Noosa turned out to be a nice spot on the east coast. It's laid back and relaxed and immediately seemed to be welcoming to me. Helping to this fact was also the backpacker where I stayed: Noosa Flashpackers. A little bit of advertising here is in order I guess! Although located a little out of town, more in the direction of Sunshine Beach (what a nice name - wouldn't you want to stay there, now?) it's ideally located to visit the national park, just around the corner. The backpacker itself is very modern and has all the facilities you need and more: super clean air-conditioned rooms, 2 pillows ( :-) ), a swimming pool, free breakfast and free Internet (which, for the backpacker, is a real treat seeing as internet costs so much in Australia). They even had rain showers :-). Needless to say I indulged in a little over-pampering myself haha :-).
Obviously I explored the national park, where there are a few walks to be done. Following the advice of a certain someone, I set out for the coastal track. This passed by Alexandria Bay (with a nudist beach), rocky places with well-sounding names like Devil's Kitchen and Hell's Gates and Tea Tree Bay. Once again I bathed in tea tree oil, and loved the effect on my skin!
Of course all the mentioned places had gorgeous views on the ocean and it was a great place to just sit, relax, watch the waves and try to spot dolphins (without luck though). What I did spot in the end, was my first koala! The cheeky bugger was hanging in a tree, sleeping of course, and hiding well out of sight. But some nice people pointed him out to me.
From Noosa I took the Greyhound bus once more to Byron Bay. I stayed here for 2 nights and loved it! The city is Australia's hippy walhalla and you could immediately soak up this atmosphere: everything was much more 'chiiiiilllll, duuuuuude' :-). Not only was it nice to sit back and relax at the beach - just walking around the town had its charm as well.
Of course I had to take a surf lesson here. Can't go to Byron and not surf! So I booked my lesson with 2 familiar faces from Fraser Island (which was a very nice plus) and in the afternoon we set out for Lennox Head. Well, the waves there were - in my humble beginner's opinion - wild! They came crashing from everywhere and were higher than myself. Beat that, North Sea! We got a tiny bit of explanation on the beach as to what a wave actually is, what rips are and what to do if you get caught in one (swim hard!). Then we learned a bit of techniques but since the water is the only place to be, off we went into the waves. It took me a few tries, but in the end I stood up nice'n'right and I was able to catch a few waves into shore. Wahoooo, there I went! And apart from a bit of bumps and bruises, no serious injuries were sustained.
For the rest I walked the walk around Cape Byron, where I spotted dolphins (wheeeee
!) and which had once again spectacular views. Yes, Byron Bay, you were wonderful.
From here on it went to Sydney on an overnight bus, where I arranged some practical stuff for the rest of my trip, and the same night I took another overnighter to Melbourne. Exhausting trip, but I didn't want to waste too much time in Sydney.
Melbourne is a big city as well, but the stories are true: it does feel much more European than Sydney - wider lanes, trees in the streets, wide sidewalks, trams in the middle of the street ... I liked it. I didn't spend a lot of time here though, just enough to soak up the atmosphere and watch some tennis on the big screen on Fed Square.
The next day I went on a three day tour along the Great Ocean Road. The group was small and nice so we moved pretty fast and saw a lot of the road. Again we were treated to beautiful sights, especially around the 12 apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. This is very dryly said, but there are just no words to describe what you feel when you see it in real life. I felt very small, in any case. And happy :-).
The tour brought us to a wildlife park as well. Although I'm opposed to putting animals in confinement, I did get to hold a baby wallaby, a baby koala and a snake :-). Not a poisonous one though, but still, I was scared out of my wits. But we're here to experience new things, right, so I couldn't NOT do it :-). Strange and cold!
The rest of the trip took us along the Grampians national park, which was full of the typical Australian wildlife: koalas, kangaroos, emus, spiders, snakes, lizards ... We also did a nice rock walk with breathtaking views, and walked to a aboriginal rock art centre. Here i sustained my first (minor) injury: yours truly slipped over a twig (!!!) and fell, and pulled her thigh. Luckily there were 2 lovely physiotherapists in the tour group so in the evening they were able to tape me up and give me anti-inflammatory pills. Now I'm still sometimes restricted in some movements but it's not as bad anymore :-).
After the tour we were put on a bus towards Adelaide, where the temperature reached about 40°. Pret-ty hot, I must say. The town is nice, seemed very colonial to me, but my time there wasn't much because I flew back to Sydney the day after, to prepare for my next intercontinental flight: the one from Australia to Thailand, which is tomorrow :-).
It was time to say goodbye to the coolest Belgian in Sydney, Frauke, so we went to the beach once more and talked about everything and nothing, you know, the things in life when you're on the other side of the world :-).
And thus, with that ending, I have ended my Australia life the way I started it; I clearly remember me arriving in Sydney with all my bags and Frauke's face would be the one I saw first. And now hers will be the one I see last here.
Australia, we had fun, we had good times. But now it's time to move on.
Goodbye Ozzie, hello Thailand!
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
The Great Barrier Reef meets the Rainforest meets the world's largest sand island
When I arrived in Cairns, the tropical heat immediately fell down on me. What a difference with Sydney!
The courtesy bus picked me up and dropped me off at the front door of The Asylum backpackers, a pretty dodgy place but fine enough to sleep. I immediately went to look up my sissy and her crew. We bummed around the small town for a bit and booked a diving trip (or for some: snorkelling) for the day after - eesh, my first diving experience!
So the next day we set out pretty early (too early, it seemed later) and arrived at the boat which would take us to the outer Great Barrier Reef. Checked in and had to go through a whole list of medical conditions, making sure you had none of them. After that, we set out for the big blue ("it's big... And blue!" - "I knew it!").
Us divers got a very quick diving introduction and were then taken down straight into the water. Scary at first, but once you got your breathing right, it was so much fun! The only problem was trying not to hit the coral with flippers - the reef is badly enough damaged as it is, thank you very much. We saw a few little fish (amongst which Nemo and his daddy) and a lot of beautiful coral. And we got to hold a sea cucumber :-).
The rest of the day on the reef was spent snorkelling, which was so gorgeous. The weather was perfect, the water crystal clear and the fish very colourful and beautiful. I even got to chase turtle Crush to try and get him on the photo :-).
