So we left Queenstown and headed to Christchurch for two nights - A fun city with small town feel the whole town is situated around a gorgeous cathedral! They have a tram system, a central park and lots of unique/artsy stuff! We went to the art center where you can chat with artists and watch them at work in their studios and hung around the park and a few funky, trendy bars down some decorated alleys.
Then we headed to Kaikoura - awesome! It's the East Coast with snow-capped mountains pretty much running right up to the coast line. I went swimming with dolphins in the ocean and it was one of the neatest experiences! We take a boat out and all became dolphin spotters - in the end we swam with 3 different pods! One of the pods had a couple hundred dolphins - there were dorsal fins all over the surface plus they like to show off so they were jumping and doing flips and somersaults. Sometimes the dolphins would zip past you and other times they were curious and you could swim circles with them or dive down together - it was so neat to be with an animal in their complete natural habitat.
Now we are in Wellington! The country's capital! A funky place it has been a gorgeous sunny day and we enjoyed a festival in the park, the huge free museum and just got done from listening to Christmas carols in teh park - it didn't feel right to be listening to Christmas carols on a picnic blanket in jeans and a t-shirt! haha
Tomorrow we head to Taupo and I'm just about home - weird! And exciting! Talk (and see) you all soon!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
And then I threw my body into a canyon :)
Greetings from Queenstown! It has been so much fun here! A quaint city on the lake surrounded by more of those darn mountains!!
As promised I did a bungy!! The second highest in the world (go big or go home, right?) It was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done and the coolest most surreal thing ever too! I did the Nevis High Wire - it was a small wire between two peaks with a launching station hanging in the middle - you take a little pod the station and then wait to jump out of it 134 meters (440 feet) towards the rocky river bottom! The freefall is 8.5 seconds and absolutely mad! The scariest thing was waiting the pod and watching all the other jumpers but it was a rush and if anyone wants a good laugh I had to purchase the DVD and would love to laugh at myself with you :)
I just got back a few hours ago from the Milford Sound. This sounds sort of dweeby but it was so beautiful and vast that it was quite powerful. The Fiordland National Park is the size of New Jersey and is layer after layer of mountains reaching 4,000-6,000 feet with cascading waterfalls around all sides of them. The rivers are incredibly blue, the trees deep green and little penguins and seals swim around! We went on a boat cruise, a hike and a kayak in this phenomenal place! We also went to the one little pub in the town of 250 people (the staff that run the outlet) and it was a Movember party so we enjoyed chatting and laughing with the locals who all had grown mustaches throw November as a fundraiser for men's health.
Now tomorrow we are headed to Christchurch and making our way over the next few days back to Auckland before I grab a plane back home - it's crazy to think this chapter in my adventure of life is coming to an end but I'm so excited to share pictures and details and hear about everyone's adventures that I've missed out on!
As promised I did a bungy!! The second highest in the world (go big or go home, right?) It was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever done and the coolest most surreal thing ever too! I did the Nevis High Wire - it was a small wire between two peaks with a launching station hanging in the middle - you take a little pod the station and then wait to jump out of it 134 meters (440 feet) towards the rocky river bottom! The freefall is 8.5 seconds and absolutely mad! The scariest thing was waiting the pod and watching all the other jumpers but it was a rush and if anyone wants a good laugh I had to purchase the DVD and would love to laugh at myself with you :)
I just got back a few hours ago from the Milford Sound. This sounds sort of dweeby but it was so beautiful and vast that it was quite powerful. The Fiordland National Park is the size of New Jersey and is layer after layer of mountains reaching 4,000-6,000 feet with cascading waterfalls around all sides of them. The rivers are incredibly blue, the trees deep green and little penguins and seals swim around! We went on a boat cruise, a hike and a kayak in this phenomenal place! We also went to the one little pub in the town of 250 people (the staff that run the outlet) and it was a Movember party so we enjoyed chatting and laughing with the locals who all had grown mustaches throw November as a fundraiser for men's health.
Now tomorrow we are headed to Christchurch and making our way over the next few days back to Auckland before I grab a plane back home - it's crazy to think this chapter in my adventure of life is coming to an end but I'm so excited to share pictures and details and hear about everyone's adventures that I've missed out on!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
From the North to the South
Well, I'm not really sure if anyone is still reading this but here's a quick update! We travelled from River Valley through to the South Island, it's just a beautiful 3-hour ferry ride. We have been travelling down the West Coast which has left me gazing out the window in awe every day. We have passed through some awesome mountain passes with huge snow-capped peaks and driven by rivers and lakes with the most amazing blue water falling from the top. Sometimes you look at the peaks and it is a vastness of green and then you see a cascading waterfall or little stream running down it, quite cool.
We've done a ton in the last few days but here's a few highlights...
- Went climbing up Franz Josef Glacier! It was fun to climb up the peaks and through small spaces and all over hundreds of tonnes of clear blue ice surrounded by rainforest on either side. Quite a neat display of nature.
- Been enjoying a lot of family meals :) A group of about 10 of us have become really close and been cooking together in the hostel kitchens most nights (it's so much cheaper and a ton of fun) I've learned a lot about England, Scotland and Canada since that's where the posse is from! It's been great to be in a new country and learning about places from all over the globe!
- Went on a jet boat ride on the Bull River! Pretty awesome boat with wicked power - we were doing 360's and swerving around cliffs!
- Lots of cool walks to see waterfalls of all shapes and sizes and gorgeous beach fronts with various rocks and blowholes.
- Poo Pub Party, a Kiwi Experience tradition it is a huge theme party with our bus at these pub and hostel in the middle of no where, our theme was bright and tight...I rocked some aluminum foil knickers, slightly uncomfortable but definitely creative (and cheap!)
- Been to some goofy tourist attractions like a museum dedicated to the possum!
Well, my internet time is just about clocked out! But loving my time and getting pumped because we head to Queenstown tomorrow - labeled the adventure capital of the world!!! My next entry will probably say something about a sweet bungee :)
We've done a ton in the last few days but here's a few highlights...
- Went climbing up Franz Josef Glacier! It was fun to climb up the peaks and through small spaces and all over hundreds of tonnes of clear blue ice surrounded by rainforest on either side. Quite a neat display of nature.
- Been enjoying a lot of family meals :) A group of about 10 of us have become really close and been cooking together in the hostel kitchens most nights (it's so much cheaper and a ton of fun) I've learned a lot about England, Scotland and Canada since that's where the posse is from! It's been great to be in a new country and learning about places from all over the globe!
- Went on a jet boat ride on the Bull River! Pretty awesome boat with wicked power - we were doing 360's and swerving around cliffs!
- Lots of cool walks to see waterfalls of all shapes and sizes and gorgeous beach fronts with various rocks and blowholes.
- Poo Pub Party, a Kiwi Experience tradition it is a huge theme party with our bus at these pub and hostel in the middle of no where, our theme was bright and tight...I rocked some aluminum foil knickers, slightly uncomfortable but definitely creative (and cheap!)
- Been to some goofy tourist attractions like a museum dedicated to the possum!
Well, my internet time is just about clocked out! But loving my time and getting pumped because we head to Queenstown tomorrow - labeled the adventure capital of the world!!! My next entry will probably say something about a sweet bungee :)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Reporting from 50m below ground through 2000m above!
I love New Zealand :) Everyday brings about new adventures, new friends, new randomness - it's great!!
We spent a day in Rotorua - there are a lot of thermal springs there and it is the center of Maori Culture (the native people of New Zealand) The whole town smells of sulfur from the hot springs but besides that it's a neat place. We went to a Maori culture experience. We went to one of the villages and they performed a traditional meeting of two tribes, showed us around the village, performed traditional dances and prepared a huge hangi (feast). The food is cooked from hot rocks in a sort of underground stove.
We then headed to Waitomo! Along the way we saw a sheep shearing show - pretty fun, hick comedy. Upon arrival a few of us went on a walk and stumbled upon a random park that has motel rooms in old airplanes, planes and railcars and Billy Black, the owner, chatted with us. HE has the world record for sheep shearing - 675 in one day!!
