Cairns to Sydney

The alarm was set for 7am this morning but I actually woke on my own about 6:30. I felt rested and didn't even try to go back to sleep. I packed up my things and went down to the dining area for the complimentary bfast. I know you are wondering what I had...Toast and PB. With a side of fruit. It hit the spot. At about 8am all our group gathered in the hotel lobby for a group photo.  We then boarded a bus (we had our driver Scotty from the aboriginal experience again) and drove from Port Douglas back to Cairns. We made one quick stop on the coast for photos but otherwise we went straight there.

We first went to the airport and this is where I said goodbye to most of my group. Thirteen of the sixteen (and the guide) were continuing on to Alice Springs and to tour central Australia down to Melbourne. Myself, Kevin from the USA and Ben from Toronto had other travel plans. We got back on the bus and Scotty drove us into town. I didn't really have a place to go since I was flying out later that day so Ben let me come with him to his hotel. Unfortunately it was still early (around 9:30am) and there were no rooms ready. We put our bags in storage and then walked over to Kevin's hotel which was only about 5 min away.

We didn't really have a plan for what to do. According to our trip itinerary we were only supposed to be getting back to Cairns around 1pm so we were much earlier than expected. Had I known I would have booked an earlier flight to Sydney (mine wasn't leaving until 5pm).

Me and the boys ended up walking down to the main street (the Esplanade) and we stopped at a restaurant and had a drink on the patio. It was hot and I was a sweaty mess once again.  We hung around at the restaurant for awhile and then and then sat on the boardwalk by the waterfront for a while. Ben went to find a pharmacy at one point and when he came back he told us he was going to book a skydiving trip for the afternoon.  We went with him to get cash and to book the excursion. It took quite a while because there was only one person working.  We left there about 12:30pm.

We went back to the hotel and Ben was able to check in.  We then went back over to Kevin's hotel and we lounged out by the pool. It was a gorgeous day. Me and Kevin went swimming. Ben left for his skydiving trip and I stayed in the sun for another half hour or so.

At about 2:30pm I took a taxi from the hotel to Cains airport. It was only about a 10-15 min drive. I checked into my flight and unfortuntely had to pay $40 to check one bag because apparently my fare did not include any baggage. Not sure how that happened but anyway. After going thru security, I had some snacks and wandered around the airport for an hour and a half. There were some nice shops. I bought some souvenir cards. Saw an interesting sign in the washroom. See photos below.

I boarded my flight about 4:30pm. The plane was over half empty I'm sure. I had a whole row to myself. Unfortunately they didn't have tv's or music, but at least the flight was under three hours. I used some of the time to blog.

I arrived in Sydney about 9pm local time (clocks went ahead one hour). I was absolutely starving but the only thing open was a little sandwhich kiosk. I bought myself a wrap and then hailed a cab. The ride to my hotel was only about 15min but it cost me $25, which is $10 more than it is  to take a shuttle downtown Sydney. Unfortunately, it does not pay to stay closer to the airport where the shuttles don't run.

My accomodation was called Meriton Serviced Apartments and it was awesome. They upgraded me from a studio apartment to a one bedroom so I had a full living room, bedroom, bath, kitchen, and balcony. I even had a washer/dryer. It was really modern and nicely kept as well.  Oh and I had two flat screened TVs.

I sat on the couch and ate my wrap while watching TV. It was the first time I has watched TV since I left home three weeks ago.  There was little recognizable on but it was nice to chill just the same.

I then began the enormous task  of organizing my bags for the flight home.  I kind of had everything all over the place but wanted to have a reasonable carryon for the long flight home. That took a while. I went to bed around 1am. I was pooped!

Last night in Aus :(
T

Great Great Barrier

I set the alarm for 6:50am this morning. I wasn't planning to get up so early but I realized lying in bed last night that I forgot to purchase an under-water camera for my trip to the reef. I quickly got dressed and walked about 15 min up to the main street in search of a convenience store or pharmacy/supermarket that was open at 7am. I found a few places but none had cameras. I aborted the mission and decided to live without but by this point it had started to rain. I proceeded to get drenched on the way back to the hotel. Normally I wouldnt mind a bit of rain in such hot temps but it was still dreadfully humid and so I was dripping in sweat and rain by the time I made it back. I had a few minutes to spare, so I stopped in the dining area for to access the free bfast. I went back to my old NZ faithful... toast and peanut butter. I added some fruit for good measure.

At 8am, the bus from Poseidon (the Great Barrier Reef company we were using) picked us up at the hotel.  It was a short ride to the marina. We borded a large motorized yacht, like a cruiser. I'm not sure how many passengers there were in total, but if I had to guess I would say maybe 60-70. The company takes a max of 90.

The crew strongly suggested that we take sea-sickess tablets as soon as we got on board in light of the wind conditions.  I was all over that given my history of vomiting on boats.  Shortly after this we set sail and were on our way. The trip out to the reef actually took about an hour and a half.

I signed up to do an introductory scuba dive and some snorkeling.  Those of of us who were new to diving spent most of the first hour of sailing getting instruction on equipment and safety maneuvers.  By this point the seas were sufficiently rocky and we started losing people to the barf bags one by one. I managed to keep down my breakfast but I was definitely struggling while trying to pay attention.