After the diving we got treated by sissy to a cocktail in Outback Jack's (thanks again for that, duuuuuude ;-)) and we went to bed pretty early because it had been a long day.
The day after - and my last day with the Belgian crew - we rented a car and set out for the Daintree national park, the place with some of the oldest parts of rainforest in the world. Pretty impressive to see of course. We went all the way up to Cape Tribulation, where we walked around a bit, saw the biggest spider ever and enjoyed some deliciously empty beaches (watch out for the crocs though).
In the middle of the night it was goodbyes here and there to the Belgian crew, who had a very early flight, and when I woke up I was on my own again. Flying solo for the first time eh!
I rented a car (a cute little red Hyundai Getz) and drove around the Atherton Tablelands - west of Cairns - which were nice but not as spectacular as the Daintree. Ah well, it can't all be golden :-).
From Cairns I got the overnight bus to Airlie Beach, where I had planned a sailing trip to the Whitsundays.
This trip (2 days, 2 nights) was awesome! The former racing yacht was called Boomerang, and that soon became a motto rather than the name of the boat :-). I got to know the other people on the boat and they were all amazing and we had such good fun. The crew on the boat were also very cool and the food was delicious.
And then I haven't even spoken of the Whitsundays. This must truly be heaven on earth. Of course we were the lucky bastards with perfect weather throughout, but still - water in all shades of blue, a clear blue sky and burning sun, pearly white beaches, and getting some snorkelling done. When we were up the first morning, we were joined at breakfast by Flipper and his little kid. Beautiful! And at dinner another Crush (I'm guessing it was his father) poked his little head out of the water for us. What do you want more?
Back on land there was a nice party with fellow Boomerang sailers and the crew. Unfortunately time to say goodbye again!
From Airlie Beach, on it went down the east coast to Emu Park, which is close to Rockhampton. For the first time here I got to witness some of the flooding - it makes you go real quiet. The fields next to the highway were nothing less than lakes, and everywhere in Rockhampton I saw water creeping in gardens etc. Spooky!
From Rockhampton I took the ferry (of hell) to Gladstone. Anyone who has done the
Stewart Island Ferry in New Zealand: that was nothing compared to this one! Luckily yours truly was fine, but I did end up watching a little kid for a while since his parents were hanging over the railing outside, if you get my drift.
After a few more buses and a very boring day in Hervey Bay, where there was nothing to do and where it rained, I arrived in Rainbow Beach early in the morning.
That same afternoon I had a briefing to go on the Fraser Island Trip. This trip was tag-along, which means that if you want you can drive a 4WD yourself, and follow a lead car. On this briefing we received every possible warning about dingos (quite aggressive stray dogs), marsh flies and the ocean ("And remember folks, do not swim in the ocean!"). We were also divided in teams and were en ready to go the next day.
After again a briefing in the morning (with as a highlight the number of ways we could die) we loaded up our Land-cruiser with our camping gear and set out, following the lead car.
Now, when you arrive at the island after a short barge ride, the only thing you see is beach. Of course, it's the world's largest sand island so you get a lot of beach, but the eastern beach being 123 km long, it does something to you. The remoteness of everything was really amazing to see.
Practically all the things we did on the island were accessed from this beach. We went to Lake Wabby, which is known for its high quantity of tea tree oil which makes your skin soft, and which is famous for the catfish nibbling at your feet when you sit still enough. I sat still enough :-).
The next days it was cooking food (and doing the dishes in the ocean), seeing Indian Head (the most eastern point of the island where they threw aboriginals off the cliffs in an act of 'purifying the country', sadly enough), going to Eli Creek and, last but not least, spending some time at Lake McKenzie, the pristine blue lake with white beaches that you see on every postcard of Fraser Island. Heaven!
Now the road goes down again to Noosa Heads and Byron Bay. I will catch you later folks!
The courtesy bus picked me up and dropped me off at the front door of The Asylum backpackers, a pretty dodgy place but fine enough to sleep. I immediately went to look up my sissy and her crew. We bummed around the small town for a bit and booked a diving trip (or for some: snorkelling) for the day after - eesh, my first diving experience!
So the next day we set out pretty early (too early, it seemed later) and arrived at the boat which would take us to the outer Great Barrier Reef. Checked in and had to go through a whole list of medical conditions, making sure you had none of them. After that, we set out for the big blue ("it's big... And blue!" - "I knew it!").
Us divers got a very quick diving introduction and were then taken down straight into the water. Scary at first, but once you got your breathing right, it was so much fun! The only problem was trying not to hit the coral with flippers - the reef is badly enough damaged as it is, thank you very much. We saw a few little fish (amongst which Nemo and his daddy) and a lot of beautiful coral. And we got to hold a sea cucumber :-).
The rest of the day on the reef was spent snorkelling, which was so gorgeous. The weather was perfect, the water crystal clear and the fish very colourful and beautiful. I even got to chase turtle Crush to try and get him on the photo :-).
After the diving we got treated by sissy to a cocktail in Outback Jack's (thanks again for that, duuuuuude ;-)) and we went to bed pretty early because it had been a long day.
The day after - and my last day with the Belgian crew - we rented a car and set out for the Daintree national park, the place with some of the oldest parts of rainforest in the world. Pretty impressive to see of course. We went all the way up to Cape Tribulation, where we walked around a bit, saw the biggest spider ever and enjoyed some deliciously empty beaches (watch out for the crocs though).
In the middle of the night it was goodbyes here and there to the Belgian crew, who had a very early flight, and when I woke up I was on my own again. Flying solo for the first time eh!
I rented a car (a cute little red Hyundai Getz) and drove around the Atherton Tablelands - west of Cairns - which were nice but not as spectacular as the Daintree. Ah well, it can't all be golden :-).
From Cairns I got the overnight bus to Airlie Beach, where I had planned a sailing trip to the Whitsundays.
This trip (2 days, 2 nights) was awesome! The former racing yacht was called Boomerang, and that soon became a motto rather than the name of the boat :-). I got to know the other people on the boat and they were all amazing and we had such good fun. The crew on the boat were also very cool and the food was delicious.
