G’Night, G’Evening and G’Day Mate

 

Long flights are long. I dont do well sitting for hours at a time. Never really have. Currently I am on a plane at almost the exact half-way between Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada. Seven more hours to go. And then 5 hours from Vancouver to Toronto and another hour from Toronto to Ottawa. Wow I’m so happy at myself for writing that hour because now I know I have ONLY another 13 hours of flying left… yay.

My dad recommended to me the best way to deal with jetlag coming back is to not sleep from Sydney to Vancouver and then sleep from Vancouver to Toronto. I guess we shall see how well this works. So far that hasn’t been a problem as it is only about 5pm Sydney time so I don’t really have any urge to sleep. Well, except for the fact that about an hour or so into my flight I started getting a migraine. I should have brought advil, but with my stomach problems I’m technically not allowed to use it so I didn’t. Hind sight and all that.

On my way flying to Sydney I passed a lot of time by either sleeping or making use of the in-flight movies and didn’t end up using a lot of the other activities I brought to keep myself amused. This time around I am giving up less time to that whole silly “sleeping” thing, which mean I am actually opening my computer or my book (um, aka, computer as I’ve been using my kindle program) or my magazines (Scientific America because I am cool like that). Of course this may not be the best idea as atm I am blogging through turbulence which really isn’t helping my head. But let’s just pretend I dont have a head, that will make it all better right?! I may not go as far as to start editing my vlogs/videos I’ll be making about my trip, that may take a bit more concentration than I can give at the moment.

So I had a couple random thoughts-about-Auz blogs lined up that I was planning on writing this trip but, as it turns out, when you don’t write down what exactly it is you plan on writing you often end up forgetting it. Weird eh? But I do remember one, so I think I will write about that for a bit. Therefor I present to you:

Random Thoughts about Auz – Restaurant Service

So on my flight down to Australia I sat beside a very nice Australian couple just coming back from a month bus tour from Vancouver, through the Rocky Mountains and up into Alaska. We started talking about the differences between Canada and Australia and I got warned not to expect as good restaurant service in Auz as we get in Canada because it is not custom to tip your waiters in Australia. Since they do not have to work for it, often service is slow or just not that great. So I suppose in a way this blog is also a response to them (although they’ll never actually read it.)

Australian service is slower. There is no doubt about that. Which has its pros and cons. For example pro- more time to just sit and talk and relax with the family, not feeling like you are being rushed through your meal. Con – when you are in a rush, honestly, it’s probably best just to avoid eating out (*does NOT make a “that’s what she said” joke). 

However from my own special point of view, past the slow factor, I have had some amazing service at restaurants in the Down Under. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs (at least, I’m pretty sure I have… right??) I have annoying dietary problems. *Read more at http://paigrsbrain.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html.* So I’m sure you can imagine what a joy it is to try and find a restaurant I am able to eat at. And while my parents were still travelling with us we ate out at LEAST once a day. It honestly became almost a game “Find a Restaurant Paige Can Handle.” Not the most funnest game ever when everyone playing is hungry, let me tell you.

Unsurprisingly we failed, during the entire trip, to find a restaurant with a dairy-free, spice/herbs/seasoning-free, red meat-free, oil/butter/fat-free, acid-free (etc.) choice on the menu. And this is where my own special point of view came in. Because what I would look for is a fish or chicken dish with little or no seasoning (past salt and pepper) or covered in some sort of sauce. Then when we would sit down and the waiter would (FINALLY ) come around I would always be the first to order. And it would sound something like:

Waiter: Hi, I am *name* and I’ll be your waiter this evening. Do we have any questions about the menu?
Me: Ummm. Yes. Sorry.
Sister or mom: She has digestive iss-
Me: SHHH! I can tell them! Sorry. I have annoying diet problems and I was wondering I could have *menu item* but with no sauce, no seasoning, no tomatoes, no onions, no *blah blah* and on the side instead of the chips, can I have some sort of unseasoned vegetables instead? 
Waiter: I’m not to sure, I’d have to ask the chef. Is *this* ok?
Sister: No she can’t hav-
Me: Jen!
Sister: Sorry! I’m just trying to help.
Me: *gives sister look and turns back to waiter* No, sorry, it’s just that I can’t have *lists off*
Waiter: Ok, I’ll see what I can do

And to the credit of like 95% of the waiters, they would figure out something. Many restaurants would be able to bring what I asked for, but others would have something like the fish has been pre-package or marinating in the sauce all day or comes pre-seasoned or something like that. But the waiters would so often go out of their way to find an alternative solution, running back and forth from the kitchen as the messenger between the cook and myself.

