When all else fails, take photos of the Carillion.......

Every now and the the planets align and you have a weekend schedule that consists solely of drunken debauchery. Saturday just gone was one of those, involving two movie themed events.

First up was the sequel to the fridge to fridge held earlier this year, this time called 'A Fridge Too Far' - with the theme of 'South of the border'.

By far the best thing about themed events is the variations on the theme. We had everything from Victorian footy players to Nacho Libre and Mexican gardeners/maids. I had only found out about the event that morning, so a t-shirt with 'I (heart) the DMZ' scrawled on it had to suffice (having just returned from S.Korea it seemed quite timely).

The first of the events for the day was a traditional Pinata smashing. Those hoping for edible treats were sorely disappointed as my last swing emptied the horse of sex toys and red chillies!

Then soon enough it was time for us to own the roads on the way to the next venue.

Almost immediately we were ordered to consume Tequila, lemon and salt - one of those mixtures that almost immediately make me feel nauseous, too much tequila as a teenager maybe! 

Following this appetiser was the nacho eating competition. Memories of last event came flooding back, only last time it was cream pies. The idea of the game was to divide into four teams and consume the nachos using no hands. Luckily most of us have free medical in case of communicable disease.....

Back on the road to the next stop, the smallest balcony in the world!! Drug running was the name of the game as we conducted relays through the hallways packing bags of mysterious white powder. We left before the drug squad arrived and headed  Southside to the grass bowl on the lake.

More hilarity ensued as we ran relays across the bowl scoffing bowls of chilli and sculling Corona. In more reasonable circumstances the chilli would have been very enjoyable, however, being force fed before sprinting 50 metres and sculling Corona didn't leave much time to enjoy.

Some unexpected entertainment came in the form of countless bogan wedding processions queuing up for package photos in the nation's capital. Every now and then a 'Stand Off' would occur, so much for a unique and special day, especially when 30 costumed drunks decide to crash your little celebration!!

It was getting late in the evening so I had to forgo the last stop and head home to get changed for the next event - Rum Luck - this time themed with a 50's summer cruise ship dress code.

White linen and summer dresses abounded, along with much gin and a very well stocked cocktail bar.

Such a great and contrasting way to end the day, what a great day.

A nine hour flight saw us landing in New York. I have always wanted to visit the city but really had no idea of what to expect. I was immediately in awe!

The thing that most immediately hit me was the way every body on the busy streets (in cars, taxis, on foot and on bicycles) interacted with very little friction. The movies always portray the city as being full of rambunctious taxi drivers and crazy pedestrians, making the city look like any other city metropolis; but the truth is that cars, peds and bikes all co-exist as by way of some kind of common conciousness. Maybe I was just there on a good day but it really impressed me and made me feel at home in a way that only cities like Tokyo, Copenhagen and London have in the past.

On top of this good news was the individual culture of the city, unlike that of the America I had seen in the media, it really is a world in itself and I began to understand the story I had once read of a woman who was born on Manhattan 84 years ago and has never left.

A weekend of exploration took us to all of the usual tourist sites - Cantral Station, Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, China Town, a couple of Navy ships and of course Ground Zero.

I spent Sunday roaming Central Park and its surrounding museums and galleries. It is one of the most amazing portions of the earth I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. The highlight had to be MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), I'm thinking of taking long service leave just so that I can come back and see it all! Luckily, my day of searching was easily fueled by hotdogs and gyros - street vendors are something we really need back in Oz.

Our final destination was Las Vegas. Again, I had no idea of what to expect other than lots of bright lights and lots of loud drunk cashed up (or down) Americans. I was pretty much on the money.

Las Vegas really is an assault on the senses. Walking down the strip you are constantly surrounded by bright lights, street shows (such as the Pirate Battle pictured at Treasure Island), bars and explicit advertising for everything from hot babes to lawyers or guns.  Such a place really isn't my thing, but this didn't stop me from  making the most of what will probably be the only time I'll ever visit.

