Greetings from Queensland!
After Tazmania, Corinne and I spent two more days/nights with the Chandlers (Felicity, Vicki, and Neil) in Melbourne, seeing the sights and watching Audrey Hepburn classics. We then took an early flight on April 11...leaving the house at "oh my god it's early!", in Felicity's words. What a sweetheart for getting out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4:30am to drive us to the airport! We arrived in tropical Cairns a little bleary-eyed but happy to be back in the heat and sun...although I was quite happy to find that it wasn't as stupidly hot and humid as Thailand.
The next morning (April 12), I got up early to go on a snorkling tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Corinne stayed back, having seen the reef on her previous trip. A bus picked me up from my hostel at 6:45am and we drove to Port Douglas, about 1.5hours away where the trip was leaving from. I borded a swanky jet-boat with about 60 other people and we made our way out to the outer reef, about 1.5hours away. We spent the day snorkling (and some people diving) at 3 different sites, spending about 1 hour at each site. Throughout the trip, we were provided with morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. We did not go hungry...it was a big spread of very yummy food.
The reefs were spectacular! What I saw in Thailand paled in comparison to this. I thought that I would get tired spending an hour at each site, but I could have spent longer! It was just like the pictures and documentaries you see on the reef. Lots of beautiful fish and spectacular coral formations. To name a few, I saw parot fish, anemone fish (a.k.a "nemos" thanks to Disney), a baracuda, and even a sea turtle! It was such an amazing experience. After snorkling, I definately want to try my hand at scuba diving some day.
I got back to my hostel at 6:45pm and then met Corinne for supper. After that we split up, I went to see the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" (really good!) and Corinne found a coffee shop to hang out at. Around 11:30, we collected our stored bags from the hostel and trudged through the POURING rain (happy campers we were not) to the bus station to catch the 12:25am bus to Airlie Beach.
We arrived at Airlie Beach at 11:45 this morning, more than a little worn out after an over-night bus ride. We had booked our hostel in advance, and a shuttle bus picked us up from the station and took us to the hostel. We dropped our stuff off and made our way to the lagoon ( a man-made public swimming/beach area that is used when there are stingers at the real beach), where we lay all day, soaking up the sun (or in my case, the shade of a palm tree). Tomorrow I'm off for a tour of the Whitsunday Islands and Corinne is scheduling some more serious sun-worshiping. Then, it's another over-night bus to Hervey Bay for the weekend.
Tonight is my last night in a hostel. I'm glad. Although it's kinda fun, there's a real party atmosphere here in the Australian hostels which would be great if I wasn't so worn-out from all the moving around. Sleeping as much as possible is high on the priority list for me, which is tough to do in a noisy place. From here, it's an over night bus and then 4 nights with Servas Hosts.
After that, I'm coming home. Yep. Got my plane tickets and everything. I'm flying out of Brisbane late (11:45pm) on April 19 and will arrive home via Singapore and Vancouver early in the evening on April 20. It's been a great trip, but I'm looking forward to coming home. I'm getting pretty worn out from moving from place to place. Ready to give my traveling shoes a rest. That said, I'm giving a big push for the last few days, doing lots of trips and seeing lots of things. Corinne will be continuing on, spending 10 more days in Oz and then flying to New Zealand on April 30.
Anyway, Happy Easter long weekend, everyone! I hope the Easter Bunny is good to all of you!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Tazzie!
Corinne and I just returned to Melbourne from a fantastic, adventurous 4 days in Tasmania. We flew into Launceston (on the north side of Tasmania) on Wednesday morning and decided to be adventurous and rented a car...a nice little blue Hyundai Elantra. It was quite the challenge to manage Tazzie's small, windy roads while driving on the "wrong" side. It was quite funny. Everything in the car is a mirror image of cars in North America, so whenever we went to turn on the signal light without thinking, we turned on the wipers instead! But we managed not to create too much havoc on the roads and after a day or so were doing quite well.
We spent Wednesday afternoon walking around Launceston. The weather turned rainy, so we ducked inside a coffee shop and spent a couple hours reading the magazines, chatting with the owner, and drinking coffee. Then we wandered to the Stillwater Cafe, which is owned by the son and daughter-in-law of the couple we had arranged to stay with. It was a lovely place overlooking the river and docks. From there, we met our Servas hosts, Alvaro and Suzanne Ascui, and followed them out to their farm which is about 30km north-east of Launceston. They are a wonderful, warm-hearted couple who made us feel welcome immediately. While staying with them, we slept in a small little cabin that we heated with an old-fashioned wood pipe-stove. Tazzie was a little chilly (around zero at night and about 12-14 degrees in the day).
Our original plan had been to stay around Launceston and do day trips to various places, including Port Arther. Following our first night, I was met by a concerned Suzanne in the main house in the morning who thought our plans of driving to Port Arther and back in a day was crazy! So, following the advice of Alvaro and Suzanne, we left Thursday morning and drove to Cole's Bay on the east coast. It's a beautiful area with a national park, where we did 4 short hikes: the lookout to Wineglass Bay, Honeymoon Cove, the lighthouse, and Sleepy Cove. It was a very windy day and the waves and views were spectacular!
