I am currently recovering from a week in Fiji. Recovering from a week of doing more or less nothing apart from a bit of snorkelling and a lot of sunbathing. Its pretty exhausting doing nothing! Having said that it was an amazing week and I met some really great people. Fijians are so friendly: you can't walk down a street without at least ten people shouting 'Bula!' at you. ( This is their equivalent of 'g'day mate!'). They are so helpful as well, and lucky for me there were lots of lovely gentlemen on hand to carry my suitcase wherever it needed to go. Pure bliss!
To make the most of my week in Fiji, I decided to do a spot of island hopping. Fiji has three hundred and twenty two islands in total, most of them uninhabited and a lot of them are teeny tiny. They are nearly all, however, the picture of a paradise island with white beaches, clear blue waters and lucious green vegetation. Heaven. The first island I visited was Coral View. This was up in the Yasawas, the furthest group of islands and approximately a five hour boat trip from the main island. When we arrived we received a traditional Fijian welcome which involved singing and a lot of shaking of hands! I soon discovered that Fijians absolutely love to sing, especially at Coral View. They literally sing about everything. Lunch, dinner, hello, goodbye: you name it, they have a song for it! The vibe here was very laid back, and all the staff were so friendly that after the two days were up, I was almost reluctant to leave, and in fact some of the people I arrived with decided to stay longer. In one guys opinion, deciding to stay on the island was like having a girlfriend: you know there's probably someone better out there, but you decide to stick with the one you've got. (Needless to say, he didn't have a girlfriend!). I decided to tear myself away in the hope of finding something even better in the shape of Korovou resort.
At Korovou I sadly did not get the same melodic welcome as at Coral View, however that was because I arrived on a Sunday and nothing happens on Sunday apart from going to church. It is God's day. They more than made up for the lack of entertainment on the second night though, where we were treated to a fire dancing show. It was all very exciting: topless men dancing with fire in little grass skirts. At one point they even set the floor on fire. Literally! I have to say that I was very impressed with the dancing skills of the Fijian men. Its a shame that British men aren't the same. Unless, of course, they've got a few pints down them! After the fire dancing there was a bit of audience participation (as there was at all the resorts, in fact). We all had to get up and do the Bula dance. This is basically the Fijian Macarena. Same moves, the only addition is that you have to shout 'Bula!' as you jump round, hence the name 'The Bula Dance'. At this point I did feel like I had been transported to a British holiday camp along the lines of Butlins. But everyone got involved and there was always the chance of winning a few free drinks.
The final island I stayed on was South Sea Island. This really was a tiny island. It looked as if it could get washed away at even the hint of a slightly bigger wave than usual. You could actually walk around it in two minutes and, according to one of the girls I met, hop around it in three and a half. What it lacked in size was made up for in hospitality though. Again, the staff were so friendly. We had a candlelit dinner on the beach followed by crab racing (highly competative and taken extremely seriously) and, of course, Bula dancing. Later on we all chilled out round a campfire, sang songs and drank lots of kava. Kava is the Fijian drink of choice. It is not alcoholic, as many of the islands are actually dry, so alcohol is forbidden, but it is a narcotic so will have some effect. It mainly makes your tongue go numb and gives you very strange dreams apparently. It is made from the root of a plant mixed with water and unfortunately it just tastes like muddy water. Not very pleasant.
On my last day in Fiji I went on a day sailing trip around the magical Mamanuca islands. I was lucky enough to do this trip for free as I had bumped into a couple earlier in the week who had paid for it, but were unable to do it on the day as they wouldn't have time. I did have to make a few changes to the ticket though, which involved a nerve wracking experience of me having to pretend to be someone else. As many of you know, my acting skills are not great and I was sure I was going to get caught and thrown overboard. Luckily it all ended well. This sailing trip was amazing. Not only was there unlimited free food and drink (I definitely made the most of the free cake!), but we also got to visit the island where 'Castaway' was filmed, visit a real life Fijian village (yes, it was as patronising as it sounds) and take part in a kava ceremony, which was a pretty big honour apparently. All in all, not a bad days sailing!
Life in Fiji, especially on the islands, is very different to the way of life I and most of the other people I was travelling with are used to. None of the islands had hot water, so it was cold showers for the week, and on Korovou, there was no electricity, apart from between six and eleven at night. This meant no phone signal or internet access and therefore no Facebook! It was actually quite nice. There was no point worrying about trying to get in contact with someone, because you literally couldn't. Instead you could just spend your time enjoying the simpler things in life. Such as sunsets. By god, I saw a lot of sunsets. In fact I think the majority of my Fiji photo album will be of sunsets! They were very pretty though. We also got to enjoy having time to do absolutely nothing. In Fiji, people run by Fiji time. This tends to be at least half an hour later than any of the clocks on the island. In fact, there aren't many clocks on the island. Although we all used to joke about Fiji time, it was a fully accepted method of time keeping amongst the locals. I once asked one of the locals what time it was, so I could work out how long I had to have a shower before the sun went down and we were plunged into darkness. He simply answered, 'it's Fiji time', as if that was a perfectly reasonable answer. It was very easy to get used to though, and by the end of the week my body clock was definitely set to Fiji time. It nade arriving in busy LA a bit of a shock, and definitely prolonged my jet lag I think! I'm getting over it now though and am enjoying the last stretch of my round the world adventure...
