I was the one who woke up late this morning as I had set my alarm for 7…pm! Since we napped last night it I had switched to pm and I never switched it back! I hate that feeling of being rushed! I was also worried about the weight of my bag. They are SO anal about your checked bag (which hey..I get) but also your carry-on! Last time I tricked the woman and she didn’t see my backpack (which would have been over) but I was trying to pack, weigh, unpack and reweigh to get my bags right. My checked bag was WAY over and I realized it was probably because of my shower tote. I am embarrassed to say I think I’ve made a rookie mistake and tried to save money by buying shampoo etc. at home in bigger bottles instead of bringing travel size and buying more when necessary. We stopped at the Coles grocery store on the way out to buy mini bottles of water that I could then dump and put my shampoo etc inside those.
The ride to the airport was beautiful and SO different from what we experienced the other night (near death!!!!) Part of the ride was along the ocean and even though it still wasn’t a great day it was very pretty.
Mom dropped me off so I could unpack my bag, reduce my liquids and get rid of the evidence. We are each allowed 23kg for our checked bags for a total of 46kg that can be used however. Mom’s bag was 20kg and mine 24kg so we did alright! And get this..we didn’t even to weight our carryon!!! Ugh so annoying. Well I guess not really because I probably would have had to unpack and repack again, but I couldn’t believe after all that work this morning (on top of waking up late) I didn’t have to weigh it!
Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes which really didn’t prove to be a problem. But, The flight itself was..awful!! Mom and I were both VERY tired so we figured we would just sleep the whole time but neither of us could get comfortable! We did choose the “cheaper” airline, but STILL! Ugh I couldn’t wait to get off!
Our bags came quickly and we took a cab to our hotel which is in a GREAT location! We have a one bedroom (that Erin and I will sleep in) and mom is being such a good travel buddy and is sleeping on the couch!
We went out and started walking around to “The Rocks” and “Circular Quay” both of which are near the bridge and the Opera House. It is definitely VERY cool to be someplace you only see in pictures!
We then walked half way across the bridge (I am doing the bridge climb in the morning) but we were STARVING (we hadn’t eaten a real meal all day) so stopped for some pizza and pasta before calling it a night!
Hugs and kisses from Sydney!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Koalas
I could NOT fall asleep last night and after a day of diving I have no idea why! I hit snooze a couple of times this morning (and I am NOT a snooze girl) before dragging myself out of bed. Luckily mom was still sleeping too as she had set her alarm for the right time in Australia but still had east coast time on her itouch! After a slow start, we headed down the main street to the Wildlife Habitat.
Our plan was to have “breakfast with the birds” which received very good reviews. It was funny because I guess in their high season you have to get there right away or else all the tables are gone, but we got there 45 minutes into it and we were the second table! They have a buffet breakfast and birds are around you. At first I wasn’t that impressed but then two beautiful birds came over and started eating mom’s bread which was funny. After they were done with us they went to another table to drink their juice while they were up getting more food! The breakfast itself was decent but it was cool sitting amongst the birds. We then walked through the different parts of the park. They do a really good job of keeping the animals “natural” environments. We were able to hand feed kangaroos which was awesome. Again since it isn’t tourist seasons we were really the only ones with them for a while. It was VERY cool when we saw one with a baby in its pouch (although the baby didn’t eat). There were birds in the area too that got VERY aggressive and would try to eat the food so it was a workout trying to feed the kangaroos without the birds stealing the food. Mom found a kangaroo she LOVED (a cute little hungry fella!) and said it was her “Cho Con” of kangaroos!
We then made our way to the Koala presentation which was interesting, although let’s be honest we really just wanted our pictures with them! That was pretty cool, although they are not soft but rather bristly! Pictures to follow! After that we headed back to the room to cool down (it isn’t really rainy, just VERY muggy) and print out boarding passes for Sydney tomorrow!
We then decided we were going to take a drive north which is where the Daintree Rainforest is located. Not to be travel snobs (which we are) but we had already done zip lining etc. in the rainforest in Thailand so we really didn’t have any interest in doing that again and since we had a car we figured we would make the most of our time by driving ourselves.
Our first stop was Massimo Gorge which reminded us of the Kangamangus highway in North Conway, NH. It was cool because it is the rainy season so the river was definitely worth checking out. They had a couple of nice walkways and paths and after some pictures we continued on.
Our next stop was a restaurant I had read about as a resort and spa. The resort and spa is VERY nice (way too expensive for us) but lunch was beautiful as it was on a deck overlooking the river. The whole place was very tranquil and zen-like and we felt VERY relaxed when we left.
We then decided to head up to Daintree Village which actually ended up being NOTHING (well..a convenient store and a tourist shop). In order to see what Daintree really had to offer you have to take a ferry, but the rental car doesn’t have insurance for that, so we ended up driving through the “town” (we didn’t blink) and then back to Port Douglas.
We were EXAUSTED when we got back. We have been getting up somewhat early here and going to bed late but it has been nice and this is really the first place we’ve been able to relax. I think the rain also makes us tired. So after well needed naps (that almost turned into sleeps!) we headed out for dinner at what turned out to be a place with great steaks! We were both pleasantly surprised!
Now it’s packing (again!) and off to Sydney in the morning!
Hugs and kisses from Koalas!
Our plan was to have “breakfast with the birds” which received very good reviews. It was funny because I guess in their high season you have to get there right away or else all the tables are gone, but we got there 45 minutes into it and we were the second table! They have a buffet breakfast and birds are around you. At first I wasn’t that impressed but then two beautiful birds came over and started eating mom’s bread which was funny. After they were done with us they went to another table to drink their juice while they were up getting more food! The breakfast itself was decent but it was cool sitting amongst the birds. We then walked through the different parts of the park. They do a really good job of keeping the animals “natural” environments. We were able to hand feed kangaroos which was awesome. Again since it isn’t tourist seasons we were really the only ones with them for a while. It was VERY cool when we saw one with a baby in its pouch (although the baby didn’t eat). There were birds in the area too that got VERY aggressive and would try to eat the food so it was a workout trying to feed the kangaroos without the birds stealing the food. Mom found a kangaroo she LOVED (a cute little hungry fella!) and said it was her “Cho Con” of kangaroos!
