Showing posts with label Evaluation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evaluation. Show all posts

Monday, May 30, 2011

Australia Evaluation 101

Australia

Likes: The space!, quaint painted store signs, wombats, hyperactive Platypus', Pin Oak Court (aka Ramsey Street), Nice people letting you stay and borrow their cars, seeing Stan happily married, Caramel Tim Tams, the green colour of the sea, Autumn tree colours,

Dislikes: Cafe's shutting at 5pm, trams holding up traffic, expensive food/hotels/everything, having to wear the same clothes every day since it was so cold,

Places visited: Melbourne, Halls Gap, Healesville, Apollo Bay, Redhill.

Number of times we wanted to come home: 0. Much too late for that. The threat of work is all too real.


Favourite Hostel: YHA in Halls Gap. No one else there and they offered to light the fire in the TV room to keep us warm.


Favourite Memory: Waking up the sunbathing Kangaroo's with Xss as we walked in the bush up a hill to see the views. The Kangaroos weren't that bothered by us and we could get really close, and they were MASSIVE.


Worst Day: Again its too late for that. Even standing in the rain and wind hungry and cold would be better than going back to work in a few weeks.


Favourite New Food/Drink: Andrews (our temporary landlord) curry. Brilliant. Otherwise, Fish and Chips from a fish and Chippery, where you choose your fish stake and they cook it fresh for you.


Best/Worst Smell: Xss. He's started wearing aftershave again.


Best/Worst Noise: The Silence. Bliss.


Number of times i tripped in Australia: 7


Number of times i fell over and rolled all the way onto my back: 1


Number of Kangaroos who now think i am weird: 3.


Weirdest Country Fact: You cannot close your hand around the Australian 50p, its just too big.
New thing learnt: In out of season places everything shuts early, so it makes your days really short!


Country Score: 101

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Vietnam Evaluation 203.1

Vietnam

likes: The old beautiful shop fronts of Hoi An, quiet long beaches, trying to cross the streets slowly (as if in a 1980's computer game) whilst trying to dodge the motorbikes,

Dislikes: People not knowing how to queue, no chains like Starbucks,

Days spent there: 17

Places visited: Ho Chi Min, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hanoi, Halong bay.

Number of times i wanted to come home: 0. Its way too late for that.

Favourite Hotel: Hanoi hotel called The Rising Dragon Hotel, old small rickity building with only 3 rooms on each floor, in the middle of the craziness of Hanoi.

Favourite Memory: Sitting on the long beach of Mui Ne near sunset, wandering in and out of the sea with no worries whatsoever, i could have stayed all night. perfect temperature, perfect surroundings, perfect company.

Worst Day: Again, its too late for this. Everyday, no matter how miserable is brilliant, when compared with being at work.

Favourite new food/drink: self wrapped spring rolls, with fresh salad and veg and a tasty dipping sauce.

Best Norwich City Victory: Getting into the position of KNOWING that NORWICH CITY ARE GOING UP! Premiership next season, after beating Portsmouth 1:0

Country Score: 203.1

Cambodia Evaluation 223.123

Cambodia



Likes: Siem Reap, Dr Fish fish spa, roof top pools, Tx visiting, Bayon Temple, $1 yellow noodles in the market, my students, ever-so friendly yet not intruding locals, having a table full of poor children join us for dinner around one table in the market and seeing their many tricks and jokes, night buses with bunk beds aboard.


Dislikes: Powercuts which stop the fans and a/c, having such a mixed ability in my teaching class, seeing so many landmine victims, seeing naked crying babies begging with their siblings, the killing fields,


Sunrises missed: 34


Places visited: Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville


Number of times i wanted to come home: 1. It would be fun to see the royal wedding and have a tea and scones celebration wouldn't it?


Favourite hotel: Golden Sands, Sihanokville- nice big pool and sunbeds in the shade.
Favourite memory: Cycling to school along muddy back roads in the shade with babies and adults alike shouting hello at us.
Worst day: One evening when we were in the market eating dinner (every dish costs $1-1.25) and some western boys spent a while haggling with the owner to discount their cans of beer. She could not give it to them for 50cents so they left and she felt bad. So obviously so, that we appologised and told her that we understood and that her prices were good prices. She was deflated though and continued to express dismay and appologise that she could not discount the beer that much as it costs more. Where do these boys think think this little market stall in the street with rickety cracked plastic chairs spend all their money? Do they not realise it is almost hand to mouth at this stall? 10meters away is a whole street of resturants that do draft beer for 50cents, go there! However, they continued down the line of similar stalls to ours, haggling away trying to get 50cent beer, but never being offered it whilst the stall holders get sadder and more frustrated.


