Monday, April 18, 2011

Northern Territory

Wow.. we've been driving for 2 days, but we're finally "here"- sort of. The roads out here are SO straight, and SO long. The speed limit is 130. With the exception of cattle, other travellers and road trains (Which are 50m long transport trucks) there is nottttttttthing to see.

We're in Alice Springs right now. We're driving to Kings Canyon and Yulara today. We're going to do some hiking and site seeing and picture taking. The next few days we're going to Uluru and Kata Tjuta and Docker River where Sharpie lives. It's pretty crazy out here, reminds me a little of Northern Ontario.

Computer is dieing, but I've posted some pictures on facebook.

<3

Magnetic Island (Townsville)

After Airlie Beach we drove to Townsville. I really wanted to go skydiving but for various reasons (mostly $$) I didn't end up going. Instead we rented jetskis and did a tour off Magnetic Island. It was amaaazinggg!! The tour was 1.5 hours and we got to go around pretty much the whole island and went out to sea. We saw a few sea turtles which was really cool.

The jet skis were SO fast.. the guy said they could get up to 80km/hr.. I only got it up to 50 and I was holding on for dear life. My voice was definetly hoarse from all the screaming, it was so fun.

Magnetic Island is gorgeous, I would like to go back there for a week and lounge around at the hostel they have there. There are a lot of places in Aus that have hostels that you can stay and work 3 or 4 hours a day and get a place to stay and dinner. If (when) I come back here I might do that for a while.. get to enjoy the town where the hostel is and it's basically free.

I'm trying to post some pictures on facebook of the jet skiing and everything else that's been going on lately!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Fraser Island, Airlie Beach

Met up with Sharpie on Monday and we drove to Hervey Bay in her truck. We found a campsite to stay at for the night and caught the earliest barge on Tuesday morning for Fraser Island. Sharpie had never driven off road, and her car had never been off road either. It was AWESOME!! The first bit was really muddy and bumpy and we were bouncing all over the place. The rest, and the majority of the trip was on the beach right on the ocean. It was so gorgeous. We wanted to fit everything in one day- which we did. We did the Champange Pools which are cool fresh water pools in the rocks right on the ocean, Indian Head which is a lookout over the beach and the ocean. Eli creek which is like a big fresh water lazy river surrounded by trees.. it was cool to just lay in the creek and it pushed you down stream. Lake Wabby, another fresh water lake that was surrounded by sand dunes and we also went to Lake McKenzie which was crystal blue and had the whitest sand.
At night we stayed at a campsite called Central Station- we slept on top of the car which was pretty neat. We caught the earliest barge back to the mainland Wednesday morning and then gave Sharpie's car a good clean. The salt water from the driving is horrible for the car so we had to do a good job.
We drove to Airlie beach that day- almost 900 km so we didn't get there till late. We pitched our tent in a campsite and left early in the morning so we didn't have to pay! (We're trying to do everything on the cheap)
We found a great park in Airlie that had an outdoor shower so we finally got to shower after a few day without. We aired out our tent and everything as well. Made me feel a lotttt better!
Then we drove to Shute Harbour and rented Sea Kayaks from Salty Dog Sea Kayaking. We kayaked out to White Rock and did some snorkeling there although the water was a bit murky. Then we paddled over to South Molle Island and hung out on the beach, looked at coral and did some swimming. We camped on South Molle Island for the night and got eaten alllivveeeee by noseeums. I managed to keep my face fairly covered with my sleeping bag but Sharpie didn't. She has red bites all over her face, and we both have them all over our bodies. Stay tuned on facebook for pictures- they're funny! We paddled back early this morning (we're early risers I guess) and we're in Airlie Beach right now. I'm doing some laundry and catching up on some e-mails. We're driving to Townsville today which is only 3.5 hours. We're going to do some more snorkeling tomorrow and look at going skydiving! I think I'll be able to convince Sharpie to jump with me.
The weather has been gorgeous... 27 degrees and no clouds. I can't believe I only have one week left- the time has gone by so fast. But it's been amazing.

I'm looking forward to the next week, a lot more adventures I'm sure. Miss everyone at home, love you.

<3

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Spot X, Australia.



I'm back from my weekend of surfing.. it was AMAZING! The place we went is called Spot X- it has hostels, campground, cabins and teepees. The beach is gorgeous, really big and had great beginner waves.

We got a bus from Brisbane on Friday night and got there late Friday. Our surf lessons were Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. Surfing reallllyyy takes it out of you; between the waves, the sun, getting thrown around and trying to actually surf- it's definitely a good workout.