Monday, 20 June 2011
Thursday, 2 June 2011
A Sailors Life for Me!
So I have just spent the last two days sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and now I am hooked on a life on the seas. It's just so relaxing and a great way to sea some of the most beautiful sights in the world.
In fairness I did have a bit if a shakey start and suffered a small amount of sea sickness- I had to take a cheeky chunder over the side of the boat on the first morning but after that I gained my sea legs and was fine for the rest of the trip. I was, however, the only person out of the thirty-two passengers that managed to throw up and as a result I was the butt of a few jokes for the rest of the trip, especially amongst the crew.
On our first full day on the Whitsundays we got up at the wonderful hour of 7am (great) so that we could make the most of the island. And I have to say, it was most definitely worth the effort of getting up at that ungodly hour. The sand is the whitest sand I have ever seen. This is apparently because it is made of around 99% silicon. This also makes a good exfoliator, and my legs did feel a great deal smoother after a little frolicking on the beach. The water was so clear as well and luckily for us, we had a cloudless sky. It really was the picture postcard view of paradise. Sadly we only got to spend a couple of hours on the beach, but I could have spent the whole day there.
In the afternoon we went to a place called Luncheon Bay where we did a spot of diving and snorkelling. I attempted the diving and managed to complete two out of the three skills, however the sheer unnaturalness of being able to breathe under water meant I panicked slightly and didn't go ahead with the dive. Louis, the diving instructor, seemed a bit upset that I gave up. I may give it another go in the future, now that I know what to expect, but, I was happy enough just snorkelling, and I managed to see a lot of beautiful things, just floating on the surface.
On the last day, we did more snorkelling, this time much nearer to the Outer Barrier of the Great Barrier Reef. Here I managed to see a lot more of the famous corals, and got to swim with the fish (literally, not in a scary mafia way). It was so peaceful just floating around watching all the coral moving in with the motion of the waves, and the fish swimming around, without a care in the world. It is definitely hard to feel stressed out in this environment. I must say though, the reef itself wasn't as impressive as I thought it was going to be. The colours weren't as vibrant as they look in postcards and photos, and there wasn't that much of it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place?! Still, it was amazing to see.
The rest of the two days was spent on the boat. Boats are very sociable places. I suppose this is because it involves a lot of people sharing a very small space. I had so much fun, and the crew that took us were sp much fun. We of course played the obligatory 'forcing people to eat a spoonful of vegemite'game. In this case, based around a game of 'fact or bullshit'- if you got the answer wrong you had to eat a spoonful of vegemite. Luckily I managed to avoid this. Maybe it was because they realised that me, being chunder central, probably shouldn't eat something as vomit enducing as vegemite. Thank god.
Anyway, the trip is over and I am back on dry land. Already, though, I am longing for the seas. I'm also sad because this means my last week in Australia is approaching. I'm really starting to get attached to this land down under. The people are so friendly and the weather is lovely. Next week I move onto Fiji though. Maybe that will be enough to make me forget Australia!
In fairness I did have a bit if a shakey start and suffered a small amount of sea sickness- I had to take a cheeky chunder over the side of the boat on the first morning but after that I gained my sea legs and was fine for the rest of the trip. I was, however, the only person out of the thirty-two passengers that managed to throw up and as a result I was the butt of a few jokes for the rest of the trip, especially amongst the crew.
On our first full day on the Whitsundays we got up at the wonderful hour of 7am (great) so that we could make the most of the island. And I have to say, it was most definitely worth the effort of getting up at that ungodly hour. The sand is the whitest sand I have ever seen. This is apparently because it is made of around 99% silicon. This also makes a good exfoliator, and my legs did feel a great deal smoother after a little frolicking on the beach. The water was so clear as well and luckily for us, we had a cloudless sky. It really was the picture postcard view of paradise. Sadly we only got to spend a couple of hours on the beach, but I could have spent the whole day there.
In the afternoon we went to a place called Luncheon Bay where we did a spot of diving and snorkelling. I attempted the diving and managed to complete two out of the three skills, however the sheer unnaturalness of being able to breathe under water meant I panicked slightly and didn't go ahead with the dive. Louis, the diving instructor, seemed a bit upset that I gave up. I may give it another go in the future, now that I know what to expect, but, I was happy enough just snorkelling, and I managed to see a lot of beautiful things, just floating on the surface.
