Hey all,
it's my last day in perth and i'm heading off to alice springs tomorrow! i can't wait--this is going to be an experience of a lifetime; intense heat, intense hikes AND best of all BUSH CAMPING! yes, i've been nervous about it but i realized everything i was worrying about is pretty petty :) this next week is going to be amazing :D
...and the next 16 hours will be quite interesting as well. a few cyclones are heading towards australia--two towards queensland and one towards perth. eeep! it's supposed to get to the southern coast of australia around the same time my flight will depart--i have faith in the flight crew of qantas and know that the passengers' safety will be their number one priority. i'm not going to lie though, the past couple of days have been stressful because i was pretty worried about my flight being cancelled and thusly missing out on my tour and everything else i have planned afterwards. but thankfully i have lots of great people in my corner, like my mom and anne, who comforted me and it helped me realize that whatever happens, happens and it's all good. i'll deal with whatever happens when it happens. the universe is watching over me and knows what i want and will take care of me :)
as far as my planning for alice springs and my uluru rock tour goes, i've got the right mindset and i've prepped as much as i can as far as gear goes...so all i have to do is just do it -- as a wise sydneysider told me (my cousin sunil) :P
i'll be w/o internet and reception for 3/4 days for sure so you may not be hearing from me for a that time but i'll be ok and i'll write soon. take care all
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Kalbarri, Monkey Mia, Northbridge--> What a ride!
Hey all
I'm back from my tour around the northern half of Western Australia and it was quite the adventure. Prior to my departure, I was battling with a bout of homesickness (yes, i'm finally admitting it :P); thankfully, I spoke to my family over the phone and bawled my eyes out in public lol and they helped me get stronger. And I had my awesome friends supporting me too! I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLL! It was hard for me to go on my tour but I did it and I'm so glad I did.
I didn't expect the heat to be so overwhelming--being a Bikram Yoga addict I thought I was quite prepared for any kind of heat...WRONG! lol On the second day of the tour after the intense gorge hike, I became dehydrated for the rest of the day and got pretty nauseous. I went pale (apparently under my tan, you can still tell if i get pale...i'll take their word for it lol) and got dizzy and it was horrible. The entire day I kept thinking I can't get through this tour and I need to go back. Thankfully, I had Lina, who was also unwell, and we both got through it and were each other's strength :) I made it to Monkey Mia and I'm very happy I did. The "resort" was pretty nice, as were the dolphins!!! This tour wasn't mindblowing or anything, but it was truly a learning experience--learning how to cope with dehydration, learning to combat it early, learning not to let bogans get in the way of your fun and re-learning to appreciate the small things, like clouds shaped like australia :P
The tour group dynamic was similar to that of the dynamic you'd find back in aeroguard :S yucky! lol There was one group of people, I'll call them the caucasian bogans (aussie for trailer trash), who divided themselves from the group and pretty much hated on everyone. Lina and I were "picked" on for having better jobs and more education on them--as nicki minaj says: if they're gonna hate me cuz i'm so "established", haters you can kill yourselves. It was interesting seeing how people interact...or not interact. There were some asian girls who were a few grains of rice short of a sushi roll and they pretended not to know english. I finally got them to start talking lol and they knew quite a bit! Then there were the french girls who only talk to you if they need something. Then there were the bogans who only talk when they're not drinking. Then there was us normal girls who were there to actually see the country and enjoy our time together. The bogans also thought they were on vacation and didn't do any of the helping out with meals and expected me to do all their dishes. One put all the dishes in the sink and said: Are you going to wash them all? I looked at her w/my Suzanne glare and said: No, i'm washing my own dish. Do your own damn dishes. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get back to Perth and get away from them. I know that I will find stupid people everywhere and I can't let them get to me but seriously, there's a limit to stupidity.
And the best part was the butch lesbian tour guide. ...i'll leave it at that because i do not want to speak of her lol.
I have to say this tour had better accomodation than the past tour I went on; however, the experiences and activities involved were not entirely awesome. I wasn't too enthused about the farmstay but honestly it was pretty cool. Our room had four bunks so we had a small group sleeping in there :) plus a gecko! lol and there were animals like kangaroos, emus and donkeys on the farm too. The washroom facilities were...sparse lol. Two washrooms for 17 ppl not entirely awesome. And the "kitchen" was in an old milking barn. But once the sunset and it was pitch black dark, you could see the stars and it was amazing! I saw the big dipper...or big saucepan lol. The only freaky thing was it was pitch black and you don't know what's lurking around the tree...I was kind of scared a serial killer was walking around. FREEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKKKYYYYYY!