On Sunday I managed to catch a few unbroken waves which was really exciting! To learn you start on the broken waves, the white part and then you move up to the more green, unbroken waves. It's hard to judge the waves sometimes and a few times they broke on top of me, or made me nose dive and spun around in the wave. Nothing wakes you up better than a few nose dives into the ocean.

Saturday night there was a big party, the theme was Gender Bender- the boys had a great time putting on make up and dresses... reminded me of theme dinners at camp. There was also a great live band that played during the night. It was a lot of fun.

The weather was GORGEEOUSSS! The forecast wasn't great but it was hot and sunny all weekend. It was a nice change from the rain that has been around for the last few days.

The surf school took a whole bunch of pictures and I some but the way it works is you go online and look at them all and then chose the ones you want. There are a lot of pictures to go through so I wont have them up for a while.

Sharpie flies into Brisbane today! I'm looking forward to the second half of my trip with company! It's another sunny, beautiful day- I hope it stays like that for the rest of the trip! :D

<3

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay.



Last few days have been amazing!
After Newcastle I drove to Coffs Harbour. I stopped in Port Macquarie for a coffee- they have some gorgeous beaches there, I really liked that town.
Was my first time driving in the dark here, I was realllly scared of the kangaroos. I saw one on the side of the road- he stared at me and I told him not to jump out... so he didn't. I got to Coffs late so I found a parking lot and slept in the truck. The back seats fold down and I have a mattress so it's actually quite comfortable. It'd be ideal if I was 2 inches shorter but what can you do. I explored Coffs in the morning, it had nice beaches but other than that not much that I could see.
After Coffs I drove to Byron Bay. I've been looking forward to Byron this whole trip- everyone I've talked to said I'd love it. And I did.
I stayed at the craziest hostel- if you can even call it a hostel. I would call it more of a backpackers squatting ground. The whole thing is fenced in, and has some shared dorms and a big camp ground. It's like a huge tent city where some people live for months. They can work doing cleaning and stuff and then they don't pay for accommodations. There are big, tropical birds everywhere (that CAW loudly day and night) and big iguanas that I always worried about stepping on.
It rained at least 2 times a day and then all night everyday I was there. Luckily it was usually pretty nice for the part of the days that I was actually doing things. It rained sooo hard at night it usually woke me up- either that or the loud birds.
The first day I did a surf lesson and LOVED it. I got up a bunch of times and didn't hurt myself- very successful. Loved it so much I booked a weekend trip that takes me to a place called Spot X- at Arrawarra Beach. I'm supppperrr excited to spend the weekend surfing on the beach.
Today I just layed on the beach and did a little souvenir shopping. I got my first sunburn.. I'm very red and splotchy.
I'm now in Brisbane with my friend Renee.. I'm going to explore the city tomorrow and then I'm off on my surf adventure at night. I come back Sunday afternoon and then Sharpie gets to Brisbane Monday afternoon. We'll start our drive North on Monday afternoon. I think first stop is Hervey Bay/ Fraser Island.
I can't wait to have a travel buddy- travelling alone was cool at first but now I'm looking forward to having someone with me.. You can only take so many pictures of scenery and yourself!

Miss you all.
<3

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Newcastle, NSW.

Was back to Sydney last night- stayed with one of Sharpie's friends.. I left this morning for Newcastle. I was definitely nervous at the beginning, the whole left side of the road thing. But once I started I realized it's really not that much different. I took the scenic route, along the pacific highway. It was really nice. I'm staying with another Aussie friend from Alberta.

The weather today was SO gorgeous.. probably 25. I stopped at a beach on the way up to Newcastle. I went for a run barefoot- it was awesome. And then I saw in the ocean for a bit. I probably looked hilarious because every time a piece of seaweed touched my legs I freaked out! I'm definitely going to have to get over my fear of seaweed if I want to learn how to surf.

I'm heading up to Coffs Harbour tomorrow... will find a place to camp- hopefully near the beach. It's supposed to be really nice again tomorrow.

Still having an amaaaazing time! Miss everyone.

<3

Friday, April 1, 2011

Melbourne.

Leaving Melbourne today, decided to stay an extra day because I had to finish a paper for my online course that's worth 45% and I knew I wouldn't finish it if I didn't have proper internet and a place.

