The Travelling Sisto

This is it!

2010-04-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

I am going to officially close down this blog now. Thank you so much for reading! You were with me when I landed in Sydney, at Dane's on the beach, in Melbourne at the tennis, in the backseat of a van in New Zealand, seasick on the Anaconda, holding a koala in Brisbane, tanning in Hawaii, and finally home.

I'm going to be making this blog into a book so I can look back on all the memories. It was truly the most incredible, unimaginable experience of my life so far and I can't wait to look back and read about all that happened. I'm very sad it's over but I know that even though this particular adventure is done, another one is coming my way.

I want to create a new blog and will post the link to it here... it's Medieval Mel http://medievalmel.blogspot.com/ !! Check it out! or follow me on Twitter @MelanieReiff

Thank you so much to everyone I met and who was with me while I traveled, I couldn't have done it without you and you really made it the best time I ever could have had!

This is Mel, signing off... and I leave you with my favourite picture of the trip. It looks like an optical illusion and shows that not everything is as it seems. I hope that, whoever you are and whatever you do, that you are risking it out there!

Let me sum up

2010-03-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

As Inigo Montoya says so aptly in the movie The Princess Bride "Let me explain... wait there is too much, let me sum up", well that is what I am about to do right now. I thought it would be fun to put together a few facts about all that happened on my trip now that I'm back and am in need of blog material.

In terms of being on the road, let's just say it's been one big journey with nary a place to call home. Many times my bed changed night to night, and other times I was stationary for up to 3 weeks (Melbourne). Either way, the distance and time clocked in as...

Consecutive days of travel: 92
Pictures taken: 3,052 (avg. 33 per day)
Time spent on airplanes: 59 hours
Time spent waiting in airports: 24 hours
Kilometres traveled: 49,365 km
Circumference of the earth: 40,075 km
Spot where I was farthest from home: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at 16,280 km away
Time zones adapted to: 8 zones
Nights in a hostel: 19 (the rest I was lucky enough to have friends to stay with)
Hours spent on the road driving in a car/van: 40 hours
Hours spent on the water in ferries/ships/boats: 78 hours

I went for 12 amazing runs in 6 different towns/cities: Bondi Beach walkway, Melbourne Wattle Park, Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Rotorua hot springs, Whitianga beach, and the Brisbane riverside. My favourites were probably Bondi and the Rotorua run.

A lot of time was spent walking on trails and going for hikes in parks and through towns. The best hikes were in The Blue Mountains in Katoomba, Australia and Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand to name a few; and I walked around all the cities I stayed in, probably walking at least 2 hours on average each time I went somewhere new.

The people I met made up 99% of my trip... in fact the number of new friends I traveled with for one night or more was around 15+ ... so that's basically 15 strangers who ended up being close traveling companions. We all agreed that fate had a hand in many if not all of those encounters.

Traveling for 92 days would require many to pack for at least one third of that. However, I was able to survive with my small pack and few belongings.

Backpack weight at time of departure: 25 pounds
Backpack weight at time of return: 30 pounds
Items sent home via mail: 1 small box sent Jan. 29 via air to Toronto
Number of times people commented on how light I traveled: I lost count
Number of times I had to repack my bag after a hostel/friend's place: easily over 50 times
Times I checked my luggage for a flight: 8
Number of times my luggage was lost: zero --- yayyy!!!

I didn't lose my backpack once although the thought did cross my mind many times when I sent it through on the black conveyor belt, hoping it would be there to meet me at the other end. The only time I was separated from it was actually on the return flight from Vancouver to Toronto. I was lucky enough to jump on an earlier flight but my pack was sent on the original 9am flight to T.O. It wasn't waiting for me when I arrived back home at Pearson and for the first time, I felt worried like a huge chunk of me was missing. It was. My bag had gone everywhere with me. The Canadian flag on the back always displayed prominently and its entire contents my world completely. Luckily Air Canada tracked it and had it delivered to my house in Toronto that night.

