HELLO AGAIN, DEAR FRIENDS!!!

I’m SO SO SO sorry to neglect this blog; the issue is that I haven’t had any real adventures lately so I guess I just figured, “no one really wants to read about my boring life…do they?” Basically, the last few months have consisted of me returning to Sydney, looking desperately for a job to replenish the funds in the bank account, finding one at a darling little café in the bustling work district of North Sydney, working my butt off from 8-4 waitressing (yes, waitressing…you read that right), and planning my trips to New Zealand and Fiji! On weekends, I have spent much of my time doing the rest of the tourist things in Sydney…including trips to all the markets, big and small, more hikes with my cherished friends Tom and Denis (including snake spotting number three, a poisonous death adder!), a big night out on the town with my co-workers at the best Chinese restaurant and poshest bowling alley on the planet, dog-sitting in the most exclusive neighborhood in all of Sydney, home to Nicole Kidman and the richest of the rich, hikes alone through the Australian bush in the pouring rain, visits to the contemporary art museum, Sydney’s world famous New Year’s spectacular, and the recent Sydney Festival, complete with performances by the legendary Al Green and exotic dancers from all over the world!

It was exciting…and even the waitressing gig, which I promised I’d never do, was actually not as bad as I thought. Sure, I had to touch people’s dirty plates and deal with anxious customers or complaints about the food being too hot or too cold or too big or too small (for the most part, though, they were pretty good cuz our food is awesome!). But I put on that winning grin and did my best, earning me enough for a trip to New Zealand.

And tomorrow I set off to Auckland on a late flight, where I’ll explore the city, meet up with an old high school friend, and then later in the week begin on a 28-day-tour of New Zealand, both North and South Islands. As most of you know, I’m not your traditional “tour girl”, but this tour is everything I could ever want—the option to hike or cycle EVERY day, including a three-day trek on one of the world’s greatest routes, white-water rafting, zorbing, cruises through fiords, penguin-spotting, and camping under the stars every night. SO my type of tour. Not your “hop on the bus, let’s drive from point A to point B” kind of gig. This is the real deal, experiencing the natural wonders of New Zealand from an active point of view. And I’m thrilled. I could not be more excited to start this leg of my journey.

Due to limited internet access, I don’t know how often I’ll blog, but I’ll try as often as I can. Thanks to those who continue to check up on me, even if I’m not always good about writing. The adventure is beginning again, so thanks for coming along for the ride!

And to those of you in the States…I’m home March 1st!!! Come celebrate with me in Chicago!!! All my love.

Laidback...With My Mind on My Money and My Money on My Mind

Last time I was just leaving Noosa, headed for the beautiful Byron Bay. Hippies galore, Byron is one of the most laidback, chill towns I have ever visited. Although it has recently become quite touristy, it still has that vibe of long, flowy skirts, earth-friendly movements, peace, love, happiness, really rockin' acoustic music (Ben Harper has a second home here), herb shops and the ultimate surfer's paradise. Not impressed with my hostel, I called about moving to another, one that had been written up as a quiet guesthouse, much like the one I stayed at in Noosa. To my surprise, the woman on the other end informed me that although she had recently shut down the hostel due to the party mentality of so many backpackers, I sounded like a nice girl and it was my lucky day because she had a studio apartment available to rent. I was so excited, yet disappointed to hear that she wanted $350 per week. A lone traveller, I sadly declined the offer, telling Veronica that I could not afford anything over $150. To which she replied, "Done. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 11." The next day, in her red BMW convertible, Veronica pulled up to my hostel in a flash, driving me only two blocks further to a gorgeous stand-alone house that housed my beautiful studio apartment, only a few blocks from the beach. I cannot even describe to you what staying in a studio apartment is like after spending two months living in the bunk bed of a dormitory room with ten other people. This new "palace" as I called it was complete with a sprawling living area, a beautiful kitchen, my very own bathroom and even my own beautiful balcony that spanned the entire front of the house. I marvelled at my luck, thinking backpackers would kill to stay in a place like this at such an amazing price. I had hit the jackpot!