The next morning I went on the Black Abyss! We got all done up in goofy wet suits, helmets, and boots and abseiled down a thin tunnel into a cave - we abseiled 40m! It was so cool and you really had to trust yourself. We spent three hours underground exploring the glow worms, rafting in the cave, climbing waterfalls, crawling through tiny holes, swimming, etc. It was an incredible, unique experience.
Then we headed to Lake Taupo! A lake filled with dolphins and big enough to fit all of Singapore! We woke up at sunrise and headed to Tongariro National Park and went on the Tongariro Crossing - it is voted on of the world's top 10 walks and with good reason! The walk takes about 8 hours and goes through volcanic ground - craters, volcanic rocks, some snow parts, beautiful mountains all around! A few of us went off the main path and climbed part of hte summit to the top of the Volcano - it was so steep and red and smokey - way cool! It was a tiring day though!
Now we are in River Valley! A quite little lodge surrounded by a few big cliffs - super peaceful and awesome! On the way today we went on a couple of walks and saw some gorgeous waterfalls and one 20 footer that we were able to jump off. And I'm proud to say I was one of 8 people who took part and the only gal :) It was definitely an extreme form of cliff jumping and I loved it!
Wow, it's amazing how quickly these entries get long! I know there are so many more things I'm missing but there is a general idea of how awesome this place is! I'm really glad to be here with Kiwi Experience too - the conversations with people from around the world are great, the random bus singalongs, silly inside jokes/experiences that we all share together is pretty neat!
Well, hugs to everyone! See you soon and I will try and update again soon too! We are off to Wellington tomorrow and then headed to the South Island!
We spent a day in Rotorua - there are a lot of thermal springs there and it is the center of Maori Culture (the native people of New Zealand) The whole town smells of sulfur from the hot springs but besides that it's a neat place. We went to a Maori culture experience. We went to one of the villages and they performed a traditional meeting of two tribes, showed us around the village, performed traditional dances and prepared a huge hangi (feast). The food is cooked from hot rocks in a sort of underground stove.
We then headed to Waitomo! Along the way we saw a sheep shearing show - pretty fun, hick comedy. Upon arrival a few of us went on a walk and stumbled upon a random park that has motel rooms in old airplanes, planes and railcars and Billy Black, the owner, chatted with us. HE has the world record for sheep shearing - 675 in one day!!
The next morning I went on the Black Abyss! We got all done up in goofy wet suits, helmets, and boots and abseiled down a thin tunnel into a cave - we abseiled 40m! It was so cool and you really had to trust yourself. We spent three hours underground exploring the glow worms, rafting in the cave, climbing waterfalls, crawling through tiny holes, swimming, etc. It was an incredible, unique experience.
Then we headed to Lake Taupo! A lake filled with dolphins and big enough to fit all of Singapore! We woke up at sunrise and headed to Tongariro National Park and went on the Tongariro Crossing - it is voted on of the world's top 10 walks and with good reason! The walk takes about 8 hours and goes through volcanic ground - craters, volcanic rocks, some snow parts, beautiful mountains all around! A few of us went off the main path and climbed part of hte summit to the top of the Volcano - it was so steep and red and smokey - way cool! It was a tiring day though!
Now we are in River Valley! A quite little lodge surrounded by a few big cliffs - super peaceful and awesome! On the way today we went on a couple of walks and saw some gorgeous waterfalls and one 20 footer that we were able to jump off. And I'm proud to say I was one of 8 people who took part and the only gal :) It was definitely an extreme form of cliff jumping and I loved it!
Wow, it's amazing how quickly these entries get long! I know there are so many more things I'm missing but there is a general idea of how awesome this place is! I'm really glad to be here with Kiwi Experience too - the conversations with people from around the world are great, the random bus singalongs, silly inside jokes/experiences that we all share together is pretty neat!
Well, hugs to everyone! See you soon and I will try and update again soon too! We are off to Wellington tomorrow and then headed to the South Island!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Jump Out of A Plane - CHECK!!!
Hello from New Zealand!!!! I have been here for a little over three days now and it is amazing! Every corner you turn is lush green hills and bright turquoise water that looks like it was painted onto a canvas with perfectly white, fluffy clouds!!
I'm travelling with the Kiwi Experience bus which so so cool! Basically, it is like grown-up, adrenaline-pumped summer camp! Our bus is bright green and carries about 30 of us, most of the passengers are young 20's to early 30's. Lots of Europeans, a couple Canadians, Adam and I from the states and an occasional Kiwi/Aussie swinging through. Anyways, most people are on teh same route and same time frame as me so we will be traveling together for the next few weeks! It has been so fun playing silly road games, having random chats, walking around new cities, etc with 30 new friends - and you learn so much about so many places then too!
Our first stop was to the Bay of Islands - absolutely gorgeous. We took a ferry to Russel Island and did a great bush walk to a lookout point of the ocean and islands. The next morning I woke up to a perfect sky and WENT SKYDIVING!!!! SO AWESOME!! I loved it! THe flight was stunning and the fall so cool! We jumped from 12,000 feet and freefall for about 45 seconds. And then floated to the ground - the whole thing was about a 25 minute plane ride in the smallest, crammed plane and a 5 minute fall to the ground. We heard is was the prettiest and cheapest spot to dive in new Zealand so we started the trip with a bang!!
Now we are in Mercury Bay! We went to Mt. Eden today and spent the night with family of Adam's in Auckland - which is a cool city because it is surrounded by 48 volcanoes! Anyways, we travelled for quite a while today and our bus brokedown for about two hours so we all ended up in a random pasture playing frisbee and getting to know each other! haha, it's all part of the roadtrip adventure! Tomorrow we head to Rotorua and have some experiences with the Maori culture!
I'll try and update this as time goes! Thinking of you all!
I'm travelling with the Kiwi Experience bus which so so cool! Basically, it is like grown-up, adrenaline-pumped summer camp! Our bus is bright green and carries about 30 of us, most of the passengers are young 20's to early 30's. Lots of Europeans, a couple Canadians, Adam and I from the states and an occasional Kiwi/Aussie swinging through. Anyways, most people are on teh same route and same time frame as me so we will be traveling together for the next few weeks! It has been so fun playing silly road games, having random chats, walking around new cities, etc with 30 new friends - and you learn so much about so many places then too!
Our first stop was to the Bay of Islands - absolutely gorgeous. We took a ferry to Russel Island and did a great bush walk to a lookout point of the ocean and islands. The next morning I woke up to a perfect sky and WENT SKYDIVING!!!! SO AWESOME!! I loved it! THe flight was stunning and the fall so cool! We jumped from 12,000 feet and freefall for about 45 seconds. And then floated to the ground - the whole thing was about a 25 minute plane ride in the smallest, crammed plane and a 5 minute fall to the ground. We heard is was the prettiest and cheapest spot to dive in new Zealand so we started the trip with a bang!!
Now we are in Mercury Bay! We went to Mt. Eden today and spent the night with family of Adam's in Auckland - which is a cool city because it is surrounded by 48 volcanoes! Anyways, we travelled for quite a while today and our bus brokedown for about two hours so we all ended up in a random pasture playing frisbee and getting to know each other! haha, it's all part of the roadtrip adventure! Tomorrow we head to Rotorua and have some experiences with the Maori culture!
I'll try and update this as time goes! Thinking of you all!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Change of Plans...
If you hadn't heard, my plans have changed a bit. It was a very personal choice and after a lot of thought I very clear see that the people in my life are my number one priority and that I have an amazing life back home that I don't want to keep on hold for 8 months. I have lots of time for adventures and experiences but people aren't around forever and I want to be able to make memories with those I love while I can.
So, I'm headed to New Zealand tomorrow!! And then hopping on a backpacker bus to see everything the two islands have to offer!
The last few days in Mosman Bay have been great - a lot of work and a lot of wine and BBQs around the pool. The cafe has been such a fun place to work - the Greek family that runs it is hilarious, one of the owners, Steve wears sunglasses all day and flirts with all the old ladies (who leave red lipstick marks all over their coffee mugs, haha) It's been fun chatting with the regulars and when the day gets long, I just gaze across the street at the beautiful Balmoral Beach :)
Well, this was quick but just wanted everyone to know my new plans! And I'm off to work at the Mosman Hotel now! XOXO
So, I'm headed to New Zealand tomorrow!! And then hopping on a backpacker bus to see everything the two islands have to offer!
