My adventurous 20's

Now despite my sailing adventures as a child, I really knew very little about sailing, but I knew I wanted an adventure.  After I graduated Fashion College in 1992, I just wanted to go traveling.  I got amazing jobs in the Fashion Industry in Australia, and I did pattern making for local designers on my bedroom floor at night, to save up extra money to go traveling.  Here is a photo of me grading mens shirts on my bedroom floor.

 

Grading means that you make a size MEDIUM pattern into a LARGE, XL, XXL and so on.

 

It took me about 3 years to save up enough money for flights and life abroad.  Cristi and I went off on an adventure of a lifetime.  I was 23 and Cristi was only 19.   Just a few days ago my mum was saying "remember that day you flew out?" she talked about how she sat there in the airport sobbing and trying not to cause too much of a scene.  I clearly remember it too, only I knew in my heart that I was going for a LONG TIME.  I remember saying 5-10 years, but it turned out to be 16 years living overseas.  I had so many adventures.  First stop was to Bali.... here I am in some tiny deserted beach cove.

 

Here I am chilling in a hammock.  SO young and SO FREE.

Next we went to England where we were lucky enough to have a friend to stay with while we got settled in.  Here I am calling home to mum and dad - collect call of course!

Here I am standing on the Greenwich International Date Line.... my new boyfriend (the teddy bear) close by my side.

Next we bought touring bikes, packed up camping gear and set off to cycle Britain.  We spent a few months cycling around the Scottish Highlands, Ireland and England.  Here is my favorite photo of Cristi cycling downhill towards a castle.

I recall that our budget was 10 British Pounds a day.... we were so hungry from all the cycling, that we camped everywhere - preferably in a quiet paddock for FREE, so that we could spend more on food.  Here we are all set up in a lovely quiet English walled garden.

Here I am on some beautiful quiet English country road.

Here we are at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

Eventually though, my sisters bike was stolen, with all of her belongings on the back.  This was a real dampener to our trip, so we decided to get out of England.  We bought a cheap charter holiday to Egypt, and the next thing we were exploring the Valley of the Kings.  Here is Cristi at the Pyramids of Giza.

So young and SO FREE. We travelled around Egypt for a month or so, and then headed back north, through Turkey, Greece and Italy.  Here I am on some exotic Greek Island.  WOW, that is one place I would love to go back to.

After this I started getting tired of living out of my backpack, so I went back "home" to my friends house in London, to try to find a job, save some more money and get some normal back.

I ended up working in London for a company that was doing computerized pattern grading for all the big fashion houses of London.  Then I worked out in Egypt for a really big factory that was supplying British High Street stores with lovely Egyptian Cotton garments.  Such an amazing experience....

After Egypt I went to "experience" USA and ended up volunteering at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with some fellow Australian friends.  We had so much fun.  Our job was to drive the band members on golf buggies to their stage for their performances at the Village.  I was there when the bomb went off !  I heard it and then all the sirens going crazy.  I rushed to find a phone booth and call home.... "Mum, you will see on the news soon that a bomb has just gone off at the Olympics, don't worry, I am ok.... bye"

No wonder my mum has grey hair !