And then I haven't even spoken of the Whitsundays. This must truly be heaven on earth. Of course we were the lucky bastards with perfect weather throughout, but still - water in all shades of blue, a clear blue sky and burning sun, pearly white beaches, and getting some snorkelling done. When we were up the first morning, we were joined at breakfast by Flipper and his little kid. Beautiful! And at dinner another Crush (I'm guessing it was his father) poked his little head out of the water for us. What do you want more?
Back on land there was a nice party with fellow Boomerang sailers and the crew. Unfortunately time to say goodbye again!
From Airlie Beach, on it went down the east coast to Emu Park, which is close to Rockhampton. For the first time here I got to witness some of the flooding - it makes you go real quiet. The fields next to the highway were nothing less than lakes, and everywhere in Rockhampton I saw water creeping in gardens etc. Spooky!
From Rockhampton I took the ferry (of hell) to Gladstone. Anyone who has done the
Stewart Island Ferry in New Zealand: that was nothing compared to this one! Luckily yours truly was fine, but I did end up watching a little kid for a while since his parents were hanging over the railing outside, if you get my drift.
After a few more buses and a very boring day in Hervey Bay, where there was nothing to do and where it rained, I arrived in Rainbow Beach early in the morning.
That same afternoon I had a briefing to go on the Fraser Island Trip. This trip was tag-along, which means that if you want you can drive a 4WD yourself, and follow a lead car. On this briefing we received every possible warning about dingos (quite aggressive stray dogs), marsh flies and the ocean ("And remember folks, do not swim in the ocean!"). We were also divided in teams and were en ready to go the next day.
After again a briefing in the morning (with as a highlight the number of ways we could die) we loaded up our Land-cruiser with our camping gear and set out, following the lead car.
Now, when you arrive at the island after a short barge ride, the only thing you see is beach. Of course, it's the world's largest sand island so you get a lot of beach, but the eastern beach being 123 km long, it does something to you. The remoteness of everything was really amazing to see.
Practically all the things we did on the island were accessed from this beach. We went to Lake Wabby, which is known for its high quantity of tea tree oil which makes your skin soft, and which is famous for the catfish nibbling at your feet when you sit still enough. I sat still enough :-).
The next days it was cooking food (and doing the dishes in the ocean), seeing Indian Head (the most eastern point of the island where they threw aboriginals off the cliffs in an act of 'purifying the country', sadly enough), going to Eli Creek and, last but not least, spending some time at Lake McKenzie, the pristine blue lake with white beaches that you see on every postcard of Fraser Island. Heaven!
Now the road goes down again to Noosa Heads and Byron Bay. I will catch you later folks!
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Happy holidays!
Ow there guys, it has been a while since I got back to you about my doing and don't-ing, so I'm going to try and make this worthwhile!
A lot has happened since the last entry. I got back to Australia after my New Zealand-trip and started working again, but to be honest I didn't get the feel of Sydney anymore - a feeling that was already manifesting itself even before going to NZ. I was wondering more and more what I was actually doing there and tried to sort some priorities out.
- I wasn't 100% happy in Sydney
- I didn't make enough money to cover my expenses anyway
- I had seen most of the city and wasn't too curious about the rest anymore
- I missed Alex like crazy
Suddenly it dawned on me that "Hey, I am a traveler! I have no one to take into account and I have all the freedom in the world to go where I want and to do what I want." So already after a few days the decision was made: let's not waste any more time sitting here and wondering what to do, let's just move on.
So I gave up my apartment (not without any trouble), Alex booked me another flight to NZ and I told the manager in the Belgian Beer Cafe that I wasn't coming back after that week. I finished my shifts, made some more money and off I was again, 20 december, to New Zealand, to be once again greeted by Alex and the Great White Truck. This time the visit would last for 10 days, since I was going to meet up with sister and crew in Sydney for New Year's - a reunion that I couldn't and wouldn't give up.
Time with Alex was a blast, as always. After wandering around in Christchurch (and buying Christmas presents) and going running and all that for a few days, we headed up once again to Mt Algidus Station, since we were going to spend Christmas Smiley style.
Unfortunately -ahemmmm- the Wilberforce river, which we have to cross to get to the station, was severely swollen due to a lot of rain in the north, so we couldn't cross it with the Great White ... A helicopter was our only solution. Now, you know me, I try to stay calm but somehow that doesn't always work, so of course I got my camera out so all my homies could witness this uber-cool event :-). I love helicopters, I should seriously think about the pilot exam! The ride was very short but cool, and we landed on the other side to be greeted by Alex' father.
The time on the station consisted of exploring a lot, witnessing a hovercraft being launched (with some slight defects, unfortunately), doing some walks, attempting to get the logs out of the hydrowaters so we could go kayaking once more (but since the water was so high, there was no getting to the logs - again no kayak :-( ), having a delicious Christmas Eve-dinner, and an even more delicious Christmas dinner (courtesy to Alex' mum). And not to forget the presents of course! As you can see, I had a great time again.
Back in Christchurch (after a jetboat ride on the Wilberforce, because too many helicopter rides would get boring I think ... :-) ) we got home to a dirty, dusty floor, open drawers and bottles on the floor - another earthquake! Luckily it wasn't that hard (as we read later) but we did feel some aftershocks in the days following. A pretty bizarre feeling, out of nowhere the house starts to shake, windows rattle and there's a very loud grumbling, and after a few seconds it all passes. Especially when you're falling asleep, the experience is scary!
The days back in Christchurch were filled with a very funny movie in the cinema (Four Lions - wuhahaha), feeding the ducklings who always come back to the lawn, going to Sumner for a run (Alex), a walk (me) and a picnic (both), going to Lyttleton to have dinner (which we didn't have in the end, but ah well), a brunch on the balcony, some runs in Hagley Park (Alex), a gym visit ... and so on and so on. A glorious time! Once again saying goodbye proved very hard, and it is pretty unsure when we will meet again. But that's traveling for you, we try to go with the flow and we see where we go!
Now it's back in Sydney where I spent New Years Eve with my sister and friends. The reunion was very very nice, it had been about 4 months since we had seen each other. We wandered around town and ended up at 5 below Harbour Bridge, where we conquered the crowds and got a good spot to view the fireworks at midnight. The waiting time was long but didn't seem that way, we filled it with eating and playing small games, haha :-). Crazy Belgians on the loose.
