THOR

As soon as we saw him - we knew.
The gleaming (or at least semi-clean) camper van was ready to take our tired gang into the great beyond.
Over, sideways, and under...
On a journey we would never forget.

The days were both ordinary, and exactly the opposite.
3 Canadians sat side by side, in a country so vast and dry even WE couldn't comprehend it.

We toiled.
We sang.
We drooped.
Temperatures soared to degrees, and settled onto our shoulders; those of which had never before been burnt by the brunt of something so hot.
We sat in it, and soaked it up - as it dripped off our faces.

The sun shone off the ocean, the sand, the rocks, the highway...
If the sights hadn't been so magnificent - it would have been hard to keep our eyes open.

The wind blew - warm.
An oven trapped open in the vacume of our camper van.
If you thought the night would bring relief, you would be wrong.
The flies couldn't even stir up enough of a breeze with all their frenzied action.
Piss OFF Flies!
They liked Aussie sausages more than we did.
A sauna of hurried digesting and compulsive obscenities was all we could stomache before escaping into a relatively cool +38C.

The waves lapped up our hot, dehydrated bodies, and replaced them with new, vigourous ones.
It's amazing what salt and water can do for ones spirits.
We held ours high as we continued to explore the open highway - stopping to gawk at the miracles left for us on the coast.


In between campsite decisions, gas stations, and awkward information centres - our gang formed a bond.
Some little thing where we grew from travel accessories, into friends.
Questions, facts, behaviors.
Trials, jokes, insults.
We were all there...
Singing the tunes to the Tall Trees, deflecting the awkward conversations of overzealous strangers, refusing (or indulging in) the boxed wine, and ALWAYS anticipating the next stop for cool drinks.

It wasn't easy (4 hopeless hours in a rental shop had initially slowed our progress, our sand consumption was through the roof, and with all the sweat from our bodies, we could have filled the Dead Sea)

But together - we managed to prove ourselves worthy of that Great Ocean Road.

We did it guys...
We really did it.

Older...and Wiser?

Alright.
Happy New Year.
2009....yi yi yi.
Well. um.

A lot has happened since my last blog. And seriously, even my last one didn't come close to scratching the surface of what's been happening 'Down Under'.

Christmas, to start, was amazing. So much fun.
Obviously it wasn't a 'normal' Christmas, but I think it helped bring back the true meaning of what the holiday season really means...

I was at Eric and Mandy's new apartment in Surfer's Paradise...Mike (SCROOGE), 'Frenchie' (Jenny, a girl we met from Montreal), Mandy, Eric, and I, all spent Dec. 24 getting supplies for our Christmas feast, and the Woodford Folk Festival (which Mike, Frenchie, Eric, and I would attend starting Dec.26). The outdoor mall was PACKED, but we managed (somehow) to get our kangaroo steak, our canned tuna, our apples and bananas (which would all be rotten by the second day of the fest), our booze, and our measly Christmas presents, all packed into the camper van, and back to the apartment.

Now first off, I want to put out some MAJOR props to Mandy, as she was the driving force behind the food preparation and all-around responsible adult of the day. She shopped her heart out for us, and did it all with a great big smile and a huge amount of optimism. Cooking for half-starved backpackers is a huge responsibility, and I must admit, it may not have gotten done without her. PLUS, she made me a cookie, in the shape of an 'A'. It was tasty.


December 24, we had a friend come down from Brisbane who we had met on Fraser Island (Jemma) along with her boyfriend (Joe). Along with Mike, Frenchie, Mandy, Eric, Dylan (the new roomie), and myself, we had a good-ol houseful of Christmas cheer!

Christmas Eve saw us with kangaroo steak, mashed potatoes, and fresh corn on the cob, followed by a few drinks...more specifically, Rum and Eggnog, of which no Christmas would be complete without. Apparently this drink is uncommon in New Zealand and England.
We were only too happy to share.
Christmas Day was easy. Basically we got up late and went to the beach.
Surfer's was packed too, with lots of swimmers, sunbathers, and lifeguards.
Thanks to the monster waves, within about 5 mintues I had lost my bathing suit top and Mandy had lost her bottoms. Add a few solid poundings where my face and bottom both got throttled against the ocean floor, and we decided to spend some quality time ON the beach.



After lazing about for a few hours and (doing what I have NEVER done on Christmas Day) getting a bit of a tan, we headed back to get cleaned up for our Christmas feast.
Our menu included ham, garlic prawns, mashed potatoes, pasta salad, corn, pumpkin pie (made from SCRATCH), and cookies. We seriously ate like kings...soo much food...soo amazing.
Next we had a rousing game of 'Slap the Goon', and generally made merry.