The last few days in Mosman Bay have been great - a lot of work and a lot of wine and BBQs around the pool. The cafe has been such a fun place to work - the Greek family that runs it is hilarious, one of the owners, Steve wears sunglasses all day and flirts with all the old ladies (who leave red lipstick marks all over their coffee mugs, haha) It's been fun chatting with the regulars and when the day gets long, I just gaze across the street at the beautiful Balmoral Beach :)
Well, this was quick but just wanted everyone to know my new plans! And I'm off to work at the Mosman Hotel now! XOXO
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Bali - A Mini Novel
There is so much to say about Bali but I'll try and keep it to the highlights! I just got off the plane a few hours ago and I'm so glad that despite the travel warnings and all I decided to go on this 10-day holiday! It was a completely different experience than Australia and I learned so much being completely on my own - I really enjoyed it and 10 days was the perfect amount of time.
After a little bit of drama getting off the plane (I didn't realize you needed $25 to enter the country and naturally I had like $15 cash on me, a super nice guy from Northern Oz loaned me the money and ended up being a great source of friendship throughout the trip) His name was Mark and it was his 12th trip to Bali so he knew tons of the locals and gave me lots of great advice and taught me how to surf!!! I surfed about every other day and by the end I was able to paddle onto waves and stand up and coast them in, well, most of the time! haha, surfing was a lot of fun tho - a great workout and the water there was awesome. Plus, you end up having lots of cool little chats with people while waiting for the next waves!
I took a day with a driver to travel around the island - I went to the volcano, saw a traditional dance, went to the holy springs temple, the elephant cave temple, silver factory, woodcarving shop, the tobacco/coffee/tea farm (I may have rolled some Bali tobacco and tried my first cigarette...but it is so filled with herbs and more natural substances that it tasted more like a swisher sweet). I also went to the Uluwatu temple at sunset one night - it is filled with monkeys! You can sit down right next to them or walk through swarms of them! The temples are all really beautiful and very sacred to the people - you have to be covered to the ankles and they have many different rules about who can enter - basically you have to be clean and not crazy. I saw a few different ceremonies and traditional dances that were really beautiful - bright, colorful costumes and loud music. They take ceremonies very seriously and will cook huge, elaborate meals.
I took a Balinese cooking class while I was in Ubud - they spend so much time on their meals because everything is made so fresh. They chop and grind fresh spices and herbs and vegetables to make amazing curries and salads - they are all about balancing sweet, spicy, salty and sour - you really can taste all 4 in just about every dish. The food was so good and so cheap - you pretty much never paid more than US$2 for a meal.
I spent 3-days and 2-nights in Ubud, which wasn't enough. It is the hippie village more in central Bali. There is tons of silver jewelry, arts and crafts, jazz music, monkeys roaming the streets and lush rice terraces. I went to the most amazing restaurant one night, Sari Organik. I had to take a motorbike about 1/2 mile out into the rice terrace - it was the smallest, curviest path ever and I was sure we were going to tip into the streams on either side of us. But the we made it to the elevated hut - there was a huge vegetable garden and everything they made was fresh from the garden! So good!!!! In Ubud I stayed in a bungalow, so I'm thinking it is going to be a little like roughing it - WRONG! I had this great little cottage and breakfast was brought to me on my verandah every morning!!
The people of Bali were incredible - the most friendly people ever. I was asked multiple times a day if I wanted a Balinese boyfriend, haha, when I told them I had a great boyfriend in Minnesota they said that was okay, I said I thought he might mind tho :) But, they were also inquistive about your name, where you were from, how you were doing, how many times you've been to Bali. And they wouldn't forget any of it and the next time they saw you, you were greeted with a hug or goofy handshake. One of the older guys told me, you come to Bali and you are never alone because we are all brothers and sisters here and it truely felt that way.
It was such an interesting place because it was tourism meeting third world - there were so many clear examples of both. It is a surfers paradise but there are lots of lush resorts and then lots of locals living in tarp huts, a ton of chaotic traffic - it really never matters what side of the road you are driving on, or heck, if you're a motorbike you might be riding on the sidewalk! You are constantly being hassled to eat here, or look in my store - or if you are on the beach - buy pinneapple, or a massage or get a pedicure, or buy these sunglasses. If I had the bag space I would have probably bought a ton because they have incredible deals and some really neat things! That being said, I apologize, this trip won't be bringing back much, if any, souveniours because I have to carry them and worry about them for far too long! Sorry!
I spent another day at the Safari and Marine Park which was pretty cool - I took a picture holding an orangutan and a tiger and volunteered during the elephant show and an elephant walked right over me! I also spent a day out on a large tender boat and we went to three different snorkel spots - it was the most colorful coral and so shallow so you were able to see a lot - and we brought bread with us so at one point I was feeding and surrounded by hundreds of fish! But my underwater camera decided to break at this point so I'm a little bummed about that...but taking lots of mental pictures, haha! We also stopped at a seaweed farming village!
I realize this is a long entry but it seriously only skims the surface of Bali! I met amazing people - locals and travelers alike and I'm so glad I took advantage of seeing this part of the world! Hopefully I'll have pictures soon and I will be able to share more stories with you all! This seems good for now! Lots of love all around!
Oh yes, and after those rough ten-days I went to the spa before catching my plane - I spent three-hours getting pampered for US$15 - aw :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Weekend Wonders!!
I thought I'd get off a quick post before I head to Bali in 11 hours!! HOORAY! I'm not really sure what the internet situation will be there - I'm spending a few days on the coast and a few in the jungle in a bungalow so we'll see!
This weekend was more fun with friends! I love being comfortable here and having people who call you up and inside jokes and all - it's a cool feeling!
Nathan and I went to Bondi Beaches sculptures by the sea on Friday - it was so neat! There were over 100 sculptures all along the ocean pathways. Nathan is one of those guys that says hello and starts conversations with EVERYONE so we ended up chatting with a couple who live in Cali for awhile and a couple girls from Chile - I love all the people you randomly meet when traveling!
We stopped by some of one his mate's flats on the way back, he is stockbroker and lets say the situation isn't any better here -it's amazing what a domino affect the US economy has on the whole world.
Saturday Nate and I started the day with a paddle on his doubles kayak! It was great, besdes the part where I got knocked over by a wave in two-foot of water while I was holding the kayak and Nate had to rescue me because I was trapped under it, yeah I looked like an amateaur! But it we went by a nude beach which was hilarious (way too many old, overweight men) and then went by the south headpoint where the ocean meets the harbour. Then I rode the Manly ferry over to met Adam - the harbour was filled with sailboats, it was beautiful! It was a gorgeous day and we went to the top of Oz tower (it's the same height as the eiffel tower!) Saturday night we did a little pub crawl in The Rocks followed by meeting Ed for some karaoke! (I guess karaoke is becoming a weekly tradition - I'm of course very okay with this :)
Today I worked at the cafe! It is a fun, family-run place that is super cozy - everyone knows everyone and srikes up chats openingly - Australians are giving Minnesota a run for its money on the whole Minnesota nice thing :)
This weekend was more fun with friends! I love being comfortable here and having people who call you up and inside jokes and all - it's a cool feeling!
Nathan and I went to Bondi Beaches sculptures by the sea on Friday - it was so neat! There were over 100 sculptures all along the ocean pathways. Nathan is one of those guys that says hello and starts conversations with EVERYONE so we ended up chatting with a couple who live in Cali for awhile and a couple girls from Chile - I love all the people you randomly meet when traveling!
We stopped by some of one his mate's flats on the way back, he is stockbroker and lets say the situation isn't any better here -it's amazing what a domino affect the US economy has on the whole world.