Favourite new food or drink: Lemon Juice with sugar and Beef Loklak (with plenty of whole green pepper corns).


Best/worst smell: Fish sauce. Why.....?


Best/worst noise: Wonderful and horrible all in one- each wedding would play VERY loud music from morning til night, initially kind of fun to hear as you walk along, less so when you are still trying to sleep at 5am.


Pictures taken before Tx arrived: 17


Pictures taken by Tx: 223
Number of times we said 'Wow' as we walked around Angkor Wat and similar temples: 4,million.


Number of times Xss got a massive bump on his head and a cut from hitting the bottom of the pool whilst trying to do 'no limbs swimming': 1 very funny time. He's fine now.


Best Norwich City Victory: 5:1 against Ipswich. yippee.
Weirdest country fact: Cambodia's 24 hour clock starts at midday and ends at midnigt. A little disorientating when displayed on a night bus.
New thing learnt: When you are away from home there is much less to worry and stress about. Nowdays it is stressful if we have to fit in more than two activities in one day! Oh, its going to be tough going home and managing work. I think i will boycott less things when i am home also. I will pick a few key ones, and leave the rest. Life is too short to be over analysing all these minor decisions when there are so many major ones around.
Country Score: 223.123

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Bali Evaluation 187

Bali

Likes: Stone sculptures and status everywhere combined with old, old tree's and vines, Monkey Temple wild monkeys grooming me, rice fields greenness, McDonald's home delivery, 'snakeskin' fruit, learning how coffee is made, the Ubud market, the drive to Lovina up north, numerous exquisite doorways.

Dislikes: Painful massages, Kuta, never knowing the real price of anything, rubbish on the beaches, RAIN, stupid $25 'airport fee's for a terminal with filthy toilets, $25 visa fees.

Sunrises witnessed: None thankfully, we missed all 9

Places visited: Sanur, Kuta, Lovina, Ubud.

Number of times i wanted to come home: 0. Its too near the end for that now!

Favourite hotel: They were all pretty bland, but Sana's cottages were nice little isolated cottages in the trees with a nice pool. Too expensive to stay more than one night though.

Favourite memory: Wandering around Ubud, visiting several lovely coffee shops, seeing the monkeys at the temple, reading and then having a nice cheap dinner with good company (Xss)

Worst day: Kuta beach visit, lots of well known shops (but no money to spend) then a dirty beach with several hassley people and a dead rat.

Favourite new food or drink: Papas Tuna in a banana leaf. I don't know what was in this slow roasted tuna, but the leaf flavours came through as did lots of other nice tastes. Served with chips is best.

Best/worst smell: Frangipangi joss sticks, everywhere, but nice.

Best/worst noise: There is only one song in Bali. Played on some plucked instrument. At the beginning this is nice, when you finally hear it at the airport leaving, you'd rather hear S Club 7.

Best Norwich City Victory: 2:0 away at Barnsly.

Weirdest country fact: Everyone speaks English fluently. I am beginning to believe that really English is spoken the world over and only THEN did they make up their own languages, just to be different.

New thing learnt: Even if you are tanned you get used to your skin tone and think you are white again. Why does every culture want to have a different skin colour? Is anyone actually happy with their own skin? All the suntan lotions and moisturisers here contain whitening ingredients (much to my dismay as i need some). Makes me wonder if we share any universally heralded physical ideals? The only one i can think of is that everywhere thinks long hair on girls is pretty?

Country Score: 187

Friday, March 11, 2011

Thailand Evaluation 219.4

Thailand

Likes: Pirate the otter at the Zoo, the best beaches in the world (so far), warm seas, seeing the in-laws in an unfamiliar setting, getting a free upgrade at the hotel which included free afternoon tea and private infinity pool, all the islands in the south, people nonchalantly saying 'oh no we don't have that' when you order anything off a menu', the food at the Shangri-la Bangkok- out of this world!,

Dislikes: Thai bra sizes being different to British (it appears that 34 inches in Britain is 40 in Thailand- i feel like a heifer), cuts getting infected at the zoo, not being able to renew our visa's in country, the noise of a Gibbon at 7.30am (breakfast time), rain,

Sunrises witnessed: well 14 thanks to the Zoo project, and another 22 happily slumbered through

Places visited: Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Bangkok, Hua Hin.