On the last day, we did more snorkelling, this time much nearer to the Outer Barrier of the Great Barrier Reef. Here I managed to see a lot more of the famous corals, and got to swim with the fish (literally, not in a scary mafia way). It was so peaceful just floating around watching all the coral moving in with the motion of the waves, and the fish swimming around, without a care in the world. It is definitely hard to feel stressed out in this environment. I must say though, the reef itself wasn't as impressive as I thought it was going to be. The colours weren't as vibrant as they look in postcards and photos, and there wasn't that much of it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place?! Still, it was amazing to see.
The rest of the two days was spent on the boat. Boats are very sociable places. I suppose this is because it involves a lot of people sharing a very small space. I had so much fun, and the crew that took us were sp much fun. We of course played the obligatory 'forcing people to eat a spoonful of vegemite'game. In this case, based around a game of 'fact or bullshit'- if you got the answer wrong you had to eat a spoonful of vegemite. Luckily I managed to avoid this. Maybe it was because they realised that me, being chunder central, probably shouldn't eat something as vomit enducing as vegemite. Thank god.
Anyway, the trip is over and I am back on dry land. Already, though, I am longing for the seas. I'm also sad because this means my last week in Australia is approaching. I'm really starting to get attached to this land down under. The people are so friendly and the weather is lovely. Next week I move onto Fiji though. Maybe that will be enough to make me forget Australia!
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Hi-di-Hi Campers
I have just returned from a trip that is a must do for all backpackers travelling up the East coast. That is, camping on Fraser Island. I know most of my friends reading this will do a double take at this as under normal circumstances I do not camp. But Fraser Island is apparently the closest thing to paradise I'll probably see, in fact it's aboriginal name, k'Gari, actually means paradise, so how bad could it be I thought?,
Fraser Island is one of the biggest sand islands in the world which is amazing to think considering it is covered not only with beaches but also rainforest. It is one of the top 20 world heritage sites in the world which means it is protected and so certain things are not allowed on the island- you can't introduce any new species of plant or animal onto the island, and devlopment of building on the island is greatly restricted. In order to preserve the island, flushing toilets are also very rare and this was the first obstacle I had to overcome. Although the campsite we were staying on had flushing toilets, everywhere else on the island were long drop style toilets. They actually weren't that bad- just don't look down! For that matter don't look up either. This is a lesson I've learnt in Australia, as you're almost guarunteed to see something you don't like. Our guide, Kirk, had told us that 7 out the 8 most poisonous snakes in Australia live on Fraser Island, along with a whole host of deadly spiders. Great. There are also wild dingoes roaming around the island, and lucky for us it was mating season so they were particularly active while we were there.
Our first night on the campsite was very interesting. As I said, wild dingoes roam the island, and on our camp there were 5 that had made it their home. Under normal circumstances they are fine if you just ignore them. We were taught about dingo safety which basically meant stand up tall, don't look small, don't wave your arms around and shine a torch in their eyes. If you fall over or run, you're basically screwed. In the evening when everybody was around the camp fire they didn't bother us much, they were just looking for food. I did have a mildly terrifying moment in the middle of the night though, when I had to make a toilet trip. I had to wake up one of the people in my tent to act as my dingo buddy and we started the 5 minute trek to the toilets situted on the other side of the camp site. Almost as soon as we stepped out of the tent, we bumped into a dreaded dingo. We desperately tried to blind it with my tiny little head torch, and backed away slowly. It was having none of it however, instead proceeded in stalking us round the cars until we made it back to the safety of the tent. In the end I just had to go in a bush- something I haven't done in a while. I learnt my lesson for the second night and drank enough cheap wine (aka goon) to knock me out for the whole night.
Despite the fact that it seems like everything on Fraser Island is trying to kill you, it is actually one of the most beautiful places I've been to. We were really lucky with the weather, and managed to sit in our bikinis for 2 out of the 3 days we were there. We saw some amazing sandblows- this is where masses of sand are steadily being blown over the island, and are beginning to engulf parts of the island, trees and all. We paddled in some of the purest water you'll find anywhere and swam in some beautiful lakes. We even spotted sharks and sting rays from Indian Head. It truly was paradise. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. And although I'm still not convinced by camping, by the end of the trip I was definitely getting into the swing of things. I even started to enjoy it!