I was worried at the beginning of my trip because my first 3 or 4 days of meals out were salads. Although I can’t eat a lot, I do like to eat. A month of  salad (sans dressing remember) would have been hell. So it didn’t take me too long to realise the more specific I was to the waiters (and nice, polite, understanding, as un-demanding as possible) the more like I was to get a real meal. And I had (as per my limitations) some really good meals while I was down there. I discovered crab (and never looked back), ate more fish this month than I have in my life (and I LOOOVE fish) and had some incredible vegetable mixes. So kudos to the waiters of Australia.

Of course, it wasn’t all wonderful and roses and whatnot. I had my share of times leaving restaurants where I was still hungry or just didn’t away something I should have and suffered the consequences afterwards (eg. best meal was at a backpacker resort in Port Douglas. Best because they had put butter all over the vegetables, making it the tastiest meal of the trip. But one of the worst for me). The other downside to my situation was that it was always the more expensive restaurants I had to eat at because cheaper ones would either not have any menu items I could modify or if they did, often they would be pre-packaged, pre-cooked or something along those lines meaning I couldn’t eat there anyway. And the dishes I could have, where ever I was, were always the most expensive item on the menu. I always felt so bad, because it wasn’t me paying for the expensive mess.

Honestly, I really do appreciate what my family put up with for the sake of my stomach – long, hungry hunts for restaurants, over-priced menus, me snapping at them because it gets annoying really quickly when people start to order for me and try to explain my problems for me. They were trying to be helpful, which I appreciate but honestly – one of the most annoying things you could do. All the same, thanks for putting up with me and my stomach. It is a pain in the ass to deal with, trust me, I should know, and you alls did well.

So on the sappy note, I think I will bring this to an end. Yay family. Yay waiters. You know, all that stuff. Not too sure what I’ll do now to eat up my time but I can assure you Internets, it will be something! Ttyl!

Didgeridoo

Hello again, I feel like its been a while since I posted. And I guess it has, since I’m pretty sure it has been about 2 weeks since I last posted. And I suppose there has been one or two things in those last two that may possibly be worth telling you about. I may just give you a brief summary of some occasions – but we all know me by now, even my  brief summaries end up being pages long :P

So my last post was the day we left Port Douglas, flew to Sydney and then took a train down to Wollongong. Wollongong is… well… for any Ontarians out there, an awful lot like Hamilton. Not exactly a place you would fly half-way across the world to visit. For a better picture, the Hotel we stayed at had a gorgeous view of the local Steel mill. We went out for a walk along the beach for a sweeping view of the coal and other-such-like plants. City itself was, well, relatively grungy. Definitely a bit of a shock coming from sunny, warm and gorgeous to grungy, rainy and mid-fall temperatures.



Wollongong was just a short stop for us. I’m not sure if I mentioned this previously, but this is actually my sisters second exchange in Auz. Her first one she stayed in a small city-esk/subburb area called Warilla, which is just outside of Wollongong. So the reason we were  partying it up in “the Gong” was to visit her old host family and meet some of her old friends. The people were great even if the city could use some work.


After Wollongong the real fun started (re-started?). We once again took the train, this time heading towards an area called Hunter Valley (a 6-ish hour journey costing only $27 for 4 people. I still don’t think my dad believes it.)  Hunter Valley is beautiful, sweeping hills and surrounded by mountains. Even though it was kind of rainy and grey for the majority of the weekend I liked it much better than Port Dougy. Hunter Valley is Australia’s wine country, although I didn’t really take advantage of that since I can’t drink. The real reason we were in Hunter Valley was that once again it was running time. This time around my dad was running the Half Marathon and I was running the 6km Run/Walk.

The day ended up being perfect for running. Slightly cool (again, mid-fall/spring temperatures) but not too cool and sun just peeking out of the clouds, which means we wouldn’t be running in direct sunlight the whole time. Dad ran first at like 7am (we may possibly not have gotten up to see him off… but we showed up at the finish line in our shirts again so it was all good). He loved it. The country side was beautiful and most of the run was uphill. I know, he’s nuts rights? But he says he likes the uphill because it takes more effort and you have to think about it more.

My race started at 11am and was brutal. Not because of anything to do with running or the track or the distance. No, that was the day my body thought it would be fun to wake up with one of the first colds I’ve had in almost a year. Of course. Actually, TECHINCALLY I got it the day before. It was just worse on race day. But because I am an idiot or a masochist or just too proud and stubborn, I was not going to let that stop me. So I ran the damn thing – well, mostly. It kills me a little to say this, but I had to walk about 500m of it. Stupid cold. And yes, my route was also mostly uphill which is something I dont have much training on. I can see what dad means about thinking about it and having that be a kind of distraction. I was just dying by the time I was done tho – spent the rest of the day on the couch reading and sniffling. (I ended up reading all of the first Hunger Games and then immediately downloaded the next two and have since finished them as well. SO GOOD!)