We were all fitted with snorkels, masks and stinger suits...these were thin body suits to prevent jellyfish stings. Those of us diving then went out on deck to get our weight belts, vests and air tanks.  We were put in groups of four per diving instructor. Initially they took each of us one-by-one off the boat and they taught us how to do the safety maneuvers under water while holding a rope. I did ok. I was nervous I might panic or hyperventilate but I didn't. By the time it was time to actually go under and dive, our group of four was down to two because two people bailed. Our instructor then took me and the remaining girl down into the water.  We held onto a rope as we gradually went deeper and deeper.  About every meter or so we had to equalize the pressure in our ears by holding our noses and blowing. I found this difficult and one of my ears didn't really want to pop so easily.  At one point it really hurt but the instructor was really good about waiting and checking in with us often. He spoke to us in sign language that we had practiced before.

We made it to a maximum of 12 meters down. We then had a very brief swim around and a peek at the coral before we had to start ascending. The view was really cool and I enjoyed it a lot, even tho it was brief. I was excited to try a second or potentially third dive. As we ascended my ears popped along the way. My right ear never fully equalized however. I got back on the boat and felt like I was still underwater on one side.

I decided against going out for the second dive which was shortly after the first.  I didn't want to hurt my ear further and I got queezy again when the boat moved to the next spot anyway.  I elected to try snorkeling for the second trip. Oh and at this point I also realized that I wore my Fossil watch on the first dive. The gears were floating. Needless to say ill be getting a new watch for Christmas!

The views when snorkeling were amazing. The coral was multi coloured and so were the fish. I saw parrotfish, zebra fish, giant clams (and I mean giant!), and a yellow hammerfish. Some people also saw clown fish (aka Nemo) and reef sharks. There was a big orange fish with yellow eyes and mouth but I didn't know what it was. I saw only one really big fish and it was a species of parrotfish. It was almost as big as me! He had a bump on the top of his head. The sea plants were quite amazing. Multi coloured and textured. We could see them really closely.

The water was really warm but incredibly salty (seemingly more than the ocean back home) and the seas were a bit rough.  Sometimes you had to really work to make headway when swimming around. I stayed out snorkeling for a while but started feeling tired and a bit nauseous again.  I also felt like my head and lungs were overflowing in salt water. I swam back to the boat and got out. I went to straight to the toilet and hurled my guts up. It felt good and bad if you know what I mean.  After that I went inside to sit down and they had just started serving lunch. There was an assortment of salads, bread, meat and prawns. I had a bit of pasta salad and two dinner rolls. I wasn't pushing my luck. I took another sea-sickness pill too, as the crew had recommended.

I decided to go out snorkeling for the last stop. My ear was still plugged so I decided to give up on the scuba for the day.  The views of the coral were just as good but there were fewer fish it seemed.. .or I just got used to the amazing scenery.

We all got back on the boat around 3pm or so and then started the journey back to Port Douglas. I was feeling much better so I sat outside on the top deck in the sun for much of the trip.  The seas were better for the first hour but then got choppy again. I was ready to get off when we docked about 4:30pm. Oh, I purchased a few digital pics on board. .. $55 for 4!  Good thing this trip is almost done or I would go broke!

We rode the bus back to the hotel and the first thing I did was hop in the shower  I was so salty that I could rub it off my face onto my hands. The shower felt amazing.

I blogged for about an hour and then went down to the hotel picnic area where our guide Brett was cooking a BBQ for us. It was the last night for some of us on the tour so it was a goodbye BBQ. The others were continuing on to visit central Australia as part of a larger trip. Brett cooked steak and sausage and he provided a green salad, packaged coleslaw and pasta salad for sides. It was great! He even served ice cream and Tim Tams (cookies you can buy here). Mmmm mmm. I love me some chocolate and ice cream.

The group hung out for a couple of hours, but by about 8:30 people were already starting to head to the rooms.  We were all pretty pooched. I left around 9pm and stopped to check email on the hotel computer for a a few minutes before heading back to the room.

Mary and I packed up our bags (again!) so that we could allow ourselves to sleep a bit later in the morning.  I went thru a bunch of my pics and finished my blog for the day. Unfortunately there was no free WiFi at this accomodation, but everything else was so good it made up for it.

10:30pm and it was beddy bye-bye. Cant believe my journey comes to an end soon...
T

Ps. Sorry, no reef pics yet. Have to wait till I get home to a reliable computer.

Port Douglas

We set the alarm for 6:30am this morning and it was not well received by this chick. I was tired. I didn't get to bed till about 11:30pm the night before and it was not enough sleep.  We packed up and walked to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. It was complimentary with our hotel stay  which was good. It was a buffet and they had everything...including WiFi!  We stayed for about 45 min and then headed back to the hotel.

We met the tour group at 8am in the lobby and borded a bus to Coowa beach...just outside of Port Douglas. The morning itinerary was an "aboriginal experience". Our driver Scotty was a local travel guide and he told us all about the area during the one hour drive.  We got to see small mountains to the west and the icean to the East along the way. At one point, we saw several wallabees resting under the trees. I got really sleepy on the bus so I admit I missed most of the talk.