Saturday Nate and I started the day with a paddle on his doubles kayak! It was great, besdes the part where I got knocked over by a wave in two-foot of water while I was holding the kayak and Nate had to rescue me because I was trapped under it, yeah I looked like an amateaur! But it we went by a nude beach which was hilarious (way too many old, overweight men) and then went by the south headpoint where the ocean meets the harbour. Then I rode the Manly ferry over to met Adam - the harbour was filled with sailboats, it was beautiful! It was a gorgeous day and we went to the top of Oz tower (it's the same height as the eiffel tower!) Saturday night we did a little pub crawl in The Rocks followed by meeting Ed for some karaoke! (I guess karaoke is becoming a weekly tradition - I'm of course very okay with this :)
Today I worked at the cafe! It is a fun, family-run place that is super cozy - everyone knows everyone and srikes up chats openingly - Australians are giving Minnesota a run for its money on the whole Minnesota nice thing :)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Aussie - Mosman Style
Well, the last few days have been really fun - I've felt like a true Aussie in some ways because I'm living with two flatmates, working a bit, just hanging out, using a lot of public transportation, etc.
I'm staying with a friend Nathan and his flatemate Juls. They are two super funny, quirky guys. Nathan is 34 and a financial consultant and works for himself so he has been spending a lot of time making sure I'm fairly entertained and helping me find work which has been really nice. We pretty much spend most of the day laughing at the ridiculous things the other says - he is now a big fan of the words creeper and punk and likes to call cars rides now. He is an eccentric guy - the butt of all his friends gay jokes - He owns a very small dog, wears shirts that are too tight and too short, loves sex and the city, eats a lot of chocolate, listens to love dedication radio, etc. If that list doesn't say enough clearly Nathan and I have a lot in common and it's been nice to have a friend around!
I went with him and some mates to a fun little mediterranean restaurant and Ed's birthday was the other day so he had a bunch of us over and made pizzas - it is really fun to just sit around the table and have every day conversation because that's where you notice the fun, little cultural differences.
I also have begun doing a little bit of working - I'm basically a busser and food runner at Mosman Hotel - a fun place that a lot of younger people visit and it stays busy so time goes fast there. At a lot of restaurants here you order at the bar, grab your number, seat yourself and then your food is brought to you and if you want a refill you get up and get it yourself. So there isn't really a wait staff persay. A couple things at the restaurant made me laugh - the cigarette cartons are filled with nasty pictures of decayed teeth and lungs but a lot of Aussies still smoke (although they just passed a no indoor smoking act as well). The kitchen of the restaurant was filled with Asian workers compared to the states where in my experience it has always been Mexican.
Anyways, I guess this entry is getting long pretty quickly so I'll leave it at that! The weather has been up and down here this week so that's been unfortunate and we are hoping to go sailing on the harbor this weekend so cross your fingers for nice weather! And then in only two more days I'm off to Bali!!! WOW!
I'm staying with a friend Nathan and his flatemate Juls. They are two super funny, quirky guys. Nathan is 34 and a financial consultant and works for himself so he has been spending a lot of time making sure I'm fairly entertained and helping me find work which has been really nice. We pretty much spend most of the day laughing at the ridiculous things the other says - he is now a big fan of the words creeper and punk and likes to call cars rides now. He is an eccentric guy - the butt of all his friends gay jokes - He owns a very small dog, wears shirts that are too tight and too short, loves sex and the city, eats a lot of chocolate, listens to love dedication radio, etc. If that list doesn't say enough clearly Nathan and I have a lot in common and it's been nice to have a friend around!
I went with him and some mates to a fun little mediterranean restaurant and Ed's birthday was the other day so he had a bunch of us over and made pizzas - it is really fun to just sit around the table and have every day conversation because that's where you notice the fun, little cultural differences.
I also have begun doing a little bit of working - I'm basically a busser and food runner at Mosman Hotel - a fun place that a lot of younger people visit and it stays busy so time goes fast there. At a lot of restaurants here you order at the bar, grab your number, seat yourself and then your food is brought to you and if you want a refill you get up and get it yourself. So there isn't really a wait staff persay. A couple things at the restaurant made me laugh - the cigarette cartons are filled with nasty pictures of decayed teeth and lungs but a lot of Aussies still smoke (although they just passed a no indoor smoking act as well). The kitchen of the restaurant was filled with Asian workers compared to the states where in my experience it has always been Mexican.
Anyways, I guess this entry is getting long pretty quickly so I'll leave it at that! The weather has been up and down here this week so that's been unfortunate and we are hoping to go sailing on the harbor this weekend so cross your fingers for nice weather! And then in only two more days I'm off to Bali!!! WOW!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Adventures of a 23-year-old...
Hello! Well, the birthday weekend in Hunter Valley was great! It is a beautiful part of the country - rolling green hills, lots of huge stables, vineyards everywhere! The Valley has over 100 wineries!! The tour we were on took us to four, each was very different...Our first stop took us to Draytons, a family run winery that has been in the valley for 155 years (probably the oldest), our second stop to Rosemount one of the larger wineries that exports to over 100 countries, the third stop Lucy's Run (named after the owners dog) which only makes 600-800 cases a year so is very small - the also made delicious olive oil from their olive trees! The fourth stop was Macquariedales, a biodynamic winery that does everything based on the schedule of the moon - they are all organic. Each winery was really cool, and very tastey!
We then headed back to our hostel (which was a cozy family fun home). We made pizzas in the stone oven that night and then walked to the local pub, Potters, were we sang and danced the night away to karaoke! Although I just met everyone (except for Adam) that night they made sure I had a great birthday! I celebrated with a few aussies, a couple consultants from London, a couple from Ireland, a German and a bachelorette party that was also at the bar. It was a unique birthday but very fun.
Then on Sunday Adam and I rented a couple bikes and went around the national park and to the zoo in the Hunter Valley, okay, we didn't actually go to the zoo - we biked around the fence and were able to see all the wallabies, dingos, ostriches, emus, etc as if we were paying customers :) We then biked (well I biked - Adam walked his up the hill ;) to the Hunter Valley Gardens where they have lots of fun little shops and such. Yesterday, we went with Tina (a really cool 40-something year old who was staying at the hostel - she was pretty inspiring talking about the importance of never burning out in life) anyways, she was headed out to one of the small coastal towns and we tagged along - every town is so beautiful here!
Now, I'm by Balmoral Bay staying with an Aussie friend Nathan while he is between flatmates! If you hadn't heard, the nanny thing didn't work out for me - it was fun to be submerged with a family but a little tough being on someone else's schedule 24/7 and the family was nice but I didn't always appreciate how they treated me. So I'm looking for a waitress gig around here and in the meantime I'm all confirmed to head to Bali on the 27th for ten days!! I'm so excited to experience something completely different from here or the states! Should be cool!
Hmmm, I know I'm missing stuff but this seems long enough for now! Miss you all so very much!
We then headed back to our hostel (which was a cozy family fun home). We made pizzas in the stone oven that night and then walked to the local pub, Potters, were we sang and danced the night away to karaoke! Although I just met everyone (except for Adam) that night they made sure I had a great birthday! I celebrated with a few aussies, a couple consultants from London, a couple from Ireland, a German and a bachelorette party that was also at the bar. It was a unique birthday but very fun.
Then on Sunday Adam and I rented a couple bikes and went around the national park and to the zoo in the Hunter Valley, okay, we didn't actually go to the zoo - we biked around the fence and were able to see all the wallabies, dingos, ostriches, emus, etc as if we were paying customers :) We then biked (well I biked - Adam walked his up the hill ;) to the Hunter Valley Gardens where they have lots of fun little shops and such. Yesterday, we went with Tina (a really cool 40-something year old who was staying at the hostel - she was pretty inspiring talking about the importance of never burning out in life) anyways, she was headed out to one of the small coastal towns and we tagged along - every town is so beautiful here!
Now, I'm by Balmoral Bay staying with an Aussie friend Nathan while he is between flatmates! If you hadn't heard, the nanny thing didn't work out for me - it was fun to be submerged with a family but a little tough being on someone else's schedule 24/7 and the family was nice but I didn't always appreciate how they treated me. So I'm looking for a waitress gig around here and in the meantime I'm all confirmed to head to Bali on the 27th for ten days!! I'm so excited to experience something completely different from here or the states! Should be cool!
Hmmm, I know I'm missing stuff but this seems long enough for now! Miss you all so very much!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fireworks!!
Just a quick update because I'm not sure I'll be able to for a bit after this because I'm headed to Hunter Valley for my birthday weekend!! That's where all the wineries are! I'm pretty excited to sip on wine and relax all weekend - kids are exhausting, haha.