Number of times i wanted to come home: 2. It was hard seeing people from home and not wishing to experience more familarness and Britishness.

Favourite hotel: Phi Phi Villages, Phi Phi.

Favourite memory: Getting up and taking a boat to Bon Island, to slumber on beds as comfy as a mattress and wander in the warm waters, mixed with reading, snoozing and eating good food. Returning home tired and relaxed.

Worst day: Once it rained almost all day when we wanted to sunbath, haha. oh the hardships.

Favourite new food or drink: Pineapple curry

Best/worst smell: Worst- Our bathroom at the zoo. So bad we didn't go in there and used the communal resources instead.

Best/worst noise: On a small wooden walkway at night over a square pond at the Everson resort a single frog started croaking, then another until a whole frog chorus occurred. Wonderful

Number of Monkeys to be fed at the Zoo each day: 196

Number of Monkeys fed on the days I organised the feeding team:195

Number of times i called the Animal rescue centre a 'Zoo' in front of the manager: 1 (i learnt my lesson)

Animals I met that were missing at least one limb: 9

Best Norwich City Victory: 2:1 away win against Sheffield United. (the in-laws and Us watched the late goal on the I-touch).

Weirdest country fact: Despite Thailand being a place where it is expected and polite to wear tops that cover your shoulders and knee length shorts, why can you only by hot pant shorts??

New thing learnt: I like animals, but i still cant help be mystified by people dedicating their whole lives to help them. Although a Nobel cause, i cant understand why people think it is better to help animals than defenseless children. This trip has reconfirmed and strengthened many of my convictions that i knew i already held as thoughts.

Country Score: 219.4

Friday, February 11, 2011

Japan Evaluation 220

Japan

Likes: Extremely polite people, people running and doing things at a speed of knots when you ask for something (or even buy a can of coke at the local store), everything being shiny and new looking, adults dressing up like Manga cartoon characters and walking the streets, sumo wrestling, Akihabara district, feeding the ducks in the freezing temperatures left over breakfast, sumo soup, heated toilet seats, familymart, skateboarding dogs,

Dislikes: no evidence of a countryside, queuing to a ridiculous degree, everything being expensive (especially trains), lack of creative architecture, Japanese food, being in minus temperatures with only a waterproof coat, cyclists trying to run you over on the pavement, the most uncomfortable pillows in the world, people trying to buy luck,

Sunrises passed: 6

Places visited: Tokyo, Kyoto

Number of times i wanted to come home: 1. I almost cried whilst on the metro once as it reminded me so much of London- how odd.

Favourite hostel: Hotel Mystays, Ochanomizo. A semi double room, perfect.

No of Geisha's in Kyoto: less than 100

No of Geisha's we saw: 1 score!

No of people dressed creatively: all of the girls and at least half the boys.

No of people dressed like me: 0

Percentage of people wearing those little face masks: 10%

percentage of people these face masks actually help protect: the other 90%

Favourite memory: Singing Karaoke for the the first time ever. Xss excelled and even put in some dance moves

Worst day: Well, worst night. Sharing a semi double with an overgrown man who had a high temperature and sweated waves in the night. Hot bouts of air swarming towards me whenever i moved. - He's better now.

Favourite new food or drink:

Best/worst smell: Best- Free shower gels in the hotels. you cant buy stuff that good at home.

Best/worst noise: Being spoken Japanese to and not even being able to say i don't understand.

Best Norwich City Victory: Wes Holahan signing a new 3.5 year contract.

Weirdest country fact: Even homeless men take their shoes off when they step on their cardboard mattresses. No lie. I have photographic evidence.

New thing learnt: A sense of style and fashion are in inbuilt and individual. I have long been toying with what to do with how i dress, as i am giving up dressing like a boy. However, the bible states that you should adorn yourself with good deeds and a great character rather than jewelry and perfume (in 1 Peter 2 i think), however, what about for special occasions?? How far should you go to look presentable, but not have it as your main asset when people are shallow and assess you very quickly primarily on your outward appearance? I often dress down on purpose as i like to have people's thoughts about me brought upwards after speaking to me, rather than me looking good/professional and then having people think less of me when they hear me speak. Once you've won this battle, then its much easier to get people to listen to what you say rather than the image you are putting out there. But all the same should i dress nicer?