We arrived at the home of Brandon, our aboriginal guide at around 9am. There we got off the bus, lathered up with sunscreen and walked to the shore. We removed our shoes and left then on the beach and then we walked a short way into the Mangroves...this was basically a green marshy area where the water from the ocean came up under the trees. We were given hand-made spears and we trudged thru knee-high water looking for  crabs and other small water creatures like snails/barnacles. The whole experience was, well...gross. The water was murky so you couldn't really see where you were walking and the bottom felt like poo. There were lots of leaves and small plants growing on the bottom too, which kind of freaked me out cause you couldnt see them, but you could feel them.  Some were sharp and some were just tickly.  To top it all off, the mosquitos (or mossies as they say) were horrible. The "hunt" lasted about 20 min and no one even saw anything except for one crab which Hillary found, and she got the guide to spear it.  I was glad to get out of there. Mangroves "all done"!

We returned to beach to pick up our shoes (there were crocodiles in the water btw, which is why we had to stay in the bushes for our hunt). We then walked to Brandon's house. On the way some of the guys tried to knock mangos out of the trees with overripe ones that had already fallen. We got a few and they were delicious.

Back at Brandon's house we sat on his deck and he served us water and muffins and a local bread (soda bread) and golden syrup, the local equivalent to maple syrup although its not maple at all. He also cooked up a bit of seafood (including our one crab and some snail-like things) in some chilli and butter. I didn't even try the seafood because I was too grossed out by the whole fishing experience.

After our snack, Brandon talked to us about some of the sea creatures he had hunted. He showed us two huge turtle shells, the blades of sword fish and saw fish, spider shells and some weapons he had made out of wood (boomerangs, knife). I learned that boomerangs are actually hunting tools, not just toys!

We left the house at about 12:45pm and got back on the bus.  Scotty drove us into to Port Douglas, which was about a 20 min ride. We arrived at our accomodation, Mantra Portsea. This was a beautiful resort-like facility. It had several outdoor pools interwoven between the wings of rooms. The rooms were self-contained apartments with a full, small kitchen, a living area with a love seat and chair, and a small dining table. It was reeeeally nice. It was nice to stay for two nights too cause we didnt have to unpack for one whole day.

We checked into our rooms and I decided to take a walk into town. It was about a 10 min walk to the main street and it was hot and muggy. I was pretty soaked when I got there. I headed down to the end of the street to see the outdoor markets but it was almost 2pm and most people were packing up. I did go into one booth where a man was selling local stones.  I bought a zebra stone pendant. Its basically a stone found in western Australia that lookes like it has zebra stripes when polished.

I checked out the waterfront briefly (which was beside the market) and then I gradually made my way back along the main street, stopping in shops that looked interesting. I didn't find a lot...well i found some, but it was really expensive. I bought a ring but no clothes. I was looking for a cool dress because it is so hot here thay I have regretted not having more skirts/dresses.

I got back to the accomodation about 5:30pm. I dropped my things and then went straight to the pool. I went to the largest pool in the centre of the resort. The water was like bath water but it was still nice. I met some fellow travelers and stayed about 30 min before heading back to my room.

I took a shower and chilled until almost 7pm. I then met our guide and some of the group jn the lobby and we walked back to the main st. for supper. We went to a pub called the Ironbar where they were having a special event: cane toad racing. This guy basically came equipped with 6 Australian cane toads and he had members of the crowd act as jockeys for each toad. The first toad to jump off the table and then be scopped up into a bucket by his jockey was the winner. It was a slimy, stinky event, but entertainkng nonetheless.  I ordered pub food tonight for the first time in a while. I got a chicken burger and it was good.  They put pineapple on it which sounds weird but it actually tasted really good.

We returned to the hotel around 9:30pm. We stopped along the way at a convenience store for an ice cream since none of the gelato shops were open (pretty much everything was closed and the street was empty).

Back at the hotel, I finished my daily blog and got ready for bed. I was in need of  decent night's sleep. Reef day tomorrow!

T

Off to Cairns We Go

It was a VERY early start to the day today.  The alarm was set for 4:30am cause we had to catch a 5:05am bus. I was not impressed when the alarm went off that's for sure. I keep reminding myself that I'm on vacation.

I quickly got dressed and gathered up my things and met the others in the lobby. The bus was  on time and luckily it was almost empty so we had lots of space to settle in.  We made a few more stops and picked up a bunch  of backpackers at one point. I actually met up with Matt, a guy from the UK who was on my NZ trip. What are the odds?

We arrived at the Procerpine train station at about 6am. The train was delayed so we ended up waiting about 45 min. At about 6:45 am we boarded the train and we were off shortly after. It was a long ride...about 10 hrs schedled trip.  It was a nice train with TV screens on each seat and plugs and USB outlets. I was lucky and scored two seats to myself for most of the trip. I watched a few movies and dozed a bit too. We were able to deboard briefly at some of the stops so I did that a couple of times. It was HOT outside. They actually made an announcement that we had to travel at half speed due to the effects of the temperature on the rails.

The scenery along the way consisted mostly of farmlands (corn, bananas). There were also small mountains in the distance.  They served hot food on the train but I had lots of food in my daypack so I just ate that. We were given $10 to spend on the train for bfast/lunch so ill just use that for something else.

We arrived in Cairns at around 4:40pm. It was stinking hot...muggy and HOT. We took taxi vans to our hotel which was only about a 5 min drive away. We checked in at the Mantra Trilogy. It was one of the nicer looking buildings from the outside but the rooms were pretty small...decent just the same.