I had my first driving lesson on the other side of the road yesterday! It was a bit weird to drive on the other side of the road plus have everything in the car on the wrong side of what I was used to. And Drew (nanny dad) was sitting co-pilot so I felt super embarrassed when I turned on the wrong side (only once), kept turning on the wiper instead of the blinker, and pretty much running over the curb just about every few seconds! haha, I'm sure it was a sight!
On Sunday night my Aussie friend Luke was working a fireworks gig with his tugboat. People (rich people) hire Pyro Oz to put on a firework show somewhere on the water close to wherever their event is being held. So, pyro oz loads up a big barge with fireworks and Luke pushes it to the spot with his tugboat! It was so fun to be out on the harbour at night and listen to the waterways on the radio. The show was great! $12,000 worth of fireworks for Louise's 50th bday! And it was so cool to be literally right next to and under the fireworks - they were so loud and bright and I was told I looked like a little school girl looking up and smiling the whole time!
Well, that's a quick update but the kids are finally sleeping and its been one of those days so I'm ready for some relaxing!
I had my first driving lesson on the other side of the road yesterday! It was a bit weird to drive on the other side of the road plus have everything in the car on the wrong side of what I was used to. And Drew (nanny dad) was sitting co-pilot so I felt super embarrassed when I turned on the wrong side (only once), kept turning on the wiper instead of the blinker, and pretty much running over the curb just about every few seconds! haha, I'm sure it was a sight!
On Sunday night my Aussie friend Luke was working a fireworks gig with his tugboat. People (rich people) hire Pyro Oz to put on a firework show somewhere on the water close to wherever their event is being held. So, pyro oz loads up a big barge with fireworks and Luke pushes it to the spot with his tugboat! It was so fun to be out on the harbour at night and listen to the waterways on the radio. The show was great! $12,000 worth of fireworks for Louise's 50th bday! And it was so cool to be literally right next to and under the fireworks - they were so loud and bright and I was told I looked like a little school girl looking up and smiling the whole time!
Well, that's a quick update but the kids are finally sleeping and its been one of those days so I'm ready for some relaxing!
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Land of Oz!
It has been a busy week and I've loved being back close to the city again! The kids have been alright but this nanny gig is getting a little tiring and the mom is a bit of a nut case...It is all kind of killing my adventure so I'm up in the air about it right now and trying to figure some things out (like a trip to Bali ;) Super excited!!! Just reevaluating what I want to get out of my trip a bit!
I've spent a lot of time enjoy the beautiful cliff walks at Watson's Bay (evidentally at the fish and chips place I've run by the last week Bill Clinton, Danny DeVito, and Jack Nicholson have been spotted many times!!) Now we are in Roseville (ironic huh?) which is in the North suburbs. We are staying with the another family member for a couple days before heading back to Kiama.
One of the Aussie guys we befriended the other night took me out which was so fun! It's been surprisingly challenging to met Aussies because most of the backpackers tend to be European! His name is Luke and he is 25, owns a tugboat and walks around in barefeet 90% of the time. He is so nice and loves showing off his country to me - it's pretty funny. He works pushing barges around the harbor with his tug and spends his sparetime surfing and bushwalking. He picked me up on his dad's harley the other night which was pretty fun to be zipping through Sydney on (we went over the Harbour Bridge too which was beautiful!) and had a fun night out in Darling Harbour.
A couple days ago he picked me up and we went to the way Northern Beaches - It was gorgeous! It is off the beaten path and not very touristy. The colors are so vibrant and there is tons of huge rolling hills. We did a big cliff walk at Palm Beach that lead way up to this lighthouse - while sitting at the top we saw a bunch of whales - so cool! They are all migrating to warmer waters in Hervey Bay, they mate in the south and then head north. And there were huge things in the water that looked like gigantic shadows but were actually big schools of fish! We then grabbed some fish and chips and good ole Aussie beer at The Arms in Newport. And then met up with Adam and Richie at some backpacker bars in Sydney Central! It was great - by the time the night was done we had an Irish, an Englander, a New Yorker, a 'Sotan, a Californian, an Aussie, and a Swede all sharing a table (sorry about the late-night call dad - oops! haha)!
What else...I spent an afternoon at the infamous Bondi Beach - lots of fun little shops and a few tables filled with older folks playing dominoes. Went on a cool walk through a national park with the kids today - we saw so many neat birds, crazy bugs, turkeys, and lots of lizards!
Well I think that's enough of an update! Thinking of you all!
I've spent a lot of time enjoy the beautiful cliff walks at Watson's Bay (evidentally at the fish and chips place I've run by the last week Bill Clinton, Danny DeVito, and Jack Nicholson have been spotted many times!!) Now we are in Roseville (ironic huh?) which is in the North suburbs. We are staying with the another family member for a couple days before heading back to Kiama.
One of the Aussie guys we befriended the other night took me out which was so fun! It's been surprisingly challenging to met Aussies because most of the backpackers tend to be European! His name is Luke and he is 25, owns a tugboat and walks around in barefeet 90% of the time. He is so nice and loves showing off his country to me - it's pretty funny. He works pushing barges around the harbor with his tug and spends his sparetime surfing and bushwalking. He picked me up on his dad's harley the other night which was pretty fun to be zipping through Sydney on (we went over the Harbour Bridge too which was beautiful!) and had a fun night out in Darling Harbour.
A couple days ago he picked me up and we went to the way Northern Beaches - It was gorgeous! It is off the beaten path and not very touristy. The colors are so vibrant and there is tons of huge rolling hills. We did a big cliff walk at Palm Beach that lead way up to this lighthouse - while sitting at the top we saw a bunch of whales - so cool! They are all migrating to warmer waters in Hervey Bay, they mate in the south and then head north. And there were huge things in the water that looked like gigantic shadows but were actually big schools of fish! We then grabbed some fish and chips and good ole Aussie beer at The Arms in Newport. And then met up with Adam and Richie at some backpacker bars in Sydney Central! It was great - by the time the night was done we had an Irish, an Englander, a New Yorker, a 'Sotan, a Californian, an Aussie, and a Swede all sharing a table (sorry about the late-night call dad - oops! haha)!
What else...I spent an afternoon at the infamous Bondi Beach - lots of fun little shops and a few tables filled with older folks playing dominoes. Went on a cool walk through a national park with the kids today - we saw so many neat birds, crazy bugs, turkeys, and lots of lizards!
Well I think that's enough of an update! Thinking of you all!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Life at the zoo...
So Watson's Bay has been heaps of fun! It's so nice to have a beach down the street for the kiddos and fun city things to do! We went to the famous Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World Zoo!!! It was a great day! The aquarium is SO COOL! It sits in Darling Harbour (probably my favorite spot in Sydney) and the tanks are huge! They have all these tunnels with all 4 walls being glass so these huge sharks and stingrays are swimming all around you and amongst the coral and such. The stingrays are like twice as big as my arm span!
We also saw huge crodociles and they had some neat touch exhibits and ones with so many different fish! Then we were off to Wildlife World which was right next door! There they have the world's most venomous snakes and spiders, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emu, and all kinds of other little Aussie critters! It was great!
Saturday night I went out with the other nannies again in Bondi Beach! It was fun playing pool and we met some guys with big wallets so I had my first hard alcohol since I got here :) (It's way too expensive for me to buy it for myself!! haha) It's always neat to talk with locals and I love being able to be with people my age out and about!
Yesterday I had a couple hours off in the afternoon (a cherished few of the whole week) so went with Anja, and met up with Adam and a few new friends of his at Darling Harbour for the Latin Fiesta that was going on! One of the things I love about a big, vibrant city is that we walked around and went from the Latin Fiesta, to Chinatown, to Paddy's Market (a lot like midtown global market) to the museum of contemporary art that was featuring art using modern technology and another exhibit featuring an African artist! I also love using the ferries as a mode of transportation, so cool :)
Alright, I've gotta get back to work but wanted to give a quick update!
We also saw huge crodociles and they had some neat touch exhibits and ones with so many different fish! Then we were off to Wildlife World which was right next door! There they have the world's most venomous snakes and spiders, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emu, and all kinds of other little Aussie critters! It was great!