This tour really proved that your attitude goes a long way towards your enjoyment of any experience. Our tour guide was very negative and talked all the sites down, so we sold the sites short of how great they could've been. We went to an area called the Pinnacles, near sand dunes, and i thought it was pretty cool seeing all this sand in the middle of area but at the same time i was like ok let's see something really cool. Then her negativity rubbed off on me and I was not enjoying anything. Finally I decided to go with the flow and enjoy the ride...and boy what a ride! We spent soooo much time on the bus lol, i guess this is one of the perks of australia--everything is sooo far away from each other. Each city is about 2 hrs away, it's nice in a way because you see lots of wildlife and scenery :)
All in all it was a great tour--I'm hoping this tour will be a great way to prepare for alice springs...it's about 10 degrees hotter than Western Australia, around 42 today! yikes!, all I can do is prepare and hope for the best and the rest will be taken care of :) Also, I made some great people and our itineraries kind of match up so there's always that chance that we'll see each other again :)
Now all that's left is enjoying my last couple of days in Perth, packing for Alice Springs and resting up & hydrating myself for the adventure of a lifetime! It's gonna be amazing, bring it :)
I'm back from my tour around the northern half of Western Australia and it was quite the adventure. Prior to my departure, I was battling with a bout of homesickness (yes, i'm finally admitting it :P); thankfully, I spoke to my family over the phone and bawled my eyes out in public lol and they helped me get stronger. And I had my awesome friends supporting me too! I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLL! It was hard for me to go on my tour but I did it and I'm so glad I did.
I didn't expect the heat to be so overwhelming--being a Bikram Yoga addict I thought I was quite prepared for any kind of heat...WRONG! lol On the second day of the tour after the intense gorge hike, I became dehydrated for the rest of the day and got pretty nauseous. I went pale (apparently under my tan, you can still tell if i get pale...i'll take their word for it lol) and got dizzy and it was horrible. The entire day I kept thinking I can't get through this tour and I need to go back. Thankfully, I had Lina, who was also unwell, and we both got through it and were each other's strength :) I made it to Monkey Mia and I'm very happy I did. The "resort" was pretty nice, as were the dolphins!!! This tour wasn't mindblowing or anything, but it was truly a learning experience--learning how to cope with dehydration, learning to combat it early, learning not to let bogans get in the way of your fun and re-learning to appreciate the small things, like clouds shaped like australia :P
The tour group dynamic was similar to that of the dynamic you'd find back in aeroguard :S yucky! lol There was one group of people, I'll call them the caucasian bogans (aussie for trailer trash), who divided themselves from the group and pretty much hated on everyone. Lina and I were "picked" on for having better jobs and more education on them--as nicki minaj says: if they're gonna hate me cuz i'm so "established", haters you can kill yourselves. It was interesting seeing how people interact...or not interact. There were some asian girls who were a few grains of rice short of a sushi roll and they pretended not to know english. I finally got them to start talking lol and they knew quite a bit! Then there were the french girls who only talk to you if they need something. Then there were the bogans who only talk when they're not drinking. Then there was us normal girls who were there to actually see the country and enjoy our time together. The bogans also thought they were on vacation and didn't do any of the helping out with meals and expected me to do all their dishes. One put all the dishes in the sink and said: Are you going to wash them all? I looked at her w/my Suzanne glare and said: No, i'm washing my own dish. Do your own damn dishes. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get back to Perth and get away from them. I know that I will find stupid people everywhere and I can't let them get to me but seriously, there's a limit to stupidity.
And the best part was the butch lesbian tour guide. ...i'll leave it at that because i do not want to speak of her lol.
I have to say this tour had better accomodation than the past tour I went on; however, the experiences and activities involved were not entirely awesome. I wasn't too enthused about the farmstay but honestly it was pretty cool. Our room had four bunks so we had a small group sleeping in there :) plus a gecko! lol and there were animals like kangaroos, emus and donkeys on the farm too. The washroom facilities were...sparse lol. Two washrooms for 17 ppl not entirely awesome. And the "kitchen" was in an old milking barn. But once the sunset and it was pitch black dark, you could see the stars and it was amazing! I saw the big dipper...or big saucepan lol. The only freaky thing was it was pitch black and you don't know what's lurking around the tree...I was kind of scared a serial killer was walking around. FREEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKKKYYYYYY!