We then made our way to the Koala presentation which was interesting, although let’s be honest we really just wanted our pictures with them! That was pretty cool, although they are not soft but rather bristly! Pictures to follow! After that we headed back to the room to cool down (it isn’t really rainy, just VERY muggy) and print out boarding passes for Sydney tomorrow!
We then decided we were going to take a drive north which is where the Daintree Rainforest is located. Not to be travel snobs (which we are) but we had already done zip lining etc. in the rainforest in Thailand so we really didn’t have any interest in doing that again and since we had a car we figured we would make the most of our time by driving ourselves.
Our first stop was Massimo Gorge which reminded us of the Kangamangus highway in North Conway, NH. It was cool because it is the rainy season so the river was definitely worth checking out. They had a couple of nice walkways and paths and after some pictures we continued on.
Our next stop was a restaurant I had read about as a resort and spa. The resort and spa is VERY nice (way too expensive for us) but lunch was beautiful as it was on a deck overlooking the river. The whole place was very tranquil and zen-like and we felt VERY relaxed when we left.
We then decided to head up to Daintree Village which actually ended up being NOTHING (well..a convenient store and a tourist shop). In order to see what Daintree really had to offer you have to take a ferry, but the rental car doesn’t have insurance for that, so we ended up driving through the “town” (we didn’t blink) and then back to Port Douglas.
We were EXAUSTED when we got back. We have been getting up somewhat early here and going to bed late but it has been nice and this is really the first place we’ve been able to relax. I think the rain also makes us tired. So after well needed naps (that almost turned into sleeps!) we headed out for dinner at what turned out to be a place with great steaks! We were both pleasantly surprised!
Now it’s packing (again!) and off to Sydney in the morning!
Hugs and kisses from Koalas!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Finding Nemo
Woke up this morning, had breakfast and we were off to the Great Barrier Reef for the day. It wasn’t really rainy this morning and only about a 5 minute drive to the marina. The plan for the day was for me to scuba dive and mom to snorkel. Scott and I got PADI certified in 2007 and then I dove in Thailand in 2010. However, that’s not really a lot of diving, so when researching companies to dive with, I picked one that I could have a private dive master with me (I am a princess and all). While it is a little bit more expensive, (I did this in Thailand as well) I think it’s money well spent as I feel a LOT more comfortable. I also have a lot of trouble equalizing my ears, so with a private guide I can descend slowly and take my time if my ears are hurting.
On trip advisor this instructor Mark got great reviews and does a lot of intro courses (so he’s good with beginnings) so I was excited to dive with him! We joined up with a bigger company on their boat, Calypso, and got our briefing for the day. It was great review for me and I also felt comfortable knowing I was always going to have someone with me. Mark was great and made me feel very comfortable before my first dive.
For some reason, when taking my PADI class I felt like I was the only one who couldn’t breathe under water! I have been in the water since I was about 5 months old and very feel comfortable, but for all my life I have been told I can’t breathe under water and have had to plan according. However, when I had my regulator in, I couldn’t convince my mind it was ok to breathe!
After getting our gear situated we were ready for our first dive and I was very nervous. I made it into the water without falling apart but could already feel my breathing exaggerated as he began to lower me to check my weight. I will have you know he had to add MORE weight since I am oh so skinny!!!
I knew as I got more comfortable my breathing would get better, but we took the first descend and entire dive slow, which was nice! It was AWESOME! We did three dives throughout the day..all being around the Opal Reef. Our first site was called “Sno”, a reef dive on the North Opal Reef. It was great to get more comfortable in the water and diving again and it was so cool to see all the fish!
We had only about 5 minutes between the first and second dive to grab a quick bit to eat and a warm drink before we were suiting back up! It reminds me a lot of skiing as it is a lot of work to get prepared (and your exhausted by the time it’s time to go) but once you are in the water it’s all worth it! I felt more comfortable with this dive. I felt like I was able to get my breathing down and enjoy it a bit more. This dive site was called Split Boomie and was on the South Opal Reef. It is one large bommie split down the middle to form two circular chunks and can be categorized as a shallow wall dive. Here we saw a white tip shark. It was probably about 10 feet long! Ok ok, it wasn’t, but it was definitely cool to see. I saw a shark (I think the same type) in Thailand so I didn’t freak out or anything. We also saw some trigger fish (I remember this from Thailand as well and it was the same time of year) and they are nesting so you have to be careful. They nest in the sandy areas and if you get close they get aggressive so if Mark saw one he gave me the signal and we swam away!
After the second dive we had time to grab some lunch (I was SO hungry!) but after lunch we were suiting up again for our third (and final) dive. This was at Blue Bouy also on the South Opal Reef. This was my favorite dive, mostly because THIS is where I found NEMO! He was right there waiting for me..it was really cool because it was just like the movie! There was a massive (and I do mean massive) hunk of coral so that was cool because all the fish hung out there. We also saw a blue spotted stingray (far enough away that it was cool) and we played with string worms. They looked like spaghetti but Mark told me (afterwards) that we were touching its guts (which it sends out to get nutrients) and it thought we were its nutrients so it sucked itself back in. Jokes on the string worm I guess! We also saw a trigger fish but this time we actually watched it. It looked like it was digging in the sand (and made a lot of “smoke”) but Mark later told me it takes rocks and surrounds its nest so that’s what it was doing!