Then, on Dec 26, we were off to Woodford.
The Woodford Folk Festival has been going on for about 23 years now, and takes place on a section of rolling hills just northwest of Brisbane. It combines music, theatre, art, environmental issues, and mixes them together in a week-long celebration of all things creative. This involves concerts in all genres; from harmonizing Aussies (The Kin) to punk-celtic Canadians (The Whiskey Dicks), to indie Scottish bands (Frightened Rabbit) to a weird American one-man-band (That 1 Guy), an electro Didgeredoo (Tjupurru) and a 12 piece Reggea dance explosion (Andie and George), there was ALWAYS something going on at one of the 8 stages into the wee morning hours.

Other than that, there were workshops/lectures you could attend that spoke on a variety of issues (Vaccination: Right or Wrong?, How to Compost, The Fate of the Farmer) or taught you a multitude of skills (How to Sing Harmony, How to play Tin Whistle, How to Play Slide Guitar, How to Breathe Properly, etc...).
Now, in order to attend this festival, we had to trade some of our time doing volunteer work. I worked at the Festival T-Shirt shop as a cashier for around 3-5 hours per day, effectively off-setting the $400 festival/camping fee.



Because Eric and Mike had worked during set-up, we also had a campsite saved, right in the middle of the festivities...the only thing was, we (Frenchie and I) weren't supposed to be there. In order to get in/out of our site, we had to crawl through this part in the burlap fence affectionately referred to as 'The Womb', and which made it look (to the passerby) like we had randomly materialized out of burlap. It worked extremely well though, and being part of the workers site, gave us access to the only hot showers in the land. Which really came in handy after the torrential downpour on nite 3...
Picture 1000 dancing fans, in one giant puddle of mud. Hot.
My cell phone never recovered.

Woodford was incredible...I have never seen so many hairy armpits, Thai Fisherman pants, hula hoops, dirty feet, and stilt walkers in my entire life. After 7 nights of amazing music, random rain storms, sweat-induced afternoons, incredible ethnic food, and nights short of sleep, we traveled back to Surfer's Paradise.
This time, Eric and Mandy stopped to live and work (he he he...'Eric the Carny'), while Mike, Frenchie, and myself, continued on.
In the camper van.
That broke down on the side of the Highway.
Twice.

$130, and a few choice words later, we were chugging along to Sydney.


Sydney is amazing.
One of my favorite places so far...
There's so much to do!!
For starters, about half the people I've met on this trip, ended up in Sydney at the same time as me (Dave, Miriam, Krista, Erin, Chelsea).




I've been out to the Blue Mountains (and have just returned for a few more days), walked the Harbour Bridge (it's windy), scouted the Opera House, gone on a wine tour of the Hunter Valley Region (the Roche is incredible!), visited the Contemporary Art Gallery, and even managed to fall asleep on the beach at Manly.



I had the priviledge of staying with my friend Chelsea for 4 days in her Manly apartment, which was fantastic. I met her while working at CityTV back in Calgary, and it's always great to see a familiar face. The second nite I was here, we met up and ended up feasting on McDonalds and 2 bottles of cheap wine, while watching the sun set over the Bridge and the Opera House...tres romantic.


It was great seeing up with everyone again...Sydney is an international meeting place...very cosmopolitan...very sunny...very busy.
Now I've met up with Erin, a girl I went to SAIT with who's doing a world wide trip, and we're up in the Blue Mountains, ready for some peace, some hiking, and some fresh air...

Happy 2009!!

Love Amanda

Christmas.

It's December 23.
And I went to the beach today.

Australia, australia, australia...oh you...you and your 30+C temperatures, your soft, squeeky sand, bright blue water, perfect flat white lattes, tender kangaroo steak, and noisey birds...
This is my first Christmas outside of Canada.
Ever.
Now that the obligatory bragging is out of the way...
I'm not going to lie...I do NOT miss the cold. I don't know if I'll ever learn how to miss the cold...
But I will tell you this; I DO miss YOU.
I've been battling a bout of homesickness lately...probably as a result of the holiday, and a lack of solid planning as far as my traveling is concerned.
Should I have looked into what i wanted to do before I came here...? Yeah. That would have been smart. This country is so damned huge (and I realize Canada isn't exactly small either...), and there's so much to see, that my head spins trying to decide where I should go, and what I should do next.
Not that there haven't been interesting stories along the way...