This tour really proved that your attitude goes a long way towards your enjoyment of any experience. Our tour guide was very negative and talked all the sites down, so we sold the sites short of how great they could've been. We went to an area called the Pinnacles, near sand dunes, and i thought it was pretty cool seeing all this sand in the middle of area but at the same time i was like ok let's see something really cool. Then her negativity rubbed off on me and I was not enjoying anything. Finally I decided to go with the flow and enjoy the ride...and boy what a ride! We spent soooo much time on the bus lol, i guess this is one of the perks of australia--everything is sooo far away from each other. Each city is about 2 hrs away, it's nice in a way because you see lots of wildlife and scenery :)
All in all it was a great tour--I'm hoping this tour will be a great way to prepare for alice springs...it's about 10 degrees hotter than Western Australia, around 42 today! yikes!, all I can do is prepare and hope for the best and the rest will be taken care of :) Also, I made some great people and our itineraries kind of match up so there's always that chance that we'll see each other again :)
Now all that's left is enjoying my last couple of days in Perth, packing for Alice Springs and resting up & hydrating myself for the adventure of a lifetime! It's gonna be amazing, bring it :)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Fear
I've got less than three months left of my amazing nz, oz and fiji trip and I have to say that at this point, I'm pretty happy that I'll be coming home! I'm not saying that I'm not having loads of fun and seeing great things, because I truly am; however, I am getting tired of being away from my support network. Email, Skype and talking over the phone isn't the same as seeing you all face to face and being able to hug you or laugh with you :(
After spending just about a month with my cousin and his family and then heading to the other side of the country on my own was terrifying! I hate to admit it but I was soooo scared and uncomfortable. I got used to having a family again and realized I'd be on my own again after so long and it was horrible. I'm not going to lie, I was itching to get out of Sydney but I guess choosing Western Australia as my jumping off point to start my aussie adventure may not have been the best choice because this town has nothing going on! Perth is pretty boring during the day with some free museums and art galleries and the CBD is a 10, 15 min walk away so it was a bit of a shock to my system and that made me more terrified about the rest of my trip. Terrified in the sense that I didn't know what to expect and I didn't know if I could handle it -- alot of feelings of self doubt went through my head. And that scared me too -- I thought to myself why would I choose to do this trip this way? I don't know what I'm doing! What is wrong with me? Who am i? I cried alot in the beginning of this leg of my trip--a whole lot! It took a couple of days during my tour to reaffirm my goals and my self confidence. Yes, things may go wrong; you may get injured (my knee is acting up again) and you may not be at the top of your game but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what you are doing! And another thing--I've always had the problem where I listen to what other people say and I get discouraged. For example, some people say tours are expensive and blah blah blah->well for me, there is no other way I could've seen australia, i sure as hell won't be driving around oz!
This past week has brought about a whirlwind of feelings, positive ones and negative ones. I was just really worried about my capabilities and ability to cope with the harsh and different environments I'd be encountering. My skin is already reacting badly with Western Australia weather so I can only imagine what it will be like in the Red Center :( Or anywhere for that matter. And everytime I go into the water, I come out with all these bites on my leg...I don't know from what but they're a nuisance too! All these little itty bitty insignificant things made me want to cancel all my tours and head back to sydney where its safe! I know, it sounds craaazzzzyyyy! but that's how I felt. Till last night. Yesterday I was able to vent my feelings to someone and somehow it gave me the strength to go on and just do it! I'm still a long way from finishing my tours BUT this time next week I'll be sitting in Alice Springs-->the outback! Then the sunday after that I'll be in kangaroo island! and the sunday after that melbourne! so only a couple of weeks till I can get back to nice, clean city living :P and I have to remember that these tours will test me physically and mentally and it's all part of the journey--not everyone is superman, you do what you can and it's all good!
I've always tried to be brave and not let my fears stop me from trying new things and being happy and for some reason I had a moment of weakness and I almost let it ruin my entire trip! I'm thankful that I've met some great people in australia who give me some great advice and are genuinely kind--like Juan Ma from Spain. After I decided to be a brave princess and go out and about yesterday, Juan Ma and I went out for drinks and it was such fun! We talked about random shit and it was comforting and awesome--lots of laughs and whatnot :) I almost cancelled on him too but I'm glad I didn't. I met him on my tour to the South West and he's the sweetest guy ever--also very gay so don't worry mom and dad :P
So for now, I can only take this leg of my trip day by day because that's how I work. My knee injury may or may not prevent me from doing some of the hikes but I'm sure as hell gonna try to do my best and partake in what I can! My fear of bugs will not stop me from enjoying one of the natural world wonders--Uluru Rock! It may make it a tad harder, but I'll cope! I'll be brave and remember why I'm here. Missing everyone is part of the package--apparently it was in the fine print (or so i'm told!)
Tomorrow I start my next tour and it'll be interesting. I'm glad I'm on another tour because I don't have to worry about my meals and stuff BUT I do hate the accomodation they choose for us...they said that we'd have to stay in shared dorms (boys and girls) for some nights and I'm not totally comfortable with that...I'll try to get put into a female only dorm somehow *fingers crossed* i really hope I do! because I don't think I can stay in a room full of boys! EWWWW! lol. Yes we all become friends and everything but I don't really want to stay in their rooms. My limit is a 6 share dorm, not a 21 share dorm! oh wellz, all part of the experience right? makes me appreciate my alone time alot more!
anyhoos, I think i've laid it all out there and showed you that we all experience homesickness and according to all the backpackers I've met, everyone experiences it and you just have to work through it. There are times when I really want to come home but then I think about what I'd be missing out on but then I think I can always come back! so it's all a jumble up here :P I just have to stay focused and stay strong. And I need to stop resisting experiences and just let myself get absorbed and lost in them and not worry about anything else. Just be and enjoy!
love you all <3
german dude, me and juan ma last night after we had the yummiest fries!