Saturday night I went out with the other nannies again in Bondi Beach! It was fun playing pool and we met some guys with big wallets so I had my first hard alcohol since I got here :) (It's way too expensive for me to buy it for myself!! haha) It's always neat to talk with locals and I love being able to be with people my age out and about!
Yesterday I had a couple hours off in the afternoon (a cherished few of the whole week) so went with Anja, and met up with Adam and a few new friends of his at Darling Harbour for the Latin Fiesta that was going on! One of the things I love about a big, vibrant city is that we walked around and went from the Latin Fiesta, to Chinatown, to Paddy's Market (a lot like midtown global market) to the museum of contemporary art that was featuring art using modern technology and another exhibit featuring an African artist! I also love using the ferries as a mode of transportation, so cool :)
Alright, I've gotta get back to work but wanted to give a quick update!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Life Down Under
I'm getting comfortable being here now which is pretty nice, I've got myself saying "I reckon" and "rubbish" without even realizing it :) Yikes! As I've said I'm living with a nice family and it has been great to eat well and have a bedroom all of my own!!!
I've learned some funny things from Justine in various conversations...the other day we are driving and she nonchalantly says, "Oh one of those yachts is Tom Cruises's! Or at least it was I know he was trying to sell it." In little Kiama in a small town harbor only a mile from my bedroom is Tom Cruise's yacht!! She said Drew has sailed with him before and she used to ride the bus to school with Nicole Kidman!! She said she was the snutty girl in school and they used to play little pranks on her! haha!
I've pretty much seen all of Kiama - it has two blowholes which are kind of fun and so many bluffs. Justine took me to meet her friends Rhonda and Randol too because Rhonda is from Pittsburgh, it was nice to talk to someone who is from America!! Her and Randol met backpacking through and she moved here and they have 4 kids now.
I'm trying to find somethings to do to fill my freetime - I popped into the local paper and I'm sending him writing samples so there might be an opportunity for some freelance writing and I popped into a Curves for Women gym and there might be an opportunity for me to help out there too - we'll see! But I really need to fill some of my time so I don't get bored and lonely in the little beach town!
We are now in Watson's Bay for the week which is great because there are actually people my age!! And it is beautiful - it is where Sydney Harbor meets the ocean! My run this morning was awesome all along these HUGE bluffs and by some cool lighthouses. Last night I went with two other nannies - a 20 yr old from Germany and a 25 yr old from Queensland and we played some pool at the corner pub. There was a big group of guys there who are in the navy and staying at the barracks just up the street so we went to their barrack bar! It was so nice to be social and fun to hear their stories from so many different places and they were gentleman - it's kind of cute, guys here call gals darling all the time, it makes me giggle.
Well, kids are running around so I should probably get to it! Miss you all!! Lots of Love!
I've learned some funny things from Justine in various conversations...the other day we are driving and she nonchalantly says, "Oh one of those yachts is Tom Cruises's! Or at least it was I know he was trying to sell it." In little Kiama in a small town harbor only a mile from my bedroom is Tom Cruise's yacht!! She said Drew has sailed with him before and she used to ride the bus to school with Nicole Kidman!! She said she was the snutty girl in school and they used to play little pranks on her! haha!
I've pretty much seen all of Kiama - it has two blowholes which are kind of fun and so many bluffs. Justine took me to meet her friends Rhonda and Randol too because Rhonda is from Pittsburgh, it was nice to talk to someone who is from America!! Her and Randol met backpacking through and she moved here and they have 4 kids now.
I'm trying to find somethings to do to fill my freetime - I popped into the local paper and I'm sending him writing samples so there might be an opportunity for some freelance writing and I popped into a Curves for Women gym and there might be an opportunity for me to help out there too - we'll see! But I really need to fill some of my time so I don't get bored and lonely in the little beach town!
We are now in Watson's Bay for the week which is great because there are actually people my age!! And it is beautiful - it is where Sydney Harbor meets the ocean! My run this morning was awesome all along these HUGE bluffs and by some cool lighthouses. Last night I went with two other nannies - a 20 yr old from Germany and a 25 yr old from Queensland and we played some pool at the corner pub. There was a big group of guys there who are in the navy and staying at the barracks just up the street so we went to their barrack bar! It was so nice to be social and fun to hear their stories from so many different places and they were gentleman - it's kind of cute, guys here call gals darling all the time, it makes me giggle.
Well, kids are running around so I should probably get to it! Miss you all!! Lots of Love!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
New gig and digs
So, things in Kiama are going pretty well - this family is so easygoing. They want me to feel very at home and have a really strong household. The kids are adoreable (Ashley - 4, Danielle - 2, and Hamish - 11 monthes) Australian accents on little kids is one of the cutest things ever :) I've enjoyed some beautiful runs along the bluffs and beaches...the kids wake up at 6 so the whole house does but I'm not really needed until 8 when Drew (the dad) goes to work so they are beautiful sunrise runs :)
I've enjoyed taking the kids on walks around town and then spent A LOT of time with their train track, inside the pink castle tent and singing Old MacDonald and Incy Wincy Spider to their singalong CD/Book - seriously, they can sing that thing a dozen times in a row.
The parents, Justine and Drew, and I have been learning a lot from each other - ex, last night I was telling a story and said during my sophomore year and Drew stopped me and said he always hears this expressions on movies and such but doesn't know what it means! Or I've learned a bit about the government, a lot about real estate (which is really low here too) since they are trying to sell the house and move into an apartment in Sydney in December.
All in all it's great for right now and it's really nice to be sleeping in a comfy bed, getting some good food and experience life with a family but I'm struggling a bit as a 22 (almost 23!) babysitter and that the adventure part of the trip has kind of stopped, but we are headed to Watson's Bay tomorrow to stay with her sister for a long weekend (this weekend is like their labor day) and there's been talk of going to the zoo or something since Watson's Bay is only about a half hour outside of Sydney. Once again, I'm just enjoying this experience one day at a time and thinking about all of you every day and wishing you were here!
I've enjoyed taking the kids on walks around town and then spent A LOT of time with their train track, inside the pink castle tent and singing Old MacDonald and Incy Wincy Spider to their singalong CD/Book - seriously, they can sing that thing a dozen times in a row.
The parents, Justine and Drew, and I have been learning a lot from each other - ex, last night I was telling a story and said during my sophomore year and Drew stopped me and said he always hears this expressions on movies and such but doesn't know what it means! Or I've learned a bit about the government, a lot about real estate (which is really low here too) since they are trying to sell the house and move into an apartment in Sydney in December.
All in all it's great for right now and it's really nice to be sleeping in a comfy bed, getting some good food and experience life with a family but I'm struggling a bit as a 22 (almost 23!) babysitter and that the adventure part of the trip has kind of stopped, but we are headed to Watson's Bay tomorrow to stay with her sister for a long weekend (this weekend is like their labor day) and there's been talk of going to the zoo or something since Watson's Bay is only about a half hour outside of Sydney. Once again, I'm just enjoying this experience one day at a time and thinking about all of you every day and wishing you were here!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Great Barrier Reef!
The venture to the reef was an experience in itself! A quick flight and an 18-hour bus ride and we were finally at Airlie Beach! The beachtown was fun and quaint but had some great harbor views and pretty much served as a port for people to get out on the WhitSunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef!
Our ship was a sailboat with 18 passengers and 3 crew – it was an experience and a blast! We were asked to help hoist sails or pull on lines or whatever was needed. The group was a hodge podge of backpackers , Adam and I were the only Americans and then we had some Scots, Irish, Hollanders, Germans, French and Belgium. It was pretty fun to talk to everyone about what kind of work and/or travel they are doing.
We spent the days in the water, hiking an island and sailing the seas! The nights were beautiful under an incredible blanket of southern hemisphere stars and we all sat on deck drinking goon (boxed wine) and chatting about our very differnet cultures and lives!