Fraser Island is one of the biggest sand islands in the world which is amazing to think considering it is covered not only with beaches but also rainforest. It is one of the top 20 world heritage sites in the world which means it is protected and so certain things are not allowed on the island- you can't introduce any new species of plant or animal onto the island, and devlopment of building on the island is greatly restricted. In order to preserve the island, flushing toilets are also very rare and this was the first obstacle I had to overcome. Although the campsite we were staying on had flushing toilets, everywhere else on the island were long drop style toilets. They actually weren't that bad- just don't look down! For that matter don't look up either. This is a lesson I've learnt in Australia, as you're almost guarunteed to see something you don't like. Our guide, Kirk, had told us that 7 out the 8 most poisonous snakes in Australia live on Fraser Island, along with a whole host of deadly spiders. Great. There are also wild dingoes roaming around the island, and lucky for us it was mating season so they were particularly active while we were there.
Our first night on the campsite was very interesting. As I said, wild dingoes roam the island, and on our camp there were 5 that had made it their home. Under normal circumstances they are fine if you just ignore them. We were taught about dingo safety which basically meant stand up tall, don't look small, don't wave your arms around and shine a torch in their eyes. If you fall over or run, you're basically screwed. In the evening when everybody was around the camp fire they didn't bother us much, they were just looking for food. I did have a mildly terrifying moment in the middle of the night though, when I had to make a toilet trip. I had to wake up one of the people in my tent to act as my dingo buddy and we started the 5 minute trek to the toilets situted on the other side of the camp site. Almost as soon as we stepped out of the tent, we bumped into a dreaded dingo. We desperately tried to blind it with my tiny little head torch, and backed away slowly. It was having none of it however, instead proceeded in stalking us round the cars until we made it back to the safety of the tent. In the end I just had to go in a bush- something I haven't done in a while. I learnt my lesson for the second night and drank enough cheap wine (aka goon) to knock me out for the whole night.
Despite the fact that it seems like everything on Fraser Island is trying to kill you, it is actually one of the most beautiful places I've been to. We were really lucky with the weather, and managed to sit in our bikinis for 2 out of the 3 days we were there. We saw some amazing sandblows- this is where masses of sand are steadily being blown over the island, and are beginning to engulf parts of the island, trees and all. We paddled in some of the purest water you'll find anywhere and swam in some beautiful lakes. We even spotted sharks and sting rays from Indian Head. It truly was paradise. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. And although I'm still not convinced by camping, by the end of the trip I was definitely getting into the swing of things. I even started to enjoy it!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
How to Make Friends...
When I decided to go travelling I also decided to take the leap and go on my own. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but that was mainly because for the first month or so I would be meeting up with different people: Natalie in Hong Kong and Vicky and the girls in New Zealand. The real test would come when I arrived in Australia. Even then it didn't seem that scary as I spent a week with Ben, but now that I have left Sydney and am working my way up the coast, I have been completely on my own, apart from a couple of days with uni friends, Iain and Lauren, and will be for the next five weeks. AAaahhh! Scary!
Travelling on your own can be a bit lonely, especially when you see something amazing that you want share with someone else. For example, the other day when I was in Surfer's Paradise, I watched the sunset on the beach which was beautiful. As there was no one to say this to (apart from a strange, slightly overweight man doing star jumps, who quite frankly I didn't want to engage in conversation) I just had to take a photo, which is never really the same as seeing the real thing. It can also be quite tiring, especially if you're moving around quite regularly, as in order to make friends you have to make an effort all the time. Not just to be friendly, but to be normal as well!! Its definitely been an effort trying to hide all my quirks that hopefully my friends at home find endearing, but strangers definitely wouldn't. Such as my nack of telling very pointless stories. That certainly does not help on the making new friends front.
Despite this though, there are positives to travelling alone. You get to call the shots and decide where and when you want to go places. There have definitely been some places that I have been glad to move on from, sometimes a bit earlier than intended, where other people might have loved. Its also great because sometimes you just want some alone time, and you can do that without worrying about leaving another person on their own. The main positive though is that being on your own makes you more approachable to other travellers. Even though people told me that loads of people travel alone, I was still surprised at just how many do. I was also surprised that it's usually girls that travel alone, whereas boys tend to travel in pairs (and actually, the ones that travel alone are often a bit strange! Not always though, I must hastily add). As everyone is doing more or less the same route, you keep bumping into the same people in various hostels or on different buses along the way. I seemed to keep bumping into this one couple loads bewteen Byron Bay and Brisbane, and its nice to see a couple of familiar faces, even if you don't even know their names! I have met a couple of really nice people who I know will be in the same place as me at around the same time further up the coast, so its definitely a comfort to know that I'll have someone to hang out with later on.
Its amazing the sorts of friendships you make while your travelling. Most of the time, when you meet people you only ever see them for about two days, but in that time, you can build friendships almost as strong as ones back home (albeit, not as long lasting) mainly because you have to. I have been on a couple of nights out with people I have literally met a couple of hours before, yet once we've all got a couple of drinks down us, it feels as if we've known each other forever. And as quickly as you met them, you move on, with the high possiblilty that you'll never see each other again. It does make a night out a lot more exciting.
