DC´s gig, and we had a few mishaps on the way, loosing Al´s bumper (lol),
getting lost for two hours in Burwood etc, but had an aaaamazing night.
Had !, and partied on until the early hours, drinking a fuckload of beer, listening to
Indian music in the taxi, Em smoking a joint out the window.. Em also getting punched
by Dale, and bleeding everywhere. The bouncer was uber suss, and asked Em about our,
ah ... intoxication. We mished over to 7/11 many times, and just had an awesome, awesome,
awesome night. Would not have had it any other way. And Al dedicated Aeroplane to me
during their set... yes, tears.

I hopped on the plane the next day at 3.30, not before we drove back out to Burwood,
and drove back to the airport, and got stuck in the parking lot, because we didn´t have
enough money to pay. But, arrived, starving at Tullamarine and had some well deserved
cheeseburgers, before my last cigarette in Australia (painful). Many hugs and kisses later,
I walked through the big iron doors, glancing at my best friends for the last time..
Pete rang just as the plane was about to take off, and I answered, shouting, ´Bye!´and the
air hostess yelled, ´That´s supposed to be turned off´.´ or something ..
I played Aeroplane on my laptop as we took off, and it was the exact ecstacy I´d expected,
tears and all. Though the fact I was gone still had not hit me.
I sat through Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Burn After Reading and Rachael Getting Married on
the eight hour flight to Singapore, dreading the impending combination of scatterdness and jetlag. But it was to come.

We landed smoothly at 9pm in Singapore. I jumped straight for the cafe, grabbing a latte, and hopping on their free internet. I discovered a wonder Australia had not yet introduced to those addicted to nicotine (JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON AUS!!), airport smoking rooms. Unfortunately, this one was placed outside in the absolutely disgusting humid heat, and you would have to be uber desperate to endure that for a fag.
It was four am in Australia when we finally departed. I had falled asleep on the floor, my head on my bag, probably dribbling, when dad woke me up.
We hopped on the plane, and I, very uncomfortably, fell asleep straight away.

When I woke up we were being served foul smelling aeroplane food. I opted for a coffee instead which, though still crap and cheap tasting, was easier to stomach that the other choices.
It was when we arrived in Frankfurt two hours later that I discovered the absolute, utter joy of the sickness awaiting me. Never, ever, ever, ever again.
I seriously felt like death on legs. I could hardly keeps my eyes open, every part of my body was throbbing and aching. I felt like I was going to vomit all the time, and could not stop coughing up phlegm, and my nose was completely blocked. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced, ever. I just felt so unbelievably seedy and disgusting and I just can´t even explain it.
Frankfurt was cute though. Their smoking booths were much more nice. And I had a yummy tomato soup with ciabata.
We waited around for five hours before finally boarded the plane for Madrid, arriving three hours later after what seemed to be a lifetime of travelling.
Two subways, and a lot of walking later, we had our hire car, and were on our way to Alcazar.
But, with my father have no sense of direction, and without a proper map, we got a .. little lost and arrived in Alcazar (on what is supposed to be a two and a half hour journey) five hours later.
Meanwhile, I was in the back burning up, half-asleep on Pearls shoulder, barely able to speak, and trying to keep down the camembert and tomato sandwhich I´d had.
Beautiful, beautiful experience.

Luckily, lovely Elissa and Antonio kept Hostal Los Rosales open for us, and we hopped into our comfy beds (you have no idea how amazing being in a bed was after 37 hours of aeroplane and car sleeping) and went to sleep. I was up every half an hour, spitting out phlegm, unable to breathe, trying to blow my nose, drinking water, before finally waking up at eight to freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing cold rain and hail.

More to come soon ......

Bell xx.

Singapore.

Hello, hello, hello dearest friends.

This is only a short post, as Singapores airports fucking internet only allows fifteen minutes of usage,
to let you know I am safe and sound, on the ground, on the Malaysian island.

Flight was fucking horrible, I have never felt so disgusting for so long, and now every single inch of body is strained and aching, and I neeeeeed a massage or something.
Good news, found the smoking lounge, bad news, it's fucking outside in the humid weather.
Fucking hate tropical countries.
Eh, only 14 more hours until I am in Frankfurt, and they will hopefully have a colder smoking lounge.

11 minutes to go - ummmmmmm.
Did I mention I feel like I'm about to collapse?
Ha, nah, I'll be alright, as soon as we get on this fucking jumbo and sleep.
I should have kept that sleeping pill, Al!

I shall give a more in depth post on my last delightful eight hours, and the fourty-eight hours before
that when I arrive in Spain and have proper internet that doesn't run out.

Here's hoping!

Love Bell.

5 days to go.

Sitting at Tiff and Ben's, enjoying the company with five days until departure.

Next time you hear from me I will be writing from somewhere in Spain with a shitty internet connection.

:)