I also have a few miscellaneous things I tracked for fun:

Number of movies I went to see: 4
Average cost for an adult to see a movie: $17/ticket
Number of days when I made it to a beach: over 30
Bottles of sunscreen I went through: 3 (spf30, then two spf15's)

That is all!

Kihei... paradise in Hawaii

2010-03-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

The sweet smell of pineapple and the ocean breeze greets you as you walk off the plane and into the open air airport in Kahului on the island of Maui. This is where I'd be spending the final phase of my journey, in gorgeous Hawaii with my mom and sister. The plan to meet there had slowly evolved after Mom had the idea in January. From then on, the idea was in the back of my mind before I actually sat down with a man named Stuart at a Flight Centre in Wellington to change my flight itinerary. That was on Feb. 18 and suddenly, there I was on March 15 standing in the airport in Kahului waiting for mom and Kate's plane to arrive two hours after mine did.

It was such a great reunion! I hadn't seen my mom since Christmas and she was so excited to reunite with her firstborn. We also had 10 fabulous days of sun and sand to look forward to. We made it to our condo called Maui Vista and found our place easily in the darkness of the island. It was around 11:30pm when we arrived in our rental car. The place was modest but cute. We instantly felt at home. Kate and I had to share the pull-out couch and mom was in the only bedroom. We were on the ground floor and the lanai, or the patio, overlooked the tennis courts and pool. We were a short walk to the ocean - only about 1 minute - and that's where we headed the next morning.

I wasn't quite sure how my jet lag worked at this point. I'd been tossed around time zones like sneakers in a washing machine and I was pretty sure I was still on Sydney time. It actually worked out really well to go back in time a bit and settle into the island vibe and I was over my jet lag in a few days. We spent the first few days relaxing at home. Mom said from the start she didn't want to do a lot of driving but I was just fresh off a journey devoted to exploration and was keen to explore the island. Kate and I took a few drives, one of them down to the south near Makena and the other up north and accidentally stumbled on a ranch. Both excursions reminded me so much of my New Zealand travels and hitting the road to explore new places.

We frequented the shops and market places - they have the best stuff! We stocked up on hair accessories, dresses, creams and handmade soaps as gifts for folks back home. The food in Maui is so amazing and doesn't help the bikini situations, but we still didn't hold back. We ate fish, Mahi Mahi and Walu, snacked on pupus (haha) and enjoyed wine. Mahalo!

There also isn't anything quite like a Maui sunset - they say it's one of the best in the world. Da Kine. One night we dressed up and went to the famous Marriott hotel in Wailea. Our plan was to watch the sunset and have cocktails and we did just that. I've never been to a more gorgeous hotel. The lanai overlooked the pool and then the ocean, with very strategic palm trees in view. The entire place is set like a romance novel with newlyweds everywhere. The sun sets over the ocean, something I missed being on the east coast of Australia. We witnessed nature's show and couldn't fathom our lives back home, we were so far away from it all. The sight was unbelievable and every picture we took was postcard worthy.

Kates and I were also lucky enough to partake in a whale watching excursion and it was easily the highlight of the trip. We jumped on a boat called the Alu Nui and, despite the cloudy weather, there were whales a-plenty. Even when we saw the arch of a humpback's back from 1 km away or the spout of a blowhole we were ecstatic. The whales and their calves had come to nurse in the warm waters before heading north for the summer. They are such magnificent creatures. Baby whales gain 5 pounds an hour. Male whales, or the dads, peace out after the calf is born and mama takes charge. But oftentimes there is a male escort who is not the paternal father but comes and acts as a bodyguard for the new family. It's amazing to think of. At the end of the two hour cruise we spotted a mama whale who actually rolled on her side and stuck her fin up as if to wave us goodbye. Everyone on the boat reacted on instinct and waved back and we had our connection to non-human nature.

It was a gorgeous afternoon when we drove along the windy roads to the airport. The afternoon sun is my favourite and it shone on the hills and ocean, reminding me of New Zealand. I have to tell Mike and Zoe that we were right - the drive to the Pancake Rocks is very similar to Hawaii. Wow, that feels like ages ago.