Mary and I dropped our bags in the room and changed into some cooler clothes and then we went for a walk around town.  We had had enough sitting for one day. Cairns is a really nice waterfront town...as were all the towns along this trip. We walked down the main strip called the Esplanade and along the boardwalk which was just parallel.  The Esplanade was lined with restaurants and shops and it was bustling with activity. This was not surprising given it was Sat. night. We saw some neat marine birds near shore (resembling pelicans) as well as a ton of really big bats (flying squirrel) flying into a tree. There was a sign at the waterfront warning not to swim due to the presence of crocodiles!

Near the center of the Esplanade there was a park like area that was neatly decorated with multi-coloured lights and lanterns hanging from the trees. There was also a huge, lit Christmas tree in the middle of it all. This was nice to see as there haven't really been many decorations to be seen over the past few days of the trip. After walking around and visiting a few souvenir shops we stopped at a restaurant on the Esplanade around 7pm for dinner. It was so hot we both ordered salads. It was good tho...made with greens and pine nuts and beets and pumpkin with a garlic aioli.  Yum.

At about 8:30 we left the restaurant and went to the Night Market nearby. This didn't turn out to be as exciting as I had hoped. It was basically filled with a bunch of mass-produced, made-in-China stuff. There were a few things of quality but not much. Mostly souvenirs.  I bought a towel and Mary bought some Uggs (knock-offs likely).

At about 10:30 we headed back toward the hotel.  I was feeling the 4:30am wake-up call majorly by this point. We made one final stop at the gelato shop before heading home. This time, I got Ferrero Rochee flavour. It didn't really taste like the chocolates, but it still hit the spot.

We returned to the hotel for showers and bed. I did my blogging that I had started on the train and went to bed around 11:30pm feeling exited that I didn't have to wake up till 6:30am :s

T

Island Hopping: Airlie Beach

I got up around 8am this morning. My roomate Mary was up earlier but I could not drag myself out of bed. I got dressed and went to breakfast at about 8:30. There was a free buffet bfast at the resort and man did they have a spread! Everything. I had eggs and bacon and potatoes and toast and fruit. Delish.

I went to my room and packed up my bags and then I met up with Mary and another guy (Ben) from our group.  We took a walk along the boardwalk to the opposite end of the resort to see what was there.  It really was a beautiful place. More pools and a lovely beach and lots of places to lounge outside either in the shade or in the sun. It was really quiet too...not many guests. There were kids activities as well...like a big play structure.

At 10am we went back to the main lobby area, specifically to the outdoor aquariums (there were pools for sea life that ran between the lobby area and the room buildings).  The aquarium pools were situated so that you could stand on the bridges and watch the fish swim by. They had small tropical fish as well as rays and sharks.  At 10am, it was a scheduled feeding time. We watched for a while but it was pretty hot and not very exciting so we left. 

Me and Mary then went to hang by one of the pools.  We took a couple of dips and lounged on the beach chairs for a while before making the decision to go back to the other end of the resort. We pickedpup shop and walked to the other end.

It was much quieter at the other end. We were able to get loungers that were situated very nicely between the pools and the ocean. We jumped into the ocean first cause it was so hot outside that the pools were warm and not that refreshing. The water seemed incredibly salty. ..not sure why but it burned my face and lips a bit and the taste in my mouth was strong.

We stayed there for about an hour and then made our way back to the lobby area/docks around 12:30pm. I scarfed down two oranges and two mini muffins that I had taken from the bfast buffet and that was my lunch.

At 1:15 we boarded dingies (? spelling) which took us out to a yacht in the harbour. We then spent the afternoon sailing around the Whitsunday Islands (from Daydream Island to Airlie Beach). It was a slightly smaller boat that the one in Sydney but a much smoother sail. At first it was raining, and they even handed out rain jackets but the skies soon parted and it was a gorgeous day for a sail. They handed out fresh fruit and a cheese tray too which was a nice touch.  We didn't really have to work as much on this yacht although I did get to steer for a while which was cool!

We docked in Airlie Beach at around 4pm. We collected our luggage and then took a short taxi ride to our hotel (Airlie Beach hotel). It was a nice hotel and the town of Airlie had a lot of character. Many houses were situated on a hillside making it colourful. The town itself was small with one main street and lots of little shops. Our guide told us it was a party town and it did seem that way from looking around.

After checking in, I walked into town with Ben (TO) and Hanna (UK), Marlene (Waterloo) and Kevin (USA). We got some snacks/food for the next day and went in a few stores to shop for souvenirs and other items.  I bought some nice, but expensive jewelry.  I didn't plan on it, it just happened.  Merry Christmas to me!

I returned to the hotel a round 6:30pm. I took a shower and reorganized some luggage. At 7:20pm, our group met the guide Brett in the lobby and we took a short walk up the hill to our restaurant for dinner: Fish Devine.  It's know for its seafood so I got a panko breaded whitefish ( I can't remember the name). It was good and cooked although I would have preferred it even a bit firmer. It came with a side of green beans. It cost $28.

I returned to the room about 9:15pm. Got my bags ready for a VERY early start the next morning. Did some blogging and called it a night around 10:30pm.

T

Daydream Island...Sounds nice!

This morning we set the alarm for 7am. I was actually up earlier than that since I went to bed at 10. Nevertheless, I dozed till about 6:30. We packed our bags and then headed out in search of bfast, and even more importantly, WiFi. We ended up going to the same place we had breakfast at yesterday. I was able to submit 3 or 4  blog posts finally! The bfast was good too! I had pancakes.  Sounds simple but they were succulent! They had syrup and blueberries and mascarpone cheese.  Mmmm. Delish!