The reef was AMAZING! I had my first scuba dive! It was so cool and I can’t wait to do it again! There were four of us doing our first dive and I must say the other three were guys and just about backed out when they had the heavy tank and all the gear on – I jumped right in and couldn’t believe how fast time under the water went! It felt like I was in an aquarium with hundreds of fish of all colors and sizes all over! There were a few fish just slightly shorter than me! The reef is such a neat array of color and texture and it was so neat to be swimming around it and seeing it from all angles. We also spent a lot of time snorkeling which is great fun too!
Besides the dolphins that occasionally swam next to our boat I didn’t see any excpetionally cool sealife (ie no sharks or turtles)But it was still neat to see ocean fish that I haven’t seen before and to see them in the reef!
The reef wraps in an out of the WhitSunday Islands, they are a chain of 74 Islands (5 are habitated). One of them has the Hayman Resort on it – a place that costs $3000 a night! The Islands are lush green and look like rolling hills with perfect sand and the most incredible bluish-turquoise water, it looks just like any pictures you’ve ever seen! It was fun to sail around all of this beauty – however, on our sail back into port we had winds of 25 knots! We were all sitting on the deck, rolling about and wearing ducky rain suits because the waves were splashing up on deck – it was pretty cool! It was quite interesting to live as sailor for a few days – the small kitchen, bathroom, all the bunkbeds rocking you to sleep!
Anyways, I’m so glad I was able to get to the reef! Right now I’m on a train headed to Kiama and to start work as an Au Pair!! I’m filled with mixed emotions about this – I’m excited to have a bedroom and place to put my things and not live out of a backpack for a bit but the town is a little farther than I thought, 2.5 hours by train – however, it has been a beautiful ride thus far. We will see, the family seems really nice and it sounds like I will have some neat experiences with them and I will be spending less money and making a few bucks so that’s good! But the beauty of backpacking is nothing is in stone and I get to decide what I want to do it! Right now my new idea is looking into getting to Pacific Asia for a bit! Everyone raves about it and it isn’t far from where I am now so we’ll see! Alright, this entry got a little long! But it had been a week :) Hope everyone is well, I miss you all so much!
Our ship was a sailboat with 18 passengers and 3 crew – it was an experience and a blast! We were asked to help hoist sails or pull on lines or whatever was needed. The group was a hodge podge of backpackers , Adam and I were the only Americans and then we had some Scots, Irish, Hollanders, Germans, French and Belgium. It was pretty fun to talk to everyone about what kind of work and/or travel they are doing.
We spent the days in the water, hiking an island and sailing the seas! The nights were beautiful under an incredible blanket of southern hemisphere stars and we all sat on deck drinking goon (boxed wine) and chatting about our very differnet cultures and lives!
The reef was AMAZING! I had my first scuba dive! It was so cool and I can’t wait to do it again! There were four of us doing our first dive and I must say the other three were guys and just about backed out when they had the heavy tank and all the gear on – I jumped right in and couldn’t believe how fast time under the water went! It felt like I was in an aquarium with hundreds of fish of all colors and sizes all over! There were a few fish just slightly shorter than me! The reef is such a neat array of color and texture and it was so neat to be swimming around it and seeing it from all angles. We also spent a lot of time snorkeling which is great fun too!
Besides the dolphins that occasionally swam next to our boat I didn’t see any excpetionally cool sealife (ie no sharks or turtles)But it was still neat to see ocean fish that I haven’t seen before and to see them in the reef!
The reef wraps in an out of the WhitSunday Islands, they are a chain of 74 Islands (5 are habitated). One of them has the Hayman Resort on it – a place that costs $3000 a night! The Islands are lush green and look like rolling hills with perfect sand and the most incredible bluish-turquoise water, it looks just like any pictures you’ve ever seen! It was fun to sail around all of this beauty – however, on our sail back into port we had winds of 25 knots! We were all sitting on the deck, rolling about and wearing ducky rain suits because the waves were splashing up on deck – it was pretty cool! It was quite interesting to live as sailor for a few days – the small kitchen, bathroom, all the bunkbeds rocking you to sleep!
Anyways, I’m so glad I was able to get to the reef! Right now I’m on a train headed to Kiama and to start work as an Au Pair!! I’m filled with mixed emotions about this – I’m excited to have a bedroom and place to put my things and not live out of a backpack for a bit but the town is a little farther than I thought, 2.5 hours by train – however, it has been a beautiful ride thus far. We will see, the family seems really nice and it sounds like I will have some neat experiences with them and I will be spending less money and making a few bucks so that’s good! But the beauty of backpacking is nothing is in stone and I get to decide what I want to do it! Right now my new idea is looking into getting to Pacific Asia for a bit! Everyone raves about it and it isn’t far from where I am now so we’ll see! Alright, this entry got a little long! But it had been a week :) Hope everyone is well, I miss you all so much!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
My first weekend down under!
Saturday I went to Glebe Market! A little bit more hippie, laid back part of town! We then went to the fish market, once you got past the smell it was really cool! So many fish packed into display cases and tanks of water! We then went to Darling Harbour, my favorite harbour so far I think!
On a fluke the Maritime research vessel was parked there on its last of 7-days of free tours! Scientists apply for a grant to spend a month doing research on the ship! All of the tools they have for getting water and sand samples was pretty neat and to see the controls, labs, living quarters, etc.
I then met with the family I'm hopefully going to be nannying for! Just waiting on a few details to work out!
Otherwise I've been staying with a friend of a friend the last two nights (so far I haven't had to pay for any accommodations...granted, I spent a night on a hostel floor...) Ed and his dad have been so nice and hospitable! I went out with a bunch of his friends Saturday night to a birthday party at a club at a beach club! There was free food and drinks, I pretty much looked like American trash because I wore my nicest outfit (not saying much when you're backpacking) and inhaled all the food because it was free :) But, thery were all so nice and great to chat with!
The questions people ask is amazing...people are very concerned about the banks. They have heard it is just awful in the states, don't get me wrong I know things are bad but people here think we are starving left and right. They are also SO curious and anxious to talk about the elections! Who you are going to vote for, what americans think, what they think - they are very up to date with our elections! More so then a lot of Americans...
Anyways, after the bday party we went to a fun hole in the wall bar with some great karaoke! I've noticed Australians have a love for American 80's hits! But, I requested "Don't Stop Believin'" and they didn't have it :(
Sunday they took me out with for one of their surf-lifesaving trainings! They took me out on a rescue boat - it was so cool, like really intense tubing! They work as volunteers who patrol the beaches and then they also have competitions in everything from beach running to rowing to surfing! Their national competition is the second largest competition in the world in terms of number of competitors (behind the olympics)
They then took my to a view different incredible viewpoints that overlooked all the harbours, bays, city and the ocean. It is so beautiful here in so many different ways. They pointed out some neat history things - like a lot of different spots where in the 19th century the Aussies had made camp spots and were prepared for the US to raid them and take over the land. They also have a quarantine center where they used to migrants stay for 6-weeks when they first arrived. If they didn't break out they assumed they were okay - they tried very hard to keep this country free of imperfections.
Last night Ed and his dad made me a great dinner - fresh, delicious prawns :) And it was really neat talking to them about Australia and the way their government works (parliment, with a queen and appointed general)...they get a lot of benefits after three years so a lot of times the government will call early elections in order to get to them sooner but for the most part they tend to be well liked by the people.
As an aussie, being in the mining industry is the most wealthy. The mines fun 24, 7...It costs so much to fire up most of the equipment and there are always trains and ships waiting to be filled and exported - the mines are all up north and minerals is definitely australia's biggest export.
I said it doesn't seem like their are any problems here and they told me that is a problem itself - they are can be a bit of apathy (although so far everyone I've met works darn close to 7 days a week with at least 4 of those being 10-12 hour days). The are also dealing with figuring out how to handle a lack of water and a booming population that no one was prepared for.
Well, this entry got long! Sorry! I need to sleep - headed to the reef tomorrow :)
On a fluke the Maritime research vessel was parked there on its last of 7-days of free tours! Scientists apply for a grant to spend a month doing research on the ship! All of the tools they have for getting water and sand samples was pretty neat and to see the controls, labs, living quarters, etc.
I then met with the family I'm hopefully going to be nannying for! Just waiting on a few details to work out!