[So like right about here is where I’d put up a picture of me in my running gear looking like I’m about to die from my cold, but they’re on my sisters computer so I guess that isn’t going to happen right now…]

Oh! Also a couple days before I had gone out for a run (you know, training and all). It was my first night in the Hunter Valley. I was just kind of running along behind my hotel, turned a corner and ran straight into a troup (or court or mob) of about a half-dozen Kangaroos and their joeys! It was so fricken cool! I just kind of stopped and started at them and then ran back to the hotel and ran into my dad and sister and told them to come out and take a look. Then I went off, ran 6k, came home, slept and woke up sick the next morning. Go figure. Not that the two events are connected, mostly I was just filling in the timeline .

After Hunter Valley we went back to Sydney. Mom and Dad had only 2 days left in Auz by this point, and the majority of the the one was spent traveling. Their hotel was pretty sweet because they were right on the Harbour and out their window was a veiw of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.




The 19th was Mom and Dad’s last night in Auz, do we decided it would be a good night to do something special. So we all got semi dressed up and went out to a show at the Sydney Opera house . The show we went to was a modernised and slightly-rewritten (well at least with lines added to it) version of Shakespeare’s Foust. It was well done (unless you ask my sister whose exact words I believe were “it was shit”) although I’m not sure if I liked it. I’ve done my share of live theater (and wish I was still doing it, just absolutely love it) so I really appreciate the use of the stage and the minimalist way they used props and costumes. The acting was quite good and the writing was clever and there was definite scenes I quite enjoyed. But there was also a good chunk of it that I didn’t enjoy as much either. So I guess I was rate it as “alright.” It was also slightly disappointing because it was in some small side theater, not the main theater in the Opera House, but meh. We still went to a show in the Sydney Opera house, and that is just cool.

It was also just a really nice last night with the family. After the show we went out for desert and just enjoyed each others company. Took the ferry back to Mom and Dad’s hotel (Im staying with my sister at her place, saving a bit of $$) were we talked a bit more and Mom gave us (well, especially Jen) a teary farewell (my dad on the other hand “ugh, do I have to give you a hug now?” ) . While we were waiting for the ferry from the Opera House to the hotel mom discovered some of the best graffiti in the bathroom and altho she isn’t a Doctor Who fan herself, she knows the rest of us are and ran excitedly out of the bathroom to show us…

My mom can be so cute some times lol.

So now it is just my sister and I, but we haven’t settled yet. That night we pack up again and head out bright and early the next morning and head out to the Snow. Well actually, we headed out to Canberra, capital of Australia, for a stop over and then went up to the snow the next morning. But stopping at Canberra is worth a mention because we had SO much fun there. ACTUALLY, even before that I think I should take time to mention our train ride from Jen’s house in Epping, Sydney to the Sydney Central Station were we caught the train to Canberra.

About two or three stops into the 45minute CityRail ride, a trio of Transit Cops got onto the train just a car down from us and spent a good amount of time talking to some people there. Jen was a little worried because she had bought a student ticket event though her student concession card had expired for their winter holidays. The cops then came into our car and proceeded – not to ask us for our tickets. Not only that, they just stayed and chatted with us for the rest of the trip. They were super nice. At one point in time a guy walked on to the train, saw them, turned around and the girl cop (Deb? I believe her name was) called after him “No ticket? Oh don’t worry about it – you’re fine for today anyway.” So the guy lucked out – altho he was still super worried about it until his stop and kept apologising and making excuses for why he didn’t have it. Anyway, once we got off they asked us where we were going and we told them we needed to find the country link. And they picked up our bags and escorted us straight to our train. It was awesome. Never had anything like that happen before.

So we arrived in Canberra. We spent a little while just kind of exploring the city, which was really fun cause we were both in kind of act-like-idiots types of moods. We discovered an outdoor ice skating rink (because yes, it was JUST cold enough for that. Still not that cold tho). We didn’t go on it however, it was tiny and jam packed and there was just no room to move. We also discovered a comic book shop with a ton of Doctor Who merchandise which I had a hard time pulling myself away from and kept having to remind myself that a full-sized Tardis cutout would NOT fit in my luggage. But the real fun was when we got back to our hostel and decided to go out and socialise. Honestly, its true what they say – when in a hostel, go out and meet people. The people were awesome and fun and nice. Met this one girl named Elyse who, personality wise anyway, could have been my Australian counter-part. Of course the kicker was that we had to get up at 430am the next morning to catch our bus but didnt end up going to bed until about 130am because we were having so much fun. Didn’t regret it in the morning however – totally worth it.

So yes, we arrived at a town called Jindabyne, which is just kind of at the base of the mountains where people ski, at about 8am just in time for Jen’s bf to be able to pick us up and drop us off back at his place before he went to work. Jen and I were so tired at this point that we spent the rest of the day sleeping and reading.