I have to say that travelling alone has had its highs and lows. I'm finally getting into the swing of meeting people, and as a result I definitely feel a lot more confident in social situations. I think I'm going to enjoy my next few weeks travelling, but I am most certainly looking forward to getting home and having a more familiar night out with friends I've known longer than an hour!
Travelling on your own can be a bit lonely, especially when you see something amazing that you want share with someone else. For example, the other day when I was in Surfer's Paradise, I watched the sunset on the beach which was beautiful. As there was no one to say this to (apart from a strange, slightly overweight man doing star jumps, who quite frankly I didn't want to engage in conversation) I just had to take a photo, which is never really the same as seeing the real thing. It can also be quite tiring, especially if you're moving around quite regularly, as in order to make friends you have to make an effort all the time. Not just to be friendly, but to be normal as well!! Its definitely been an effort trying to hide all my quirks that hopefully my friends at home find endearing, but strangers definitely wouldn't. Such as my nack of telling very pointless stories. That certainly does not help on the making new friends front.
Despite this though, there are positives to travelling alone. You get to call the shots and decide where and when you want to go places. There have definitely been some places that I have been glad to move on from, sometimes a bit earlier than intended, where other people might have loved. Its also great because sometimes you just want some alone time, and you can do that without worrying about leaving another person on their own. The main positive though is that being on your own makes you more approachable to other travellers. Even though people told me that loads of people travel alone, I was still surprised at just how many do. I was also surprised that it's usually girls that travel alone, whereas boys tend to travel in pairs (and actually, the ones that travel alone are often a bit strange! Not always though, I must hastily add). As everyone is doing more or less the same route, you keep bumping into the same people in various hostels or on different buses along the way. I seemed to keep bumping into this one couple loads bewteen Byron Bay and Brisbane, and its nice to see a couple of familiar faces, even if you don't even know their names! I have met a couple of really nice people who I know will be in the same place as me at around the same time further up the coast, so its definitely a comfort to know that I'll have someone to hang out with later on.
Its amazing the sorts of friendships you make while your travelling. Most of the time, when you meet people you only ever see them for about two days, but in that time, you can build friendships almost as strong as ones back home (albeit, not as long lasting) mainly because you have to. I have been on a couple of nights out with people I have literally met a couple of hours before, yet once we've all got a couple of drinks down us, it feels as if we've known each other forever. And as quickly as you met them, you move on, with the high possiblilty that you'll never see each other again. It does make a night out a lot more exciting.
I have to say that travelling alone has had its highs and lows. I'm finally getting into the swing of meeting people, and as a result I definitely feel a lot more confident in social situations. I think I'm going to enjoy my next few weeks travelling, but I am most certainly looking forward to getting home and having a more familiar night out with friends I've known longer than an hour!
Friday, 20 May 2011
I come from a land down under. Where beer does flow and men chunder.
I'm in Australia!!! Well I have been for the last two weeks but this is the first chance I have had to actually sit down and write about it. So far I have been to Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Surfer's Paradise (definitely not what it sounds like...loads of sky scrapers and not many surfers!). Whilst I've been here I have been trying to draw similarities with New Zealand and in fact Ben, who had the pleasure of putting me up in Sydney, asked which I preferred. The answer is that there is no comparison. Both places are so different. New Zealand is all about the scenery whereas here, its all about the surf. Well, surf among other things but the whole way of life is very different here. It's so much more laid back. As far as travelling goes, Australia is definitely more party orientated as well, which is fun but not very good for the purse strings!
So I started my Aussie Experience in Melbourne. It not a big city, but to be fair I didn't spend that much time in the city. Melbourne is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road which is about 300km of scenic coastal driving. I decided this had to be done, so took a day trip which, although provided some great photo ops(especially of the 12 apostles- 12 massive rock formations in the ocean, looks better than it sounds,)was overall slightly disappointing. I mean after a while, each bit of coast line looks much like the next. Definitely not something you need to spend 14 hours looking at! I imagine if you were with some friends and had your own car it would be much more fun, but as it was I was with 14 strangers in a rather uncomfortable mini bus. The next day I took another day trip to Phillip Island which was much better. I got to hand feed some kangaroos ( who are deceptively big and can be slightly terrifying...they have massive feet!), and watch the penguin parade. This is when hundreds of tiny little penguins waddle up the beach after a hard day's fishing. They were so cute! And it was very tempting to smuggle one into my bag. I really don't think anyone would have noticed...