The next couple of days were spent exploring the gorgeous area with its purple jacarandas in full bloom, hiking up to the famous lighthouse, running through the national parks that joined one beautiful beach to the next, looking out to sea as I sipped wine at the famous Beach Hotel, and spending many evenings listening to some of the best live music I have ever heard.

Recommended by friends, I took a tour out to Nimbin, a hippie village that was founded as a result of the Aquarius Festival of 1973. Comparable only to Woodstock, the Aquarius Festival was held by university students who wanted to promote the idea of free love. The thousands who flocked to the area were enticed by its fertile lands and cheap real estate, deciding to establish roots and create their own little village of sorts. Present-day Nimbin is hard to describe--on one hand, it is a small yet progressive farm town, complete with its own power company that has been rewarded for its innovations in things such as push-pedal generators and solar-powered grills. On the other, it is a laidback hippie haven, with what it claims as the world's official Hemp Embassy. Only here can you find endless petitions for the legalization of marijuana, including posters with Barack Obama's personal endorsements, a psychedelic and colorful museum of the town and its history with easy-going townies smoking out of their giant bongs in back, and ladies in colorful frocks chasing after tourists trying to sell them magical cookies. What better way to describe it than the small town equivalent of Amsterdam?

After the tour of Nimbin, we drove back amongst beautifully green, lush rolling hills and endless fields of macadamia trees. Did you know that macadamia nuts are native to this region of Australia? Me neither. Nor did I think I really even liked macadamias...but damn, do they ever know how to use them to make some delicious pastries!

Back in Byron, I met up with some friends from up the coast. After deciding to leave for Sydney that Sunday, I suggested to Veronica that they move into the studio and she happily agreed. As a thank you, Tom and Kate, my friends from England, decided to hire a surf board and teach me how to surf! So we headed out onto one of the country's most famous little inlets to surf, Watego's Bay. Here, Tom instructed me how to paddle, how to move in the water and finally how to stand. Rather than practice on the beach like most amateurs, Tom insisted we get right in the water, where he waited for a good wave, holding the board steady for me, screaming, "Ok, NOW!! Paddle! Paddle!! Paddle!!!!" The first few times were, as they would say, a bloody failure. But about round four, I felt the water underneath me, steadied myself, and STOOD UP!!!!!!! This is unheard of for first-timers so I left the water, exhausted yet beaming with pride. A nice cold beer afterwards (my personal favorite here--the pale ale "Little Creatures") and I was ready to say goodbye to Byron Bay...not because I wanted to leave, but because the piggy bank was, and IS, very very empty.

So off to Sydney I went, not by bus...yet in the station wagon of a girl I had found online offering rides (don't worry, this is common here!). Was I perhaps slightly worried when she picked me up from Byron in her white beater, painted ever so wonderfully with Pink Floyd's famous logo for the 'Dark Side of the Moon' album on both sides? No, not nearly as much as I was terrified by the hundreds of dolls she had in the dash, lined up along the side of the car, or later by the one that was chuckling underneath all of her luggage as I sat alone in the backseat, wondering where on earth that Chucky noise was coming from and would I make it out alive.

But I survived. And here I am again in Sydney...desperate for a job and some money to replenish the funds that I so quickly depleted on my amazing journey. Perhaps I will continue to save through Christmas, in hopes of planning yet another trip...I'm thinking New Zealand!

Whitsundays and Fraser Island

Long overdue. What else can you expect from someone having the time of her life?

Last time I was just leaving Townsville, headed for Airlie Beach, where I ended up spending a good four days hanging about, reading a book in the hammock of my hostel, watching outdoor movies at sunset on a tarp whose backdrop was the entire Airlie Beach Bay, playing trivia for free bottles of champagne, and walking beautiful national forest treks overlooking the Whitsunday Islands.

What are the Whitsundays? Only the most beautiful 74 islands on this planet. After my days in Airlie, I boarded a sailing vessel, "Summertime", for a three-day, two-night cruise around these islands. When we visited what is officially named the second best beach in the world, Whitehaven, I knew that this trip would truly be something special. The sand is as white as you could ever possibly imagine, containing 97% silica, it is the perfect exfoliant, leaving your skin feeling silky smooth. My shipmates and I wandered the less frequented section of the beach alone, our own special spot in paradise. We put on wetsuits (to protect us from the deadly box stinger jellyfish) and spent hours splashing around in simply the most beautifully blue water I have ever seen.