Since leaving Alice Springs, I've spent the last few weeks in Brisbane and around the Gold Coast.
Brisbane made me feel as if I were in limbo. I went there in anticipation of a possible job interview, as well as a volunteer position with the Woodford Folk Festival. I was basically waiting.
The job interview turned into a one-day gig, shooting a Tahiti dance recital. Pretty easy...cash in hand. And the Woodford folks called me to offer a position during the festival, so I'm pumped for that. I'll be an 'extra', doing whatever job needs to get done that day. I only work for 5hr/day, and then have the rest of my time to check out the hundreds of performers, artists, dancers, etc., who will be a the fest. Even a few Canadian acts to check out (Hey Rosetta! is a favorite).

After a few days wandering Brissy (checking out the inspirational GOMA-Gallery Of Modern Art, the South Bank lagoon and market, and Queen Street shopping, I went down to Main beach (just north of Surfer's Paradise), to hang out with Eric, Mike, and Mandy for a few days. We did 'Dreamworld', this combination water/amusement park, where we screamed on the tubes to mock the little kids. We also did a hike into the Green Mountains, which is crazy rainforest complete with a half-dozen waterfalls, ontop of an insanely steep mountain. We also managed to get lost in the rainforest, and hiked about 2km in the wrong direction...by the time we got out, it was almost pitch black, and it was absolutely POURING rain. I also tripped and managed to turn my left butt cheek purple. Heyo!


For my birthday (that's 24 years kids!), Eric bought me a cake and a pirate themed party bag. We did it up right, complete with eye patches, party hats, and rape whistles.
Unfortunately, the security at the Surfer's Paradise Casino didn't take too kindly to our sense of humor...or our sense of direction.




While in Alice Springs, I met a Vancouverite ('Krista Canada') who was staying at a friends place in Brisbane, and offered me a room for a few days in Fortitude Valley. I swear, everything strange that happens in Brisbane must happen in the Valley.
We had a run-in with some creeps from Ireland who thought it was their mission in life to annoy the hell out of Krista and I. This involved pant-dropping, hat-stealing, and all the other things that 8yr olds find funny.

Something that wasn't so funny, was my friend Christine (also from Canada: Ontario) getting mauled by a taxi that jumped the curb as we walked down the sidewalk.
Krista, Christine, and I were headed to pick up groceries for a nice evening in, when a taxi driver drove onto the sidewalk, completely wiping out Christine and a 70yr old Korean lady. Krista and I were on the outside of the sidewalk and were able to jump out of the way as the car shot past, but Christine suffered a broken pelvis, and the Korean woman sustained minor head injuries...
I wasn't expecting an ambulance ride in a foreign country.
Christine is doing really well though...she's on crutches and out of the hospital.
it was pretty scary though...the cab didn't even slow down, it just stopped once it hit the wall on the other side of the sidewalk.


Other happenings: met up with Dave (random Malaysian friend), Jemma (Fraser trip friend), made the most amazing dinner (of Kangaroo Steak, mashed potatoes and fresh corn!!), went out for my birthday with Krista and Chrissy (two great girls from Vancouver), and general 'hanging out'.




I now find myself in Byron Bay.
I've been sea kayaking, and I've fallen for the sport completely. It's such great excersize, and I find myself liking the idea of being ABOVE the water, instead of IN it.

I also took a surf lesson, and actually STOOD UP on the surf board!!
It was great...just a taste of what surfing actually feels like.
The ocean here is beautiful...I can't really describe it, and the pictures don't do it justice, but it's all I have to give you right now...

What I really want to do, is wish you a Very, Merry Christmas.
I'm thinking of everyone back home, and even though it is cold back there...it would be nice to just pop in for a few hours, eat some roast and pie, drink some spiced rum and egg nog, play some random family board game, have our Chinese gift exchange, and go ski-dooing.

Merry Christmas.

I Love You.


-Amanda

Desert Reflections

Day #1: Kings Canyon




Day #2: Kata Tjuda


Day #2-3: Uluru

Uluru

How to start a journal entry after having just watched the sun rise on one of the natural world's best known, and most majestic sights...

As red as the desert soil, Uluru dominates the landscape.