In Sydeny I caught up with Ben and saw all the major sights, including the Opera House, The Bridge and of course Toronga Zoo- the main attraction!! Everything in Sydney is very expensive, in fact its expensive everywhere in Australia. Especially food, which is rather annoying. Apparently its because people get paid so much here. Someone working in McDonalds here can earn about $14 an hour! I am seriously considering moving here permanently! The lifestyle is so different to home especially in Sydney. I think its because although it's a major city, within 10 minutes on the train you can be on a beach. Everyone is so chilled out as a result. I've also noticed that everyone is so fit here! I did the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk which takes you about 1.5km along the coast, passing through different beaches. Almost everybody that passed me was jogging. Most of them men. Most of them topless...yes there's definitely an attraction to living in Australia!
So from Sydney I moved onto Byron Bay ( I survived the 12 hour bus trip) which was good fun- met a lot of people there, had a couple of good nights out- but definitely glad I only stayed for a couple of days. Byron is basically about the beach and the nightlife, and for the two days I was there, it rained almost constantly. Definitely not beach weather. Its pretty much the same here in Surfers' (again, more rain) except there are quite a lot of good shops. Not so great for living on a budget.
I'm moving steadily up the coast and have a few activities planned, namely camping on Fraser Island (don't worry, I opted for the campsite that has a flushing toilet and a shower) and two days sailing the Whitsundays. I'm praying for good weather there though as I imagine two nights on a boat in rough waters could potentially be memorable for all the wrong reasons...
So I started my Aussie Experience in Melbourne. It not a big city, but to be fair I didn't spend that much time in the city. Melbourne is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road which is about 300km of scenic coastal driving. I decided this had to be done, so took a day trip which, although provided some great photo ops(especially of the 12 apostles- 12 massive rock formations in the ocean, looks better than it sounds,)was overall slightly disappointing. I mean after a while, each bit of coast line looks much like the next. Definitely not something you need to spend 14 hours looking at! I imagine if you were with some friends and had your own car it would be much more fun, but as it was I was with 14 strangers in a rather uncomfortable mini bus. The next day I took another day trip to Phillip Island which was much better. I got to hand feed some kangaroos ( who are deceptively big and can be slightly terrifying...they have massive feet!), and watch the penguin parade. This is when hundreds of tiny little penguins waddle up the beach after a hard day's fishing. They were so cute! And it was very tempting to smuggle one into my bag. I really don't think anyone would have noticed...
In Sydeny I caught up with Ben and saw all the major sights, including the Opera House, The Bridge and of course Toronga Zoo- the main attraction!! Everything in Sydney is very expensive, in fact its expensive everywhere in Australia. Especially food, which is rather annoying. Apparently its because people get paid so much here. Someone working in McDonalds here can earn about $14 an hour! I am seriously considering moving here permanently! The lifestyle is so different to home especially in Sydney. I think its because although it's a major city, within 10 minutes on the train you can be on a beach. Everyone is so chilled out as a result. I've also noticed that everyone is so fit here! I did the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk which takes you about 1.5km along the coast, passing through different beaches. Almost everybody that passed me was jogging. Most of them men. Most of them topless...yes there's definitely an attraction to living in Australia!
So from Sydney I moved onto Byron Bay ( I survived the 12 hour bus trip) which was good fun- met a lot of people there, had a couple of good nights out- but definitely glad I only stayed for a couple of days. Byron is basically about the beach and the nightlife, and for the two days I was there, it rained almost constantly. Definitely not beach weather. Its pretty much the same here in Surfers' (again, more rain) except there are quite a lot of good shops. Not so great for living on a budget.
I'm moving steadily up the coast and have a few activities planned, namely camping on Fraser Island (don't worry, I opted for the campsite that has a flushing toilet and a shower) and two days sailing the Whitsundays. I'm praying for good weather there though as I imagine two nights on a boat in rough waters could potentially be memorable for all the wrong reasons...
Friday, 6 May 2011
New Zealand: The Highs. The Lows
I've left the land of the Kiwi's (named after the birds we discovered) and am now officially down under. I thought I'd give a little sum up of the highs and lows of our New Zealand adventure, so...
Highs:
Colin the campervan, of course. It goes without saying that he was the hero of the holiday. So trustworthy, didn't break down once despite the slight battering we gave his left wing mirror.
Location-wise, Queenstown was by far the best place we stayed, purely for its young, lively vibe. The mighty Fergburgers also played a role in shooting this town to number one, along with the teapot cocktails that we slightly regretted the next day. Wellington came a close second though, again for the fact that there was a bit more life in the city and it actually contained more than a petrol station and convenience store.
We saw so many beautiful things, and of all the tourist attractions we visited, Milford Sounds was the one that definitely lived up to the hype. Truly beautiful and so peaceful. The drive to Wanaka was also amazing. The scenery was so dramatic mountains and waterfalls surrounding the road. Incredibly awe inspiring and has actually made me want to sit down and watch Lord of the Rings (possibly even the extended version) which I would never normally contemplate doing.