We returned to the hotel around 8:45am. At around 9am we boarded the bus for a 2 and 1/2 hr ride to Brisbane. On the way we stopped in a little town called Tweed.  We stopped at a lookout place called Point Danger where you could see the Sunshine Coast across the water. This was not what I expected. The Sunshine Coast is actually a sea-side town filled with high-rise buildings and that's pretty much all we could see in the distance. Ironically too, it was anything but sunny...at least where we were. Windy and cool.

We were back on the bus about 10am. We drove for another couple of hours and entered a new state (Queensland). The time went back an hour.  At approximately noon we arrived at the airport in Brisbane. We checked in for a 1:40pm flight to Proserpine. I've never even heard of this place but its on the way to Daydream Island apparently!  Airport checkin was pretty smooth and I grabbed lunch at a cafe while I waited...a lentil salad.  I'm sooo over fried foods! I had some free WiFi at the airport so I took advantage and tried to catch up in Facebook. Its amazing what you miss!

Flight was pretty standard and we landed in Proserpine around 3:15pm.  It was muggy and hot! We gathered our things and then took a bus to the ferry terminal, which was near Airlie. We were officially in the Whitsunday Islands by this point and it was beautiful.  Sunny and hot and looked like we were somewhere in the Caribbean.

At 5pm we boarded the ferry to take us to Daydream Island. It was definitely a day of travel!  The ferry ride was only 15 min but we came up to this beautiful little resort island...I couldn't believe this was our home for the night.  It seemed so remote although it wasn't far from the mainland. We checked in to the Daydream Island Resort and Spa.  It was a full-on resort...they greeted us with a cocktail and a shell necklace.  After a brief introduction we were showed to our rooms. Really nice room. Me and Mary decided to take a walk around. Great views of the ocean as the resort is right on the water. There were several pools and several resident kangaroos hopping around too! I wanted to stay forever.

We stopped in at one of the restaurants and had a cocktail by the ocean...it was a $15 cocktail but who's counting?  At about 7pm we went back to the room.  I grabbed a quick shower and then we met the group back at the restaurant (The Mermaid) for a 7:30 dinner. I got the "Tasmanian Salmon". It was served on truffle mashed potatoes :p. The serving was small...especially for the price but it was delicious.  This dinner was covered by the tour which was nice.

We left the restaurant around 9:30pm and then went to the lobby to use the free WiFi. Yay!  I realize I sound like a WiFi freak but it just seems to be such a luxury in this country. And when you get it you usually have a time limit or a data limit that doesn't allow you to accomplish much.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, blogging, sorting thru pics and listening to musak in the lobby.  It was sooo quiet at the resort...It seemed like there there were only about 10 guests aside from our group. It was so nice and relaxing and an unexpected but welcomed surprise to the trip. Sometimes it pays not to read the itinerary fully!

Until next time friends...
T

Surf's up...again

Today we got up about 7. We set the alarm for 6:30 but were tired from staying up late talking. We met our guide and the rest of our group in the lobby around 7:30 and then walked to a place for breakfast.  Our meal was included provided we stayed under $17 this time.  I got scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and potatoes.  Oh, and $7 orange juice. At least it was fresh. I think I'm going to have a heart attack if I keep this eating up tho!

We returned to our apartment briefly and then headed to Mojo surf, a surf shop and school here in Byron Bay. We then signed a waiver and were off to the beach. At the beach we were given rash shirts to wear (mostly to help staff identify us in the water but they also prevent chafing between you and your salty, sandy board). We first took a 20 min yoga class (these surfers like their yoga apparently) and then we got a very brief surf lesson. It was much less instruction than I got in NZ and it wasn't even exactly the same technique. They seemed more airy-fairy here overall. Anyway, I was glad to have had a good lesson before and stuck to my previously learned style.

The waves were hard and fast. We stayed in the shallow water again but it was much rougher than my previous try. I managed to get up on the board a few more times when the instructors helped me to catch the waves. I got totally banged up and  thrown off several times tho too. My knees and leg are a bruised mess.

We only surfed for probably an hour or so. It was enough considering we were getting so banged around by the boards and the surf. We then went to a nearby fresh water lake to rince off all the salt and sand.  This lake was unique. It consisted of naural tea tree oil and it literally looked like you were swimming in tea.  The bottom had that brownish/red colour.

We took the bus back to the surf shop around 12:30pm. They then showed us the pics they took that we could buy..one for $25 or unlimited for $39. Yeah.... I passed this time.

At 1pm we walked down the street to this very unique vegan/vegetarian restaurant that was located in an old church building. Lunch was again included in our tour which was nice. The food was delicious. I got a veggie burger that was as big as my head. It was made with lentils and and other legumes, grains and it had carrots, beets, caramlized onions and yummy sauce on top. It was so big i had to eat it with a fork and knife. Others got mussaka, curry, salads. It all looked and smelled amazing.

We left the restaurant around 2:30pm and me and Mary decided to head to the beach. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the wind was up and the sun was gone. It was too cool to sit and bathe so we walked the beach from one end to the other.  The surf was ridiculous and loud.

We walked back to the accomodation around 3:30 pm. We got showered and changed but I spent most of the afternoon blogging.  Its hard to keep up when you are busy. We had a wicked thunder and lightening storm while we were chilling. It was sooo loud. I would have loved to have seen it on the beach but was happy to be dry inside.