We then drove to Swansea to find a place to stay for the night. It's a sleepy little summer town with not much choice for accommodation. We spent the night at a quaint little B&B (although breakfast was not included) with a restaurant next door. After moving into the room, we wandered next door to grab some supper. It was quite busy and were directed to the lounge while we waited for a table. Shortly after we sat down, an American couple wandered in with a bottle of wine and invited us to share their wine while we all waited. Once a spot was available, they then offered to treat us to dinner! They spoiled us with a fantastic meal, complete with plenty of wine (he made sure our glasses were never empty) and desert. What a treat! And such a surpirse, too! They were traveling through Australia after spending time in New Zealand, where they spend their winters. They are origianlly from New Hamshire and were very lively and wonderful. After supper, Corinne and I wandered back to our room, with "chink peeks" (ie feeling a pleasant buzz from the wine).
Friday morning, we drove down to Port Arther, the former site of a working convict prison. It was a stormy day, which was appropriate for such a place. That evening we made our way to Hobart and spent the night at a hostel/pub (the hostel rooms were on the floor above the pub). It was cozy enough and the pub had a great, friendly atmosphere. Corinne went down to the pub to have a beer and listen to a band. I couldn't keep my eyes open and decided to stop trying to fight the inevitable and turned-in early. Saturday morning, we got up early and went down to the weekly, saturday market along the harbour-front. It was a great little market, although it was quite cool (mochas helped). We then made our way up inland, visiting a couple of historic towns along the way: Ross and Campbell Town. We arrived back in Launceston mid-afternoon and took the rest of the day exploring Cateract Gorge, full of great little walks/hikes and full of people out to enjoy the day. We then made our way back to Alvaro and Suzanne's place.
Tazzie was great! I'm so glad that we went and it was wonderful having the car to tour around. Although it was a little nerve-wracking at times, we wouldn't have gotten a real feel for the place if we hadn't have rented the car.
We spent Wednesday afternoon walking around Launceston. The weather turned rainy, so we ducked inside a coffee shop and spent a couple hours reading the magazines, chatting with the owner, and drinking coffee. Then we wandered to the Stillwater Cafe, which is owned by the son and daughter-in-law of the couple we had arranged to stay with. It was a lovely place overlooking the river and docks. From there, we met our Servas hosts, Alvaro and Suzanne Ascui, and followed them out to their farm which is about 30km north-east of Launceston. They are a wonderful, warm-hearted couple who made us feel welcome immediately. While staying with them, we slept in a small little cabin that we heated with an old-fashioned wood pipe-stove. Tazzie was a little chilly (around zero at night and about 12-14 degrees in the day).
Our original plan had been to stay around Launceston and do day trips to various places, including Port Arther. Following our first night, I was met by a concerned Suzanne in the main house in the morning who thought our plans of driving to Port Arther and back in a day was crazy! So, following the advice of Alvaro and Suzanne, we left Thursday morning and drove to Cole's Bay on the east coast. It's a beautiful area with a national park, where we did 4 short hikes: the lookout to Wineglass Bay, Honeymoon Cove, the lighthouse, and Sleepy Cove. It was a very windy day and the waves and views were spectacular!
We then drove to Swansea to find a place to stay for the night. It's a sleepy little summer town with not much choice for accommodation. We spent the night at a quaint little B&B (although breakfast was not included) with a restaurant next door. After moving into the room, we wandered next door to grab some supper. It was quite busy and were directed to the lounge while we waited for a table. Shortly after we sat down, an American couple wandered in with a bottle of wine and invited us to share their wine while we all waited. Once a spot was available, they then offered to treat us to dinner! They spoiled us with a fantastic meal, complete with plenty of wine (he made sure our glasses were never empty) and desert. What a treat! And such a surpirse, too! They were traveling through Australia after spending time in New Zealand, where they spend their winters. They are origianlly from New Hamshire and were very lively and wonderful. After supper, Corinne and I wandered back to our room, with "chink peeks" (ie feeling a pleasant buzz from the wine).
Friday morning, we drove down to Port Arther, the former site of a working convict prison. It was a stormy day, which was appropriate for such a place. That evening we made our way to Hobart and spent the night at a hostel/pub (the hostel rooms were on the floor above the pub). It was cozy enough and the pub had a great, friendly atmosphere. Corinne went down to the pub to have a beer and listen to a band. I couldn't keep my eyes open and decided to stop trying to fight the inevitable and turned-in early. Saturday morning, we got up early and went down to the weekly, saturday market along the harbour-front. It was a great little market, although it was quite cool (mochas helped). We then made our way up inland, visiting a couple of historic towns along the way: Ross and Campbell Town. We arrived back in Launceston mid-afternoon and took the rest of the day exploring Cateract Gorge, full of great little walks/hikes and full of people out to enjoy the day. We then made our way back to Alvaro and Suzanne's place.