I was actually pretty tired after the third dive. My body was sore from hauling all the gear around (and I didn’t even DO a lot of the work) but it was WELL worth it! Mark was AWESOME and I am so glad I decided to have a private dive master again, it just really makes the experience that much more enjoyable for me.
Mom and I both fell asleep on the boat ride back and we arrived back to Port Douglas while it was down pouring (again!) After WELL needed showers and some resting, we headed out to dinner. It was kind of sad because the weather was warm and if it wasn’t down pouring we would have LOVED to walk to the restaurants, but this isn’t the “walking” kind of rain. We drove to a beautiful restaurant on the water and sat on their covered porch. The area reminds me a lot of Portsmouth because a lot of shops and restaurants are closed (for what would be our winter) and this restaurant is a happening place (where you have to wait for a table) when it’s nice out, but on a rainy night we had our pick! Dinner was actually very good and after a quick stop at the grocery store we were ready to call it a night!
Hugs and kisses from Nemo!
On trip advisor this instructor Mark got great reviews and does a lot of intro courses (so he’s good with beginnings) so I was excited to dive with him! We joined up with a bigger company on their boat, Calypso, and got our briefing for the day. It was great review for me and I also felt comfortable knowing I was always going to have someone with me. Mark was great and made me feel very comfortable before my first dive.
For some reason, when taking my PADI class I felt like I was the only one who couldn’t breathe under water! I have been in the water since I was about 5 months old and very feel comfortable, but for all my life I have been told I can’t breathe under water and have had to plan according. However, when I had my regulator in, I couldn’t convince my mind it was ok to breathe!
After getting our gear situated we were ready for our first dive and I was very nervous. I made it into the water without falling apart but could already feel my breathing exaggerated as he began to lower me to check my weight. I will have you know he had to add MORE weight since I am oh so skinny!!!
I knew as I got more comfortable my breathing would get better, but we took the first descend and entire dive slow, which was nice! It was AWESOME! We did three dives throughout the day..all being around the Opal Reef. Our first site was called “Sno”, a reef dive on the North Opal Reef. It was great to get more comfortable in the water and diving again and it was so cool to see all the fish!
We had only about 5 minutes between the first and second dive to grab a quick bit to eat and a warm drink before we were suiting back up! It reminds me a lot of skiing as it is a lot of work to get prepared (and your exhausted by the time it’s time to go) but once you are in the water it’s all worth it! I felt more comfortable with this dive. I felt like I was able to get my breathing down and enjoy it a bit more. This dive site was called Split Boomie and was on the South Opal Reef. It is one large bommie split down the middle to form two circular chunks and can be categorized as a shallow wall dive. Here we saw a white tip shark. It was probably about 10 feet long! Ok ok, it wasn’t, but it was definitely cool to see. I saw a shark (I think the same type) in Thailand so I didn’t freak out or anything. We also saw some trigger fish (I remember this from Thailand as well and it was the same time of year) and they are nesting so you have to be careful. They nest in the sandy areas and if you get close they get aggressive so if Mark saw one he gave me the signal and we swam away!
After the second dive we had time to grab some lunch (I was SO hungry!) but after lunch we were suiting up again for our third (and final) dive. This was at Blue Bouy also on the South Opal Reef. This was my favorite dive, mostly because THIS is where I found NEMO! He was right there waiting for me..it was really cool because it was just like the movie! There was a massive (and I do mean massive) hunk of coral so that was cool because all the fish hung out there. We also saw a blue spotted stingray (far enough away that it was cool) and we played with string worms. They looked like spaghetti but Mark told me (afterwards) that we were touching its guts (which it sends out to get nutrients) and it thought we were its nutrients so it sucked itself back in. Jokes on the string worm I guess! We also saw a trigger fish but this time we actually watched it. It looked like it was digging in the sand (and made a lot of “smoke”) but Mark later told me it takes rocks and surrounds its nest so that’s what it was doing!
I was actually pretty tired after the third dive. My body was sore from hauling all the gear around (and I didn’t even DO a lot of the work) but it was WELL worth it! Mark was AWESOME and I am so glad I decided to have a private dive master again, it just really makes the experience that much more enjoyable for me.
Mom and I both fell asleep on the boat ride back and we arrived back to Port Douglas while it was down pouring (again!) After WELL needed showers and some resting, we headed out to dinner. It was kind of sad because the weather was warm and if it wasn’t down pouring we would have LOVED to walk to the restaurants, but this isn’t the “walking” kind of rain. We drove to a beautiful restaurant on the water and sat on their covered porch. The area reminds me a lot of Portsmouth because a lot of shops and restaurants are closed (for what would be our winter) and this restaurant is a happening place (where you have to wait for a table) when it’s nice out, but on a rainy night we had our pick! Dinner was actually very good and after a quick stop at the grocery store we were ready to call it a night!
Hugs and kisses from Nemo!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Lazy Day
We were up and out of the apartment at around 1030am to a VERY muggy Port Douglas. While it wasn’t rainy, the air was heavy and the sky was cloudy. We went down to reception to find out about some possible tours and then headed to the grocery store which is conveniently right across the street!
After picking up some groceries we headed back to put everything away. Our apartment is really in a GREAT location and it is smack dab in the center of town. We had lunch at a restaurant down the street (pizza) and then spent the afternoon wandering around and exploring the different shops. We are here during their non-tourist season (mostly because it is the wet season) so we saw a lot of signs for things that were opening up in March (had been closed since January). Think Hampton Beach after Labor Day. It is a bit nice as there aren’t crowds of people AND important things (like gelato shops) are still open! It started to rain in the afternoon so we got in the car to drive around a little bit.
Port Douglas is really small (there is really only one main street) but we did make the drive down to the marina and up to the lookout point. I bet the lookout point is really pretty, but we weren’t able to see anything!