It looks settled and comfortable after its awkward exit from the earth so many years ago...
It's a giant.
In the dark it seems to be curled up, taking a nap before the heat becomes too much to sleep.
The slightest nudge could wake the giant, and who knows how it will react to that!
As the sky lifts, the giant warms to its surroundings...greeting the scrub bushes, morning birds, and camera-happy tourists with a wide, red smile.
It has gotten use to this routine.
Shining so evenly in the bright sunlight - giving up few secrets as eager early-risers clamber to its side.
The giant shifts, and massive wrinkles form on its' surface, folding years of wind and light into deep waterfalls and practiced smile lines.
The sun is hot, but the giant makes sure to shade at least one part of itself at all times. It rinses its toes in the shallow pools that collect at its base, and looks to the faint desert breeze for cooling.
Creatures of all kinds come to the giant for one purpose or another. Some for energy, some for adventure, some for healing, and some to simply be proven wrong.
The giant has been witness to the goings-on both above and below the crust of the earth for centuries.
There is mystery in nature, and the giant understands that this is why it exists: to stand as an example of the power it took to create this world in the first place, and to testify to the glory and might of it.
It's a big job, but this is a big giant.
And although it looks as if the giant is resting, its job is continuous.
From the break of first dawn, to the deep, crimson sunset - the giant is a beacon of majesty.
It is proof to all who gaze upon its' written ridges, caves, and pools, that this giant is an emotional canvas.
One that will continue to guard the red sands and early risers for years to come...

-A.L

Auss: A Mix!

Wow. I've been sloppy with this the last few weeks.
It's strange to think that I've been in Australia for over 3 weeks now...
Brisbane, Camping, Halloween, Rainbow Beach, North Stradbroke Island, Fraser Island, Bundaberg, and now Airlie Beach. I'm now in Great Barrier Reed Territory and headed into the Outback...

I guess I'll try to give a bit of a recap...starting with North Stradbroke aka 'Straddie'.
We (Eric, Mike, Mandy and I), camped out for about 4 days, did some sea kayaking (got caught in some pretty wicked waves, saw dolphins and sting rays!), tried our hand at sand-boarding (think snowboard, but on du-du-duuhh...sand!), and took a surf lesson from a 56 year old who had once been semi-pro in Hawaii. We also caught the Melbourne Cup, which is basically a big horse race. Everyone gets dressed up in their finest hats and bets on the horses. The bar we watched it in had toad races afterwards as well. Strange. Drunkenly elegant people, yelling at little green lumpy amphibians.
Note: The sand on Straddie would squeek under your feet, the water was crystal blue, and the Kookaburrahs were LOUD.


Next, after getting Mandy on a bus to the Gold Coast, Eric, Mike and I headed north to Rainbow Beach. This is a cross-over point to Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. The town was small and simple, and I really liked that. I think the Perhentian Islands spoilt me, when all I had to do was wake up, get some eggs on toast, a tea, and then go down to the beach. Rainbow is kind of the same...
We stayed at Dingo's Hostel, where we bought a Fraser Island and Whitsunday tour package.


Fraser Island was crazy. We took a self-guided camping tour, where the tour company stuck 10 kids into each truck, gave us some food and a map, and let us loose on the island for 3 days and nights. Our entire group numbered somewhere over 60 people, with 9 in our own truck; 7 Canadians and 2 Brits. Add some dingos, no showers for 3 days, and a few boxes of 'Goon' (Australian boxed wine) and you have the makings of quite the trip!


We were given all our food and a menu of how to prepare it. We definitely didn't starve! Meals included steak and potatoes (AND sand, thanks to Eric and his inability to balance), stir fry, sandwiches, and even a Christmas cake. The dingos were everywhere! They're getting too tame because of all the tourists so there are signs warning you of feeding them absolutely everywhere. One of the 4x4's with us left out their meat overnite..which wasn't such a good idea...
The weather wasn't so great while we were there, with random rainy spurts throughout the day and nite. We were either holed up in a stinky 4x4, or struggling underneath a tarp cooking dinner, but it kind of made the camping more official.

The people in our group were fantastic; really loud, and ready to have a good time. The other trucks knew who we were in a matter of minutes: 'CANADA!' The Brits in the group had to suffer through our Canadian music and sense of humour, but thank God we had who we did! This girl, Jemma, and I got on really well...she was always ready to laugh at whatever dumb thing I had to say.
Other highlights included: toilet in the woods, GO AWAY DINGO!, 'You're pants are making me hungry', spying, SLAP THE GOON!, the Maheno Wreck, bus stop party, and ...sand.
Good times. Good people. Really.

Next.
hmm...days are starting to run into each other...
We stopped to camp on our way to Bundaberg at this little campsite off the main highway, and met an amazing folk guitarist. He was a total hippie in his 50's and spent the night serenading us with his original music...a little bitter in the lyrics department, but crazy good. Within an hour of meeting us, he told us about how he peirced his penis when he was 11, and then proceeded to pee infront of us. We were friends.