The journey home was a reflective one. It was indeed all over. No more 'last phases', no more hostels and hotel rooms. I'd been gone since December 28 and it'd passed by like a flash of lightning. Funny to think of the awkward girl standing on a street corner in King's Cross, Sydney, with no idea what was before her. The whole thing was easy enough to hold onto as a giant wave at Big Beach. 'How do you keep a wave upon the sand?' well, how do you hold onto such a fantastic adventure like the one I just had?

We took a red eye from Kahului to Vancouver where I was lucky enough to jump on an earlier connection back to Toronto. My luggage was on the later flight and for the first time in 3 months I was separated from my backpack - it was like missing a chunk of my soul.

Mahalo, Hawaii! What a perfect way to end my travels and reunite with my family. It was gorgeous to be there but also bitter sweet, as I knew it was the end of it all and I'd have to go home to reality soon. Now here I am and it feels like a faraway dream in my mind. I'm not very good with endings. Beginnings are scary and endings are sad, but it's what's in between that counts. Lots of people are telling me that but it still hurts. A friend, Andrew Lackie, told me that the depression will get worse when I really settle back in. Great, can't wait! There's only one place to go now, though, and that's forward...

Discouver Vancouver

2010-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

I left you off in Vancouver where I reunited with my sisto. We stayed in a hostel downtown and awoke the next day to catch a ferry to Nainamo. The next day we went to the Crow and Gate pub in Nanaimo, such a cool old English pub.

The visit was short and sweet, Kate and I headed back on the ferry the next day to check back into the hostel for one more night. But before that, I messaged my friend Brad McGoey to see where he was, as I knew he'd been traveling as well and might be in Vancouver. Sure enough, he was, so we all met for dinner, including Kate's friend Erin and her Kiwi boyfriend. It was a great impromptu reunion with them! Brad, Kate and I headed to an Irish pub downtown where a homeless man sketched our portraits and we shared a pitcher. Those were our last few hours in Vancouver before heading out to Hawaii.

Back on home soil

2010-03-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I can't believe it! I'm on Canadian soil. Yikes! It's been so long... I've done so much and now I'm back where people have Canadian accents, where the money includes the lingo 'toonies' and 'loonies', and where the weather is cold and grey. The cold ocean welcomed me from the plane -- from where I spent 14 hours locked in a seated limbo.

I actually was able to entertain myself better than on the United Airlines flight I took from L.A. to Sydney... I watched a few movies. They were: Star Trek -- yes I finally watched it. I loved it. Then I watched Up in the Air, and I really enjoyed it. I love Anna Kendrick. Then I subjected myself to torture by watching New Moon - the worst movie ever but I still sat through it (I had no other choice as I was craving R.P.). Finally, after tossing and turning and unable to sleep in the upright position I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox and loved it! It was kinda weird in parts but I love Wes Anderson and love how he reuses celebrities for all his movies. I was a little weirded out by the stop-motion animation but loved the characters.

It was 7:36am in Vancouver when I landed. I was so excited to see Kates but knew I had to go through the obligatory customs and baggage claim. Also, I wasn't sure my Kates was going to be there at the time I walked out as it was an early hour. Either way, I went through customs in a flash but waited 15 minutes for my bags. Finally, I claimed my little bag (it'd been with me through so much) and it made it back to Canada just like me. I headed for the exit, with my customs form in hand. I walked around the wall and down the corridor, already spotting the eager faces awaiting their relatives through the security doors.

In an instant I noticed the gorgeous blonde girl, holding two Tim Hortons cups and a box of 10 timbits! I was elated and raced past the ever-slow people to get to my sister. It was the best reunion ever. Kates had gotten me a French Vanilla Timmy cappuccino and we had the best shrieking embrace in the middle of the Vancouver airport. AMAZING!! I immediately began to spew stories like it was my J-O-B and Kates listened with anticipation and excitement. I was still reeling at being home. Jet lag started to encompass my cerebrum but I was alerted by being home and the reality of being home was sinking in - sadly.