Country Score: 220

Monday, January 17, 2011

USA Evaluation 231.8

USA

Likes: The food!! Dairy Queen ice cream, The Russells, having the freedom of a car, the national parks, being familiar with everything, cleanliness (no risk of food poisoning here), My old bedroom, the snow, half pound cookies, driving, 24hour all you can eat passes in Las Vegas, looking for celebs houses in Hollywood hills,

Dislikes: the responsibility of a car (did it have a good time?), Dennys restaurants, being cold all the time in California, going to the closed Jelly Belly Jelly Bean factory, the sat nav taking 5 minutes to boot up at inopportune times, gaining a belly,

Sunrises passed: 21

Places visited: Miami, Key West, St. Cloud, LA, San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Joshua Tree.

Number of times i wanted to come home: 0. (Xss 2 - both at Christmas missing his family)

Favourite hostel: Best western in Key West. The ultimate in Luxury

Snow Angels made: 2

Number of minutes it took me to convince Xss to make a snow angel: 17 cold ones

Number of times my nose was a red as Rudolph due to the weather: 22

Number of times we played in the snow: 0 opps.

Favourite memory: Going to the Cinema with everyone on Christmas day, good family fun. Thanks for coming Tim (it took some convincing).

Worst day: All the days were so good, so driving to San Fransisco from LA was the worst as we drove the most.

Favourite new food or drink: Prime Rib (no bones involved here)

Best/worst smell: My old shoes, mould combined with old sweat and rainwater, the smell could fill up a room in 30 seconds!

Best/worst noise: The silence in the national parks, not a sound. Beautiful

Best Norwich City Victory: Beating QPR to get into 3rd spot in the championship.

Weirdest country fact: It is near impossible to buy matching underwear in America! Do they not like to match??? What would the ambulance men think..........

New thing learnt: There are rural communities all over America, even in California. You can live 3 hours from LA and live in the middle of nowhere. This made me realise I love small towns, and being isolated. Perhaps because i feel that i can do less; i like to be so involved in where i live that i still have so much i want to do and not enough time. If i lived somewhere without these options perhaps i would be less stressed and busy cramming stuff in. In London there are still numerous night courses i want to take (Dress making, photography, dance, creative writing), along with all the people i want to be better friends with (Mel, Alison, Leo, Danica, Junior etc), and kids i want to help. Not to mention wanting to start up several social enterprise projects, like a old clothes swap bag, gospel choir, and graffiti project. On top of maintaining my marriage, existing friendships, work, youth groups, kickboxing and church. I feel sometimes that i am letting myself down by not doing all these new things, but life keeps getting in the way, and the bathroom isn't self cleaning. Its nice to be taking this time off, but how can i limit these things in the future, or should i really be limiting them at all?

Country Score: 231.8

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Peru Evaluation 139.3

Peru

Likes: Lomo Saltado (steak, gravy, red pepper and chips all mixed together), sand boarding, seeing a real live sloth, the arrival of Christmas songs and decorations, Cusco coffee company (a grassroots Starbucks but better!), feeling like a giant when standing next to most people (my legs have never seemed so long!), drummer\taxi drivers trying to get Xss to discuss 70´s British rock music, 3 course meals for 2.20, JF Kennedy park in Lima teeming with nice cats, the food in general- brilliant.

Dislikes: Even though the traffic is crazy it hasn't made them any better drivers, little kids (as young as 3) working on the streets selling chewing gum until very late, panpipe music (even playing Guns n Roses on them doesn't make it any better so stop trying), looking like an idolised western clothes model, Peruvians only knowing English when it helps them to beg better, so much grey dust in parts near the coast you cant understand how anyone can live there, everyone looks the same (its true), altitude sickness.

Sunrises missed from sleeping: 23, and 1 i saw in the Amazon (and it was crap anyway)

Places visited: Lima, Huacachina, Arequipa, Puno, Cusco, Iquitos

Number of times i wanted to come home: 1 - being in one places for a long time gets boring. London is awesome.

Favourite Hostel: Hotel El Huacachinero, in the sandy oasis of Huacachina. Nice sunny swimming pool to relax around, an easy going few days!