Tazzie was great! I'm so glad that we went and it was wonderful having the car to tour around. Although it was a little nerve-wracking at times, we wouldn't have gotten a real feel for the place if we hadn't have rented the car.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Sydney and Canberra
Sydney was a fantastic city. We spent our second day there walking around the tourist areas of central Sydney. Gave ourselves a good workout! We visited St. Mary's Cathedral, Hyde Park (including a giant outdoor chess board), and Sydney Tower. We stopped for lunch at Market City in Chinatown, wandered around Darling Harbour, explored the Rocks, and finished off at Circular Quay.
My favourite area was the Rocks, which is the oldest part of Sydney. It's full of old brick buildings, many reminicient of old factories, and tiny lanes and alleys. It's really wonderful to see the old, eurpoean-looking bit of town in front of a backdrop of modern sky-scrapers. A fantastic contrast!
In the evening, we made our way (lugging our packs) to our first Servas homestay. We stayed 2 nights with Joyce Martin, a university prof. who teaches Sociology and Communications. She lives in a little bungalow in the suburb of North Ryde. It took about 30 minutes to get to her place from central Sydney. Joyce is a really wonderful lady and it was a nice change to stay in someone's home. She made us feel very welcome and comfortable.
I spent my last day in Sydney running errands. Nothing too exciting.
On March 31, we made our way by bus from Sydney to Canberra. It was nice to get a chance to see the countryside. What immediately caught my attention were the vast, open spaces and the big blue sky that went on forever. It was strangely compforting to see these elements again, although there was no mistaking it for North America witht he signs informing drivers to watch out for kangaroos and koalas!
Canberra was a lovely little city, spread out in the valleys between the large hills in the area. The greater area of the city is the size of London, but with a population of only 320,000. Now that's urban sprawl! It's a completely planned city, specifically chosen to be the sight of the nation's capital. It's also known as the garden city, with good cause. It's very treed with lots of green spaces and a large, man-made lake in the center. Even the parlement building is under a hill! When approaching the city, you can't see it until you're in it because of all the trees.
We stayed with Angela and David McAdam in Canberra. Angela is the daughter of Granny's very good friends, Pauline and Walter. They are lovely people, who made us feel very welcome and at home. It was like visiting old friends! We stayed with them for 3 nights. On Saturday (April 1), Angela took us around the city to see the parlement buildings and the National Gallery. The Parlement buildings are really modern, built into and under capital hill, with the idea that the people should be able to look down on their government rather than the government looking down on the people. On Sunday, we all went to the National Museum and then up to the Telstra tower, which had a fantastic view of Canberra. That evening, we went out to a Turkish resteraunt for dinner. Really tastey!
Yesturday, Corinne and I took the 8 hour bus ride from Canberra to Melbourne. We're now staying with Felicity, a friend that we met when she was visiting mutual friends in Calgary a few years ago. It's so nice to be able to visit people.
Cheers for now.
My favourite area was the Rocks, which is the oldest part of Sydney. It's full of old brick buildings, many reminicient of old factories, and tiny lanes and alleys. It's really wonderful to see the old, eurpoean-looking bit of town in front of a backdrop of modern sky-scrapers. A fantastic contrast!
In the evening, we made our way (lugging our packs) to our first Servas homestay. We stayed 2 nights with Joyce Martin, a university prof. who teaches Sociology and Communications. She lives in a little bungalow in the suburb of North Ryde. It took about 30 minutes to get to her place from central Sydney. Joyce is a really wonderful lady and it was a nice change to stay in someone's home. She made us feel very welcome and comfortable.
I spent my last day in Sydney running errands. Nothing too exciting.
On March 31, we made our way by bus from Sydney to Canberra. It was nice to get a chance to see the countryside. What immediately caught my attention were the vast, open spaces and the big blue sky that went on forever. It was strangely compforting to see these elements again, although there was no mistaking it for North America witht he signs informing drivers to watch out for kangaroos and koalas!
Canberra was a lovely little city, spread out in the valleys between the large hills in the area. The greater area of the city is the size of London, but with a population of only 320,000. Now that's urban sprawl! It's a completely planned city, specifically chosen to be the sight of the nation's capital. It's also known as the garden city, with good cause. It's very treed with lots of green spaces and a large, man-made lake in the center. Even the parlement building is under a hill! When approaching the city, you can't see it until you're in it because of all the trees.
We stayed with Angela and David McAdam in Canberra. Angela is the daughter of Granny's very good friends, Pauline and Walter. They are lovely people, who made us feel very welcome and at home. It was like visiting old friends! We stayed with them for 3 nights. On Saturday (April 1), Angela took us around the city to see the parlement buildings and the National Gallery. The Parlement buildings are really modern, built into and under capital hill, with the idea that the people should be able to look down on their government rather than the government looking down on the people. On Sunday, we all went to the National Museum and then up to the Telstra tower, which had a fantastic view of Canberra. That evening, we went out to a Turkish resteraunt for dinner. Really tastey!
Yesturday, Corinne and I took the 8 hour bus ride from Canberra to Melbourne. We're now staying with Felicity, a friend that we met when she was visiting mutual friends in Calgary a few years ago. It's so nice to be able to visit people.
Cheers for now.
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