Beirut

Having grown up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, I spent a lot of my adolescences along the Canterbury-Bankstown line. Bankstown, Punchbowl, Lakemba, Belmore, Campsie, Canterbury, an ethnic melting pot of immigrant families. Thinking back to my high school days our group was the very definition of multiculturalism, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Filipinos, Cambodians, Burmese, Fijians, Greek, Iranians, Samoans, Lebanese, many more. The list reads like the Olympic Village roll call. Being exposed to the different people, led to exposure to the different cultures.

When you think of an Australian "Lebo", you can't help but imagine the stereotypical character. "Yallah" this, "Habibbi" that, terrible haircut, loud sports car. However growing up with so many Lebanese friends, I remember the gregariousness, the brashness, the humour, the unfiltered presence. So when Lebanon was floated as a possible destination for a bachelor's party. I was immediately on board.

The logistics of traveling from Hong Kong to Beirut is not an easy feat. Firstly, you need to take a 9-hour flight to Doha, followed by an interconnecting 3-hour flight from Doha to Beirut. However, once you arrive you can't help but fall in love with the city. A sun-kissed city, with constant civil war reminders. Serving amazing food and equally welcoming people. Bumped into the odd Australian Lebanese expat whilst exploring the city. Such a great four days abroad.

I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to travel to the Middle East. I'm also grateful that my group of friends make me laugh so much, the quickness, observational aptitude and general good vibes.

I also managed to check off one of my bucket list items, devouring an authentic Lebanese Kebab in the early hours of the evening after a night out drinking.

Tokyo + Halloween + Stag

Passed the exam. There's a certain satisfaction in not having to read through the material and instead jump on a flight to Tokyo for 24 hours. Ended up talking the 1 am flight on Saturday morning arriving in Tokyo at 6 am local time. Mental note, try to avoid this flight time at all costs.

I arrived into Narita with just a backpack, toiletries and the clothes on my back. The direct bus to Roppongi shuttled me into Tokyo in a short amount of time and I was checking in at 8:30 am. The Whatsapp group was littered with activity up until 7:40 am. Either they had a quiet night in or they had a late night back. Given this assemble it was highly probable that they have only retired to their hotels within the last hour.

Turns out, one person was awake, not awake early, but rather, still awake. It was was a friend who had flown in from New York and with my freshness and his jet lag, we hit up Tsujiki fish markets for breakfast. Checked into the room and heading straight to lunch and kick started the buck's party. What would follow would be a romp around Shibuya dressed up as Street Fighter characters and the buck dressed as a lone Chun Li. The Halloween romp was followed by a group dinner before we retreated to the hotel to reassemble for the club.

Headed back to the hotel to drop off some water before heading to Agaha. Only to fall asleep. I wake up propped up against my bed with a million messages along the same line "Where are you?", "Wake up", "Get here now". It was 4 am, I had flown in for one night and managed to sleep through the entire evening. I pulled myself out of bed to meet up with more stragglers at 6 am for some morning sushi. What a whirlwind 24 hours in Tokyo.

The Stag Party - Macao

You can always count on engagement announcements to tug the proverbial heart strings. For friends and family of the couple, it usually comes as no surprise with news of romantic proposals nothing but a formality. Once the wedding date has been cemented the last thing to be decided upon is the Stag, Bachelor, Buck Party. I often wonder who conceived the idea of the Stag. Was it the single man clinging on to his last moments of freedom or the friends standing at the departure hall of single life. It's been over 5 years since I had the pleasure of partaking in my first Stag party, and I can honestly say, that they only get bolder and more reckless as we get older. The entertainment become more outrageous, the costumes more demeaning. and the duration longer. However, this all correlates to more fun and more memories.

This trip would be no exception - the playground would be Macao, the theme would be Australian 80's sport stars and the highlight, the groom leaping off the world's tallest bungee. 5000 HKD would finance accommodation, travel, jacuzzi boozing, dinner, table at Cubic and group headbands. The ferry on the way home was not kind, provoking my already brittle stomach. Thank goodness for the "sea sickness" bag.

"Chan! Chan! Chan!" - Stag Party