At midnight the fireworks started (even though there was no countdown...?!) and these were truly very impressive. Harbour Bridge and the Opera House seemed to be on fire. Whoever said that the Berlin Fireworks were the most impressive in the world - they were wrong!
1st January was spent on Bondi Beach and afterwards Inge, Veerle, Caroline and me went for the Bridge Climb on Harbour Bridge. Yet again a wonderful experience! The walk gives you amazing views over the city, the heat was very doable, the walk was really calm and easy and as a plus we got an amazing sunset. Recommended to everyone!
Now I'm spending my last day in Sydney by going to Coogee Beach for a farewell party, and tomorrow I'm flying to Cairns to rejoin the Belgian crew for a few days. Diving and snorkeling are the main goals. After that we split up once more (I have learned quite quickly that traveling is all about saying hello but more painfully saying goodbye too many times ...) and my road continues down the east coast to Melbourne. Let's see how that turns out!
Happy New Year to everyone, I hope you all had a good time :-). See you later alligator!
ps: of course a lot of pictures have been added of this crazy few weeks, they can be found on Facebook. Cheers mates!
A lot has happened since the last entry. I got back to Australia after my New Zealand-trip and started working again, but to be honest I didn't get the feel of Sydney anymore - a feeling that was already manifesting itself even before going to NZ. I was wondering more and more what I was actually doing there and tried to sort some priorities out.
- I wasn't 100% happy in Sydney
- I didn't make enough money to cover my expenses anyway
- I had seen most of the city and wasn't too curious about the rest anymore
- I missed Alex like crazy
Suddenly it dawned on me that "Hey, I am a traveler! I have no one to take into account and I have all the freedom in the world to go where I want and to do what I want." So already after a few days the decision was made: let's not waste any more time sitting here and wondering what to do, let's just move on.
So I gave up my apartment (not without any trouble), Alex booked me another flight to NZ and I told the manager in the Belgian Beer Cafe that I wasn't coming back after that week. I finished my shifts, made some more money and off I was again, 20 december, to New Zealand, to be once again greeted by Alex and the Great White Truck. This time the visit would last for 10 days, since I was going to meet up with sister and crew in Sydney for New Year's - a reunion that I couldn't and wouldn't give up.
Time with Alex was a blast, as always. After wandering around in Christchurch (and buying Christmas presents) and going running and all that for a few days, we headed up once again to Mt Algidus Station, since we were going to spend Christmas Smiley style.
Unfortunately -ahemmmm- the Wilberforce river, which we have to cross to get to the station, was severely swollen due to a lot of rain in the north, so we couldn't cross it with the Great White ... A helicopter was our only solution. Now, you know me, I try to stay calm but somehow that doesn't always work, so of course I got my camera out so all my homies could witness this uber-cool event :-). I love helicopters, I should seriously think about the pilot exam! The ride was very short but cool, and we landed on the other side to be greeted by Alex' father.
The time on the station consisted of exploring a lot, witnessing a hovercraft being launched (with some slight defects, unfortunately), doing some walks, attempting to get the logs out of the hydrowaters so we could go kayaking once more (but since the water was so high, there was no getting to the logs - again no kayak :-( ), having a delicious Christmas Eve-dinner, and an even more delicious Christmas dinner (courtesy to Alex' mum). And not to forget the presents of course! As you can see, I had a great time again.
Back in Christchurch (after a jetboat ride on the Wilberforce, because too many helicopter rides would get boring I think ... :-) ) we got home to a dirty, dusty floor, open drawers and bottles on the floor - another earthquake! Luckily it wasn't that hard (as we read later) but we did feel some aftershocks in the days following. A pretty bizarre feeling, out of nowhere the house starts to shake, windows rattle and there's a very loud grumbling, and after a few seconds it all passes. Especially when you're falling asleep, the experience is scary!
The days back in Christchurch were filled with a very funny movie in the cinema (Four Lions - wuhahaha), feeding the ducklings who always come back to the lawn, going to Sumner for a run (Alex), a walk (me) and a picnic (both), going to Lyttleton to have dinner (which we didn't have in the end, but ah well), a brunch on the balcony, some runs in Hagley Park (Alex), a gym visit ... and so on and so on. A glorious time! Once again saying goodbye proved very hard, and it is pretty unsure when we will meet again. But that's traveling for you, we try to go with the flow and we see where we go!
Now it's back in Sydney where I spent New Years Eve with my sister and friends. The reunion was very very nice, it had been about 4 months since we had seen each other. We wandered around town and ended up at 5 below Harbour Bridge, where we conquered the crowds and got a good spot to view the fireworks at midnight. The waiting time was long but didn't seem that way, we filled it with eating and playing small games, haha :-). Crazy Belgians on the loose.
At midnight the fireworks started (even though there was no countdown...?!) and these were truly very impressive. Harbour Bridge and the Opera House seemed to be on fire. Whoever said that the Berlin Fireworks were the most impressive in the world - they were wrong!
1st January was spent on Bondi Beach and afterwards Inge, Veerle, Caroline and me went for the Bridge Climb on Harbour Bridge. Yet again a wonderful experience! The walk gives you amazing views over the city, the heat was very doable, the walk was really calm and easy and as a plus we got an amazing sunset. Recommended to everyone!
Now I'm spending my last day in Sydney by going to Coogee Beach for a farewell party, and tomorrow I'm flying to Cairns to rejoin the Belgian crew for a few days. Diving and snorkeling are the main goals. After that we split up once more (I have learned quite quickly that traveling is all about saying hello but more painfully saying goodbye too many times ...) and my road continues down the east coast to Melbourne. Let's see how that turns out!
Happy New Year to everyone, I hope you all had a good time :-). See you later alligator!
ps: of course a lot of pictures have been added of this crazy few weeks, they can be found on Facebook. Cheers mates!
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
There and back again
Life in Sydney slowly moves on. On the days when I don't work in the restaurant, I try to do and explore as much as possible. This means mainly that I try to go to an other beach every time haha. Although I must say; the last few days the weather in Sydney has been pretty bad, so there wasn't much beach-exploring to do - my best option was to stay at home and read, write and watch movies. Not why I came to Sydney ... My mood started to slide down again.