Next day was Jen’s bf (Jason or as I like to call him Jay-Jay)’s day off. Our original plan was to ski that day, but even before leaving we were less than inspired about this idea. By the time we got to the ski resort (Parisher) Jay-Jay had made the executive decision that we were going to wait until tomorrow for skiing. Because the weather was just crap. It was rainy/misty and the fog was much too thick for skiing in. JayJay kept wanting to show us gorgeous mountain scenery and instead we just saw a grey blanket of fog. So we went back down the mountain and back home to put on some warmer, dry clothes. However, we didn’t stay at home. He decided we were going to go drive to the other side of the mountain for some site-seeing and kangaroo spotting. And we were not disapointed. The drive was spectacular, down and around the side of the mountain, going from snow to weather that felt like spring. We even stopped at a steam and drank some yummy fresh (cold!) mountain run-off water. He drove us right into the valley, a spot called Tom Groggin, were we saw a troup of definitely no less than 50 kangaroos! There were so many!! Jason decided it would be fun to chase them with his car for a little while, and then we went out and took some pictures of them. They were really curious about us at first, one actually hopped right up to my sister and licked her finger! After that they left us alone however (not that it stopped Jen and I from trying to coax them into coming close again. They were so cute!) The weather was also sooo nice, completely different from the top of the mountain. It was warm (we stripped down our layers) and running and bright. Not going skiing at that point was definitely the right decision.



JayJays awesomeness in decision making was confirmed the next day when we did actually go skiing – and couldn’t have asked for a better day or better conditions! Not a cloud in the sky the entire day. I’ve never done proper mountain skiing like that before, but we went up to the very top – and could for MILES around us! Just absolutely amazing, picturesk views of the mountains. My camera does not come even close to doing it justice.


And I apparently I also missed getting picture of some of the more spectacular views.

The ski conditions themselves where much better than anticipated. Every Australian who we mentioned to that we were going skiing said something along the lines of why? It’s not worth it – its all ice and crap snow, you’ll spend more time in the line for the lift than you will actually skiing, its not worth the price (p.s. if I ever complain about the price of a Canadian lift ticket again, slap me ). However, we had something none of those people ever had – an employee! Oh, and damned good luck. No, the snow wasn’t fresh powder like we’re used to back home. However it also wasn’t sheer ice. Rather, more like ice pelts which really isn’t hard to ski over at all. The run got a bit more icey by the end of the day – possibly cause it was the end of the day. It happens. As for lift lines, the longest we had to stand in line for a lift was about 3 minutes. JayJay, having worked at Perisher for several years, knows the hill inside and out and took us to all the best and least-used runs. No lines, no crowds, just nice skiing. And the price – yes, Australian lift tickets are expensive (about $100AUD a head). And no, we weren’t able to get a deal on them. What we DID get was was completely free rentals. JayJay knows a girl who works in the Rental Shop (or “Hire” as they call it) and she got us rentals at no cost. No only rentals, but really nice ones – no the cheap 1980’s kind we’d get at home. There was really no possible way we could have asked for a better ski day. Ok, I guess except me – my giant feet don’t like ski boots, no matter what the quality and my knees kind of hated me after my 6k up-hill run last weekend and definitely made it known they were still angry with me by the end of the day yesterday. Ah well, I suppose life can’t always be perfect . Somehow I think the rest of the day made up for it however.



Also the weather for skiing was MUCH warmer than we are used to back home. We dressed in layers like we normally would for our –20 degrees Celsius skiing and ended up stripping layers down to our t-shirts (tank top for my sister) and very basic cover against the wind as the temperature was definitely above freezing.  Honestly, we could not have asked for better ski conditions.

So yes, there we are. Got up early this morning and am currently on a 7-hour bus ride from Jindabyne to Sydney (altho by the time I post this I will probably be sitting back in Jen’s room in Sydney where there is internets availible). We were sad to leave the snow and Jen was sad to leave JayJay but it was time to go. I *tear* head back to Ottawa on the 27th (just 3 more days…). This trip has been amazing, it’s hard to fathom heading back. And I am DREADING that stupid plane flight.

So I guess I shall depart dear Internets. Next time you hear from me, I will probably be in Canada. I’ll try not to miss you too much until that time! Ta!

Kookaburra’s Gum Tree

 

Or – Aussies Differences #2: Food

For the most part, Australians eat pretty much the exact same as Canadians. Of course, as all countries do, they have their own types of food that would be less likely to be found elsewhere such as Kangaroo or Crocodile. But that’s not really what I’m looking to talk about today, because every knows about those things. (Both of which I have tried btw. Kangaroo tastes kind of like deer, very gamey, and I had a bite of my sisters Crocodile Pie which mostly tasted like soggy bread so maybe I should give that one a try again if I get the chance). Or, of course, the ever famous and disgusting Vegemite. No, this blog is going to be more highlighting the smaller differences in food practices.