Mowgali achievements: catching and eating my own Piranha, getting water from a tree trunk, holding a sloth (which was passed to me), Xss disciplining the monkeys who wouldn't share, getting juice from a tree, finding a tarantula, climbing a thousand year old tree (it must have received worse over its life), dancing with some ´Indians´whilst wearing face paint.

Favourite Memory: When Victor (one of our guides) stepped out of the dense forest holding a baby sloth at arms length as we had given up looking for one (and hope) and were standing chatting near a banana tree. We then photographed said sloth a lot, put it down to see if it would walk (it didn't) and then watched it try to attack us in slow motion repeatedly, how they survive is beyond me! or: Doing cartwheels and ´street dance´moves on the top of an isolated sand dune at sunset in Huacachina.

Worst day: Iquitos after the jungle, just waiting to go to USA in sweaty heat with nothing to do.

Favourite new food\drink: Ceviche! raw fish with lime, chili and parsley and a bit of sweet potato, cold. Oh its divine.

Best\worst noise: Christmas songs in Ripley's department store. Christmas is here, and luckily for us they have very few ones translated into Spanish.

Best\worst smell: The bark of the cumaceba tree smells lovely.

Best Norwich Victory: Norwich 4 Ipswich 1! a hatrick by Grant Holt!

Weirdest country fact: Everyone looks the same. The first day we arrived we managed to spot our taxi driver from the previous day over 14 times. People don't seem to try and distinguish themselves here any either. Where is the creativity and personal style?

Number of pictures taken of me holding a Lamb in a hat: 6!

Number of times lambs in hats became a subject of conversation: 74

Number of times lambs in hats conversations were attempted to be changed by Xss: 70

Number of words in Spanish that sound like you are speaking Portuguese with a lisp: All of them.

Number of Portuguese words that Spanish speakers admit to understanding: 0

Number of posters using western slim white models: 7 million and 43.

Number of posters or adverts with shorter stockier more Peruvian models: 1

New thing learned: When everything is always changing around you, it highlights what things are important. Funnily enough i didn't know i liked Starbucks as much as i do, or that I'm interested in running a hotel\hostel of my own (watch this space), or that Xss´s family is so important to me (i cant wait for them to come see us in Thailand), or what good, dependable friends i have in True and Tx, (Miss you both) or that i like themed restaurants and hotels, and things are always better when a canine companion comes along. I also realise that i love our tea culture and now that Xss drinks coffee, i am excited that we might be able to just sit and have hot drinks together in our house and just talk. I love that.

UNCP score: 139.3

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Chile Evaluation 216.7

Chile

Likes wonderfully clean Santiago, Starbucks ' i know its the same everywhere but it tastes better after a 3 month withdrawal), the flatness of Santiago contrasted with the glorious mountains surrounding it, Hostel Casa Roja a wonderfully restored old spacious building), steaks, cerro something park, crisp warm but not too hot sunshine all the time, free museums on Sundays, the number of EMO kids (and adults) walking around Santiago has a good taste in music, public snogging (even the adults) snogging is fun.

Dislikes: Valpariso, the way Americans pronounce Chileans, having to leave after 5 short days, very public snogging - i mean really, again, do you have to snog each time your eyes meet?, Men urinating everywhere with no attempt to turn away or shield my eyes from their manhood.

Sunrises missed from slumber: 5

Places visited: Santiago and Valpariso

Number of times i wanted to come home: 0!

Favourite Hostel Casa Roja. see their website for great pictures, and we even managed to make friends with their staff!

Traveller achievements being asked if i had checked a backpack onto our flight, still not brushing my hair, only having one pair of shorts since losing the other ones somewhere, Xss being complimented on his ripped jeans, always replying 'what's the cheapest' when presented with several options, being pally with hostel workers, throwing away clothes that i need to make my bag lighter but keeping impractical thing like the knife and fork i brought with me.

Favorite memory Walking home from climbing tired but very satisfied. See previous blog entry.

Worst Day VALPARISO. Why is this crap town a UNESCO world heritage site? on a par with Macchu Pichu? Smelly, dirty, teeming with nothingness. Don't go. We went on the bus 2 hours each way and only managed to spend 2 hours there, and that's only because it was such a long walk back to the bus station after searching for a reason to be there!