At 6:30pm we went out to meet our group in the lobby to go for dinner. But when we got out there (about 3 min late), there was no one in sight. We could only assume that they had left without us. Luckily we knew the name of the restaurant and we were able to ask someone where it was. We ended up walking there and it only took about 10-15 min.

The restaurant was called The Brewery. It was an indoor/outdoor pub and eatery. We ate inside but the outside was just as big and there were live singers. It was "open mike" night so it was hit and miss. We had to pay for our own dinner tonight but they had a 2 for 1 special if you bought at least $10 in drinks. I didn't want a drink but my roomate got two glasses of wine which covered the cost. We both ordered the vegetable curry and it was underwhelming to say the least.  Byron Bay has not been my friend when it comes to dinner.  Luckily, it only cost $12.

We stayed at the restaurant till about 9pm and then took a shuttle bus back (the one we apparently missed earlier).  When we got back I did some packing and finished my blog for the day. Then it was bedtime.

Goal for tomorrow:  Find some WiFi so i can make these posts!!!
T

On the way to Byron Bay

Today I was up at 7am again. I had a pretty aweful sleep by this trip's standards. I woke up at around 2 AM and then kept waking up every hour or so for no reason at all. Anyway, I finally gave in and got up around 7am.

There were no planned activities for the morning. I spent about an hour getting my luggage back together. That's one thing that is a big pain when traveling this way...keeping organized so everthing fits back in the bag.  After that I went down to the dining area and had another big breakfast. I then decided to take a walk to the Botanical Gardens at around 9:15am. It turned out to be about a 35 min walk and it was blistering hot, even that early in the day.  I didn't understand all the crazy fools out for a run.  By the time I got to the gardens, I was a sweaty mess. I walked around for probably 30-40 min.  Its a HUGE garden so I really didn't even cover half of it. I saw the fern garden, the oriental garden and the presidential rose garden. It was really beautiful. There were some nice views of the bridge in the distance too.  They also had these really funny looking birds called ground gulls I think. They looked like seagulls with extremely long, curved beaks.

At about 10:45am I decided to head back to the hotel. I managed to find my way but was soaked and tired when I got back. I went up to the rooftop pool and had a dunk and then returned to my room for a shower and to gather my luggage.  I then met the rest of the tour group in the hotel lobby at around noon. We took a taxi bus to the airport.

We checked in at the airport for a flight to Ballina...this is the closest airport to Byron Bay. I had some lunch in the airport (a sandwhich). I'm actually getting sick of eating out, especially since the affordable food is mostly crap. I love a good french fry, but can only have so many. I tried to get on WiFi at the airport and no go. Got an error message that said I had a bad connection even tho it said the network strength was really strong. I borrowed my friend's laptop and called Koodo using Skype. After going thru a shit-ton of menus I requested user support and it said the office was closed. I GIVE UP. Soooo frustrating, especially now that it seems my phone won't even connect to free WiFi.

Our flight departed at 2:15pm. It was a short flight...only about an hour. The lady next to me snored like a bear, but I found it funny more than anything.  We landed in Ballina at around 3:30pm. My WiFi  worked at that airport and I was soo relieved. It was then about a half hour bus ride to Byron Bay. We stopped near our hotel at a point high above the beach and took a short walk down to sea level. The views were gorgeous.  Long sandy beach with lots of waves. It was VERY windy, and also overcast but still pretty warm. We met back at the bus and then it was a short ride to the hotel.

We stayed at a place called the Apartments Inn. Its not actually a hotel but more self-contained apartments. The rooms were nice. We only had two twin beds but there was a ton of space and the bathroom had a tub and shower. We also had a few kitchen things but not a full kitchen.

My roomate Mary and I decided to take a little walk around  town. Its a very small town with one main street and a few small side streets. Its totally a tourist/surfer town. Lots of beach shops and little eateries. Not cheap here. ..$2.50 for a chocolate bar. ..but this has been the trend in Australia so far.

We met some of the group back at the hotel and then went out for dinner at about 6:30pm. We went to a place called  Fish Head because most people were looking for seafood. I was not impressed. I paid $33 for the "fish of the day". I basically got a fillet of half-cooked fish on some sauce with a few tomatoes.  I didn't even get a side dish. I ate half the fish (the cooked bit) and then called it a day. One guy ordered a beer the waitress recommended and when we got the bill we noticed they were $20/beer. And our table ordered three! The best part is, they were made in Brooklyn!

After dinner we made up for the debacle by going for gelato. I got a snickers gelato and it was devine. I almost forgot about my unplanned sashimi meal.

Mary and I returned to our hotel and petty much went to bed. We ended up chatting for a very long time tho. I learned some very interesting things about my her...like her dating/marriage history.  I wouldn't say we have a lot in common in that respect, but she's nice and we get along well as roomates. We're far more alike than most other people on the tour, but thats not saying much.  We are a very colourful mixed bag of nuts. I couldn't have put together a more strange group of people if I tried.

That's it for today. Till next time. Pray to the internet Gods for me so I can post these messages. I have three pending now.

T

Sun and sailing and beaches oh my!