In other news, that night was probably the worst sleep of my life. We were literally in the back-woods, and had been meeting some pretty crazy birds and bugs. In my tent at night, there were a couple annoying mosquitos, so I decided to get rid of them by spraying my 'Off Backwoods Insect Repellant, 25% DEET' all over myself. In an enclosed tent you can only imagine how long you're going to last by breathing that crap in, so I opened my tent flap a few inches (ok, more like, all the way). In doing so, I unleashed the fury of some freaky leaf bug, that instantly dove into my sleeping bag. I started screaming, semi-waking up Mike who was in his tent next to me (he thought he'd dreamt my screams), and scrambled for my torch as this mystery bug made itself comfortable. I managed to find it and flick it out, but not after getting my heart rate up, and sweating out my body weight. After that I proceeded to dream up all sorts of sounds and creatures that had made their way into my bed...not fun. sigh.

We continued on to Bundaberg, where we went on a turtle watching excursion, and saw a Flatback lay her eggs on the beach! Picture a group of about 60 tourists crowded around this unsuspecting turtle, doing the most holy of female activities...it was kind of funny. But we saw her lay 143 eggs, bury them, and them swim back out to sea. Then, because she didn't lay them above the high-tide level, we got to pick them up and transport them to another hole dug further inland.

Eric and Mike decided to stay in Bundy to get some farm work, and I continued up the coast to Airlie Beach.
This is where I am right now...
It's another cute, little town, with the main population being backpackers.
But so far, this place has given me my favorite adventure stories...


My second day here I went on a boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef! It's about 50 nautical miles off the mainland, and it took a couple hours for the boat to reach a section of Hardy Reef. The company (called 'Fantasea' for all you pun lovers) has a permanent structure floating above the reef, complete with a mini submarine to tour the reef, snorkelling guides, and an underwater observatory. It was pretty crazy when we got out there, as you can't see any land from where we were set up.

The reef itself was interesting (I got to hold a sea cucumber!) but to be honest, I liked the snorkelling in the Red Sea better. The water still kind of scares me, but I am getting better. It's just weird to think about being in the middle of the ocean, and to be at the mercy of nature to such an extent. There's no hiding out there! It was a gorgeous day though, and the boatride itself was pretty cool.

The day after that though, was amazing:
I went skydiving.
eeeee!!!! It was one of those things I'd always wanted to do, but never really wanted to put a specific date on...I'd talked to the receptionist at my hostel about going, and she said she'd call me the next day to confirm a time and a spot with the skydiving company. I guess my cell wasn't in service, because I got woken up at 8am by a woman in housekeeping asking me if my name was Amanda and if I still wanted to go skydiving...she told me to be downstairs in 15 mintues for the bus to pick me up!!

It was perfect, because then I didn't really have time to think about it and chicken out...an hour later I was in a plane, strapped to a dude who'd been diving for 23 years, 12,000 feet over the Whitsunday Islands!
You could see parts of the Reef from the plane, and the water was as many shades of blue as is worldy possible. The islands were distant, lush, green, dots, as I got ready to fall...
It's amazing...being up that high it doesn't even feel like you're falling. You reach terminal velocity 11 seconds into the free fall, and after that it's smooth sailing! The moment the plane door opened and I was hanging out the side was crazy intense..no turning back now! I had a 45 second free fall before the parachute opened, so I had plenty of time to look around and realize what's going on. It's only once I got closer to the ground that I got a bit scared, it seems more real when you can sense the landing. But ours was perfect. I really couldn't have asked for a better day! It was amazing.




Yeah! I'm almost up to date now!!
I've just spent the last 2 days on a sailboat, sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. It was gorgeous; we had great weather, and some great people. 3 other girls from Calgary, and one from Toronto included. Funny that I travel to the other side of the world to meet people from home...!The boat was named Boomerang, and was previously used as a racing boat. We had a crew of 3, and a party of 28. I slept on deck the first nite; warm air, and gentle rocking is a great way to fall asleep.

I saw the sun come up over the islands the next morning, rising by 6am. We went snorkelling on a fringe reef, spent some time on Whitsunday Island, and generally enjoyed the day. As guests, we also had the chance to be part of the working of the boat, taking turns on the grinders to change the direction of the sails.


I think I could really get used to sailing! The boat cutting through the smooth aqua water, the sails whipping around as we change direction, amazing sunsets, and gentle waves. mmmmm.....



Anyway, after we got back, the group had a little shindig, which consisted of some dance-dance-dance!

Tomorrow I head north to Cairns, where I'll spend a few days in the rainforest, before heading into the Outback!
Australia...yiyi...so much to do...!!

Much love!

-Amanda