Otherwise I've been staying with a friend of a friend the last two nights (so far I haven't had to pay for any accommodations...granted, I spent a night on a hostel floor...) Ed and his dad have been so nice and hospitable! I went out with a bunch of his friends Saturday night to a birthday party at a club at a beach club! There was free food and drinks, I pretty much looked like American trash because I wore my nicest outfit (not saying much when you're backpacking) and inhaled all the food because it was free :) But, thery were all so nice and great to chat with!
The questions people ask is amazing...people are very concerned about the banks. They have heard it is just awful in the states, don't get me wrong I know things are bad but people here think we are starving left and right. They are also SO curious and anxious to talk about the elections! Who you are going to vote for, what americans think, what they think - they are very up to date with our elections! More so then a lot of Americans...
Anyways, after the bday party we went to a fun hole in the wall bar with some great karaoke! I've noticed Australians have a love for American 80's hits! But, I requested "Don't Stop Believin'" and they didn't have it :(
Sunday they took me out with for one of their surf-lifesaving trainings! They took me out on a rescue boat - it was so cool, like really intense tubing! They work as volunteers who patrol the beaches and then they also have competitions in everything from beach running to rowing to surfing! Their national competition is the second largest competition in the world in terms of number of competitors (behind the olympics)
They then took my to a view different incredible viewpoints that overlooked all the harbours, bays, city and the ocean. It is so beautiful here in so many different ways. They pointed out some neat history things - like a lot of different spots where in the 19th century the Aussies had made camp spots and were prepared for the US to raid them and take over the land. They also have a quarantine center where they used to migrants stay for 6-weeks when they first arrived. If they didn't break out they assumed they were okay - they tried very hard to keep this country free of imperfections.
Last night Ed and his dad made me a great dinner - fresh, delicious prawns :) And it was really neat talking to them about Australia and the way their government works (parliment, with a queen and appointed general)...they get a lot of benefits after three years so a lot of times the government will call early elections in order to get to them sooner but for the most part they tend to be well liked by the people.
As an aussie, being in the mining industry is the most wealthy. The mines fun 24, 7...It costs so much to fire up most of the equipment and there are always trains and ships waiting to be filled and exported - the mines are all up north and minerals is definitely australia's biggest export.
I said it doesn't seem like their are any problems here and they told me that is a problem itself - they are can be a bit of apathy (although so far everyone I've met works darn close to 7 days a week with at least 4 of those being 10-12 hour days). The are also dealing with figuring out how to handle a lack of water and a booming population that no one was prepared for.
Well, this entry got long! Sorry! I need to sleep - headed to the reef tomorrow :)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Oh Australia
So, I spent my morning passing out some fliers for a gym (ironically by a Hungry Jack - there version of Burger King) for a few bucks, haha, but since I'm still not over jetlag and I'm waking up by 5 on my own it worked out well! However, it has been nice going on runs every morning and seeing so much of the city in a shorter amount of time - oh, the joys of being a runner :)
I took my first ferry trip today - Sydney is so beautiful from every angle - the architecture and diversity in everything is awesome! We went out to Olympic Park, about an hour by ferry - it was really cool! But felt a little funny, kind of like the ruins, there was hardly anyone there and so many huge, well-built stadiums!
Tonight I was out in the Harbor a bit at a packed bar, the Opera House, it sits next to the Opera House (clever name, right?). The nights are beautiful and I think my favorite - the harbor looks incredible! I've been out to The Rocks a couple times now too which is really neat! I love that all the restaurants and bars are so unique and pop up out of nowhere sometimes - like the end of a pier or back of an alley or underneath a grocery store - it's great!
I'm all booked to go the Barrier Reef next week and will be out on a 2-day, 2-night sailing, scuba, snorkel trip in addition to a day or two at the beach! And then I'm starting work as a nanny in Kiami! Which I'm getting pretty excited about!
Things have been going really well - I know I'm forgetting a lot of the stuff I often want to write about but that's alright. Okay, sleep for now!!
I took my first ferry trip today - Sydney is so beautiful from every angle - the architecture and diversity in everything is awesome! We went out to Olympic Park, about an hour by ferry - it was really cool! But felt a little funny, kind of like the ruins, there was hardly anyone there and so many huge, well-built stadiums!
Tonight I was out in the Harbor a bit at a packed bar, the Opera House, it sits next to the Opera House (clever name, right?). The nights are beautiful and I think my favorite - the harbor looks incredible! I've been out to The Rocks a couple times now too which is really neat! I love that all the restaurants and bars are so unique and pop up out of nowhere sometimes - like the end of a pier or back of an alley or underneath a grocery store - it's great!
I'm all booked to go the Barrier Reef next week and will be out on a 2-day, 2-night sailing, scuba, snorkel trip in addition to a day or two at the beach! And then I'm starting work as a nanny in Kiami! Which I'm getting pretty excited about!
Things have been going really well - I know I'm forgetting a lot of the stuff I often want to write about but that's alright. Okay, sleep for now!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Friends and Jobs!!!
So, things are going great! Sydney is a blast and I've started meeting some awesome people! Yesterday I met Adam from California and we went to our orientation thing together and have hung out a lot since - it's really nice to have a friend from the states - Surprisingly there doesn't seem to be a lot of people here from the states.
Last night we had a social thing at a Sidebar - a really fun backpacked bar with live music and cheap aussie beer :) I met another gal from Atlanta named Claire, she's been here a month and lives close to the city - she's taking me out tomorrow night and I'm pretty pumped. Everyone at the social was fun and nice and it was great to be hanging out!
Our orientation was a little long and filled with awesome information and scary stuff - there is so many neat things to do like go to jillaroo school (sort of like a cowgirl) or volunteer on an organic farm in exchange for accomadation. There are quite a few jobs but tax is ridiculous, .30 on each dollar! And if you have two jobs you get taxed .48 per dollar on the second job. So, that makes being an au pair all that much more appealing!
So, I met with the director of the au pair jobs and she only has one position open right now and is trying to fill it ASAP. It's in Kaimi, a beautiful beachtown that is an hour by train away from Sydney. It sounds like an amazing suburb and the family seems neat - they go yachting and have family in Byron Bay and Watsons Bay so there would be traveling too. I'm just not sure how I feel about being that far from the city (it would be a $30 roundtrip each time I wanted to come in)...But, the city is expensive so maybe it would okay to be farther away from it! It is such a fun city though - Adam and I walked around the Botanical Gardens this morning and around the wharfs which was really great! There are so many people and everything is gorgeous (the flowers, the buildings, the weather)...
For right now I'm waiting to hear back if the family will wait a week and a half for me to start in which case I will take off for the reef and then work in Kaimi and see how it goes! Australia is huge and there is so much I want to see but time and budget just doesn't make it realistic to see everything. Most of the locals of Sydney haven't even been to places like the reef or Ayers rock. So, we'll see how much I can get to! Besides, I don't want to spend it all in one place - I still have New Zealand to go!!
Sorry this is a long babbly post - I'm trying to make decisions and we all know I suck at that soooo I'm using my blog as a source of venting right now. haha, anyways - miss you all SO MUCH!
Monday, September 15, 2008
I've Arrived!!!
Well, I'm here in Sydney!!! Traveling got long and had its fair share of hiccups - I had a vodka/OJ spilt in my crotch on my first flight so I looked like I peed my pants, a plane delay here, a dog sniffing through my bag at customs, getting in trouble at security - you know the usually dilemmas of flying. But, they did have Sex and the City the movie which made me pretty happy :) And met a lot of neat people do some awesome traveling - one gal was from London doing a year trip around the world, so cool!
After a few weeks of craziness with finishing work, getting ready to go and spending time with the amazing people in my life all of a sudden I was all alone traveling, feeling tired and it finally hit - for better and worse. But, then I just kept reminding myself that I wouldn't be feeling freezing cold for another year...
So, if you know me you know the first thing I did after I checked into my hostel - went out on a run. It was awesome - they rolling hills, my first view of the harbor bridge and opera house! People have been really friendly and so far I think Sydney is a bit of cultural/ethnic melting pot.
But, things are off to a great start and I'm excited to start figuring out housing and jobs in the next day or two! For now I'm trying to relearn the metric system (yikes!), scrambling to get all those items I forgot, and getting comfortable with my new, temporary home!
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