Today was the first official day of my Australia tour. I got up at around 7am...not because I had to, but because I just woke up.  I did some packing/organizing and some blogging (still offline cause of this stupid SIM card issue). WiFi is not free in most places in Sydney,  particularly in hotels. And to pay is rediculous. Despite the fact that rooms here likely cost over $200 per night, they charge $25/day extra for WiFi. Rediculous!!!

I went to bfast in the hotel restaurant around 8am.  It was free...and great. It was buffet style and they pretty much had every bfast food you could ever want.  I had toast and waffles and bacon/eggs and fruit. Yes, the pants keep getting tighter.

At 9:15 I met the group and tour leader Brett in the hotel lobby. We then walked to the subway station and rode it down to Circular Quay, which is the part of the city where the opera house and bridge can be viewed.  We stopped there for a little while so that people who hadn't already seen it could take pics. I just hung out cause I had already been there but while i was waiting, my groupmate Gary ( who travels/blogs and takes photos for a living btw) was nice enough to let me piggyback off his WiFi. As a result I was able to finally make a blog post in Australia.

After about a 20min stop, we then contined walking to what's known as "The Rocks" area. This is where the base of the bridge is. There, at about 11am, we stopped in a really old building which was once a hotel but is now just a restaurant/pub.  Our lunch for the day was paid for, provided we stayed under $20.  I had a really yummy salad made with greens, baby beets, roast pumkin, feta, and walnuts. Normally I would NEVER go out to eat and order a salad for a meal but I had already had French fries twice yesterday and it was honestly too hot for me to crave warm food.

After lunch we walked down to Darling Harbour. At about 1 or 1:30 we boarded a yacht to cruise the Sydney harbour. The cruise was awesome but it wasn't just a leisurely sail. Most of us in some way had to help sail. I did something called "grinding" (laugh if u must) which meant that I turned these big handles which controlled which side of the boat the front sail turned toward.  There was a crew of four and they would call out when we had to do what. I don't think I had ever been sailing on a yacht before and I was impressed by the amount of work it took to steer and catch the wind. The tallest mast was huge too... 35 meters high according to one of the crew. I was also surprised at how much the boat is on its side when sailing.  Whenever they moved the sails they would call out for everyone to tack (? Spelling) which meant we all moved from one side of the boat to the other, presumably so it wouldn't tip over!

The sail lasted 2-3 hrs and the weather for most of it was perfect. ..super sunny with a great, cool breeze. We had amazing views of Sydney, the Opera house,  the coastal properties (worth up to 60 million) and we sailed right under the harbour bridge.

The sail finished around 3:30pm and then the rest of the day was free time.  Some of us took the subway back to Circular Quay and then went by bus with our guide Brett to Bondi Beach, a very well-known Sydney beach. The bus ride was a bit long but it was worth it. Bondi beach was beautiful. There was a great view of the whole beach when we got off the bus because it lies down below the road. The waves looked big and there were tonnes of surfers. The beach itself was beige in colour, unlike the grey sand I'm used to.  We walked down the path to the beach level and I had a little walk in the sand which was very soft. After taking a few pics, me and the rest of our little group (Me, Brett, Hillary, Sedrick, Kevin, Hanna, and Ben) sat on the patio of a cafe and had dinner and drinks overlooking the beach. We got to know each other better and had some laughs. We stayed till about 7pm.

We then took a bus back to Bondi Junction and then hopped on the subway back to King's Cross which was the stop closest to our hotel.

We were back at the hotel by about 830pm.  I took a shower and offline blogged some more. By about 10:30 it was time for bed.

Why is it that I go to bed earlier on vacay than I do when I have to work the next day???

T

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney

It was a very early start to the day today...but with good reason. I had a breakfast date with some koalas. The alarm went off at 6:15 which I admit, I was not happy about since I had had such a tiring evening before.  Anyway, I packed up my bags,  checked out of the hotel (they put my big bag in storage for me for the day) and got a taxi to Wildlife Sydney at Darling Harbour.

At 7:15am, the workers let us into the zoo and we got a guided highlights tour before the place was open to the general public at 9am.  It was really cool. I got to see butterflies,  snakes, frogs, tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, kangaroos and many other creatures native to Australia. The highlight were the koalas. We were led onto the rooftop of the animal sanctuary where they had several tables set up as well as two Koala enclosures. They served us a buffet breakfast with every kind of food you could want and we got to watch the koalas eat eucalyptus while we dined. This was special because our guide told us that they sleep about 20 hrs per day so it's lucky to see them awake. After breakfast, we got to go into the enclosures with them and take as many photos as we wanted.  We could get as close as we wanted too, as long as we didn't touch them. They were sooo cute.

I visited the zoo for almost 4 hours in total. There was a dark portion that I looked at last where they kept all the nocturnal animals. That was pretty freaky too.

After I left, I decided to go next door to Madame Tousauds wax museum. This was not something I would normally care too much about but it was free as part of my Sydney Attractions pass. It was fun. They had figures of many famous Australians like Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, Greg Norman,  Heath Ledger, etc. They also had some famous world figures (e.g., Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela) and singers (Rhianna, Katy Perry). Many of them looked really real. It kind of freaked me out!

I stayed there for about 45 min and then I went next door to Sealife, Sydney's aquarium. This was also free as part of my city pass. I enjoyed this a lot. There were lots of small tropical fish and pretty coral/plants, but they also had platypus, sea hoarses, turtles and massive rays and sharks. There were underwater tunnels so you could watch them swim over you. They also had two very rare sea animals (the only two in captivity in Australia).  I will have to look up the name but they were large and white/grey and looked like a cross between dolphins and seals.