Beetroot – or, as known back home, beets. To my knowledge, other than home gardens or on the occasional menu back home, beets are really only ever seen as a condiment for Shwarma. However here in the Down Under, they are a constant companion on burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads. Personally, I have a strong aversion to beets. Never understood why people eat them. So it came as a shock the first time I was ordering a sandwich and it was tainted by the root. But it’s perfectly normal down here – I mean, who WOULDNT have beets on a burger? Seem tasty to me… or not. 

Eggs – speaking of odd things to put on your burger, lets talk about eggs. Now this isn’t one I have personally experienced, but you see it everywhere. Aussie like to put eggs where they don’t belong. Such as, as previously mentioned, burgers. Or pizza. Yes, they put eggs on their pizza. Or pasta. I’m sure the list goes on, but like I said, I haven’t encounter this one specifically. My parents have however (in fact, my dad ordered a burger the other night which happened to be topped with eggs and ham, so my mom took those toppings home for breaky the next morning).

Pizza – pizza is obviously not an odd Aussie food. However some of their ingredients are. Such as eggs. Or bbq sauce instead of tomato sauce (which I am sure is very good, but due to my dietary restrictions is not something I will be able to try this time around). My mom had a pizza with cranberries the other night, which I actually think sounds kind of good. Better than pineapple anyway .

Prawns – are shrimp. They don’t “throw some shrimp on the barby” down here, they “throw some prawns on the barby.” Fun fact.

 Pumpkin – Pumpkin is another one, like beets, which is everywhere. Of course, by pumpkin they are actually referring to butternut squash (unless they actually mean pumpkin. They don’t really differentiate). If you were to go to a restaurant and order something with a side of veggies, pumpkin would be included. Dishes such as pumpkin risotto or pumpkin linguini are commonplace in restaurants that serve Italian-type cuisine. I love this, it adds a different flavour and makes my plain food much more exciting and makes me less sad when everyone else can eat exciting dishes but I can’t. And always a bit of a surprise because I still haven’t got used to it yet, so I’ll order a dishes and be like “HEY! PUMPKIN! COOL!” Every time. lol.

Juice – Ok, so this isn’t a big one, but what the hey? Iced Tea and Juice have not a larger, but definitely a different range of flavours. For juice we have flavours such as apple-pomegranate or rhubarb-raspberry-apple or, my favourite, mango-anything lol. Iced Tea is much more flavourful as well, moving away from Green Tea or Lemon and towards things such as Peach iced tea. Which I loved (well, my mouth did. My stomach, on the other hand, had some major objections). I saw a sign at a restaurant for Mango Iced Tea, but after the gastronomic-objections (was that too descriptive?) from the peach, I decided it would be a bad idea.

Chips -  as in potato chips, not french fries. Again, not something I personally have experienced, but I was asking my dad and sister if they have any other food differences I should mention and my sister brought up potatoes chips. Apparently they have a much larger selection of chips flavours here. The ones my sister mentioned where – oh, ok she didn’t. “I don’t eat chips!” is her apparent explanation “I just know there’s more flavours!" Oh, wait, now she thought of one. Chicken flavour lol. Yeah, that’s a good one. I may update you further if I remember to take a look for more of them next time I am in the grocery store.

Pies – I guess I couldn’t get away without mentioning the beloved Australian meat pie. If you order a pie in Auz, unless otherwise specified, it will be a meat pie. Ranging in flavours from beef to chicken to curry to crocodile. My sister’s absolutely favourite food now that she is here. Barely a day goes by that she is not mentioning her craving for pie. The right pie. Not microwaved. Not from a pie chain. Fresh, hand-made pie. Apparently it is delicious. Unfortunately once again I cannot confirm that for you. I’d make a very poor food critic eh?

So, like I said, nothing too dramatic of a difference. But different enough that I decided, while sitting here on this plane pretending I’m not bored out of my skull,  are worth mentioning. Or perhaps a warning, to those of you out there who don’t like eggs or pumpkin or beets or bbq sauce. I’m sure there are more out there, but I haven’t discovered them yet. So you may or may not want to expect an update in the future. Only time and tasting will tell .

So, um, ciao belle ma Internets. Good eating to you all!

42 Wallaby Way

It’s a hard life, staying out here on the reef. Sometimes I just don’t know how to handle myself. I guess, well, when things just get too over whelming I’ll just do what the locals do. Snorkel and hike in this so-called tropical paradise. Honestly, my life is rough!

In other news – I have had an AMAZING last few days. Well, Saturday was pretty standard. We didn’t manage to book anything too interesting or exciting to do. So I ran for the longest straight run I’ve ever done (half hour straight of running, about 4km) and then my sister and I ran around the town and did some cheesy souvenir shopping for people back home. Its always a combination of feeling way too touristy for comfort and super amused at all the “awesome” touristy junk they sell at some of these places. I was relatively successful in my endeavours that day so some people back home should be expecting some super exciting things (not that I expect them to really read this )

But Friday and Sunday were probably the best days of my trip. Not “so far” no, best days period. We’ll start with Friday seeing as its chronological and all.