After spending just about a month with my cousin and his family and then heading to the other side of the country on my own was terrifying! I hate to admit it but I was soooo scared and uncomfortable. I got used to having a family again and realized I'd be on my own again after so long and it was horrible. I'm not going to lie, I was itching to get out of Sydney but I guess choosing Western Australia as my jumping off point to start my aussie adventure may not have been the best choice because this town has nothing going on! Perth is pretty boring during the day with some free museums and art galleries and the CBD is a 10, 15 min walk away so it was a bit of a shock to my system and that made me more terrified about the rest of my trip. Terrified in the sense that I didn't know what to expect and I didn't know if I could handle it -- alot of feelings of self doubt went through my head. And that scared me too -- I thought to myself why would I choose to do this trip this way? I don't know what I'm doing! What is wrong with me? Who am i? I cried alot in the beginning of this leg of my trip--a whole lot! It took a couple of days during my tour to reaffirm my goals and my self confidence. Yes, things may go wrong; you may get injured (my knee is acting up again) and you may not be at the top of your game but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what you are doing! And another thing--I've always had the problem where I listen to what other people say and I get discouraged. For example, some people say tours are expensive and blah blah blah->well for me, there is no other way I could've seen australia, i sure as hell won't be driving around oz!
This past week has brought about a whirlwind of feelings, positive ones and negative ones. I was just really worried about my capabilities and ability to cope with the harsh and different environments I'd be encountering. My skin is already reacting badly with Western Australia weather so I can only imagine what it will be like in the Red Center :( Or anywhere for that matter. And everytime I go into the water, I come out with all these bites on my leg...I don't know from what but they're a nuisance too! All these little itty bitty insignificant things made me want to cancel all my tours and head back to sydney where its safe! I know, it sounds craaazzzzyyyy! but that's how I felt. Till last night. Yesterday I was able to vent my feelings to someone and somehow it gave me the strength to go on and just do it! I'm still a long way from finishing my tours BUT this time next week I'll be sitting in Alice Springs-->the outback! Then the sunday after that I'll be in kangaroo island! and the sunday after that melbourne! so only a couple of weeks till I can get back to nice, clean city living :P and I have to remember that these tours will test me physically and mentally and it's all part of the journey--not everyone is superman, you do what you can and it's all good!
I've always tried to be brave and not let my fears stop me from trying new things and being happy and for some reason I had a moment of weakness and I almost let it ruin my entire trip! I'm thankful that I've met some great people in australia who give me some great advice and are genuinely kind--like Juan Ma from Spain. After I decided to be a brave princess and go out and about yesterday, Juan Ma and I went out for drinks and it was such fun! We talked about random shit and it was comforting and awesome--lots of laughs and whatnot :) I almost cancelled on him too but I'm glad I didn't. I met him on my tour to the South West and he's the sweetest guy ever--also very gay so don't worry mom and dad :P
So for now, I can only take this leg of my trip day by day because that's how I work. My knee injury may or may not prevent me from doing some of the hikes but I'm sure as hell gonna try to do my best and partake in what I can! My fear of bugs will not stop me from enjoying one of the natural world wonders--Uluru Rock! It may make it a tad harder, but I'll cope! I'll be brave and remember why I'm here. Missing everyone is part of the package--apparently it was in the fine print (or so i'm told!)
Tomorrow I start my next tour and it'll be interesting. I'm glad I'm on another tour because I don't have to worry about my meals and stuff BUT I do hate the accomodation they choose for us...they said that we'd have to stay in shared dorms (boys and girls) for some nights and I'm not totally comfortable with that...I'll try to get put into a female only dorm somehow *fingers crossed* i really hope I do! because I don't think I can stay in a room full of boys! EWWWW! lol. Yes we all become friends and everything but I don't really want to stay in their rooms. My limit is a 6 share dorm, not a 21 share dorm! oh wellz, all part of the experience right? makes me appreciate my alone time alot more!
anyhoos, I think i've laid it all out there and showed you that we all experience homesickness and according to all the backpackers I've met, everyone experiences it and you just have to work through it. There are times when I really want to come home but then I think about what I'd be missing out on but then I think I can always come back! so it's all a jumble up here :P I just have to stay focused and stay strong. And I need to stop resisting experiences and just let myself get absorbed and lost in them and not worry about anything else. Just be and enjoy!
love you all <3
german dude, me and juan ma last night after we had the yummiest fries!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Ngili Cave, Augusta, Albany, Wave Rock, Esperance Oh My!
G'day all!
I got back from my 5 day tour today (at night really) and I'm resting up in Perth before my next tour of Western Australia.