Luckily I had an awesome trip to look forward to: a small detour to Christchurch, New Zealand, to visit Alex (who I can officially call my boyfriend since a few weeks). Yes, people, life can take strange turns sometimes. Time with Alex has been too good in New Zealand and we both agreed it would be a shame not to try and work this out. Hence, the short visit to Aotearoa.
Seeing each other again in Christchurch was of course a lot of fun and Alex made sure that my days in New Zealand were well spent.
On day 1 I was treated with what I couldn't do anymore in my first time in NZ: horse riding! I had never been close to a horse, let alone sat on it, so this was a complete first timer. And it was downright coooooool dude :-). We went to Otahuna, which is on the Banks Peninsula, about half an hour from Christchurch. There they gave us a short introduction on how horses think and act, followed by an extensive 'get-to-know-your-horse' half hour. My horse was called Angus and was the biggest of them all. I wonder why ...
After getting used to communicating with our horse, we all joined in for a ride through the hills. It was all very slow paced, but this gave us the chance to thoroughly enjoy the scenery ... Which was, of course (being New Zealand...), beautiful.
Horse riding was followed by a delicious dinner in The Bodhi Tree, a small Burmese joint in Christchurch. A few plates of finger food and a nice bottle of wine, you don't hear me complaining :-).
The day after, Sunday morning, we were to be found in the gym. Yes, my dear readers, you read well. Yours truly did sports. The treadmill was conquered, oh yeah! Now I'm hoping I can keep up the good work ...
After our gym session, we headed up to Mount Algidus Station, where Alex's parents live. Now, this station is exactly what you imagine when you think of Kiwi life. Located at the foot of the Southern Alps, and widely known in the area, it's a place that stretches out for several kilometres on every side. The place is so quiet and serene, it's no wonder Alex's mum often has guests over, who come up to enjoy the scenery and escape the crowds.
We were greeted by Alex's parents, who are both very lovely people, as well as Larry, Tick and Teddy, three very happy dogs.
Life on the station has treated me well, with an attempt to go kayaking (this kind of failed since after the first bend we encountered a few logs stuck on the hydrowaters - too bad ...), small walks here and there, a movie at night with the fireplace burning and Larry keeping my feet warm, and a brave walk on the Boulderstones, which was very pleasant, yet trying for me since I had got my feet wet a few times and tried to keep the damage to a minimum.
Back in Christchurch, we didn't do a lot anymore except enjoying life, eating good food (everyone who comes in Christchurch, go to The Bicycle Thief), drinking good wine and watching movies, going to the casino, go for small walks ... In other words, perfect bliss and perfect travel life.
Saying goodbye again was of course the worst part of this trip, but not to be worried - Alex is going to join me for my trip in South East Asia, so it's goodbye but not for very long.
In the mean time I have Christmas, New Years and my sister's visit to look forward to.
See you soon! :-)
Luckily I had an awesome trip to look forward to: a small detour to Christchurch, New Zealand, to visit Alex (who I can officially call my boyfriend since a few weeks). Yes, people, life can take strange turns sometimes. Time with Alex has been too good in New Zealand and we both agreed it would be a shame not to try and work this out. Hence, the short visit to Aotearoa.
Seeing each other again in Christchurch was of course a lot of fun and Alex made sure that my days in New Zealand were well spent.
On day 1 I was treated with what I couldn't do anymore in my first time in NZ: horse riding! I had never been close to a horse, let alone sat on it, so this was a complete first timer. And it was downright coooooool dude :-). We went to Otahuna, which is on the Banks Peninsula, about half an hour from Christchurch. There they gave us a short introduction on how horses think and act, followed by an extensive 'get-to-know-your-horse' half hour. My horse was called Angus and was the biggest of them all. I wonder why ...
After getting used to communicating with our horse, we all joined in for a ride through the hills. It was all very slow paced, but this gave us the chance to thoroughly enjoy the scenery ... Which was, of course (being New Zealand...), beautiful.
Horse riding was followed by a delicious dinner in The Bodhi Tree, a small Burmese joint in Christchurch. A few plates of finger food and a nice bottle of wine, you don't hear me complaining :-).
The day after, Sunday morning, we were to be found in the gym. Yes, my dear readers, you read well. Yours truly did sports. The treadmill was conquered, oh yeah! Now I'm hoping I can keep up the good work ...
After our gym session, we headed up to Mount Algidus Station, where Alex's parents live. Now, this station is exactly what you imagine when you think of Kiwi life. Located at the foot of the Southern Alps, and widely known in the area, it's a place that stretches out for several kilometres on every side. The place is so quiet and serene, it's no wonder Alex's mum often has guests over, who come up to enjoy the scenery and escape the crowds.
We were greeted by Alex's parents, who are both very lovely people, as well as Larry, Tick and Teddy, three very happy dogs.
Life on the station has treated me well, with an attempt to go kayaking (this kind of failed since after the first bend we encountered a few logs stuck on the hydrowaters - too bad ...), small walks here and there, a movie at night with the fireplace burning and Larry keeping my feet warm, and a brave walk on the Boulderstones, which was very pleasant, yet trying for me since I had got my feet wet a few times and tried to keep the damage to a minimum.
Back in Christchurch, we didn't do a lot anymore except enjoying life, eating good food (everyone who comes in Christchurch, go to The Bicycle Thief), drinking good wine and watching movies, going to the casino, go for small walks ... In other words, perfect bliss and perfect travel life.
Saying goodbye again was of course the worst part of this trip, but not to be worried - Alex is going to join me for my trip in South East Asia, so it's goodbye but not for very long.
In the mean time I have Christmas, New Years and my sister's visit to look forward to.
See you soon! :-)
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Sydney life
Who said anything about a down patch?
It's been just over two weeks now since I last updated you, and it seems like almost a year.
I'm steadily getting to know and love this beautiful city.
As I previously stated, it's actually just a big city with a few nice eye-catchers. What makes it so important is the climate. When the sun is out, you can really go anywhere you like without a worry on your mind. I can walk around for hours and not be aware of it, until the growling of my belly tells me it's time to move on.
