Sydneysiders

Sydneysider: anyone who's from or lives in Sydney. I don't count as one, but I'm living with two, and I just wanted to show off some of my new vocabulary. New words and phrases have definitely been creeping in over the last few months. So here's a fair warning to my friends and family when I get home: don't be surprised if a loo, lift, I reckon, hey?, bully, d'ya reckon?, no worries, she'll be right, capsicum, biscuit, chips, aye, sunnies, togs or jandals jump out at you in the course of conversation. It may take some time to fade.

The Petersons have been keeping me really busy here in Sydney. They live in Kareela, a small suburb near Sutherland, which is about 20 minutes south of the city. They live in a three story home of which they used to rent out the second floor. The tenets happened to move out the weekend before I arrived, so I've got a whole floor to myself. Three bedrooms, kitchen, lounge, bathroom....I'm pretty spoiled. Albie and Bernice live just up the stairs, in a smallish space that allows everything to go on in one basic area so you never get lonely. They've got a pool outside, though its been a bit too cold to tempt me.

A word about Albie and Bernie - they are nearly 80 and are two of the livliest people I've met. They are so active, running around doing things all day, enjoying life to the fullest, laughing, ready for anything, and affectionate with each other. What an amazing couple. They love to dance, which is how they met. They've been married for 18 years now. They love to introduce people to Sydney, they love music, and they love spoiling people rotten. When I arrived they were waiting at the baggage claim patiently for my hour-late flight, and couldn't wait to take a photo of me right away. They brought me home via public trans (their preferred method of travel, and they are EXPERTS) and the whirlwind began. So far we have been to Manly Beach and the Corso, the Blue Mountains, Katoomba and the Three Sisters, Watson's Bay, and the Taronga Zoo. They call it the Zoo with a View, its located on the harbor just across from the opera house. I had a great time there with Bernie (apparently, Ablie's 7 children never wanted to do anything but go to the zoo, the very thought of one makes him cringe, and he refuses to ever go to a zoo again, ha ha!) I spent one day being driven around Wollongong and Kiama with another couple I met (a pair of trombonists) who are the founders of several bands in their area and own a little rehearsal hall. They took me to see all the sights near their area, and are wonderful people. I've been to hear a great big band run by a lady named Judy Bailey, and evenings with Albie and Bernie often include watching amazing concert DVD's of jazz legends. I really can't complain, the week is rushing by so quickly.

BUT!!! I. can. not. wait. to. go. HOME!!! 4 days and I'll be on my way!! FINALLY!! Really getting excited and impatient now. :-) Lake Arrowhead, I'll be back soon!!

Forgetting your shoes

I decided on taking a tour after all, and chose one that cruised around the Whitsunday islands and stopped for snorkeling on the fringe of the reef and at the beautiful Whitehaven beach.

My boat was the "Camira", a type of catamaran that only had about 25 other guests on it. The front of the boat had a section where canvas had been stretched across from one side to the other, like a non-bouncy trampoline, and you could lounge around on it, or lay down and listen to the sound of the water passing beneath you. It was a really beautiful sailboat with two tall sails, and it was such a relaxing, intimate way to travel. Whitehaven beach truly was spectacular, with miles of pure white silica sand and blue seas. I met two other girls traveling on their own, one from Germany and one from England, and the three of us befriended each other and banded together against the three perils of traveling alone: no one to talk to, no one to take your picture, and no one to put sunscreen on that one part of your back that you just can't reach.

When you board Camira, the first thing you must do is lose your shoes. One of the crew holds a big canvas bag, and everyone must drop his or her shoes into it as she passes. At first you are surprised, thinking, "Surely I must need my shoes at some point today..." but then you quickly forget all about them. Roaming the boat, sitting near the front, relaxing or eating in the inner lounge, swimming in the ocean, exploring the sands of Whitehaven beach.....all are accomplished without the slightest recollection that you once had shoes and thought you needed them. You feel free and relaxed all day long, and hang your feet over the side of the sailboat as you watch the green islands slide by. You breath fresh air and watch as the sunset changes the sky. You feel loved and protected by God just for being, and feel like a child again. And as the crew of the Camira had warned us (and I had laughed at the idea), many nearly forgot to retrieve their shoes as they left the boat. You forgot you ever had shoes, and it was only as you left that you suddenly remembered to find them. You reluctantly pull yours out of the pile, wishing you didn't have to put them and all the cares and worries you also had left behind for the day, back on again. I want to forget my shoes way more often.