The rest of the trip aboard Summertime was just as magical. We snorkelled in some of the most untouched coral in the Great Barrier Reef, swimming alongside sea turtles, spotting white-tip sharks, and finding Nemo. Our ship is the only vessel in the area that has inflatable kayaks, which we took out one morning as the sun rose to spot stingrays and more turtles floating alongside our boat. Back aboard the vessel, we would hop into our jacuzzi at the front of the ship, warming up before being served our giant Aussie BBQ and heading off to our small cabins underneath the ship. It was nothing short of perfection.

After my trip to the Whitsundays, it was hard to imagine anything as unique or exciting. But only a day later, I was headed to Rainbow Beach, where I met the three strangers who would accompany me to Fraser Island on a self-drive, three-day safari. The next morning, camping gear packed into the back of the giant Land Rover they give us to take to the island, the four of us headed off to the ferry for our adventure. Darren, the 6'7" dingo-chasing, full-of-life Brit, Chris, the 19 year old, always-smiling German, and Sarah, my dear friend from Scotland. An interesting crew to say the least, we arrived on the island, hopping into the 4WD and driving on the sand to our first destination. The island is the world's largest sand island and the beaches have been converted into highways. Nothing quite like driving along the beach in an SUV with speed limit signs stuck into the sand dunes, other cars driving along the shore, waves crashing.

We spent three days on Fraser, exploring the beaches and inland lakes with our SUV. We would drive on back roads, figuring out how to navigate in the dry powder, getting stuck, driving over giant boulders, into streams...quite the adventure. Then we would get out of the car, go on a nice walk and find ourselves smack dab in front of the most beautiful, pristine, secluded lake. The waterways are so clean that we drank the water straight from them. It was something out of a fairytale, as the three of us found ourselves alone on Basin Lake, nothing but nature surrounding us.

Our nights consisted of setting up camp...and since I was the only one with any real camping experience, I became somewhat of the camp mother, showing them how to set up the tents, cooking the meals, teaching everyone how to make S'mores. (Can you even imagine living in a country that doesn't know what a S'more is? The omission of this tradition should be an international crime!) We sat around the fire, drinking goon (cheap boxed wine), telling stories, meeting aborigines who live on the island, and chasing the world's only purebred dingoes (wild dogs).

After the sailing and Fraser, I was BEAT. So I decided to come to a little resort town on the Sunshine Coast. In Noosa the past few days, I have been relaxing, taking long walks in the national forests, visiting the world-famous Eumundi markets, and staying in a quaint guesthouse with only eight other lovely people from around the world.

Life continues to surprise me. I think I may have had my long-awaited epiphany, but perhaps I'll keep you all in suspense for now. All I know is that around each corner is another wonder and I am so so so lucky to have the chance to see what I have seen.

Love you all :)

Good 'Ol Maggie

Prior to leaving Atherton, I spent an amazing day with some friends from the Lodge, driving over to the jungle-top town of Kuranda, where we jumped off twenty-foot ledges into deep gorges atop a giant, cascading waterfall. As the tourists looked on from their “viewing platform”, we stood atop the waterfall, swimming and enjoying our own private viewing of the magical wonder. After this glorious day, it was even harder to say goodbye to Atherton, but it was time to move on, so I packed up and grabbed a bus to Townsville.

In Townsville, I wandered along The 5-kilometer Strand, ambling along the coastline path, lined with tropical palms, giant fountains, and several rock pools and lagoons. I found it interesting to see that they had several boxes along the way full of vinegar for the box-stinger jellyfish, a real threat here to swimmers in the summer months. That evening I grabbed some fish and chips at the local pub, Molly Malones, and met what would soon become my family for the next couple of days. Carl and Allie, from England, were traveling with the Aussie Drew, and we instantly hit it off, as I eavesdropped on their conversation about movies and “that guy who dances around naked in the bedroom”, jumping in and screaming, “It's Tom Cruise and the movie is 'Cocktail'”. Duh. What followed was a few more drinks, a lot of laughs, and an agreement to pick me up the next morning to go to the famous Magnetic Island just off the coast of Townsville.