Sydney really is an outdoor type of city. There are the odd museums you might want to pay a visit - same goes for the Aquarium and Wildlife World, which I've done already - but the most important thing here is, in my opinion, the amount of green.
There are parks galore all over the city. You can hike, run, bike, sit, walk, lie down here all day. See it as your back yard. Go for a barbecue, take a book, have a chat with your friends ... What can be nicer than to just rest your legs in the Botanic Gardens? Or take a walk around Mrs. Macquarie's Point with the typical view on Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House? Go for a run in Centennial Park? Or just chill out at one of the many, many beaches?
As mentioned before, I have made a few nice friends here. Floriane and Anne-Sophie from France both have become my regular dinner-and-giggle gals and we try to see each other every once and a while. Dorian joins us on the odd occasion. And of course there's homie Frauke who I see on some occasions and who it's always nice to meet up with :-). In the mean time I'm never too shy to go up to people and have a little chat - which is the way it's supposed to be, right.
I have also met my dear friends James and Ralf one night. We took the ferry to Manly with spectacular views of Harbour Bridge and the Opera House at sunset, followed by a delicious dinner in Manly Wine Bar. Thanks again guys for a lovely night!
Work in the Belgian Beer Cafe is picking up as well, since the tourists start flooding the city. Over Christmas there will be hell to pay, but hey wasn't that the reason why we came to Sydney in the first place? Haha!
Here are some things I've learned about the Belgian Beer Cafe and Sydney in general so far:
- Asians like to order food 'to share'. This basically means you get to throw a couple of amusettes on the table and this will keep them happy all night long.
- don't go standing beneath the Monorail rail. You never know what might fall on your head.
- after every shift in the Belgian Beer Cafe, you get a free tap beer of choice - I can only cheer to that :-).
- Sydney has loads of parks and bays and I want to discover them all.
- Australian girls don't eat a lot. In fact, I'm almost crying at the thought of how much food I throw away every day in the restaurant.
- my apartment has a nice evening sun (I'm saying this because I'm sitting on the balcony and enjoying the late afternoon sun right now.)
- the Belgian Beer Cafe is a big restaurant. My feet are witnesses.
- Sydney sun is mean, MEAN I tell you!
- 500 ml Hoegaarden glasses are very big for my poor hands to handle.
- there is a lot to do in Sydney. Apparently, like we recently discovered, there are fireworks going on in Darling Harbour every Saturday night. Which is only an example, of course.
Like a dear ex-colleague of mine said on departing from Belgium: it's my time now to see, feel, discover, explore, taste and in short enjoy whatever I can! I can only agree.
And with this wisdom, I'll leave you dear readers in peace again - for a while ;-).
It's been just over two weeks now since I last updated you, and it seems like almost a year.
I'm steadily getting to know and love this beautiful city.
As I previously stated, it's actually just a big city with a few nice eye-catchers. What makes it so important is the climate. When the sun is out, you can really go anywhere you like without a worry on your mind. I can walk around for hours and not be aware of it, until the growling of my belly tells me it's time to move on.
Sydney really is an outdoor type of city. There are the odd museums you might want to pay a visit - same goes for the Aquarium and Wildlife World, which I've done already - but the most important thing here is, in my opinion, the amount of green.
There are parks galore all over the city. You can hike, run, bike, sit, walk, lie down here all day. See it as your back yard. Go for a barbecue, take a book, have a chat with your friends ... What can be nicer than to just rest your legs in the Botanic Gardens? Or take a walk around Mrs. Macquarie's Point with the typical view on Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House? Go for a run in Centennial Park? Or just chill out at one of the many, many beaches?
As mentioned before, I have made a few nice friends here. Floriane and Anne-Sophie from France both have become my regular dinner-and-giggle gals and we try to see each other every once and a while. Dorian joins us on the odd occasion. And of course there's homie Frauke who I see on some occasions and who it's always nice to meet up with :-). In the mean time I'm never too shy to go up to people and have a little chat - which is the way it's supposed to be, right.
I have also met my dear friends James and Ralf one night. We took the ferry to Manly with spectacular views of Harbour Bridge and the Opera House at sunset, followed by a delicious dinner in Manly Wine Bar. Thanks again guys for a lovely night!
Work in the Belgian Beer Cafe is picking up as well, since the tourists start flooding the city. Over Christmas there will be hell to pay, but hey wasn't that the reason why we came to Sydney in the first place? Haha!
Here are some things I've learned about the Belgian Beer Cafe and Sydney in general so far:
- Asians like to order food 'to share'. This basically means you get to throw a couple of amusettes on the table and this will keep them happy all night long.
- don't go standing beneath the Monorail rail. You never know what might fall on your head.
- after every shift in the Belgian Beer Cafe, you get a free tap beer of choice - I can only cheer to that :-).
- Sydney has loads of parks and bays and I want to discover them all.
- Australian girls don't eat a lot. In fact, I'm almost crying at the thought of how much food I throw away every day in the restaurant.
- my apartment has a nice evening sun (I'm saying this because I'm sitting on the balcony and enjoying the late afternoon sun right now.)
- the Belgian Beer Cafe is a big restaurant. My feet are witnesses.
- Sydney sun is mean, MEAN I tell you!
- 500 ml Hoegaarden glasses are very big for my poor hands to handle.
- there is a lot to do in Sydney. Apparently, like we recently discovered, there are fireworks going on in Darling Harbour every Saturday night. Which is only an example, of course.
Like a dear ex-colleague of mine said on departing from Belgium: it's my time now to see, feel, discover, explore, taste and in short enjoy whatever I can! I can only agree.
And with this wisdom, I'll leave you dear readers in peace again - for a while ;-).
Saturday, 6 November 2010
The first impressions of Sydney
On 28 October, after getting up waaaaaay to early in Auckland in order to catch my airplane, I landed in Sydney.
The road - or rather, the tube - went straight to Frauke's office in Mascot ("It's only two stops from the airport, lady, it's not difficult at all!") where we had lunch together and a cozy chat about life and Adventures and whatnot. Since she had to work again after half an hour, I wended my way into the city and spotted my first glimpse of what everyone imagines when Sydney is mentioned: the Opera House, and looming in the background - the impressive Harbour Bridge. Nice views!