The tour was bumpy in the beginning--I guess it's the fear of the unknown that made me a little worried and hence act a bit "un-suzanne"ish. I was pretty timid and quiet in the beginning and I haven't been like that since I've started this trip. I've learned how to put myself out there and introduce myself to others and start conversations with people--BUT if the people you are talking to barely know english then it's another story, right? My first tour group was predominately german--around 15/21 ppl were german! Then there was one muslim girl from the UK, me, and one korean dude named Ching ho (i think...). It took a while to get to know everyone because the europeans became clique and I decided to be friends w/the korean dude cuz no one was talking to him. It turned out to be good cuz we learned a bit from each other and he took cool pictures of me. After the 3 day mark, we all became closer because the group got divided into two--the three day tour ppl and the 5 day tour ppl. There was one irritating dude who is german and is younger than me-christian was his name. He doesn't shut up and acts like a walking encyclopedia BUT he doesn't know anything! just a bunch of trivial crap. I wanted to slap him once too--like at the point when I was trying to climb this scary as hell rock mountain thing and couldn't cuz i was worried about how i'd get down and his answer was: roll down. you have no idea how much i wanted to go all "suzanne" on his ass! i swear to god, i would've tackled him and bashed his head into the rock...well not bash...just slam a couple of times :P oh boy, i'm sleeepy! lol
Today there was a 12 hr drive back into Perth, which started at 6am which meant we were up at 445am and ate at 5am. It was disgusting. I didn't "wake up" till around 10...sad really sad. Everyone was like: what is wrong with you? lol
I'm glad I went on this tour--as bumpy and weird as it was at times-->like one of the guides was really into showing us random trees so we'd stop for 10 mins to stare at trees...lol tres boring! and we would stop in dinky towns where only 500 people lived there and it was so strange, i've never been in a situation like that before! there was one fun bit--I was walking around at a grocery store when i saw a really cute aussie dude who had the awesomest thick blonde hair and suuupppper cute face! and to my crazy luck, he checked me out! i was like whaaaaaa? lol it was funny. and it gets better--we totally flirted! lol i know, i'm such a dork, i don't care! he was cuuuuute!
On this tour I conquered one of my fears--climbing the highest peak in SW Australia (at least I think that's what it is...). As we drove up to the peak, Frenchman's Peak, I looked at it and thought there is no way in hell i'm going to climb that. But what did i do? I went for it and tried. Real hard. It was terrifying. You know you're scared of heights when you're climbing a mountain and don't even turn around to enjoy the view. Finally I just had it and decided to stop and wait till everyone else was done going to the top and then I'd go back down with them. As I waited I had time to enjoy the view, sitting down and holding onto the rocks real hard! lol and that's when the old man guide showed up. By this point, i didn't really like him because it seemed like he didn't care about the job but sitting with him and having him share his stories with me, I learned not to take people for face value. There's more to life than what meets the eye! And to make things better, he helped me down by holding my hand, distracting me from my fears and just being really supportive. Totally unexpected, but thankful it happened. That changed my tour experience and trip outlook immensely. He told me it's ok if i can't do everything, we're not all superman. don't compare yourselves to other people, you do what's right for you! i'm very grateful for that :)
After looking at all the pictures, I've realized I really did have alot of fun on this tour--it's quite the adventure and I know for a fact i'll never do something like this again :) One of the downsides of the tour was the long bus rides so my knee injury is kind of restarting...it's hard to stretch out--especially with the lack of yoga studios around here, so i may have to redo my travel schedule somehow...i dunno, take it day by day.
One of the highlights on this trip has to be going to Esperance--the town with Australia's best beaches! NO JOKE! Sydney beaches don't hold a candle to these baby! These beaches were secluded, with gorgeous blue waters and beautiful sand that kind of crunched under your feet like snow! While walking along Lucky Bay I realized I may have found the secluded beach I want to get married at...now all I need is a willing man :P lol I also had time to reflect on my trip so far and re-align my desires and goals about the trip :) It was a great time. I know I'm not like all the other backpackers over here who use their trip to party--if that's what they want, that's great, it's just not for me. I'm here to take a break and figure out where I am and what I want from life. Sounds cheesy but who cares!
Oh ya, in Albany (i think) I saw the dark opera house, Western Australia's answer to the fantastic opera house in sydney! just a random fact for you all.
also another random fact: internet is crap on this side of the country...actually it's crap everywhere really. so as far as posting pictures goes, you will all have to wait till i get back to sydney! sorry :(
alright folks, i'm sleepy and even though everyone is still awake in my room :( i'm gonna try to sleep! night night everyone
I got back from my 5 day tour today (at night really) and I'm resting up in Perth before my next tour of Western Australia.