Indeed, at 9:30 the next morning, we were off to the ferry station, where Drew and Carl purchased Canadian Club and Coca-Colas to drink at 10 in the morning. I thought to myself, “oh boy, this is going to be a long weekend.” Upon arriving on “Maggie”, we went our own separate ways to our previously-booked hostels, only to reunite later when the three amigos showed up with motor bikes for us to ride around the island. I hopped on the back of one, where we drove to Horseshoe Bay for a quick lunch and then on to Alma Bay for a swim in the warmest ocean water I have ever felt. We spent the entire day driving around the magical island, swimming, stopping at lookouts that were beyond breathtaking and visiting rock points with hundreds of rock wallabies (small, kangaroo-like animals). That night we found ourselves at the local community center cheering on a teengage band and the best beat-boxer in Australia. As the locals wondered, “who are these tourists crashing our party?”, we danced and cheered to this peculiar party we had found.

Back on the dirt bikes in the morning, the boys dropped Allie and I off at a hiking trail, where we ascended the hill to the forts that Australia built on the island during World War II. The forts were not only impressive; the views from atop were literally amazing. On our way down, we kept our eyes pealed for a koala, as we had been told they often frequent this area. Sure enough, there was one, in the tree, only five feet from where we were standing. We watched for nearly a half hour, standing mere feet from the little guy as he sat passively watching us, trying to keep his eyes open. I had to pinch myself; I was watching a koala in the wild!

The great day came to an end with the Townsville Air Show, which we could view from the island's pier at Picnic Bay. Ironically enough, we had planned a picnic for the night, so we set up a wide array of cheeses, meats, wines, pates, and fruits, and watched the US fighter planes soar above us, twisting and turning, followed by a 45-minute fireworks display over the ocean. Wow.

It was so hard to say goodbye to Maggie and to my little family the next day, but it was time to move on...a quick visit to the local markets before hopping on a bus to Airlie Beach, where I am now. Tomorrow I have a 3-day, 2-night sailing cruise in the famous Whitsunday Islands, including Whitehaven Beach, named the second best beach in the entire world. I am thrilled and loving this adventure, but of course miss you all.

Potatoes, Pubs, and Possum

I am in Atherton, living at a traveller's lodge with 50 other people from all around the world! All are here to work the farms, as Australia grants a second-year visa to backpackers who work 88 days on a local farm. I am not sure that is what I am after, but I wanted the experience of working on a farm nonetheless...so here I am.

Atherton is a small country town in the Tablelands, beautiful lands with small mountains, rolling hills and miles and miles of farm land. After a long day's work on the potato fields, nothing is more satisfying than watching the sun set over the mountaintops as the tractor pulls us back to the shed.

I have been working on a potato harvester. Seriously. It is the dirtiest, most filthy job I have ever had; I come home COVERED in orange soot and find dirt in the strangest of places even after I've had a good shower. Atop the harvester, we are six girls, pulling the bad/rotten potatoes off the conveyor belt. It is pretty mindless work and makes for a boring, eight hour day, but it is satisfying. I mean, I never thought I'd be doing this! On my harvester are two French girls, a German, a girl from Israel, and one from Ireland. It makes for interesting breaks, hanging out and eating our sandwiches, talking about cultural differences and just life in general. It is truly the most amazing part of travel--I can never get enough of other people's stories.

In addition to potatoes, I have been working the local country pub. This is WAY different than my pub experience in Sydney--much more laidback and, well, local. The bar has been in the owner's family for generations, dating back to the 1800s, where boxing matches were held in its common area. It was used as a base for the Australian soldiers in World War II and is just oozing in personality and history. We have a great time on Friday nights, dancing to the loud music and hanging out with the local rugby players.

I have made some good friends here and will be sad to go, but I feel compelled to keep moving and see something new. I have met people who have been here for six months because they got "stuck" in what feels comfortable here; I don't want that to happen so I'll probably leave next week.