Melbourne is awesome, it's a very trendy, busy, diverse city. I explored downtown a lot, saw the big, old library and the Eureka tower. Took the train and the trams. On Thursday I decided to trek to the beach because I haven't really done the beach since I've been here. Sean dropped me off at a tram stop and said I'd go through the city and then to the beach. I was on the tram for 30 minutes when I finally got to the city.. and then they announced what stop we were at. The beach was stop 147, we were at stop 3. In 30 minutes I had gone 3 stops. I hopped off the tram because I didn't want to spend all day on it and probably get lost anyways. So I roamed around downtown more and watched a bunch of comedy acts- there's a comedy festival on here.

Last night we went to Crown casino and went bowling. I met Sean's work friends and did pretty poorly at bowling. The high point was when I got a spare.

I'm back to Sydney today, picking up Sharpie's car and then heading up. I think tonight I'll stay in Newcastle with my friend from Alberta. Then my plan from there is:
Newcastle to Coffs Harbour (Sun night)
Coffs Harbour (Mon/ Tues night)
Brisbane (Wed/ Thurs night)
Surf Weekend that I was supposed to do this weekend (Fri/ Sat)
Meet up with Sharpie (Sun)

Those plans are pretty loose because I may find a cool place to stay on my way up. I have all the stuff I need in Sharpie's car to go camping but I might stay in a hostel one night to meet some fellow travelers.

Having a great time, enjoying the weather. Looking forward to getting my road trip started!

<3

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The rest of Tassy and Melbourne.


Chris and I half way up Mount Wellington, Tasmania.


Yesterday was my last day in Tassy, Chris and I went to the MONA- the museum of old and new art (or something like that) it was crazy!! There were so many different kinds of art, like a transport truck that got driven into the museum.. they said it was to make you realize "life size" (or something like that). There was also a maze that ended in a room that had a mirror on the roof. Chris and I almost had a heart attack when we looked up because it looks like someone is coming down onto you.

After that we drove to south Tassy and did the Tahune Air Walk. It was really nice. We walked about 50 meters in the air in a gorgeous National Park forest. The trees were amazing, SO big.

Then he drove me to the airport where I flew to Melbourne. My friend Sean who I met when I worked in Alberta came and picked me up. He lives in a gorgeous house in Yara which is a suburb of Melbourne (I think). He had uni today so I took the train downtown Melbourne and walked around the shops and did a lot of people watching. Melbourne is a cool city with a lot of different people.

Tonight we're going to go to where he works which is a bowling alley/ bar.. Sean doesn't have uni tomorrow so he's going to take me around to some of the tourist attractions.

Weather was beautiful this morning, I went for a run along a river that's behind Sean's house. It has been threatening rain for a while but nothing yet. Hopefully it's not waiting for when we go out.

I fly out Friday back to Sydney where I start my roadtrip north. Apparently some of the roads are still flooded but hopefully everything will be dried out by the time we get up there.

<3

Monday, March 28, 2011

Glenorchy, Tasmania.

Chris and his new roomate picked me up at the airport yesterday morning in his roomies 1989 Toyota Corolla... it's a beauty. We drove to Port Arthur which is the main jail when Tasmania was a convict island. They used to ship excess convicts here from England. It was pretty cool- we went on a little boat cruise and watched a performance.

The drive was gorgeous- as is all of Tasmania. Beautiful forests, beaches and the ocean. The weather has been gorgeous the last 2 days- 21 degrees and sunny. I lucked out because people said it's been chilly and overcast the last few weeks.

Today we went to the winery and did some wine tasting and had lunch there. The winery is awesome- the owner is really into art so all the wine labels are works of art and there are a lot of really awesome pieces of art around the winery.

After that we drove up Mount Wellington and walked around the top. It's a beautiful view, you can see all around Tasmania. A few weeks ago my brother road his bike up the mountain- I can't believe it. It's a hiiiikeee to get up there! I definitely wasn't up for a huge bike ride today so the car was a good idea.

Tomorrow we're going to go to the museum at the winery- the winery is really cool so I'm looking forward to seeing the museum. Tomorrow night I fly to Melbourne for a few days, I've got a few friends there that I'll go visit and I might stay in a hostel for a night.

Hope everything is great at home.

<3

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sydney, Australia.

I have finally arrived!!

The flight was 14.5 hours but actually felt shorter than my Toronto to LA flight. I had an empty seat beside me and ended up beside 2 guys from Melbourne that I had been talking to at the gate. Having people to talk to made the ride go faster. I slept for a lot too, somehow managed to curl up on 1.5 seats and sleep although at one point I woke up and my entire leg was asleep because of the position I was in.