The tour was bumpy in the beginning--I guess it's the fear of the unknown that made me a little worried and hence act a bit "un-suzanne"ish. I was pretty timid and quiet in the beginning and I haven't been like that since I've started this trip. I've learned how to put myself out there and introduce myself to others and start conversations with people--BUT if the people you are talking to barely know english then it's another story, right? My first tour group was predominately german--around 15/21 ppl were german! Then there was one muslim girl from the UK, me, and one korean dude named Ching ho (i think...). It took a while to get to know everyone because the europeans became clique and I decided to be friends w/the korean dude cuz no one was talking to him. It turned out to be good cuz we learned a bit from each other and he took cool pictures of me. After the 3 day mark, we all became closer because the group got divided into two--the three day tour ppl and the 5 day tour ppl. There was one irritating dude who is german and is younger than me-christian was his name. He doesn't shut up and acts like a walking encyclopedia BUT he doesn't know anything! just a bunch of trivial crap. I wanted to slap him once too--like at the point when I was trying to climb this scary as hell rock mountain thing and couldn't cuz i was worried about how i'd get down and his answer was: roll down. you have no idea how much i wanted to go all "suzanne" on his ass! i swear to god, i would've tackled him and bashed his head into the rock...well not bash...just slam a couple of times :P oh boy, i'm sleeepy! lol
Today there was a 12 hr drive back into Perth, which started at 6am which meant we were up at 445am and ate at 5am. It was disgusting. I didn't "wake up" till around 10...sad really sad. Everyone was like: what is wrong with you? lol
I'm glad I went on this tour--as bumpy and weird as it was at times-->like one of the guides was really into showing us random trees so we'd stop for 10 mins to stare at trees...lol tres boring! and we would stop in dinky towns where only 500 people lived there and it was so strange, i've never been in a situation like that before! there was one fun bit--I was walking around at a grocery store when i saw a really cute aussie dude who had the awesomest thick blonde hair and suuupppper cute face! and to my crazy luck, he checked me out! i was like whaaaaaa? lol it was funny. and it gets better--we totally flirted! lol i know, i'm such a dork, i don't care! he was cuuuuute!
On this tour I conquered one of my fears--climbing the highest peak in SW Australia (at least I think that's what it is...). As we drove up to the peak, Frenchman's Peak, I looked at it and thought there is no way in hell i'm going to climb that. But what did i do? I went for it and tried. Real hard. It was terrifying. You know you're scared of heights when you're climbing a mountain and don't even turn around to enjoy the view. Finally I just had it and decided to stop and wait till everyone else was done going to the top and then I'd go back down with them. As I waited I had time to enjoy the view, sitting down and holding onto the rocks real hard! lol and that's when the old man guide showed up. By this point, i didn't really like him because it seemed like he didn't care about the job but sitting with him and having him share his stories with me, I learned not to take people for face value. There's more to life than what meets the eye! And to make things better, he helped me down by holding my hand, distracting me from my fears and just being really supportive. Totally unexpected, but thankful it happened. That changed my tour experience and trip outlook immensely. He told me it's ok if i can't do everything, we're not all superman. don't compare yourselves to other people, you do what's right for you! i'm very grateful for that :)
After looking at all the pictures, I've realized I really did have alot of fun on this tour--it's quite the adventure and I know for a fact i'll never do something like this again :) One of the downsides of the tour was the long bus rides so my knee injury is kind of restarting...it's hard to stretch out--especially with the lack of yoga studios around here, so i may have to redo my travel schedule somehow...i dunno, take it day by day.
One of the highlights on this trip has to be going to Esperance--the town with Australia's best beaches! NO JOKE! Sydney beaches don't hold a candle to these baby! These beaches were secluded, with gorgeous blue waters and beautiful sand that kind of crunched under your feet like snow! While walking along Lucky Bay I realized I may have found the secluded beach I want to get married at...now all I need is a willing man :P lol I also had time to reflect on my trip so far and re-align my desires and goals about the trip :) It was a great time. I know I'm not like all the other backpackers over here who use their trip to party--if that's what they want, that's great, it's just not for me. I'm here to take a break and figure out where I am and what I want from life. Sounds cheesy but who cares!
Oh ya, in Albany (i think) I saw the dark opera house, Western Australia's answer to the fantastic opera house in sydney! just a random fact for you all.
also another random fact: internet is crap on this side of the country...actually it's crap everywhere really. so as far as posting pictures goes, you will all have to wait till i get back to sydney! sorry :(
alright folks, i'm sleepy and even though everyone is still awake in my room :( i'm gonna try to sleep! night night everyone
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Western Australia - Oh my!
Hey all!
So tonight marks the end to my second night of my five day tour of South Western Australia! It's been pretty amazing, the sights we've seen I could not have done it on my own, that's for sure! Yesterday I saw my first kangaroo, and my first "flock" of kangaroos and then I also saw the indian ocean for the first time! It's been amazing :)
One thing I can't stand is being on backpacker tours means I have to live by another person's rules. Tomorrow, team 3 (meaning me and some of my friends) has to wake up at 530am to prep brekkie. All the teams are given tasks and we rotate meal duties. It's all good, I haven't had to cook--yet! I hate having to wake up early...which is probably what i'll have to be doing for the next five weeks. ewwwness!
I've got a pretty good group with me too--everyone is very friendly and fun to be around...except for some sour grapes. I don't want to sound racist, but one thing I've learned is some european people are racist and don't like you for the simple reason that you are not white. It's sad, really. but oh wells, can't please them all.