We took a few trains and buses to get back to her friend's place - recapping all the way. Recapping is an understatement. How do you recap 3 months and a life-changing experience? There's still so much to tell. Either way, no one could have gotten a word in edgewise between us as we made our way to our hostel and checked into a 4-bed dorm. We made it in, napped, and I awoke to Kates saying her friend Andrew Lackie was enroute to meet us for drinks. I was sooo jet lagged but knew I had to force myself. Within 20 mins I was up, dressed, and drinking vino on this Vancouver Saturday night when Lackie arrived. He's this gorgeous family friend who's traveled through Australia also, so I had much to discuss when he arrived. Slowly but surely we all polished off our booze and made our way to a bar across the street.

If you've ever been jet-lagged by 15 hours and decided to make it to a bar, I applaud you. Apparently I took a nasty spill and botched my ankle. I don't actually need to add the 'apparently' as the evidence is obvious looking at my ankle this morning. It's a bit ravaged, with some nasty cuts and an obvious limp which doesn't add to my attractiveness at all.

We stayed at the bar for a few hours and danced, drank (Lackie decided to snap the neck of my beer bottle and it hurtled towards the ground, shattering into a mess of glass and suds), and headed out by 3am. I am not sure what time this is in Sydney but decided not to convert it for psychological purposes.

What a great night back! I love Canada and of course had no trouble going out and getting back into the swing of things in this great country. I really miss my travels and I'm so sad it's over. I can't begin to describe the weirdness of it all. I've been planning it for months and now it's done. I want to go back, already, and will do so. I've caught the travel bug... cough* cough*

Brisbane, and the realization it's almost over

2010-03-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

I`m having a bit of an episode... I`ve been traveling for 75 days and even though I still have another 14 to go, it`s really starting to hit me. I`m leaving Australia and going home - how can that be?! You get so used to a certain way of life and now, thinking about who I was when I arrived for New Years, I can`t believe all that`s happened and how I`ve changed.

I`m staring out at a beautiful urban landscape as I type this. I`m at my Canadian friend Felix`s place on the outskirts of Brisbane and his back deck overlooks a giant valley dotted with tropical houses and palm trees. It really is surreal for this Canadian girl. I`ve been staying at Felix`s for 2 days so far and leave tomorrow A.M. for Sydney. I`m happy I decided to finish the Australian part of the trip in Brisbane with friends. But it`s not over yet.

HAWAII HERE I COME! I can`t wait to see Kates in Vancouver, have a few days there with her where we`ll go visit our Papa on Vancouver Island, then fly to Hawaii with Mum and Kates for 10 days of relaxing on a beach. Can life get any better? Not that I haven`t had enough relaxing on the beach. Yesterday, armed with my Australian Open towel and a bottle of SPF15, I made my way over to Brisbane`s South Bank beach, a manmade watering hole where everyone seemed to be sun-worshiping. Perhaps this is because the weather here has been bad, save for yesterday when we all had a taste of sunshine. I spent several hours outside in the sun enjoying its strength, knowing I had to take it in before leaving Australia. I don`t think I`ll have another chance to sit on a beach before I fly out Friday morning (it`s Wednesday here right now).

Two days ago, after I left you off at the Koala Sanctuary, I went back to my hostel and got my bags, then decided to walk to Felix`s. It was only about a 15 minute walk from the hostel and, determined not to cab it, I threw my backpack on my back `Valderie, Valderahhh` and started walking. Brisbane is a very twisty-turny place. Within 5 minutes of walking I`d realized I`d taken a wrong turn. Add to this a ginormous pack, 30 degree heat, and full-on rush hour traffic and I was providing much needed entertainment for the rat race battling the afternoon roads.