At this point I had the WORST headache I have had in a while and I figured it was from the heat (or more so humidity) so we came back so I could lay down for a bit, which turned into a little nap. We also spent the day coming back and forth to the room (yay for a great location!) so we could do laundry! It is SO SO SO very nice to have clean clothes and we have a washer and dryer right in the unit which is awesome!
After my cat nap we needed to get some dinner but it was POURING out, so we picked the restaurant right next door. We only had to be in the rain for a few seconds so we figured it was a good pick! The food was actually very good (as is most of the food we have had in Australia) and after making it back without being completely soaked we are getting our things ready for our big day on the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow!
Hugs and kisses from a lazy day!
After picking up some groceries we headed back to put everything away. Our apartment is really in a GREAT location and it is smack dab in the center of town. We had lunch at a restaurant down the street (pizza) and then spent the afternoon wandering around and exploring the different shops. We are here during their non-tourist season (mostly because it is the wet season) so we saw a lot of signs for things that were opening up in March (had been closed since January). Think Hampton Beach after Labor Day. It is a bit nice as there aren’t crowds of people AND important things (like gelato shops) are still open! It started to rain in the afternoon so we got in the car to drive around a little bit.
Port Douglas is really small (there is really only one main street) but we did make the drive down to the marina and up to the lookout point. I bet the lookout point is really pretty, but we weren’t able to see anything!
At this point I had the WORST headache I have had in a while and I figured it was from the heat (or more so humidity) so we came back so I could lay down for a bit, which turned into a little nap. We also spent the day coming back and forth to the room (yay for a great location!) so we could do laundry! It is SO SO SO very nice to have clean clothes and we have a washer and dryer right in the unit which is awesome!
After my cat nap we needed to get some dinner but it was POURING out, so we picked the restaurant right next door. We only had to be in the rain for a few seconds so we figured it was a good pick! The food was actually very good (as is most of the food we have had in Australia) and after making it back without being completely soaked we are getting our things ready for our big day on the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow!
Hugs and kisses from a lazy day!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rainy Australia!
The plan was to wake up around 9am and see what the weather was like. If it was nice we would go pick up Erin and spend the morning lounging by the pool. We hadn’t really talked about an alternative as we were trying to stay positive. But, 9am rolled around and the sky was filled with clouds and it was VERY windy. Mom and I went back to sleep for about another hour and then woke up to start packing.
We check out of the hotel and started the hour drive to the Brisbane airport, although it did take a bit longer because of construction. It was pretty hot today (the sun was sort of out) and we were blasting the AC but something wasn’t right as it was just blowing warm (not hot) air. At one point I felt my heart start racing..I felt like I was trapped in an oven..it was awful! I quickly looked through the manual and felt like it was a race against time. I realized we had to push in the button for it to become AC! We were so thankful when it started working because mom said she was at the point of pulling over it was so bad!
We were VERY hungry when we arrived (apparently Australia doesn’t put food signs on the highway..this is NOT our type of country!) and we found an area near the airport that had restaurants. We headed that way and the place was happening..we still aren’t sure why. It would be kind of weird to come to this mall(ish) type place unless you were at the airport, but there were a ton of cars and not a lot of people had carry-on luggage..so who knows! We stopped for a delicious lunch (or we might have been very hungry) before heading back to the airport.
When we originally arrived in Brisbane the car the man told us we had to drop the car off at the international terminal. When driving back to the airport the “car return” signs all pointed to the international terminal, so that’s where we went! Unlike other airports where we have returned cars, at Brisbane you park your car and then go inside to return the keys. We did this and the woman said we could have returned it to domestic and now we had to either take a bus or a train (both costing $5 per person) to the domestic gate! Booooo!! That was annoying. We opted for the bus and in about 10 minutes (and $10 later) we were ready to check in! When checking in we had to weigh our carry-on luggage (which I have never had to do before) and put the excess in our checked luggage (mine was overweight..surprise surprise) so then we had to pay more money for excess weight. Ugh. It was an annoying airport!
Surprisingly we managed to make it through security without being detained, so I guess all in all it was a good day! Our flight was short (only a couple of hours) and I don’t know WHAT it is with planes but all I wanted to do is sleep! I took out my laptop to blog (since I am SO far behind, I know I know..and yes I have received threatening emails) but I could barely keep my eyes open. I don’t know if I have trained my body to fall asleep (I usually take pills) or if it is just the motion, but I passed out!
We arrived in a very rainy Cairns. We rented a car (the same car we had before, just a different color) and headed out (this time with AC)! We were about 15 minutes into the ride and very surprised about how there was nothing around. We did see a sign for McDonald’s (which honestly neither of us really like) but decided we should stop for dinner because we didn’t know if we would see anything else! And it was a GOOD thing we did. We took the SCARIEST road to get to Port Douglas! It was SO windy, every turn was a hairpin turn (I felt like I was going to be sick) it was SO dark (no street lights) and it was DOWNPOURING (we legit couldn’t see anything). Good thing mom is the best driver in the world because I had a headache trying to keep my eyes on the road as well! I really thought we were in a scary movie..it was the PERFECT setting! Port Douglas is a tourist town, so maybe in the daylight it really won’t be as scary, but this road put me in a really weird mood!
FINALLY we saw civilization (and signs for Port Douglas) and when we turned on the main road we saw..PEOPLE! It was very comforting. We are staying in an apartment and on our first trip down the road we missed it because there is retail on the first floor. However, once we turned around we were able to find it! The location is PERFECT (well…we think..it’s dark) and it is SO nice to have some space! Mom booked the two bedroom because she knew at this point we have been together for over a week (including in the very small hostel in Vietnam)..and while we love each other..space is nice! We each have our own bedroom and bathroom, and a kitchen/living room/dining room! It really is nice to have some space to move around! It is supposed to rain all week (boo) but as long as there isn’t lightning (which means I can go diving) I will still be happy!
Hugs and kisses from a rainy Australia!