Aside from all the amazing sights I've seen (which I will be posting photos of soon enough) I have had time to reflect on my trip so far. Those deleriously long (i know i spelled delerious wrong) bus rides are perfect for self reflection...as are our stops at random beach/coast lines :)
Anyhoos, I have like five mins left on my free internet so I'm gonna sign off now and see you all later! Gotta head to bed asap so I can wake up early.
Love you all!
So tonight marks the end to my second night of my five day tour of South Western Australia! It's been pretty amazing, the sights we've seen I could not have done it on my own, that's for sure! Yesterday I saw my first kangaroo, and my first "flock" of kangaroos and then I also saw the indian ocean for the first time! It's been amazing :)
One thing I can't stand is being on backpacker tours means I have to live by another person's rules. Tomorrow, team 3 (meaning me and some of my friends) has to wake up at 530am to prep brekkie. All the teams are given tasks and we rotate meal duties. It's all good, I haven't had to cook--yet! I hate having to wake up early...which is probably what i'll have to be doing for the next five weeks. ewwwness!
I've got a pretty good group with me too--everyone is very friendly and fun to be around...except for some sour grapes. I don't want to sound racist, but one thing I've learned is some european people are racist and don't like you for the simple reason that you are not white. It's sad, really. but oh wells, can't please them all.
Aside from all the amazing sights I've seen (which I will be posting photos of soon enough) I have had time to reflect on my trip so far. Those deleriously long (i know i spelled delerious wrong) bus rides are perfect for self reflection...as are our stops at random beach/coast lines :)
Anyhoos, I have like five mins left on my free internet so I'm gonna sign off now and see you all later! Gotta head to bed asap so I can wake up early.
Love you all!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hello again!
Hey all!
Sorry for not blogging for a long time; I've been busy and lazy :P
Currently I'm in Perth, Western Australia!! It feels like I'm in a different country--it's uber hot and sunny! And it's weird, Perth looks like a city and yet it's totally empty. So far, I haven't done a whole lot in Perth, I arrived less than 12 hrs ago and all I've done is go to the grocery store and slept lol. I don't know why but lately I've been super tired...
Being on my own again after spending a couple of weeks with my cousin feels so strange. I miss him and his family so much but after a couple of days I'll get back into the groove of things! Tomorrow I'll start my first tour of Western Australia and I have no idea what to expect...I mean I know a little of what to expect but for the most part no...which, for someone who likes to plan things to a tee, is hard to deal with :P but i should learn from my past and realize you can't plan things to a tee...just ballpark it! I'm supposed to spend 2 weeks in Western Aussie and do two tours and at this point I don't know how I'll make it lol. Not saying there's nothing to do in Perth cuz there are some good day trips I can do but I dunno, I feel like I could've used my days better. It's just these first two weeks that's kind of spread out and oddly planned but it's all good, going with the flow.
My time in Sydney was awesome, and I will be going back--it's my "home base" in between all my trips! I went to the Blue Mountains which are truly gorgeous; the blue comes from the evaporated oils from the eucalyptus trees that cover the mountain. I will have to go back when it's nice and sunny so that I can hike it. After that I went to Canberra to see the Parliament Bldg; my cousin felt it was important for me to see it...it took me an hour to see it and then I got utterly bored! But at least I can say I went there and saw it :)
Anyhoos folks, I'll update more after my first day of touring--totally excited to see new things but at the same time I'm not loving how all these tours start super early. At least there's a bonus for coming all the way to perth from sydney is that I'm living on Sydney time--waking up at 6am over here is waking up in Sydney at 9am! woots!
Sorry for not blogging for a long time; I've been busy and lazy :P
Currently I'm in Perth, Western Australia!! It feels like I'm in a different country--it's uber hot and sunny! And it's weird, Perth looks like a city and yet it's totally empty. So far, I haven't done a whole lot in Perth, I arrived less than 12 hrs ago and all I've done is go to the grocery store and slept lol. I don't know why but lately I've been super tired...
Being on my own again after spending a couple of weeks with my cousin feels so strange. I miss him and his family so much but after a couple of days I'll get back into the groove of things! Tomorrow I'll start my first tour of Western Australia and I have no idea what to expect...I mean I know a little of what to expect but for the most part no...which, for someone who likes to plan things to a tee, is hard to deal with :P but i should learn from my past and realize you can't plan things to a tee...just ballpark it! I'm supposed to spend 2 weeks in Western Aussie and do two tours and at this point I don't know how I'll make it lol. Not saying there's nothing to do in Perth cuz there are some good day trips I can do but I dunno, I feel like I could've used my days better. It's just these first two weeks that's kind of spread out and oddly planned but it's all good, going with the flow.
My time in Sydney was awesome, and I will be going back--it's my "home base" in between all my trips! I went to the Blue Mountains which are truly gorgeous; the blue comes from the evaporated oils from the eucalyptus trees that cover the mountain. I will have to go back when it's nice and sunny so that I can hike it. After that I went to Canberra to see the Parliament Bldg; my cousin felt it was important for me to see it...it took me an hour to see it and then I got utterly bored! But at least I can say I went there and saw it :)
Anyhoos folks, I'll update more after my first day of touring--totally excited to see new things but at the same time I'm not loving how all these tours start super early. At least there's a bonus for coming all the way to perth from sydney is that I'm living on Sydney time--waking up at 6am over here is waking up in Sydney at 9am! woots!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Making sense of it all
I've been trying to come to terms with a few things lately...