So FRIDAY was the day I did something I have wanted to do since I knew there was, frack I don’t even know how small. FRIDAY we went snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. FRIDAY was absolutely AMAZING. I want to say Friday was the best day of my trip, but between that and Sunday it’s really hard to compare.
So we got up early on Friday to catch a shuttle bus from our “holiday apartment” to the marina. Which was relatively pointless because we could have walked there in the same amount of time since it’s so close. The tour we went with was called Aristocat, and for a generic Reef tour it was great. Of course, now that I’ve done it once I want to do it again – but this time not on a crowded tour that only takes us to the “tourist” sports that are apparently not to the same quality of reef. But I digress (… which is pretty normal for me). Aristrocat is a smaller company with a boat that only holds about 100 or so people and gives you the opportunity to dive or to snorkel in three different locations around the reef, depending on how much money you wish to spend. If you’re travelling to the Port Douglas area and want to find out more about them, their webpage is here: http://www.aristocat.com.au/rates_snorkel_Port_Douglas.htm

So my sister sat out on the upper deck the entire time and met a very interesting couple who we sat with for the rest of the trip. The Guy, Pete, was from Yorkshire, England originally but now lives in France and works as a tour guide. The girl, Sarah, springs from Melbourne. They met when she went on one of his tours last year and are now having one hell of a long distance relationship lol.

But as lovely as these people where, the best part was hands down the reef! Each site was increasingly deeper and contain increasingly more diverse flora and fauna and all were just BEAUTIFUL. It’s hard for me to describe exactly how it looked. LUCKILY my darling sister is a hot, spunky redhead with a scubadiving camera. Why, you ask, is that lucky? Because it attracted the attention of the professional photographer on board whose job it is to take pictures of people in the reef and sell them at the end of the trip. He spent much time trying to, um, educate my darling sister on photography. And at the end of the day, gave her a CD with every single picture he had on his computer of the reef. So we ended up with pictures like

Sea Tutrle we ACTUALLY SAW!
Picture by Brice Bastier

and this

Great Barrier Reef
Picture by Brice Bastier

and this

Coral and Fishies
Picture by Brice Bastier

it was kind of sweet.

Aside from all the amazing things we saw in the actual reef, we saw a few pretty cool things while on the boat as well. And by that I mean on three separate occasions we saw whales!  That was a dream come true for me, hands down. On the way to the reef we saw a mommy and baby Humpback whale that had decided another tour boat would be fun to play with for a while. Leaving the third snorkel site a Minke whale swam by us and oh the way back into the harbour we saw three more humpback whales.  If I never made it into the reef that day, the whole thing would still have been worth it just for that reason! I want to do it again!

And then there was SUNDAY. SUNDAY was super fun as well, but for completely different reasons. SUNDAY we went to the Daintree Rainforest. The tour group we went with was called Daintree Discovery. They’re also a smaller group but I don’t think we could have had a better one.  Our tour guides name was Chris and he was amazing. Very chatty and funny and had an obvious passion for the rainforest. He had all sorts of little tidbits about the rainforest, could tell you its history from the time it used to be an ocean floor right up until it is what it is now, a collection of mountainous rainforest. And he is a HUGE conservationist. He made so many very passionate arguments for the saving of the rainforest. Many many many passionate arguments for the saving of the rainforest… in fact, it was his main topic of conversation. Honestly tho, he was awesome and if you ever take this tour, try and get him. Its worth it. If anyone is interested in learning more, this is their website:http://www.daintreediscoverytours.com.au/ and this is their facebook: http://www.facebook.com/daintreediscoverytours.

This tour started early as well. First place we went was Mossman Gorge, a big tourist haven. It was very very pretty (GORGE-us if you will. I am way over-using that joke) and we managed to beat the tourist rush since we got there so early in the morning.

Mossman Gorge

After a quick tour there, learning about the stages of the rainforest from millions of years ago until today (algea, moss, fern, coniferous and *something else that starts with C*, and flowering), we moved on to stage 2. Boat ride down the Daintree River to spot crocodiles. It was really nice, the water was purdy and we saw lots o’crocs, but not my favourite part of the trip. Crocodiles are cool, but don’t really hold my interest for too too long. The water was so nice tho and there really is nothing better than boating on a nice day .

Then we headed up into the hills. Unfortunately we couldn't go in too far as we were driving so we had to follow the road. The horrible, evil manmade road that cuts right through the forest and causes landslides and forest degradation. But you know, since its there we might as well use it. We were brought up to a view that in my opinion has to be one of the best views in Australia. So pretty!