We check out of the hotel and started the hour drive to the Brisbane airport, although it did take a bit longer because of construction. It was pretty hot today (the sun was sort of out) and we were blasting the AC but something wasn’t right as it was just blowing warm (not hot) air. At one point I felt my heart start racing..I felt like I was trapped in an oven..it was awful! I quickly looked through the manual and felt like it was a race against time. I realized we had to push in the button for it to become AC! We were so thankful when it started working because mom said she was at the point of pulling over it was so bad!
We were VERY hungry when we arrived (apparently Australia doesn’t put food signs on the highway..this is NOT our type of country!) and we found an area near the airport that had restaurants. We headed that way and the place was happening..we still aren’t sure why. It would be kind of weird to come to this mall(ish) type place unless you were at the airport, but there were a ton of cars and not a lot of people had carry-on luggage..so who knows! We stopped for a delicious lunch (or we might have been very hungry) before heading back to the airport.
When we originally arrived in Brisbane the car the man told us we had to drop the car off at the international terminal. When driving back to the airport the “car return” signs all pointed to the international terminal, so that’s where we went! Unlike other airports where we have returned cars, at Brisbane you park your car and then go inside to return the keys. We did this and the woman said we could have returned it to domestic and now we had to either take a bus or a train (both costing $5 per person) to the domestic gate! Booooo!! That was annoying. We opted for the bus and in about 10 minutes (and $10 later) we were ready to check in! When checking in we had to weigh our carry-on luggage (which I have never had to do before) and put the excess in our checked luggage (mine was overweight..surprise surprise) so then we had to pay more money for excess weight. Ugh. It was an annoying airport!
Surprisingly we managed to make it through security without being detained, so I guess all in all it was a good day! Our flight was short (only a couple of hours) and I don’t know WHAT it is with planes but all I wanted to do is sleep! I took out my laptop to blog (since I am SO far behind, I know I know..and yes I have received threatening emails) but I could barely keep my eyes open. I don’t know if I have trained my body to fall asleep (I usually take pills) or if it is just the motion, but I passed out!
We arrived in a very rainy Cairns. We rented a car (the same car we had before, just a different color) and headed out (this time with AC)! We were about 15 minutes into the ride and very surprised about how there was nothing around. We did see a sign for McDonald’s (which honestly neither of us really like) but decided we should stop for dinner because we didn’t know if we would see anything else! And it was a GOOD thing we did. We took the SCARIEST road to get to Port Douglas! It was SO windy, every turn was a hairpin turn (I felt like I was going to be sick) it was SO dark (no street lights) and it was DOWNPOURING (we legit couldn’t see anything). Good thing mom is the best driver in the world because I had a headache trying to keep my eyes on the road as well! I really thought we were in a scary movie..it was the PERFECT setting! Port Douglas is a tourist town, so maybe in the daylight it really won’t be as scary, but this road put me in a really weird mood!
FINALLY we saw civilization (and signs for Port Douglas) and when we turned on the main road we saw..PEOPLE! It was very comforting. We are staying in an apartment and on our first trip down the road we missed it because there is retail on the first floor. However, once we turned around we were able to find it! The location is PERFECT (well…we think..it’s dark) and it is SO nice to have some space! Mom booked the two bedroom because she knew at this point we have been together for over a week (including in the very small hostel in Vietnam)..and while we love each other..space is nice! We each have our own bedroom and bathroom, and a kitchen/living room/dining room! It really is nice to have some space to move around! It is supposed to rain all week (boo) but as long as there isn’t lightning (which means I can go diving) I will still be happy!
Hugs and kisses from a rainy Australia!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Isn’t this called the GOLD Coast?
Since I had a rough night last night I slept in till about 1030am (a good 12 hours) and did feel better when I woke up! We headed out to Bond to pick up Erin and our plan was to go to Byron Bay for the day. We had all heard it was beautiful and since we had a car and Erin hadn’t been it seemed like the perfect time to go!
We took the coastal route for the first part of the trip as we wanted to see some of the beaches. Our first stop was Burleigh Heads which was nice and we could see the Gold Coast skyline (where our hotel is). But since it was cloudy it definitely wasn’t beach weather so we continued on. We ended up at a Hog’s Breathe restaurant and Erin said at the last one she was at she saw a NH license plate, yay! Unfortunately this one didn’t have it, but we all had chicken tenders and they were so yummy!
Mom had read that the Quicksilver Pro (which is the world championship of surfing) was taking place. Erin wasn’t sure if it was actually still happening. I guess they book 2 weeks for the event and then pick the best days for waves. So if the best days were at the beginning of the 2 weeks the event might be over. However, we made it to the beach Mom had read about and saw huge Quicksilver signs so decided to venture over. First, we were surprised we could even find parking within walking distance (for free!) and secondly that we weren’t charged to get into the event. As we were approaching the beach, the skies opened up and it DOWNPOURED! We were soaked! Isn’t this the GOLD COAST!? Erin was so bummed because she said it really never rains here, but we still had fun! The surfing competition was really cool! We don’t know anything about surfing or the surfers, but it was still cool to say we were at the surfing world championship. It would downpour, then stop, then downpour, then stop, so after watching a couple of the women surfers we decided to move on.
We made the hour drive to Byron Bay and at some points on the highway it was raining so hard we couldn’t see anything! Mom did a great job driving (on the left) and in the rain because I fell asleep for a bit! As we were nearing Byron Bay we saw signs for the local hospital that said to be quiet! We had never seen signs like this before and it became our joke for the rest of the trip that whenever we passed a hospital we needed to be quiet.
We decided to make our way to the lighthouse as everyone said it was beautiful. The rain seemed to have stopped as well so this seemed like a good time to spend some time outdoors. The lighthouse was beautiful and overlooked Byron Bay, but we could NOT believe how windy it was! The parking attendant said it was gale force winds and it was actually a little scary! Luckily the lighthouse blocked the wind on one side so we took most of our pictures from there!