At one point some older guy in his car noticed I`d taken a wrong turn onto a sidewalk that was ending and shouted out from his window `You`re a long way from Canada, eh?` He either saw the Canadian flag on my pack or just assumed I was Canadian thanks to my lack of direction. That set me off laughing pretty hard. From then on I was getting friendly, supportive honks, waves and shouts from other drivers as I tried to make my way back in the right direction.

45 minutes later I arrived at Felix`s and we had some much needed beer as we recapped what`s been going on. Felix is a close friend of Nina`s, the amazing Nina who helped me book my trip, and she`d put me in touch with him. He`s currently on a school exchange here from Montreal and is studying Business at a local uni in town. He`s only 20 but the age gap barely shows - maybe it`s because I`ve become more laid back since leaving Canada - haha. It`s so great to know people where you go and I`ve said this before but I`m really lucky to have had so many friends to stay with while on this voyage.

So here we are. Today I`m chilling and catching up on my internet time before heading out to meet my cousin, Teresa`s, friend Angela - another great connection! Then it`s Uber bar later on tonight and I`m debating whether to go, since I have to wake up tomorrow at 6am to catch my Sydney flight. Think of me at 8pm on Thursday night (that`s Toronto time) where I`ll be sitting on my plane to Vancouver. No, seriously, think of me. All the customs, security checks, and ground travel to and from the airport will be done! It will be so weird to leave and let the realization sink in that it`s all over. I`ll have 14 hours on a plane to think about it - yikes. So this may be my last blog from Australia. If I can get to a computer tomorrow or in the airport on Friday morning I will write again. Thanks for being a regular reader and I`ll be coming at you next live from Maui.

Thanks, Australia, for such a great time. I'll undoubtedly be back, maybe next year, maybe in a few years, but I'll be returning soon because I love it there and can't imagine a better place.

Avatar and Serenity

2010-03-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

Dr. Reiffenstein figured out her issue - the snorkeling 'done me in'! It was definitely the snorkeling and scuba dive that made my legs go all freaky on me. I guess I'd never used those muscles before and that's why they decided to complain later on. This morning I awoke feeling normal, thank goodness!

Yesterday was a typical day spent mooching around an unknown city. I have a pretty good sense of direction so I set off without a map, leaving my hostel and heading for Starbucks. Then I wandered the streets of Brisbane, popping into shops and bookstores. I didn't feel like a tourist at all, which is a good goal for someone traveling on their own.

What would you do with an entire day to spend doing anything you want? I'd been wanting to see AVATAR since it came out, but hadn't anyone to go with during my trip. I'd seen Sherlock twice, and Shutter Island, and decided to buy myself a ticket into the much-hyped flick. I also treated myself to M&M's, the peanut ones please! and some popcorn. It was my lunch. Armed with a pair of 3D glasses, I made it into the theatre alone. If this sounds sad, well, it is a bit haha. The last movie I saw alone was Casablanca which was playing at Princess Theatre in Waterloo. It was relatively empty and I got settled in for the epic-length movie.

I really enjoyed it, but it was predictable and so similar to Fern Gully! Despite there being no 'Batty Rap', the general theme of FG reverberated throughout Avatar. They did a really good job with the effects and you get so used to the 3D after about 9 mins (very aptly put, KT).

Afterwards, I headed back to the hostel and met up with Leigh, Mary (a German girl in my hostel), and John, and we all went to RG's for $5 steak/fish and chips. It was so good! So much for my night of avoiding beer. I only had two, then we went to Pig 'n Whistle for a glass of vino. Mary and I headed back to the hostel around 11pm as we had a big day ahead of us. That's right, I just returned from the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Mary joined me for the first bit, but had to catch a bus to Rainbow Beach.

I actually got to hold a Koala! Her name is Serenity and she's just so cute and cuddly. She kept licking my hair and gripping my tank top strap - she was light but like a little ball of cuddly somethin', I love her! I have a picture taken and it's posted online here: http://i.koala.net/0803219495.htm but for some reason the link isn't working yet. I hope it starts to work, or I'll attempt to figure it out and post it in the next blog posting.