After the aquarium,  I decided to walk around Darling Harbour in search of a restaurant for lunch. I wanted to eat at "Blue Fish" restaurant because I got a free meal with my pass. The restaurant was on the complete opposite side of the harbour,  which made the walk long but I got to see the whole harbour. The harbour itself was very lively with outdoor performers/music and decorated for Christmas with lots of Santas. The restaurant was nice and I got to eat on the patio, but in the shade thankfully. It was a scorcher. I had the Fish and Chips which was yummy.

I finished lunch around 1:45 and then I took a walking bridge across the harbour and  then walked all the way north on George St. to Central Quay, where the Opera House was. I took some pics of the house as well as the bridge and then I went into the Opera House and booked a 3pm tour. I chilled for half an hour (it felt great to sit down) and then my tour started. It was neat to hear how the place was built and about the unique architecture.  I found out that the outside 'sails' are made of concrete but covered with over a million small white porcelain tiles. I got to see inside the different concert halls too (3 I think) which were really nice, but not as huge as you would expect.

The tour finished at about 4:40 and then I walked all the way back to my hotel (35 min) to pick up my bag. I then took a cab to my new hotel where I was meeting my Gap tour group.  I arrived around 5:30pm. I was staying at Vibe Hotel Rushcutters. It was very nice, and just to the Southeast of the main Sydney attractions. My roomate was already in the room when I arrived. Her name is Mary and she's from Toronto also. She seems very nice.

I took a shower and got sorted and then all the Gap group members met in the lobby at 7pm for an orientation meeting. We are a very diverse group in terms of age and personality, but we're all from Canada, USA and the UK.  Unlike my last trip, I'm one of the youngest here. Most people are nice but there are definitely quirky folk and many are retired.

After the meeting, some of us went to the pub across the street for dinner.  I had chicken schnitzel which was good but it was more breaded, fatty food and fries. Lbs, lbs, lbs.

We stayed at the pub till probably 10 or 10:30...service was slow...and then returned to our rooms.  No internet for me because they wanted $26/day extra for WiFi.  We went to bed. I was beat!
T

Lost

Having a lot of phone/internet problems peeps. Will keep blogging but might not be able to post. Having trouble even picking up WiFi. Borrowed a friends computer to do this. Will be in touch when I can...
T

Goodbye NZ, Hello Australia

So let me start by saying that I wrote this entire post and then somehow lost it :(. Its also late because internet access has been limited. Ugh.

On this day I slept in a bit in light of the fact that I didn't get in from the fire alarm till 230am.  I just puttered around packing up my stuff for a bit. I also had th the chance to Skype with my sis-in-law Jodi and my beautiful niece Isla which was nice cause I hadn't been able to do that yet. The time change was 18 hrs ( more than I originally realized) which made coordinating a Skype more tricky. Isla was just as cute as ever and growing like a weed ;).

After that I took a walk down the street to grab a muffin for bfast and then back to the hostel to collect my things.  I took an airport bus to the airport that was only $16 for the almost 1hr ride.

The check-in and flight were pretty uneventful. My flight departed for Sydney at 1pm. The plane was new and quite fancy and I was served a nice hot meal. The flight was 3 and 1/2 hrs long but the time went back 2hrs so I arrived in Sydney at about 2:30pm.

I took a shuttle to my hotel.  I had to wait almost an hour but it cost $15 rather than about $50 for a cab. I arrived at my hotel (Cambridge Hotel) at about 4:15pm. The hotel room was nice and big...I had two beds and a little dining nook. I basically dropped off my big bag and then headed out. I walked down the main street which is George St. It was lively. I stopped at the supermarket to get some snacks and buy an Australian SIM card.  Unfortunately after trying for about 45 min I still could not unlock my phone so that the SIM card worked.  The pin Koodo gave me wouldn't work. And of course I had no way to contact them without internet/phone. Frustrated!!!

I walked up the street all the way to the Sydney Harbour bridge which was the sight of my next adventure...Bridge Climb. This is where you climb up on top of the brige all the way to the middle (centre of the harbour) and back. My climb was booked for 6:55. They basically ran climbs every 5min from what I could tell and the whole set-up process was like a well-oiled machine. First they took us into a room where I had to sign my life away and take a breathalyzer even before I could go! Then they fit us with jumpsuits  and a buch of things (waist harness, hat, fleece jacket, headlamp, radio/headset, bandana) all which were attached to us or our suit.

The climb process took almost 3 and 1/2 hrs in total but that included everything. It was not techical or difficult. There were ladders to get to the top of the bridge arch but then it was small steps and platforms all the way to the centre point. They took pictures of us at four points along the way (we weren't allowed cameras). The views were spectacular. It was light out at first but then we saw the sun set from above. You could see all over Sydney and had amazing views of the Opera House.

I finished at about 10:20 pm. I then bought photos which were highway robbery ($36 for the first and $10 for each additional on USB!). Oh well, I guess you only live once.

I then walked almost one hour back to  my hotel. I was pooped on the walk but didn't want to fork out more money for a ride and I got to take some nice night shots of Sydney. George St. was hopping and loud!

I got to the hotel at almost midnight (feelkng like 2am). I dropped my stuff and called it a day.

T