We made the drive back down to the town area and were on the hunt for an ATM and a coffee for me (I don’t know why I was so tired). Westpac is the name of the bank in Australia that works with Bank of America so we get less fees when we use their ATM. We asked a convenient store where a Westpac ATM was located and the women told us, but it got me thinking if I would know where ATMs where and what bank they belonged to. It was a little after 4pm and now that we had money to was time to find some coffee..but NOTHING was open! It was so sad. I guess a lot of those type of places (that would serve coffee) close in the afternoon to prepare for dinner, but I was definitely missing Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. We did manage to find a gelato shop so I guess that was an ok coffee substitute.
Since all the shops closed at 5pm (like most things in Australia) we decided to head back as there really wasn’t much to do! Since it was still a little rainy, we were able to get a driving tour of Erin’s campus before heading back to her room to use some wifi! We then made our way to Broad Beach (which is next to Surfers Paradise) for some dinner! Erin knows the area pretty well which was nice because she was able to give us a little tour.
It was VERY windy and I was actually a little cold in shorts and a sweatshirt! But we had a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant. I asked about where the restroom was located and our waiter pointed around the corner and then gave me a combination. When I followed his directions I ended up in a maintenance area. One door said “men” and the other said “mothers room” both with key pads in front. I just stood there staring for a few minutes until a guy behind me pointed at “mothers room” and said that one was mine. I entered the password I was given and I was in! It was very very strange, although the bathroom was very nice!
After dinner we walked around a bit to people watch and WOW I could not get over the “young girls” dressed up to go out. I felt like a guy as I was ogling them and could not stop staring. They all had the tightest shortest black dresses I had EVER seen! It looked like they were going out in Miami Beach. Erin said you can’t get into a club with flip flops on (you have to wear nice shoes). I felt so frumpy and couldn’t believe I didn’t even OWN the appropriate clothes to get into a club here!
I guess I was ok with it as I was ready to go to bed anyway, and Erin made me feel better saying in an hour she could have me ready to get into a club, but I really had just never seen anything like it. I guess I live a sheltered life in good old New Hampshire!
We headed back to Bond to drop off Erin before returning to our hotel to pack. It seems like that’s all we do, pack, unpack, repack, repeat!
Hugs and kisses from the not so gold Gold Coast!
We took the coastal route for the first part of the trip as we wanted to see some of the beaches. Our first stop was Burleigh Heads which was nice and we could see the Gold Coast skyline (where our hotel is). But since it was cloudy it definitely wasn’t beach weather so we continued on. We ended up at a Hog’s Breathe restaurant and Erin said at the last one she was at she saw a NH license plate, yay! Unfortunately this one didn’t have it, but we all had chicken tenders and they were so yummy!
Mom had read that the Quicksilver Pro (which is the world championship of surfing) was taking place. Erin wasn’t sure if it was actually still happening. I guess they book 2 weeks for the event and then pick the best days for waves. So if the best days were at the beginning of the 2 weeks the event might be over. However, we made it to the beach Mom had read about and saw huge Quicksilver signs so decided to venture over. First, we were surprised we could even find parking within walking distance (for free!) and secondly that we weren’t charged to get into the event. As we were approaching the beach, the skies opened up and it DOWNPOURED! We were soaked! Isn’t this the GOLD COAST!? Erin was so bummed because she said it really never rains here, but we still had fun! The surfing competition was really cool! We don’t know anything about surfing or the surfers, but it was still cool to say we were at the surfing world championship. It would downpour, then stop, then downpour, then stop, so after watching a couple of the women surfers we decided to move on.
We made the hour drive to Byron Bay and at some points on the highway it was raining so hard we couldn’t see anything! Mom did a great job driving (on the left) and in the rain because I fell asleep for a bit! As we were nearing Byron Bay we saw signs for the local hospital that said to be quiet! We had never seen signs like this before and it became our joke for the rest of the trip that whenever we passed a hospital we needed to be quiet.
We decided to make our way to the lighthouse as everyone said it was beautiful. The rain seemed to have stopped as well so this seemed like a good time to spend some time outdoors. The lighthouse was beautiful and overlooked Byron Bay, but we could NOT believe how windy it was! The parking attendant said it was gale force winds and it was actually a little scary! Luckily the lighthouse blocked the wind on one side so we took most of our pictures from there!
We made the drive back down to the town area and were on the hunt for an ATM and a coffee for me (I don’t know why I was so tired). Westpac is the name of the bank in Australia that works with Bank of America so we get less fees when we use their ATM. We asked a convenient store where a Westpac ATM was located and the women told us, but it got me thinking if I would know where ATMs where and what bank they belonged to. It was a little after 4pm and now that we had money to was time to find some coffee..but NOTHING was open! It was so sad. I guess a lot of those type of places (that would serve coffee) close in the afternoon to prepare for dinner, but I was definitely missing Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. We did manage to find a gelato shop so I guess that was an ok coffee substitute.
Since all the shops closed at 5pm (like most things in Australia) we decided to head back as there really wasn’t much to do! Since it was still a little rainy, we were able to get a driving tour of Erin’s campus before heading back to her room to use some wifi! We then made our way to Broad Beach (which is next to Surfers Paradise) for some dinner! Erin knows the area pretty well which was nice because she was able to give us a little tour.
It was VERY windy and I was actually a little cold in shorts and a sweatshirt! But we had a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant. I asked about where the restroom was located and our waiter pointed around the corner and then gave me a combination. When I followed his directions I ended up in a maintenance area. One door said “men” and the other said “mothers room” both with key pads in front. I just stood there staring for a few minutes until a guy behind me pointed at “mothers room” and said that one was mine. I entered the password I was given and I was in! It was very very strange, although the bathroom was very nice!