Life in northern Queensland

I'm all settled in here in Cannonvale, a little town right next to Airlie Beach, and about 15 minutes from Proserpine, where my friend Matt teaches grade 3. My traveling to get here was pretty uneventful. I decided to spend my Sydney overnight between flights in the airport, to save money and ensure I didn't miss my early morning flight by getting too far away. While they close the airport at 11pm, there is a no-mans-land in between the terminal and the elevators that take you to the train station that they don't kick you out of. I had asked around about it, and was told to get there "early" to snag one of the comfy chairs. I settled in around 5:30 pm, did some reading and napping, and woke at midnight surprised to see that I was far from the only one taking advantage of this little slice of airport - there were 60 other cheap travelers like myself camping out on the chairs and floors, some with sleeping bags, one backpacker couple even washed their clothes in the sink and hung them to dry on their own clotheslines they had rigged up. I was next to a sleeping asian man with a facemask and earplugs, and across from a nice german guy who was on his way home after spending 10 weeks backpacking and rockclimbing the famous areas in Australia, on his own. He watched my stuff for me whenever I went around the corner to use the bathroom. What a guy. :-)

So now I'm in Cannonvale. My first weekend we went out with Matt's friends and girlfriend to Airlie Beach to explore the nightlife, and had a fantastic night. I spent one evening with one of his teacher friends, Bess, who invited me to a girls movie night with wine and cheese. I really like her a lot, hoping we can hang out again next weekend. This week I'm on my own a lot, at Matt teaches during the day. This is the last week of the term, then he'll have his easter holidays. I've been doing some exploring of the towns and neighboring towns, relaxing and reading at the Airlie Beach Lagoon (basically a free pool on the beach, there is too much danger from jellyfish stings to swim in the water), and relaxing at home - the apartment in Cannonvale, where I have my own room and bed!! You start to appreciate these things more when you don't have them for a while, ha ha)

There are so many amazing things to do here if you have the money....I'm still debating if I'll take one of the days tours out to the reef or one of the islands....is it worth spending another 150 bucks?? Or should I find cheaper or free things to do?? Hmm....maybe I'll do just one tour. After all, my room and board are basically free, so why not? We'll see. I am enjoying the freedom and relaxation a lot even just staying here on the mainland. I've got one more week here - I'll check in again at the end or once I'm back in Sydney!!

leaving NZ

Today is my last morning in New Zealand! I can't believe how fast it went by!!

The rest of the road trip was so neat - I got to see a whole lot of countryside and coastline. We drove all the way around the outer edge of the east cape, and even made trek out to the easternmost lighthouse in the world! After that we camped out one more time and got to have a fire on the beach, and I had a quick crash course in surfing before it got dark. I did actually manage to stand up and ride a wave in a straight line for about 4 seconds. Hooray! I surfed! technically, anyway....

We stopped in Rotorua for a couple of hours, just long enough to do the Luge there. It was a little rainy, but we didn't mind. It meant we were almost the only people there, and we had a blast. Then we stayed in Te Awamutu for one day and two nights with Hayden's parents, and I got to meet some other relatives and friends as well. On our full day there we decided to do Blackwater Rafting at the Waitomo caves. Basically you are in a wetsuit and boots, hiking into a cave with water rushing around your feet, and then you get to hop on an inner tube and float along for bits of it. It was really dark, we all had headlamps on our helmets, and we got to float right under some of the glow-worms.

On our way out of town we picked up a hitch-hiker, someone Hayden actually knew from growing up in Te Awamutu. The three of us had a merry road trip down the coast, took the long way around to take in a bit more scenery, and stopped for dinner with Hayden's cousins in Wanganui before pulling into Wellington late last night about 11:30pm. I can't believe these two weeks in NZ have passed so quickly, I could have easily stayed longer!! But today I am off to the airport and moving on to the next part of my travels, up to Airlie beach in northern Queensland, Australia to visit my friend Matt. On to the next adventure!!! Goodbye, New Zealand....I will miss you. You really are quite possibly the most beautiful and friendly place on earth.

Road trip begins!

We left Wellington Thursday afternoon and headed north up the east coast of the North island. Our car's ipod jack and cd player are broken, which is kinda lame, but we can still listen to the radio, and ocassionally, talk to each other. :-) We did some supply shopping in random little grocery stores in small villages along the way, and also stopped a few times to get some fresh fruit from farmer's fruit stands. I have eaten my first feijoa - a fairly common green fruit in New Zealand with a really distinct smell and taste. We decided to stop for the night at a beach called Te Awanga, and we camped out on a patch of grass right next to the beach. in the morning we woke to discover we had found the main surfing spot on the beach, much to Hayden's delight as he's a keen surfer. He got up early to surf and I read my book on the beach in some morning sun. After a quick breakfast of "porridge" (oatmeal) with some fresh feijoa in it, we continued up the coast, stopping for photos a few times at some great overlooks on the coast. We arrived into Gisborne just about twilight, where we get to stay with his friend Kate.

This morning we got up early to go with Kate to a Saturday morning farmer's market in town, where she runs a little mobile coffee shop that is enclosed in a little trailer her dad designed. After some free coffee, I wandered around the stalls in search of breakfast. I found pikelets - basically silver-dollar pancakes, fresh made that morning, in a pack of 12, for $1.50 NZ, and got a jar of fresh homemade raspberry preserves for NZ $2. They made a great combo, which I shared with Hayden and a random lady I had met. That, along with a pear someone gave me, was my wonderful breakfast. This afternoon we have another adventure - Kate has a pilot's license, and is taking us flying in a little Cessna! Woohoo!! We'll probably stay here a second night....sleeping in a bed is pretty nice. :-)