Veiw of Daintee to Ocean

After that we piled back in the car and headed off to Cape Tribulation. It’s a beach point where Rainforest meets ocean, a very rare occurrence as Rainforest cannot survive off salt water. The water is stopped by Mangrove trees whose tangle of roots will trap and use ocean water or run-off rainwater from the hills. While we were there we saw some awesome insects, including a blue stick bug, a spider about the size of my hand, green ants whose venom is vitamin C and a bright yellow caterpillar that stands on end when threatened. Unfortunately I’m really bad with nomenclature and don’t actually remember the names of these creatures. But they were really cool.

After that was a lunch and a walk in the forest in our secluded little picnic area. Honestly, I could just watch in that forest all day. We were told there was a change of seeing Casowaries (iconic bid of the forest) but alas we did not. We saw a lot of their droppings however. We then went to an ice cream place for a quick stop before heading up to the grand finally of the trip, off-roading up to Casowary Falls! Off-roading wasn’t REALLY all that exciting as we were with a bunch of old people () who didn’t want to go fast, but the falls were just amazing. This gorgeous swimming hole under a cascade of water. Water was slightly frigid, but totally worth swimming in and you got used to it after a while.

Sister and I diving into Casowary Falls

Our Tour Group

It was an amazing end to an amazing day. Honestly, if you ever go to the Daintree Forest, go through this tour group. Every moment was worth it!

I have to say Internets, this was one of my hardest blogs to write because there is SO much detail I am editing out (such as how AMAZING the Rainforest smelled). I figure it’s long enough already and I’m sure you have more to do with you day than read overly-detailed accounts of my trip. So I shalt babble at yous laters! Au Rivour!

Crocs in Socks

Or - My Random Aussie Observations

So I'm sitting here at 6:30 in the morning thinking how crappy it is that I am awake right now. Also that it's hard to figure out activites to do that wont wake up the rest of my family. So what the hell, whose ready for another blog post? (also internets working, but it doesnt want me to open my email so that's also out of the question atm).  These are my observations from Auz so far:

Toilets - So a request I got from a few of my friends was to make sure I take a video of toilet flushing here in Auz so we can prove once and for all whether it flushes in the opposite direction. And while I realise this may not have been the MOST serious of requests, there is still a slight hitch in this plan. The hitch being that, well, toilets don't flush in a circular motion in Auz. They just sort of, well, dump a shit-ton of water (or a half shit ton, all Aussie toilets have the option of half or full flushes). I'll still take a video, you know, for comparisons sake if people are THAT curious. But it shalt prove nothing. Maybe I'll take a video of the sink instead...

Grocery Shopping - Grocery shopping has this odd mixture of weird but not weird. The grocery stores themselves are set up very similarly to the ones back home, so when you first walking in nothing feels weird. Produce is at the entrance, meat at the back, random drugstore aisle in the middle. Pretty normal. But then you take a closer look and realise that everything is wrong. The brands are all different, and even if they're the same they are still different. Different looking, different tasting, different sizing (fricken soy milk comes in containers half the size of what we get in Canada. And I go through THOSE in about a day and a half...). Now this may seem obvious to people, of COURSE they're going to be different, Im on the other side of the world. But its different hearing about it and when you actually walk in and can't find what you're looking for because you dont know anything about the brands in front of you.

Oh, also, blueberries here are like $10 for a small container. I never realised how much these poor Aussies suffered!

Oh, also had a fun time trying to find ant-acids because I ran out of the ones I use in Canada. There are similar brands, but the boxes look different (and much less selection). The pharamcist was sooo confused what I wanted, trying to give me one-a-day tablets when I just want something if my stomach acts up after a meal. And I dont know how strong the ones here are compared to the ones at home, because if I've discovered anything from the food, just because the brand is the same does not mean it's anything like the similar (supposebly exact same) item at home.

Jetlag - sucks. That is all.I'm tired by 8pm and get up at 6. Wtf body? Get with the program!

However, watching the sun rise over the palm trees is gorgeous and listening to the all the birds is relaxing. And different, because these are definitely not birds you get at  home :D.

Coffee -  this is more of an observation of my parentals than myself, seeing as my diet restricts the intake of caffine and all, but I feel the need to inform those of you who are coffee hounds and thinking of travelling to the Down Under. Apparently you cannot order a straight coffee here. Mom and Dad will go out for breaky or after dinner or something, and my dad will say "oh, just a coffee please" and then waiters will look at him expectantly. Coffee what? Latte? Mocha? ummm... ok, I dont really know too many other types of fancy coffee. But yeah, black coffee or coffee with just cream and sugar isnt a thing here apparently. So if you love coffee and are planning on making the journey here, brush up on your fancy coffees (lol, my mom is kind of loving it) or be prepared to make your own. Or face a lot of confused waiters :P.

So yes Internets. Difference I have noticed so far. I am sure I will sprout a few more over the coming weeks. And I'll try not to bore you with differences like "The light switches! They're smaller!" or silly things like that :P. And for now, depending on the part of the world you currently reside in, Good morning, good afternoon or good night! :)

Ye'r

Day 4 in Auz so far. Day 4 in a land where 17 degrees celcius in Winter and considered freezing. Silly Australians.