My feelings for the city are kind of mixed right now. First of all, I entered Australia after New Zealand, which is such a beautiful country. Compared to that, Sydney just is your next ordinary big city, once you've seen the eye-catchers. Secondly, the weather hasn't been too good yet, which means that there really wasn't a lot to do for me. Beaches aren't a possibility yet since I want to see those with a clear blue sky in the background, and that's what Sydney is all about, isn't it? So it's been trying to find things to do where I can keep inside for some time (and not spending too much money while doing that, for that matter). Thirdly, Sydney means "work" for me. I have been running up and down the long streets in order to get every practical thing ready in case I find a job here. This was kind of exhausting and trying, especially when you don't really know anyone and you have to start from scratch. Luckily I have a trial shift coming up in The Belgian Beer Cafe in The Rocks. After this shift, if I'm accepted, I might get the job and work over there for a few hours per week, which will make a nice change of scene.
And last but not least, with leaving New Zealand so abruptly, I had to leave certain important people behind and wasn't ready to do that yet. So that on top of everything, has made these first few days pretty trying.
But have no fear, my dear readers. Mary Jay - otherwise known as Marianello, the fifth turtle - is steadily climbing up from her down patch and is trying to make her time here as fun as possible.
The black pants and shoes for the Belgian Beer Cafe are already bought, a visit to the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World has been payed (where I was honestly impressed by the giant crocodile, the cute koalas, the fighting kangaroos, and the vicious-looking sharks), on the odd good-weather-day I visited Darling Harbour with Frauke, which was pretty chilled, and I retrieved my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate, which means I can legally work in licensed premises and I know how to recognise fake ID's - or at least should. I already met a bunch of nice people as well and have some more meet ups lined up, as well as an own bed in the city as of 13 November, address to be gotten on request. Bring on those post packets :-). The place is pretty central so I'm pretty stoked about moving in there - it will be good to have an own haven in this big city.
So, let's just see how long I last here - I'm sure when the sun comes out, you won't hear me complaining anymore :-). Cheers!
The road - or rather, the tube - went straight to Frauke's office in Mascot ("It's only two stops from the airport, lady, it's not difficult at all!") where we had lunch together and a cozy chat about life and Adventures and whatnot. Since she had to work again after half an hour, I wended my way into the city and spotted my first glimpse of what everyone imagines when Sydney is mentioned: the Opera House, and looming in the background - the impressive Harbour Bridge. Nice views!
My feelings for the city are kind of mixed right now. First of all, I entered Australia after New Zealand, which is such a beautiful country. Compared to that, Sydney just is your next ordinary big city, once you've seen the eye-catchers. Secondly, the weather hasn't been too good yet, which means that there really wasn't a lot to do for me. Beaches aren't a possibility yet since I want to see those with a clear blue sky in the background, and that's what Sydney is all about, isn't it? So it's been trying to find things to do where I can keep inside for some time (and not spending too much money while doing that, for that matter). Thirdly, Sydney means "work" for me. I have been running up and down the long streets in order to get every practical thing ready in case I find a job here. This was kind of exhausting and trying, especially when you don't really know anyone and you have to start from scratch. Luckily I have a trial shift coming up in The Belgian Beer Cafe in The Rocks. After this shift, if I'm accepted, I might get the job and work over there for a few hours per week, which will make a nice change of scene.
And last but not least, with leaving New Zealand so abruptly, I had to leave certain important people behind and wasn't ready to do that yet. So that on top of everything, has made these first few days pretty trying.
But have no fear, my dear readers. Mary Jay - otherwise known as Marianello, the fifth turtle - is steadily climbing up from her down patch and is trying to make her time here as fun as possible.
The black pants and shoes for the Belgian Beer Cafe are already bought, a visit to the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World has been payed (where I was honestly impressed by the giant crocodile, the cute koalas, the fighting kangaroos, and the vicious-looking sharks), on the odd good-weather-day I visited Darling Harbour with Frauke, which was pretty chilled, and I retrieved my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate, which means I can legally work in licensed premises and I know how to recognise fake ID's - or at least should. I already met a bunch of nice people as well and have some more meet ups lined up, as well as an own bed in the city as of 13 November, address to be gotten on request. Bring on those post packets :-). The place is pretty central so I'm pretty stoked about moving in there - it will be good to have an own haven in this big city.
So, let's just see how long I last here - I'm sure when the sun comes out, you won't hear me complaining anymore :-). Cheers!
Monday, 25 October 2010
A few strikes of bad luck, beautiful sceneries and soaking up some sun
We did the drive up to Tongariro National Park in two days, since we left Welly only in late afternoon. The easiest stop would've been Palmerston North, but we thought that Wanganui had a nicer sound to it so headed that way. Quite a detour, but on a road trip you just go where you want to go, right?
Glad to have chosen Wanganui. The city had a pretty nice atmosphere to it and the backpacker where we stayed (Tamara Lodge) was simply perfect, a grand Victorian house with large rooms, a cosy kitchen, friendly staff and a cute back garden. Shame we couldn't stay any longer!
After Alex' morning run and my sleep-in, we hit the road again for Turangi, where we wanted to prepare everything for the Tongariro Northern Circuit (a three-day-track which would pas around two active volcanoes) - only to hear that the weather would be terrible and we were not at all advised to go there. Yours truly got really disappointed but had to settle for the one-day Alpine Crossing, which is only a part of the Circuit. Unfortunately, even for this trip the weather was too bad and we had to cut it short when we were about halfway - too much wind, snow and fog which tampered with visibility (I almost lead the two of us in a ditch after about five minutes...)
So, Tongariro wasn't a big fan of ours so we headed off again. The backpacker owner in Turangi gave us a little tip to go to Gisborne through the Whirinaki Forest Park and do a few walks there. Of course we did that. The Forest Park turned out to be a very remote, quiet place, with only a few (predominantly Maori) settlements. The walk was nice, but not really breathtaking. What wàs though, was the trip continuing out of the park, which lead us into Te Urewera National Park. Had we known this before, we wouldn't have bothered with the Forest Park and we would've done some walking around here. A very beautiful place ...
