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