After dinner we walked around a bit to people watch and WOW I could not get over the “young girls” dressed up to go out. I felt like a guy as I was ogling them and could not stop staring. They all had the tightest shortest black dresses I had EVER seen! It looked like they were going out in Miami Beach. Erin said you can’t get into a club with flip flops on (you have to wear nice shoes). I felt so frumpy and couldn’t believe I didn’t even OWN the appropriate clothes to get into a club here!
I guess I was ok with it as I was ready to go to bed anyway, and Erin made me feel better saying in an hour she could have me ready to get into a club, but I really had just never seen anything like it. I guess I live a sheltered life in good old New Hampshire!
We headed back to Bond to drop off Erin before returning to our hotel to pack. It seems like that’s all we do, pack, unpack, repack, repeat!
Hugs and kisses from the not so gold Gold Coast!
Friday, March 4, 2011
G’day Mate
Last night, we checked out of the hotel and got into the cab (well, the hotel’s car) to go to the airport. While I am not pro on how to get to the airport, I quickly noticed the man was NOT going the way I have always gone. We were hitting all the red lights and there was a lot of traffic so eventually he ended up pulling a u-turn. We then ended up in the slums of Vietnam on a VERY rundown road with a LOT of traffic. We had left early enough, but it did take about an hour (I have gotten there in 20 minutes before) so I am not sure what the problem was!
We checked in for our flight (and knew our bags were overweight..like person like luggage? Hmmm..) but were VERY confused when the woman started explaining we had to pay a LARGE fee. She was saying the limit was 20kg (which we knew) and one of our bags was 23kg and one was 24kg. She said she would give us 25 kg each, but she was saying how we were 22kg over! We were very confused until we realized that when she asked how many bags we were checking we said 2 and she thought 2 each instead of 2 total! You are only allowed 20kg regardless of how many bags you check, so once we got that situated we were ready to go! We had no problems getting through passport control (unlike last year). Vietnam use to work off a paper system and last year when trying to leave the country I didn’t have this paper they supposedly gave me. I was really nervous because I heard from another volunteer (an American born in Saigon) that even when she has her right papers they give her a hard time and don’t let her through until she gives them money. Luckily the guy eventually let me go after I was scared out of my mind. SO this year they have it all on the computer..YAY! We were able to get some dinner (roast beef sandwiches, yum) before boarding our plan to Singapore. As I was walking down the jet way to get on the plane I heard someone say, “Excuse me miss, excuse me!” I somehow thought that maybe if I pretended I didn’t hear and walked a bit faster she would give up on me, but she didn’t! She said it was a very full flight and since I had a carry on and backpack I would need to check one. At first I was NOT a happy camper. Just because they booked a full flight doesn’t mean I should have to check my bag. But THEN I quickly realized this was a blessing in disguise. Now I wouldn’t have to lug this baby around, fighting others that are 20 rows back for my overhead bin space! I would have checked it if I could, but since I was only allowed 20kg, blah blah blah! And this way they check it for free! Wahooooo!! I was probably the last one on the plane and mom and I were in the same row but she had an aisle and I had a window (just the way we like it). There was a Vietnamese woman in between us (living in Texas) who was all upset because she was told she had an aisle but didn’t. When we finally got going, she was able to sit Indian style in her seat and fall asleep!! We were amazed!
The flight was short and sweet and we had about 1 hour and 20 minutes to connect in Singapore. Turns out, we needed every second! The airport is huge..and BEAUTIFUL! There were so many times I wanted to stop (at the movie theater, the showers, the spa) but we kept trudging along! There was a beautiful mall area in the middle, but once we got to our gate (I am not kidding when I say we were power walking for 45 minutes) there was nothing around!!! It was so boring! It was also very weird because each gate has their own security!!
This was our longer flight (8 hours) but once we had boarded we realized the flight was not full. We asked the flight attendant and she said it was not a full flight so we quickly moved ourselves to the middle rows with four..yes FOUR seats! It was heeeeaaaavvvveeeen!!!! We were on a night flight (12am to 10am with the time change) so I really should have slept, but I was so excited that they had about 6 episodes of *Modern Family* (one of my new favorite TV shows) that I stayed up WAY too long watching them! I was able to fall asleep for a bit (and was actually pretty comfy) before arriving in Brisbane.
After collecting our luggage we headed to customs where mom and I were in separate lines. I picked up my bags, but saw the man starting to go through hers. Turns out she was getting nabbed for bringing bags of popcorn into the country. Apparently they are considered “nuts” which is a big no-no here! Somehow I managed to get through with popcorn AND bags of almonds..guess I am a sneaky packer! The guy let her go with a “warning” but this was a written warning and will go on her “file”. Little did I know my mom was such a rebel!
After making it on to Australian grounds without a trip to the jail, we headed over to pick up our car. Strangely, they did not have any maps available, so after a trip to the info desk and to get some snacks we got our car and hit the road..in..RAIN! boooo!! Luckily it was really just spitting. We were on our way to our hotel on the Gold Coast (about an hour away from Brisbane). I think I spent the entire ride saying, “STAY LEFT STAY LEFT!” but mom did a GREAT job as we made it to the hotel in one piece!
Our hotel is beautiful with the SOFTEST beds and GREAT bathroom and I realized, I was born to be a princess! After well needed showers and a little unpacking, we headed to Bond University which is where Erin, Scott’s girlfriend, is spending the semester abroad. It only took us about 20 minutes to get there and we were off to find food. Our first stop was a place about 15 minutes away from her, but we quickly learned that pretty much EVERYTHING in Australia closes at 5pm!!! Weird! It was a big mall with restaurants and it still closed at 5pm! We ended up back by her school at a pizza place and food never tasted so good..I was STARVING!