Lows:
Well the main one was the lack of shower. Going three days without a shower was a novelty at first, but after the third time I just felt disgusting. Also, the stealth missions into hostels just to use the facilities did get rather tiring after a while.
Another low was the weather. Although it didn't rain all the time it was permanently cold, and none of us were really prepared clothes wise. Night times were the worst as Colin literally turned into a freezer- you could see your breath. The weather did add to the atmospheric feel of the place though allowing for some very dramatic photos.
All in all though, the three weeks in New Zealand were really good fun. I would definitely recommend the whole campervanning experience as it makes getting around such a sparsely populated country so much easier. I think the girls would agree with me too.
So now I'm in Australia, starting the next leg of my adventure alone. Don't worry though, I've only been here for one night and have already made a couple of friends and consumed far more alcohol than I ever intended to. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come...
Highs:
Colin the campervan, of course. It goes without saying that he was the hero of the holiday. So trustworthy, didn't break down once despite the slight battering we gave his left wing mirror.
Location-wise, Queenstown was by far the best place we stayed, purely for its young, lively vibe. The mighty Fergburgers also played a role in shooting this town to number one, along with the teapot cocktails that we slightly regretted the next day. Wellington came a close second though, again for the fact that there was a bit more life in the city and it actually contained more than a petrol station and convenience store.
We saw so many beautiful things, and of all the tourist attractions we visited, Milford Sounds was the one that definitely lived up to the hype. Truly beautiful and so peaceful. The drive to Wanaka was also amazing. The scenery was so dramatic mountains and waterfalls surrounding the road. Incredibly awe inspiring and has actually made me want to sit down and watch Lord of the Rings (possibly even the extended version) which I would never normally contemplate doing.
Lows:
Well the main one was the lack of shower. Going three days without a shower was a novelty at first, but after the third time I just felt disgusting. Also, the stealth missions into hostels just to use the facilities did get rather tiring after a while.
Another low was the weather. Although it didn't rain all the time it was permanently cold, and none of us were really prepared clothes wise. Night times were the worst as Colin literally turned into a freezer- you could see your breath. The weather did add to the atmospheric feel of the place though allowing for some very dramatic photos.
All in all though, the three weeks in New Zealand were really good fun. I would definitely recommend the whole campervanning experience as it makes getting around such a sparsely populated country so much easier. I think the girls would agree with me too.
So now I'm in Australia, starting the next leg of my adventure alone. Don't worry though, I've only been here for one night and have already made a couple of friends and consumed far more alcohol than I ever intended to. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come...
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Rule Britannia...
We're coming to the end of our New Zealand Trip with only two more sleeps in Colin the campervan. The last week has been pretty chilled out after the manic driving round South Island to make sure we saw all the top tourist attractions. We have even managed to stay in one place for more than one night!
Our trip to Milford Sounds last Tuesday was lovely: so peaceful, and we had the perfect weather for it, cold but sunny with an incredibly blue sky. I think I almost took more photos on the 2 hour boat trip than I have the whole time I've been in New Zealand! After staying another night in Te Anau (where we were rudely told to move on by some locals, and we defiantly decided to stay put) we moved on to Queenstown and booked into a holiday park for three whole nights! Such luxury. We definitely made the most of the shower facilities that's for sure. Queenstown is very different to most of the other places we've been to in New Zealand. Although still rather small compared to most of the towns and cities in England, it is very vibrant and full of young people. Right up our street. In the winter it is a ski resort, and although we are between seasons it definitely had the apres ski feel (not that I would know, I'm just taking Lottie's word for it!) The first thing we did when we arrived was to try out the legendary Fergburger that the girls had heard so much about in Australia, and it truly was legendary. The burgers themselves were massive, and we made the mistake of ordering fries as well. As a result we could not move for the rest of the day!
My sister and Jason (aka bro-in-law) also happened to be in Queenstown at the same time as us so came along to see what living out the back of a van was like. They were considerably better dressed for the weather than we were with warm jumpers and thick coats which were definitely needed in the freezing temperatures (it got down to minus 2 at one point- not the sort of temperatures I had in mind for my sunny round the world trip). I think they were pretty glad of the comforts of their motel once they had seen the pig sty we have been living in!
Whilst we were in Queenstown, one of the most important events the world had seen this decade, nay century occurred. That is of course, the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And although we were, of course, not in the homeland, we weren't going to let that stop us getting all patriotic and teary eyed. Our original plan was to buy some scones, drink tea and generally be very British in the back of our van. Apparently though, the Kiwi's don't have the same passion for scones as we do and we couldn't really find any that were up to scratch. Instead we thought, sod it, why not? Lets go for another Fergburger. Let's unite the Kiwi traditions with British, afterall we both share the Queen as our Head of State. So that's what we did. This time I opted for for a Southern Swine burger, which had bacon as well as beef. I'm not sure this made it anymore British, but I like to think it did. We settled down in our campervan at 19:30 New Zealand time and did not move until gone 1 am, except for a tactical toilet break just before Kate emerged from the Rolls Royce, looking stunning of course. The New Zealand news channel covering the wedding actually broadcast the BBC coverage so thankfully Huw was able to lead through the events beautifully. It was a great night, and after the coverage was over, we all plotted how to snare Harry. If Kate the commoner can do it, why can't we. So once we return to England we are all going to be stalking Harry's every move.