After this came the city of Gisborne. Because we didn't do the Northern Circuit, we got here a bit early for our meeting with Penny, an Australian girl. We wanted to meet her on the Gisborne Food and Wine Festival, but this appeared to be sold out - which, according to Alex, was a real shame since 'the line up was so awesome dude, New Zealand's best bands in one day!'. So we hung around here for a few days - the city has a nice vibe - but apart from a beach and the odd walk here and there, there wasn't much to do for us, so we didn't wait for Penny and headed off to Rotorua.
What they say in the guidebook - that you can smell Rotorua before you see it - is really true. The whiff of rotten eggs is a nice hello from the city. We wanted to stay here for the night in order to see some boiling mud pools the day after, but hey, what do you know! There were about three activities going on in the weekend, so the city was literally fully booked. We tried about fifty places and everywhere we got the same answer - 'Sorry, we're tjokkers for the weekend.' (nono, literally). So we had no choice but to leave the stinky mud pools behind, unseen, and continue to Tauranga, an hour north in the Bay of Plenty, where we were booked in a perfectly decadent hotel called Sebel Trinity Wharf (down with Novotel, long live Sebel!).
Due to another unlucky shot we had a bit of a car crash in Tauranga on the way to Mount Maunganui, so we're stuck here for at least a few days. Luckily, Tauranga is another city with a lovely vibe so there are worse places to get stuck. But still. Ii
Depending on how fast the great white truck gets fixed, I may or may not extend my stay here. It may come as no surprise that time has flown here and that, although I am really looking forward to Australia, I don't have the feeling that I'm done here yet. So hold on to some wood, get those fingers crossed and hope with me that the damage to the truck isn't so substantial that there's no choice for me but to leave.
All car crashes aside, Tauranga is a nice place and the weather has finally turned gentle on us: perfect blue skies, bright sun and perfect 22 degrees. Let the sunshine in!
PS: photos of the north island can be found in a new album on Facebook.
27 - 10 - 10
Just a small note to this entry: as it turned out, the truck was too heavily damaged and our plan to keep on going north and after that back to the South Island to Arthur's Pass couldn't go on. This means that yours truly had to take the Intercity Bus today from Tauranga to Auckland in order to catch the plane tomorrow to Sydney. A very abrupt end to another perfect two weeks here in New Zealand ... But I'm sure that Australia will treat me well.
So here we go once again, saying goodbyes, parting ways ... Thanks Alex for the perfect two weeks and catch you later dude. Chea ;-).
Glad to have chosen Wanganui. The city had a pretty nice atmosphere to it and the backpacker where we stayed (Tamara Lodge) was simply perfect, a grand Victorian house with large rooms, a cosy kitchen, friendly staff and a cute back garden. Shame we couldn't stay any longer!
After Alex' morning run and my sleep-in, we hit the road again for Turangi, where we wanted to prepare everything for the Tongariro Northern Circuit (a three-day-track which would pas around two active volcanoes) - only to hear that the weather would be terrible and we were not at all advised to go there. Yours truly got really disappointed but had to settle for the one-day Alpine Crossing, which is only a part of the Circuit. Unfortunately, even for this trip the weather was too bad and we had to cut it short when we were about halfway - too much wind, snow and fog which tampered with visibility (I almost lead the two of us in a ditch after about five minutes...)
So, Tongariro wasn't a big fan of ours so we headed off again. The backpacker owner in Turangi gave us a little tip to go to Gisborne through the Whirinaki Forest Park and do a few walks there. Of course we did that. The Forest Park turned out to be a very remote, quiet place, with only a few (predominantly Maori) settlements. The walk was nice, but not really breathtaking. What wàs though, was the trip continuing out of the park, which lead us into Te Urewera National Park. Had we known this before, we wouldn't have bothered with the Forest Park and we would've done some walking around here. A very beautiful place ...
After this came the city of Gisborne. Because we didn't do the Northern Circuit, we got here a bit early for our meeting with Penny, an Australian girl. We wanted to meet her on the Gisborne Food and Wine Festival, but this appeared to be sold out - which, according to Alex, was a real shame since 'the line up was so awesome dude, New Zealand's best bands in one day!'. So we hung around here for a few days - the city has a nice vibe - but apart from a beach and the odd walk here and there, there wasn't much to do for us, so we didn't wait for Penny and headed off to Rotorua.
What they say in the guidebook - that you can smell Rotorua before you see it - is really true. The whiff of rotten eggs is a nice hello from the city. We wanted to stay here for the night in order to see some boiling mud pools the day after, but hey, what do you know! There were about three activities going on in the weekend, so the city was literally fully booked. We tried about fifty places and everywhere we got the same answer - 'Sorry, we're tjokkers for the weekend.' (nono, literally). So we had no choice but to leave the stinky mud pools behind, unseen, and continue to Tauranga, an hour north in the Bay of Plenty, where we were booked in a perfectly decadent hotel called Sebel Trinity Wharf (down with Novotel, long live Sebel!).
Due to another unlucky shot we had a bit of a car crash in Tauranga on the way to Mount Maunganui, so we're stuck here for at least a few days. Luckily, Tauranga is another city with a lovely vibe so there are worse places to get stuck. But still. Ii
Depending on how fast the great white truck gets fixed, I may or may not extend my stay here. It may come as no surprise that time has flown here and that, although I am really looking forward to Australia, I don't have the feeling that I'm done here yet. So hold on to some wood, get those fingers crossed and hope with me that the damage to the truck isn't so substantial that there's no choice for me but to leave.
All car crashes aside, Tauranga is a nice place and the weather has finally turned gentle on us: perfect blue skies, bright sun and perfect 22 degrees. Let the sunshine in!
PS: photos of the north island can be found in a new album on Facebook.
27 - 10 - 10
Just a small note to this entry: as it turned out, the truck was too heavily damaged and our plan to keep on going north and after that back to the South Island to Arthur's Pass couldn't go on. This means that yours truly had to take the Intercity Bus today from Tauranga to Auckland in order to catch the plane tomorrow to Sydney. A very abrupt end to another perfect two weeks here in New Zealand ... But I'm sure that Australia will treat me well.
So here we go once again, saying goodbyes, parting ways ... Thanks Alex for the perfect two weeks and catch you later dude. Chea ;-).
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