After stealing the wifi at her school (its $30 a day at this hotel..booo) we headed back to our hotel for the night as we were exhausted. The last couple of days in Vietnam were SO busy during the day and were only sleeping about 5 hours a night and we spent the night on the plane so needless to say we were tired! When we were in the car trying to find dinner I got really car sick (which I do a lot) but felt better after I ate. However, driving back from Erin’s I was not feeling good again! To spare the details, I threw up everything when we got back to the hotel! Not ok! How did I make it 2 weeks in Vietnam without getting sick and in Australia get sick!? I was actually surprised when I was in Vietnam I hadn’t gotten sick so I thought I was a seasoned traveler, but I guess not! I decided to go right to sleep and woke up about 12 hours later! Now we are off for our first REAL day in Australia!
Hugs and kisses from “G’day Mate!”
We checked in for our flight (and knew our bags were overweight..like person like luggage? Hmmm..) but were VERY confused when the woman started explaining we had to pay a LARGE fee. She was saying the limit was 20kg (which we knew) and one of our bags was 23kg and one was 24kg. She said she would give us 25 kg each, but she was saying how we were 22kg over! We were very confused until we realized that when she asked how many bags we were checking we said 2 and she thought 2 each instead of 2 total! You are only allowed 20kg regardless of how many bags you check, so once we got that situated we were ready to go! We had no problems getting through passport control (unlike last year). Vietnam use to work off a paper system and last year when trying to leave the country I didn’t have this paper they supposedly gave me. I was really nervous because I heard from another volunteer (an American born in Saigon) that even when she has her right papers they give her a hard time and don’t let her through until she gives them money. Luckily the guy eventually let me go after I was scared out of my mind. SO this year they have it all on the computer..YAY! We were able to get some dinner (roast beef sandwiches, yum) before boarding our plan to Singapore. As I was walking down the jet way to get on the plane I heard someone say, “Excuse me miss, excuse me!” I somehow thought that maybe if I pretended I didn’t hear and walked a bit faster she would give up on me, but she didn’t! She said it was a very full flight and since I had a carry on and backpack I would need to check one. At first I was NOT a happy camper. Just because they booked a full flight doesn’t mean I should have to check my bag. But THEN I quickly realized this was a blessing in disguise. Now I wouldn’t have to lug this baby around, fighting others that are 20 rows back for my overhead bin space! I would have checked it if I could, but since I was only allowed 20kg, blah blah blah! And this way they check it for free! Wahooooo!! I was probably the last one on the plane and mom and I were in the same row but she had an aisle and I had a window (just the way we like it). There was a Vietnamese woman in between us (living in Texas) who was all upset because she was told she had an aisle but didn’t. When we finally got going, she was able to sit Indian style in her seat and fall asleep!! We were amazed!
The flight was short and sweet and we had about 1 hour and 20 minutes to connect in Singapore. Turns out, we needed every second! The airport is huge..and BEAUTIFUL! There were so many times I wanted to stop (at the movie theater, the showers, the spa) but we kept trudging along! There was a beautiful mall area in the middle, but once we got to our gate (I am not kidding when I say we were power walking for 45 minutes) there was nothing around!!! It was so boring! It was also very weird because each gate has their own security!!
This was our longer flight (8 hours) but once we had boarded we realized the flight was not full. We asked the flight attendant and she said it was not a full flight so we quickly moved ourselves to the middle rows with four..yes FOUR seats! It was heeeeaaaavvvveeeen!!!! We were on a night flight (12am to 10am with the time change) so I really should have slept, but I was so excited that they had about 6 episodes of *Modern Family* (one of my new favorite TV shows) that I stayed up WAY too long watching them! I was able to fall asleep for a bit (and was actually pretty comfy) before arriving in Brisbane.
After collecting our luggage we headed to customs where mom and I were in separate lines. I picked up my bags, but saw the man starting to go through hers. Turns out she was getting nabbed for bringing bags of popcorn into the country. Apparently they are considered “nuts” which is a big no-no here! Somehow I managed to get through with popcorn AND bags of almonds..guess I am a sneaky packer! The guy let her go with a “warning” but this was a written warning and will go on her “file”. Little did I know my mom was such a rebel!
After making it on to Australian grounds without a trip to the jail, we headed over to pick up our car. Strangely, they did not have any maps available, so after a trip to the info desk and to get some snacks we got our car and hit the road..in..RAIN! boooo!! Luckily it was really just spitting. We were on our way to our hotel on the Gold Coast (about an hour away from Brisbane). I think I spent the entire ride saying, “STAY LEFT STAY LEFT!” but mom did a GREAT job as we made it to the hotel in one piece!
Our hotel is beautiful with the SOFTEST beds and GREAT bathroom and I realized, I was born to be a princess! After well needed showers and a little unpacking, we headed to Bond University which is where Erin, Scott’s girlfriend, is spending the semester abroad. It only took us about 20 minutes to get there and we were off to find food. Our first stop was a place about 15 minutes away from her, but we quickly learned that pretty much EVERYTHING in Australia closes at 5pm!!! Weird! It was a big mall with restaurants and it still closed at 5pm! We ended up back by her school at a pizza place and food never tasted so good..I was STARVING!
After stealing the wifi at her school (its $30 a day at this hotel..booo) we headed back to our hotel for the night as we were exhausted. The last couple of days in Vietnam were SO busy during the day and were only sleeping about 5 hours a night and we spent the night on the plane so needless to say we were tired! When we were in the car trying to find dinner I got really car sick (which I do a lot) but felt better after I ate. However, driving back from Erin’s I was not feeling good again! To spare the details, I threw up everything when we got back to the hotel! Not ok! How did I make it 2 weeks in Vietnam without getting sick and in Australia get sick!? I was actually surprised when I was in Vietnam I hadn’t gotten sick so I thought I was a seasoned traveler, but I guess not! I decided to go right to sleep and woke up about 12 hours later! Now we are off for our first REAL day in Australia!
Hugs and kisses from “G’day Mate!”
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