I'm back in downtown Brisbane right now and am meeting up with a fellow Canadian named Felix who has so kindly opened up his house to me for 2 nights! He's got 5 roommates but says the couch and/or hammock are free, so I have my choice. It will beat staying at Base again - and do you know what this officially means? It means I will not have another Australian hostel experience for the foreseeable future, as I'll be with friends in Sydney then off to Vancouver! WOW!

Vancouver and Hawaii are coming up fast and with only 3 full days left in Australia, I'm starting to get into the mind frame of leaving. It's really hard! I wish it was all starting over again. BOOO! I can't complain, though, it's time for life to go on but that doesn't mean it's not hard. I'll leave it at that for now.

PS, The internet cafe is for sure playing Big Shiny Tunes 2 - I still remember the song order of that CD and with Blur 'Song 2' having just completed, White Town 'Your Woman' just came on. Hmmm, must download that one when I'm back!
PPS, I'm now heading to Scotch and Soda, a clothing store from Europe with only 1 location in the Southern Hemisphere here in Brizzy!

Flight to Brisbane

2010-03-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hello from Brisbane, or Brizzy as it's called. Brizzle also rhymes with drizzle, and that's what they've been putting up with for the past month! The skies are overcast but the air is warm and humid. It's a nice treat for my skin to avoid the frying sun for a few days, me thinks. (Left: pic of me downtown Brisbane).

I left off at Airlie beach, where I chilled by the water for a few hours before catching the airport taxi. A few girls from the Anaconda were also traveling to Brisbane that afternoon, so we chatted during the ride. We also saw kangaroos hopping along the side of the highway - neat!

The airport in Proserpine is adorable. It's tiny, with only 2 gates, and you get to walk out onto the tarmac to board. I bought a sandwich and sat waiting for my plane, which I thought would be a typical hour-long flight where I could zone out and listen to my music. Boy was I wrong! During my check in, the woman at the desk gave me the chance to select my seat, so I opted for something at the front of the plane. This facilitates the disembarking process and I also requested a window.

So I board the plane, get to my seat, 3A, and sit quietly waiting for the plane to leave the 'gate'. A few minutes later, a guy comes and sits in my row, but on the aisle, leaving the middle seat free. He's got a few friends with him who sit across the aisle as well. The guys look to be in their late-twenties and they immediately start planning what drinks they're going to order during the flight. They're all Aussie and the guy in my row introduces himself as Mick, as in Mick Dundee, I immediately thought, but didn't bring it up. I wondered what this flight would have in store.

Just then, a fourth guy comes onboard and makes it to his seat, which happens to be in between me and Mick. His name is Andrew and he's also just as eager to break open the booze for the flight. Turns out they're all friends and heading to the Gold Coast for the weekend. Oh boy! So being the independent female traveler I am, I was prepared for some interesting banter. Sure enough, we all got chatting. The guys all work in construction on the rigs and had each decided to shave mullets and grow some dirty moustaches for their four days off. That explained a lot about them.

The plane takes off and they are already ordering some rum and cokes for all of us - including me! I gladly took a free drink and suddenly row 3 turned into a bar.

I was looking slightly 'Einalem-ish', wearing glasses and feeling sweaty from being at Airlie. Somehow, my glasses ended up getting passed around to each of the guys as they tried them on and witnessed just how blind I am. They each got pictures wearing my glasses - it was hilarious!! Pretty much each looked awful in them and I was dying laughing. Then they discovered the trick that I learned when I was four, that it's so hilarious to hold the glasses about 5 inches from your face to make your eyes look like Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys. Each got pics like that as well!!

With this entertainment, the flight went by really fast and I'd met some true Aussies who love Canada and think Canadians are the bomb. I'm glad I was able to uphold this opinion, Einalem and ALL!