Australia is definately different from New Zealand -> the comparison is kind of like comparing the States (boo!) to Canada (woo!). One biggie would be the difference between the diets--Sydney is choc full of fast food joints whereas the fast food joints in New Zealand were far and sparsely available. New Zealanders seem to be more tolerant of different races whereas people in Australia will stare at you--SERIOUSLY!
On the train to Milson's Point for the fireworks, my housemates and I were sitting across from a caucasian woman and her two young kids. The kids gawked at us and looked terrified (of three girls...) and the mother kept looking us up and down. Needless to say, I'm not totally loving the vibe over here. Although, it seems the universe heard my thoughts and sent me a very nice Aussie lady who watched our blanket for us while we walked around and enjoyed our NYE day :)
The pace of life is another gigantic difference between Kiwi land and Oz--New Zealanders are so chill! I loved it there <3 whereas Aussies are all about the daily 9-5 grind and making money...kinda like back home :(
All these differences brings me to my next discussion point--> dealing with the divide between how things should be and how things are. I'm on this trip to learn new things, see the way the world works and have a blast doing it...so does that include trying to change/impact things? I've seen situations where families leave the burden of bringing home the bacon on the shoulders of the woman of the house...and forcing her to take care of the entire household while she's at it. I don't think that's fair at all and me being the sweetheart that I am, I want to help these women learn that they can stand on their own two feet and speak their opinions to better themselves and their situation. ...But I don't want to butt in where I'm not supposed to. Which leaves me with another question: Do I learn from these sights and bring the knowledge back home?
I battled with the "shoulds" and "coulds" and "realities" of life for a while--my coworkers can vouch for this for sure! I don't know why but I feel people should live a life they are happy living--meaning they don't succumb to the negativity and harmful influences in their lives. I guess that could work for any situation though-- from domestic violence to high school grades and even choosing an ice cream flavour. I've seen things and was in situations I sure as hell didn't want to be in during my stay in Sydney and I wonder if I'm present for these instances because the universe is telling me something or because it's just life. I hate the expression "it's just life" because it sounds as if whomever said it has given up...living a meaningless life being other peoples' servant is not a part of life, being cursed at by your husband is not a part of life, being spanked is not a part of life--I could go on but I think you get the idea, right?
So what do you think? Is this just life or am I supposed to make use of these scenes?
Australia is definately different from New Zealand -> the comparison is kind of like comparing the States (boo!) to Canada (woo!). One biggie would be the difference between the diets--Sydney is choc full of fast food joints whereas the fast food joints in New Zealand were far and sparsely available. New Zealanders seem to be more tolerant of different races whereas people in Australia will stare at you--SERIOUSLY!
On the train to Milson's Point for the fireworks, my housemates and I were sitting across from a caucasian woman and her two young kids. The kids gawked at us and looked terrified (of three girls...) and the mother kept looking us up and down. Needless to say, I'm not totally loving the vibe over here. Although, it seems the universe heard my thoughts and sent me a very nice Aussie lady who watched our blanket for us while we walked around and enjoyed our NYE day :)
The pace of life is another gigantic difference between Kiwi land and Oz--New Zealanders are so chill! I loved it there <3 whereas Aussies are all about the daily 9-5 grind and making money...kinda like back home :(
All these differences brings me to my next discussion point--> dealing with the divide between how things should be and how things are. I'm on this trip to learn new things, see the way the world works and have a blast doing it...so does that include trying to change/impact things? I've seen situations where families leave the burden of bringing home the bacon on the shoulders of the woman of the house...and forcing her to take care of the entire household while she's at it. I don't think that's fair at all and me being the sweetheart that I am, I want to help these women learn that they can stand on their own two feet and speak their opinions to better themselves and their situation. ...But I don't want to butt in where I'm not supposed to. Which leaves me with another question: Do I learn from these sights and bring the knowledge back home?
I battled with the "shoulds" and "coulds" and "realities" of life for a while--my coworkers can vouch for this for sure! I don't know why but I feel people should live a life they are happy living--meaning they don't succumb to the negativity and harmful influences in their lives. I guess that could work for any situation though-- from domestic violence to high school grades and even choosing an ice cream flavour. I've seen things and was in situations I sure as hell didn't want to be in during my stay in Sydney and I wonder if I'm present for these instances because the universe is telling me something or because it's just life. I hate the expression "it's just life" because it sounds as if whomever said it has given up...living a meaningless life being other peoples' servant is not a part of life, being cursed at by your husband is not a part of life, being spanked is not a part of life--I could go on but I think you get the idea, right?
So what do you think? Is this just life or am I supposed to make use of these scenes?
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