Anyway, after the excitement of the wedding was over we headed to Lake Tekapo for a couple of days. The thing we have found about New Zealand is how small everywhere is. On the map, they fool you into thinking these places are going to be massive by writing the names in bold lettering. In reality, most of these places are simply a few coffee shops, a convenience store and a petrol station. There isn't even anywhere to buy clean knickers! Nightmare. I have to say, as much as I have enjoyed spending the last two and a half weeks with trusty Colin, when we had to undertake another stealth operation to shower in the local YHA which was tiny and therefore made it very obvious we were intruders, I realised, I cannot wait to stay somewhere where you can just roll straight out of bed and into a shower. I'm also looking forward to somewhere that doesn't rock violently when someone turns over in the night. Thanks Colin, for your trusty service, but I'm kind of looking forward to saying goodbye to you. Sorry.
Our trip to Milford Sounds last Tuesday was lovely: so peaceful, and we had the perfect weather for it, cold but sunny with an incredibly blue sky. I think I almost took more photos on the 2 hour boat trip than I have the whole time I've been in New Zealand! After staying another night in Te Anau (where we were rudely told to move on by some locals, and we defiantly decided to stay put) we moved on to Queenstown and booked into a holiday park for three whole nights! Such luxury. We definitely made the most of the shower facilities that's for sure. Queenstown is very different to most of the other places we've been to in New Zealand. Although still rather small compared to most of the towns and cities in England, it is very vibrant and full of young people. Right up our street. In the winter it is a ski resort, and although we are between seasons it definitely had the apres ski feel (not that I would know, I'm just taking Lottie's word for it!) The first thing we did when we arrived was to try out the legendary Fergburger that the girls had heard so much about in Australia, and it truly was legendary. The burgers themselves were massive, and we made the mistake of ordering fries as well. As a result we could not move for the rest of the day!
My sister and Jason (aka bro-in-law) also happened to be in Queenstown at the same time as us so came along to see what living out the back of a van was like. They were considerably better dressed for the weather than we were with warm jumpers and thick coats which were definitely needed in the freezing temperatures (it got down to minus 2 at one point- not the sort of temperatures I had in mind for my sunny round the world trip). I think they were pretty glad of the comforts of their motel once they had seen the pig sty we have been living in!
Whilst we were in Queenstown, one of the most important events the world had seen this decade, nay century occurred. That is of course, the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And although we were, of course, not in the homeland, we weren't going to let that stop us getting all patriotic and teary eyed. Our original plan was to buy some scones, drink tea and generally be very British in the back of our van. Apparently though, the Kiwi's don't have the same passion for scones as we do and we couldn't really find any that were up to scratch. Instead we thought, sod it, why not? Lets go for another Fergburger. Let's unite the Kiwi traditions with British, afterall we both share the Queen as our Head of State. So that's what we did. This time I opted for for a Southern Swine burger, which had bacon as well as beef. I'm not sure this made it anymore British, but I like to think it did. We settled down in our campervan at 19:30 New Zealand time and did not move until gone 1 am, except for a tactical toilet break just before Kate emerged from the Rolls Royce, looking stunning of course. The New Zealand news channel covering the wedding actually broadcast the BBC coverage so thankfully Huw was able to lead through the events beautifully. It was a great night, and after the coverage was over, we all plotted how to snare Harry. If Kate the commoner can do it, why can't we. So once we return to England we are all going to be stalking Harry's every move.
Anyway, after the excitement of the wedding was over we headed to Lake Tekapo for a couple of days. The thing we have found about New Zealand is how small everywhere is. On the map, they fool you into thinking these places are going to be massive by writing the names in bold lettering. In reality, most of these places are simply a few coffee shops, a convenience store and a petrol station. There isn't even anywhere to buy clean knickers! Nightmare. I have to say, as much as I have enjoyed spending the last two and a half weeks with trusty Colin, when we had to undertake another stealth operation to shower in the local YHA which was tiny and therefore made it very obvious we were intruders, I realised, I cannot wait to stay somewhere where you can just roll straight out of bed and into a shower. I'm also looking forward to somewhere that doesn't rock violently when someone turns over in the night. Thanks Colin, for your trusty service, but I'm kind of looking forward to saying goodbye to you. Sorry.
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