Until then, I will enjoy this unique experience, cooking Mexican feasts in the backyard for 30 house mates, learning Korean, and chasing opossum out of my room in the middle of the night.

Brush with Death Episode Two

After the bike/snake episode, you would think I'd already had my dose of danger in Australia. But brush with death episode two came on a tour that I took into the Atherton Tabletops. Absolutely stunning lands, we visited breathtaking waterfalls, swam in crater lakes and rivers home to amethystines (Australia's version of the anaconda), learned about the rainforest, mountain biked, canoed, sang, tasted Vegemite for the first time (awful!!!) and slept in a quaint lodge in the middle of nowhere. It was fabulous.

On the trip, I must brag, I spotted TWO platypus in their natural habitat! This is such a feat because the platypus is a very shy creature and 92% of Australians have never even seen one! It was so much smaller than I thought, but so darling and cute!

The brush with death came on our canoe trip to Lake Tinaroo, where our guide Matt popped onto shore to help pull up our canoes and an inland taipan came surging at him, mouth open, ready to attack, as his eggs were mere feet away. In twenty years as a guide of some sort in the rainforest, Matt has only seen a taipan twice in his life and they are noted as the single most venomous snake in the world. It is very rare to see one and you know it's a bad thing when even your guide, who loves snakes, is visibly shaken by the episode. After hitting it away with a canoe paddle, Matt screamed for us to paddle away, as the snake slithered into the water, where Matt was sure it would enter our boats to attack, as it was clearly threatened and feeling very territorial. Screaming at the top of our lungs and panicked, we paddled away. After five minutes, Matt then had the audacity to ask us to get back onto that very shore and take a nature walk, assuring us that the snake had "left the area". After MUCH encouragement on his part, we reluctantly agreed, but I spent the entire walk on the lookout for any slithering creatures in the tall grass.

As if that weren't enough excitement, yesterday I dove in the Great Barrier Reef! My second dive ever (don't worry girls, no puke this time!), it was AMAZING, MAGNIFICENT, MAJESTIC, GLORIOUS, WONDERFUL. Words cannot describe the wonder that is the reef and the abundance of life that I saw yesterday, including stingrays, reef sharks, sea turtles, barracudas, clown fish (Nemo), and fish of every shape and color. It truly is a wonder of the world.

Today I head to the Atherton, where I have tentative arrangements to start working on a potato farm!!! As long as there are no inland taipans, I'll be ok!

**I have pictures but will download them at another time!

Brush With Death Episode One

So...for those of you who don't know (which is a lot because, I know, I've been really bad about this blogging thing), I have decided to start travelling (it severely annoys me that this word can be spelled with one "l" OR two). Not that bartending wasn't great or I didn't enjoy Sydney, I just woke up one day and realized, "I came here to travel. What the hell am I doing?" I was restless and itching to see this beautiful country, so I booked a flight to Cairns.

Now, where is Cairns?, you ask...almost to the very most northern point on the Eastern coast of Australia. This way as it gets hotter (remember, we just finished winter; September 1st was their first day of spring!), I can just continue to travel down the coast towards cooler weather (not that Sydney is cool, per se, in the summer, but a heck of a lot better than the tropics!) So I am in Cairns; known for its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, it is a very touristy town (it reminds me a lot of the Keys, except I hope not to puke on a dive trip here). There are a TON of adventure tours right up my alley...it's been hard deciding what I want to do, amongst options that include white water rafting, diving, snorkelling, sailing, visiting the rainforest, taking the world's largest skyrail, skydiving, etc. I am still deciding, but will write all about whatever adventures I choose!

So I knew this trip was blessed from the get-go when I packed up my bags, left my house in Lane Cove, walking up the giant hill with my pack to get the bus downtown to the airport, when another bus pulls up along side of me, asking me if he can give me a lift to the bus stop. (Bus drivers in Sydney are NOT known for their warmth, so I was shocked!) I didn't think I looked like I was struggling too much, but how completely generous of him to offer, so I hopped on and was up at the stop in no time; a perfect start to a great trip!