The flight over from Canada was... well, brutal. In total I spent between 21-22 hours on planes. Hour from London to TO, 5 from TO to Vancouver. Off the plane for a half hour and then back onto the SAME plane for another 15 hours to Auz and then another hour from Sydney to Gold Coast. Ugh. The worst was the 15 hours. Not just the length, but the length PLUS the fact that it was night and I dont sleep well on planes PLUS I dont do well sitting for long periods of time PLUS the people sitting beside me where sleeping so I could be noisy, talk to them, move too much... etc. If there is a way to torture me, stick me in a dark place for hours on end and restrict all social interactions and movement on my part. It'd make me crack in a second (well, a few hours maybe :P). The hour from Sydney to Gold Coast was decent, at least I had my family to talk to, but by then I was planed out and just wanted to get off.

Gold Coast is gorgeous, but super touristy. It made me think more of Miami than of what I think of as Australia. The beach was AMAZING however. Very few people were at the beach because it is "winter" and the water is too cold. You know, like it takes a second for you to get used to them. As opposed to summer where, apparently, you jump in and its perfect. Silly Aussies. However most of our time there was spent exploring the city and shopping.We were very lucky however in that it was warm and sunny the entire time there.

Dad after Marathon. Don't worry, he's FIIIIINE :P
Left to Right - Me, Dad, Jen (sister)

Sunday morning however was Dad's marathon. 42.2Km (or 26.2miles for you Americans out there :P). He finished it, altho not as fast as he wanted. It wasn't a bad day for a marathon, altho slightly... warm. But it was overcast for most of it so that helped. I was proud because while he was running, I also ran further than I've ever run before (4k) and since I'm training myself it was a good day. But I SUPPOSE dads accomplishment is something that earns slightly more bragging rights. A little.

Our hotel - or "Holiday Apartment" was pretty schanzy. 2 bedrooms, second bedroom with twin beds so Jen and I didnt have to share. It had a kitchen, 3 washrooms (one on-suite, one "bath"room and one... toilet room? lol). The view was just GORGEOUS, we were on the 16th floor and looking out towards the beach. Couldn't have asked for better :)

Jen, Mom and I also wore the shirts I designed for Dad for Father's Day (which was one of my "secret projects" for those of you following along at home). We wore them for him to see once he crossed the finish line, kind of like his cheer squad. I'm pretty proud of how they turned out, I have to say.

Sunday night was also fun because my sister and I decided to go down and enjoy the hot tube at the pool in the hotel (*ahem* Holiday Apartment). Which ended up being fun because a few no-too-shabby-looking Aussie boys had also decided to use the hot tub and we ended up chatting. When the hot tub closed down (it was pretty late at night) they invited us for drinks, but we had to get up early the next morning to catch a plane and still hadnt pack, so we declined. Still, as my sister said, its fun to be in your 20's and be able to enjoy chatting, being hit on by and flirting with hot boys. More fun for me I think as I'm single - Jen can look, but damnit I can choose to enjoy if I so please :P.

This morning we had to catch a plane at 9:30 to Cairns and then a bus up to Port Douglas, where we are staying now. The driver from our Gold Coast hotel to the airport was super friendly and chatty and even took us on a short detour to show us the "best view in Australia". It was a pretty veiw, altho not my favourite. Not so much of a "city scape" view, prefer nature. But I could see why he took us there for teh view.

 

 

 

Veiw of Surfer Paradise, Gold Coast

"Misty Mountains" (as I called them) - Road to Port Douglas

The plane ride was uneventful, but the ride to Port Douglas was fun. It was about an hour, hour and a half through super twisty roads, along the sides of "mountains" (big hills) and along the ocean. The veiw was gorgeous the whole time, much more wild and "real" than I found Gold Coast. I can't wait to start PROPERLY exploring everything, because there is so much wilderness to explore.

Since we got here, we've just been exploring the town. It's VERY much a resort town, the street we are on is purley different resorts. There is only really one actually shopping street in town, but its long and full of little beach shops and tourist traps. Slightly disapointing, but its still gorgeous here, by the beach but surrounded by tropicalness and close to the rainforests. Other than the beach, hopefully we wont be spending too much time in town anyway. And even if we do, I doubt I'll be disapointed. The only way I'll be disapointed here is if I dont manage to make it too the Great Barrier Reef, which is my one and only item on my Aussie Bucket List that I will actually be greatly disapointed if I dont achieve (well that, and maybe hugging a Koala).

We are staying a week here in Port Dougy. So I'm sure I'll have much MUCH more excitingness to tell you about in the coming week. It all very new and exciting and I've barely even started. :D Hope you're having as awesome a time as I am Internets, G'Day to yer Mates! :P