plans have been made...officially? hmm not quite

Okay so here's the dealio -

Just today switched hostels from the crappy, smelly one in downtown melbourne to one called base backpackers in a suburb called st.kilda in melbourne. sofar so good. its a spiffy hostel that opened in mid 2004 very spic n span. I will stay here for 3 nights and then fly to brisbane - HOPEFULLY meet up with chris and hang out for a few nights and then up the coast to noosa. At this point i will have a week left in australia so i will sunbathe (hopefully) and get my hair cut and dye it myself. maybe a tattoo??UPLOAD SOME PHOTOS (cuz i know all of you are just dying to see!) and just chill. Then on may 29th i'll make my way back to brisbane, mail home some souvineers and tim tams and then fly off to singapore on the 30th.

I have to spend 4 nights in singapore so i think i will splurge and get a hotel that is closer to the airport and more central then the place i stayed last time. when i talk to the singapore people later today (hopefully) i will ask them about discounts that you can get through the airline for certain hotels.

Theeennn....to bali! I still have to make arrangements for a hotel in bali so i will do that sometime this week. either here or in brisbane. im running out of time and i forget sometimes that hotels arent like hostels - you can''t just walk in and say 'can i stay here for 3 weeks!?' maybe you can but i dont really want to test the theory - especially in indonesia!

THEEENNN....THAILAND! i'm leaving bali on the 25th of june. This gives me a week and a half to check out chaing mai and the northern part of the country and then jenni will meet me in bangkok on july 8th! really excited! then we'll do the islands and in the south bathe in the sun (if its not raining! check the forecasts, it doesnt look so good!) and rent some scooters and all that fun stuff. on the 29th of july i will travel back to bangkok with jenni and as she catches a flight home i'll catch a flight to kuala lumpur - my flight home leaves out of singapore (which is about a 4hr bus ride away from KL) but ill have a few days to check out the petrolium towers and all that other stuff there is to see in KL (im not sure what all that stuff is but...i'll find out once i pick up my 'southeast asia on a shoestring'lonely planet guide)and then....home. i think i have one night in LA but i think i'll give Nora (american girl i met in sydney) an email to see if she'll be able to entertain me for the night and be home Aug 2nd.

phew there it is folks. Im gonna need some moolah from ma and pa pretty quick (just a headz up!) but its a plan and its set and im ready for it.

I closed my australian bank account today. no more work. so if my flights dont really work out and i end up having to stay here another 20 days then....i guess i'll either work under the table (haha just kidding) or have to open another bank account? or maybe i'll just go back to adelaide and be a bum for 20 days. haha kidding.

i also found out today that i cant get any of my tax back because i didnt spend enough time in australia. that sucks. but oh well it was only about $250 so i guess i'll just have to do without.

much love everyone

alia

ps if someone from the audience could volunteer to pick me up a chunk of oreo cookie fudge from kdays for me this year it would be much appreciated - seeing as i will not be around for the event!

big kisses all around

alia