My flight was scheduled at 3:20 and got in to Cairns at 6:20. This ought to give everyone a more accurate pic of exactly how big Australia is; I always thought of it as this little island, but it is around the same size as the States--so flying from Sydney to Cairns is like flying Chicago to Florida. Weird. Anyhow, the hostel van, painted in hippie, psychedelic images, pulled up to the airport to pick me up. When I arrived at the Dreamtime Traveller's Hostel, I knew I had made a good choice...I've stayed in a lot of hostels in my day, but this ranks pretty high up there. Immediately, I was told to set my bag down and join in the Aussie BBQ that was going on; we were served kangaroo and crocodile and several salads. I befriended some Germans (there are a lot here!) and they loved practicing English with me. Then began the fire show...yes, the fire show. At the hostel. Wow. Three complete and total hippies got out their fire rings and started dancing around to crazy music, which of course included Pink. Have I mentioned that all of Australia is OBSESSED with Pink...no clue why. Anyhow, they danced for a good 45 minutes. It was totally casual, with our lawn chairs and benches forming a ring around them, only feet from their balls of fire. After the show, there were lessons if you wanted to learn (for free!) and also you could try playing the digiridoo (sp?), the aboriginal music stick.

This morning, I went for a long run along the Esplanade, admiring the tropic mountains, looming in the background, the mist of the morning settling in around their valleys, the Pacific to my side. Then the manager Chris helped me to make some decisions about possible tour options and suggested I rent a bike (I told him I wanted adventure and exercise!) So off I went to the little bike shop, where David hooked me up with mountain gear. I had originally planned a short little jaunt to the Botanic Gardens and back, but somehow let David convince me to ride out into the mountains to see the Crystal Cascades. All he gave me was a hand-drawn map, a helmet, and a bike, saying I'd have no problem. Two hours later and I hadn't even started the climb, winding in and out of little tropical villages and interesting tropical neighborhoods in which I suddenly began to be aware of the color of my skin, seeing as I had not seen any whites for miles. Thankfully, I had a bike and FINALLY found the road to the Cascades...a 9 km jaunt out, and 9 km back...after what had already been at least 10. So I began the climb and it was beautiful, rolling hills and valleys becoming more and more tropical as I climbed into the jungle (legs burning from the morning run).

About halfway into the 9 km is when I had the FIRST BRUSH WITH DEATH of the trip. I was riding along, in the designated bike alley to the left (opposite side of the street remember!)when suddenly I realized there was a GIANT GREEN SNAKE two feet in front of the bike and I was going to go over it; thoughts raced in my mind how I would run over it, it would retaliate, biting me in the leg, I would be poisoned, alone, stranded in the jungle, left for dead...(yes, all this in a matter of seconds). So I swerved to avoid it, not paying attention to the camper van barreling along beside me. Honking and cussing out the windown, the van just narrowly missed me and I just barely missed the snake. So much for the Aussie mentality "they won't bother you if you don't bother them". Perhaps not, but they still may cause my death.

I finally reached the waterfalls and realized I had to walk another 2 km to even see them, a sign reading, "BEWARE: STINGING TREE. IF IN CONTACT, SEEK MEDICAL CARE IMMEDIATELY." In combo with the snake incident, I began to feel like I was certainly not in my own country anymore. Lots of people were swimming in the cascades, but I had not brought my suit, so I admired the falls and rested before my trip home.

Dying of thirst, I stopped to get a water and ask the easiest, most flat way home. What ensued was a flatter route indeed, but what must have been at least another 12-15 km ride. When I passed the airport, it was like a vaccuum of air sucking me in as the planes took off and I started to REALLY feel tired. Then I hit a pot hole and my chain came undone, so I pulled aside into a hardware store to fix it. Full of grease and near tears, a mechanic finally noticed and came over and helped me to fix it, smiling and encouraging. Helpful angel #2. At this rate, I may just find one a day!

So now I'm finally back, around 30 km later...amazing that all this has happened in two days time. I will stay in Cairns for a while and then move on to get seasonal work on the banana plantations for a while to make some extra cash (plus, who doesn't want to say they've worked on a banana farm!...ok, maybe a few of you...). Basically, I'm going where the wind blows me.

So until the next gust....