Sharpie picked me up at the airport yesterday and we drove up the coast to Sussex where her Mum lives. Her mum made us a really delicious Aussie BBQ with prawns and veggies! YUMMMM. I learned something that made me feel really stupid for not know before. Shrimps have heads- I learned this when I went to eat a shrimp from the BBQ and it's poor little eyes were staring at me. I'd always gotten them frozen and already de-headed. Sharpies Mum saw my reaction and she let me know that I just had to cut off the head and peel the shrimp. I think it might be a while before I eat shrimp again after that. Ew.

The coastal drive was gorgeous although it was realllly windy so it wasn't that warm. We drove through Woolongong and a bunch of other towns I can't remember. I saw my first kangaroo in the wild- it was amazing. They're so cute, they look like big bunny rabbits.

We drove back to Sydney for the night and I met all of Sharpie's friends. We went out in a place called Newtown- reminded me a lot of Toronto, a lot of bars and clubs and food places. Sharpie's friend got me an awesome stuffed kangaroo that you can see on my facebook. It's too bad that I only had one day in Sydney because of my flight delay but I'm gonna do all the sights at the end of my trip before I fly out.

I had another first yesterday- driving on the left side of the road. Definitely will take some getting used to. When I get back from Melbourne on Friday I'll pick up Sharpies car and start making my way up to Brisbane.. stopping in Newcastle to visit my friend and Byron Bay for some surfing?

Right now I'm at the airport in Hobart waiting for my brother and his roommate to come pick me up. It is GORGEOUS right now, I'm lying in the sun working on my tan. I don't know what the plans are for today- I picked up a bunch of tourist pamphlets but I'm sure Chris will know what to show me.

I bought an international calling card to try and call home but the only pay phone at the airport conveniently doesn't take this kind of calling card. I'm going to try and find one at a gas station sometime today.

Having a great time, can't wait for some sun and the ocean.

<3

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Making the Best.

Well.. I take back my thanks to Air Canada. Worst. Ever.

My flight from Toronto to LA was delayed for about 3 hours... the first hour was due to snow, the other hours was due to their mistakes- mixing up bags, computers breaking, bad customer service, etc. If it was just the weather delay I would have made my Sydney connection but instead I arrived in LA last night at midnight. I got off the plane hoping they'd put me on a red eye the next morning or something but turns out there is one flight to Sydney a day, at 1015pm. They booked me at the Holiday Inn and gave me 3 vouchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As if that makes up for the day I missed in Sydney.

Also, Sharpie flew from Ayers Rock to Sydney to surprise me and she had the whole weekend planned out. She didn't get my message in time and waited at the airport for three hours and then realized that I had missed my flight. She'll still be there for me tomorrow though which is awesome.

The flight I was supposed to have last night to Sydney I had an emergency exit row... I asked again when I got here and the lady said it was $120 upgrade. United Airlines... also now on the black list. I'm going to ask at the gate to see if they can do anything for me. I didn't really sleep last night so hopefully I'll be able to sleep for the whole thing.

I made 2 friends last night on the shuttle to the holiday inn; one from Oakville and one from Brisbane. We hung out today, went to Venice Beach and Beverley Hills. It was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun. I'm glad the layover day turned out well, it could have been way worse- could have been stuck in Chicago in the snow.

So now I board at 930pm LA time and my flight is at 1015pm... I get into Sydney at 650am Saturday. Today felt really weird, kind of like a dream and now I feel like my trip is over and I'm going home... but I'm definitely not. I can't wait to get to Australia!!

<3 <3

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Australia Bound.

Let the adventure begin.


I'm at YYZ right now.. was supposed to be flying from
Toronto to Chicago
Chicago to LA
LA to Sydney
but because of this awesome snow and my Chicago flight being delayed I'm now just flying
Toronto to LA
LA to Sydney

Thanks Air Canada!

So far things are working out well... I got an emergency exit row for my LA to Syd flight, although if I get my way I'll be flying first class! (haha) I figure I might as well ask because you never know... it happened last time. When I checked in this morning the guy said "oh mannnn that's a long flight, I was jet lagged for a week after that one" Thanks buddy. Hopefully not me!

I get to Sydney on Friday at 6:50 am... my friend Sharpie has one of her friends coming to pick me up. I hope she knows what I look like or has a sign...

I hope my bags get on the right flight.. the lady at the desk called and they said they did it but who knows!!

I'm enjoying free Wi-Fi here.. especially because now my flight is at 5:55pm instead of 3:00.

Probably wont have time to get on Wi-Fi in LA so I'll post when I get to Australia! I'm having a great time already and all I've done is sit in the airport.

<3