When the plane landed, we diverged, with me hopping into a cab to get to Base. That's when another ordeal began. I checked in and was put in room 301, and after climbing the stairs with my luggage (the elevator sketched me out), I discovered that 301 was already full. I left my bag in the room and went back to the reception. They apologized and reassigned me to 321. I headed back upstairs, got my bag, made it to my new room, and then ran back downstairs to return 301's key. In 321 I instantly hit it off with three other girls staying there. One of them, Leigh, was heading down to the bar with her friend John and I joined them. Not before attempting to shower in a stall that had no hot water handle, or figuring out how to work my room key in the bathroom door. Phew! We finally made it down to the 'Down Under' bar at Base. All Base bars are the same and it was ladies night so we had a few drinks for cheap. I was so tired and called it a night around 1am.

This morning was where it was freaky - I awoke in excruciating pain. My leg was completely cramping! Has anyone ever had a leg cramp where your muscle spazzes for 20 horrible seconds? The weird thing is I had the exact same thing the morning before, but decided not to blog about it because I thought it was a one-time thing. I also didn't want to blog about my body problems haha but now I'm really hoping this doesn't become a daily occurrence. At the risk of self-diagnosing myself with something awful, I Googled my issue and was relieved to hear it's common and often happens in the morning after sleeping. I'll keep you all posted, to your undeniable delight! ;)

Today I'm going to figure out my plans and see a lot of Brisbane. I'm looking forward to taking it easy and walking around. As if I haven't been taking it easy, eh? Stay tuned!

After the boat is the after-party

2010-03-05T19:22:00.001-08:00

I love Bruce Springsteen. If one of his songs is playing, then I'm finding out where it's coming from, which is why I'm now sitting in this internet cafe where the Tunnel of Love album is on. I thought I'd post a quick blog before taking off, literally, to Brisbane. I'm also charging my pink mp3 player so I can listen to some MIA on the plane. In other words, I'm killing 5 hours before I head to Proserpine airport and leave the 33 degree humidity for maybe cooler and wetter weather.

Last night was a blast! Airlie Beach is a huge party town - and by huge I mean intense, like camping (inside joke) haha. In-tense, aka in tents, like camping, ohhh Dane. So I took a much needed shower and it was heaven. After 3 days of being sticky and salty in the humid ocean air, and being cramped onboard a boat, I had a bathroom larger than 2 feet and a cold shower that wasn't also occupied by a toilet. I clean up nice, and once I was done, I was ready for a night on the town. Somehow I've managed to make due with my amount of clothes and I put together a somewhat original outfit for the big Anaconda after party. (Left: Nadia, Bo and I at Phoenix).

I was ready early and went for a walk down to the beach, then went to Magnum's to have a pint as I waited for Nadia to join me. She arrived when my glass was half full and slowly others met us at the outside patio. I met two awesome Canadians, Mandy and Heath, traveling on the Anaconda, and they also happen to live close to Toronto. We are already planning a Canadian reunion. They arrived at Magnum's and so did Bo, and we all had a pre-after party before heading to Phoenix for 7. The bonus was we all got free pizza. The downside was the pizza was extraordinarily late in being delivered, thank you Domino's.

By 8:30, nearly everyone from the cruise was at Phoenix. I tried, and loved snake bite, a pitcher of beer with a shot of some sweet syrup. It's amazing! I downed a few of those and once the crew arrived, I was informed that 'Stompa', one of the crew (see pic to the left), had a treat for me at the bar. I made my way over and the jagger bombs started flowing! I personally really actually sort of dislike jagger bombs, but I had two.... maybe that's why the world is slightly swaying right now (that and the post-boat rocking).

I got to meet the owner of the Anaconda, a really nice millionaire who invited me to join him and a few others on his boat today and tonight. Unfortunately I had to decline as my flight for this afternoon was booked. That would've been amazing, though! Apparently his yacht is pure luxury - he owns a few of the sailing businesses here and rakes it in, assuming he charges similar fees for all his shipping cruises.