The highlights for me were  Cirque Du Soleil  and our visit to  the engineering marvel which is  the Hoover Dam (of course the sandwich with four different kinds of meats was quite impressive, the only sandwich that has ever defeated me!!).

Finally, the lost photos, believed to be from the last night of the trip.....in Vegas......found on my point and shoot.....hmmmm

According to witnesses, fish bowl sized drinks and Tim's yearning to win every cocktail auction at the bar, resulted in some fun times.

The last day was spent in Las Angeles. I didn't get to experience a whole lot of the place but did enjoy a huge final supper at Venice Beach.

Even though the trip was officially a work trip, I arrived home feeling well rested. The work acquaintances we made actually added to the fun of the trip as they were the local knowledge we needed to experience the real side of the cities we visited. We also spent many of our days in areas not part of the tourist trail, seeing the back-blocks of cities and eating and drinking with the locals. So next time you get asked if you'd like to go on a free trip around the world, why not say yes.........?

While I had been to the UK before, I had not experienced small town England. I must say, the small town of Farringdon was a huge surprise. Such a beautiful and quaint town that never ceased to leave me in wonder about its history and never left me without a pint of beer. Amazingly, in a town of 500 people we discovered five pubs!

Our second night out was spent in Oxford. This university town was full of busy pubs, somewhat less quaint, but a great night out all the same.

We arrived in Paris in the evening and decided to head out for some night time sight seeing. Paris is one of those tourist destinations that allows you to walk from attraction to attraction in no more than a few hours. The next morning we did it all again, with bright sun and blue skies.

We visited the Louvre and although the art was as brilliant as I had expected, I found the hoards of people photographing every second exhibit oddly just as interesting. Poor Mona, she must be flash blind by now.

One of the endearing features of the city is the Cafe/bar culture that encourage people watching by situating the seating along the footpaths with all chairs facing outward after lunch. My kind of town.

The highlight you ask? Watching The Moulin Rouge. Not the best show I have seen by a long shot, but its important to remember that is was never meant to be polished to the level of a broadway show - just lots of boobs and the one and only Can-Can. Definitely one for the 'to do before you die' list (if you have a spare $300!!!).

Aaaaah, beer. Lots of beer. One litre at a time beer. Barmaids that show you respect once you're on your fourth litre of beer beer. Traditional Bavarian pork-knuckle with beer. Beer at Augustiner. Beer at Spatenhaus. Beer with pretzels and music at the Hofbrauhaus. Beer at the Weisses Brauhaus. Aaaaah, Munich.

Sometimes luck is on your side. This year I was blessed with an opportunity to circumnavigate the world, visiting seven country in 25 days - for free. (Hate messages can be sent via the 'contact' section of the page). For your enjoyment I have selected a few of the thousand or so photos I took, enjoy.

The odyssey started in Japan, which hadn't changed a bit since I was there just over a year ago. The people were still some of the friendliest you'll find, the food was still as delicious and fresh as ever, and Tokyo was just as much fun.

We did the usual eating, drinking, shopping and sight seeing. The highlight had to be the tiny little bar we found in Akihabara. It was decorated with vinyl album covers and had one of the best beer selections I've seen. The barmaid was more than willing to recommend her favourite brews and didn't disappoint. According to the locals who spied our line of beers, we were tough Australians and they were weak Japanese who would fall over after three beers. None of them hung around long enough for us to find out!

Soon enough it was off to Seoul, in the Republic of South Korea. Unfortunately, we had planned the trip in the wrong order as it was hugely disappointing to travel from Tokyo, an Asian city of such fun and friendly people; to Seoul, a busy, dirty and infinitely less friendly city. The one consolation was that I had spontaneously become a millionaire, in Won.

Even so, Tim and I eventually found Rodeo Street; according to the locals, the young and hip part of town. We were there early in the week so the bars were quiet, but our initial opinion of Seoul gradually softened as we discovered the friendly side of life in Korea.

And of course, the three days we spent there were fueled by Korean BBQ dinners. I have had them before but once I had learned how to devour the feast traditionally I found it much more satisfying, and addictive!