Favourite new food\drink pure pineapple juice. Why don't we do this in England. Fruit, in a blender. simples and great.

Best\worst noise: The Australians going to bed at 6am at Casa Roja after the cricket.

Worst\best smell: The intestines that accompany burgers on all the stands on the way to a football match (which we couldn't get tickets for), think tripe left out in the sun with some vomit stirred in for good measure.

Best Norwich Victory: Signing Henri Lansbury on loan from Arsenal!

Weirdest country 'fact': Potatoes cost about 10p in the shop, but in a restaurant it costs 4 pounds for a side of chips. This is 4 times more than a bottle of coke, why?

Times people looked at me like i was a unicorn walking down the street (Blonde's really do exist): 7,598

Number of Imodium instants left: 3 out of 12

Number of people in our marriage that need a haircut: 2

Number of six packs being maintained in our marriage: 1

New things learned: Having so much time to think about things whilst travelling, this revelation has been a long time coming. If you dress in your boyfriends clothes it doesn't make you sexy, if you still do your make-up and hair nicely then wear his clothes, then that's sexy. Since i don't do my make-up or hair, that's why i don't look like the girls in the magazines when i wear an over sized t-shirt or boy jeans, i just look like a boy.

Country score: 216.7

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Brazil Evaluation 187.25

Brazil

Likes quality graffiti on all wall available, the friendly people who tell you when to get off the bus even though you haven't asked, lots of salt in the food, the way the mountains and cities integrate, the beaches in Morro de Sao Paulo, spending loads of time with Xss, doing physical work daily, getting a tan, having the satisfaction of having learn`t Portuguese well enough to communicate with others, listening to Ailtons long stories up in the forests after having raked all the trails (all in Portuguese so i couldn't understand a word of it, but obviously very funny stories judging by his chuckles), multipart handshakes which prove that you like someone.

Dislikes the ant war on humans, screaming children having tantrums about stupid things frequently, the dogs barking (for no reason) at 4am on the veranda outside my room, getting a fungal pattern from crappy hostel sheets on my back which looks pretty but is ruining my tan, no Starbucks in all of Brazil,

Sunrises in Brazil missed by me lazing in bed 103

Places visited Rio de Janeiro, Paraty, Ilha Grande, Belo Horizonte, Ouro Preto, Itabiritu, Salvador, Morro de Sao Paulo, Foz de Igazu.

Number of times i wanted to come home 2 (Once following a serious ant attack and once after we seemed to be spending all our time away planning our next hostel so we could then find another hostel)

Nights spent in strangers houses 4

Favourite hostel Ailton`s pousada in Morro de Sao Paulo. Two stories with our own hammock on the private veranda and a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, real juice, bread, cake and coffee.

Pirate experiences achieved posing with a parrot on my arm, seeing a pirate ship flying the jolly roger, eating at Pirates Pizza restaurant, and staying in several place that pirates used to pillage.

Times Xss got annoyed with me talking about Pirates 17

Favourite memory playing monopoly (which i won) with Ali, Paddy, Hafa, Marcus, Claire and Xss in the farm communal kitchen. (is that really sad) or the waterfalls in Purto Igassu -absolutely amazing.

Worst day One of the days when i failed to help anyone on the farm by following Ailton around holding things that didn't need holding, like a 5 year old who insists on helping and really hinders.
Favourite new food/drink Brigadiro (cocoa powder and condensed milk rolled into balls around a strawberry)

Worst smell The smell in `poo room` in Salvador. seriously.

Best/worst noise: Someone shouting `Almoco` (lunch) when you are sweating away at physical labour in the hot sunshine knowing you will have an hour in the shade to rest and chat.

Best Norwich City Victory 3-0 away at Bristol City.

Weirdest country 'fact' Rio`s Metro system is actually partly a bus system that goes along normal roads. You have to go down to buy tickets then surface again to get on a normal bus that isn't any quicker than a normal bus meaning that you have even less time in the Botanical gardens when you leave the hostel at 4pm and it closes at 5pm.

Days Xss wanted to be a plaid shirt and army boot wearing punk 0 :(

New thing learnt There is a time for everything (Ecc 13) a time to be sad, a time to be happy, a time to sunbathe and a time not to, a time for rain and one for sunshine. Enjoy each time you have as all have benefits and soon enough your`ll be on the other side wanting the old time back.
Country score: 187.25