We danced and drank and partied it up at Phoenix before heading to Paddy's. At Paddy's, we basically did the same thing, but it was a bit more laid back with better music, in m.o. From there we headed to a third bar called Mama Africa's, which was way more clubby. By this time it's 2am and I'm exhausted. Me, Nadia, and Steff, an awesome German girl who worked on the Anaconda left and headed back to the hostels (see pic to the right).

This morning I got to sleep in til 8:11am. I've already managed to spend a bit too much money today, purchasing a gorgeous dress for Hawaii, and a few tops! I was just in a store called 'Amazing Place', yes, original, but it is indeed amazing. It's full of neat trinkets, oils, jewelry - it's kinda like 'Sharon's Place' on Bayview in T.O. Anyhoo, I found a really funny coffee table book I had to buy and now I'm ceasing my shopping spree to chill out by a computer (even though the ocean IS just right outside). I am hiding inside for a bit, though, as I'm sunscreen-less and the UV is 15 today... that's like a solar flare for Canada, and I'm already a bit roasted, so I'll wait it out until 2 or so. Then hit the beach, catch my plane, and arrive in Brizzy for a few nights. That's where I'll pick up again - I can't wait for Friday and Vancouver and to see Kates... it's been SOOO LONG since I've seen SISTO!!! Can't wait!

Aboard the Anaconda

2010-03-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

For 3 days and 3 nights I've been tossed around on the gorgeous, turquoise ocean somewhere in between Airlie Beach and The Great Barrier Reef, which I'll refer to as the GBR from here on in. What an amazing time! I left with good expectations and a little weary about what I'd signed up for. Several hundred dollars had come out of my bank to pay for my last days in Australia and I wanted it to be amazing and worth every penny. It was the best experience and what a change from these past two months.

I arrived in Proserpine from Brisbane, which is not on daylight savings, so I was thrown back an hour, and took a shared cab to Airlie. I made it to Magnums hostel, the name of which probably is drawn from the wild town that is Airlie, and checked in for the Anaconda III, a 100 foot sailing yacht departing that evening. I left my big packpack at the Magnum's luggage storage as we weren't allowed any zipped luggage on board. I later found out this was because of bed bugs which can nest in zipper crevices - gross.

I went for a culturally-challenged dinner at Subway before walking over to the harbour. It was a gorgeous night, but the week had suffered much rain, and more was predicted to come. I didn't let the weather get me down when the sunset cracked through the clouds - I had a good feeling. I looked out over the harbour, having arrived early at the meeting spot for Anaconda, and took some pics and reflected on life - I'm good at that.

While I was sitting on the boardwalk chilling, I heard a high-pitched British voice behind me. I turned to see a girl, wearing a bikini under her tank top and shorts, her hair tied up and she was carrying a cloth bag with no zippers. She was definitely Anaconda material, I thought. She asked if I was also about to board the ship and we hit it off right away. Her name is Nadia and she's from the real Stratford in England. She's the funniest person with awesome stories. We immediately met another girl named Bo and as more people showed up, I soon realized what a good idea it was to book the Tuesday to Friday trip.

Soon, Carrie, one of our crew, showed up and ushered us to the dock where we went over a couple of things. Sporty and energetic, Carrie informed us of the groundrules, like no bringing booze or bananas on board. Booze I can understand, but the bananas come from them being a bad omen and making food rot faster at sea. We then picked up our wet suits, or stinger suits, and headed to the ship. Champagne was immediately thrust in our hand. The boat looks smaller than you imagine, and once all 32 of us are on board, it's kinda cramped. You really get to know people fast and the motto, 'dirty is sexy' becomes a daily statement with only 1-minute shower time and salty air.

The temp outside didn't change once we hit the open water. The waves were so rough heading out to Whitsunday, I actually thought I'd puke, but was able to overcome it on deck. A few people did yack over the side, a common occurrence for many first-timers. Actually, as I type this, I still feel like I'm rocking back and forth ever so slightly.

One interesting factor was the room. I was randomly assigned a two-person room and my roommate was this british guy who we'd all met while waiting for the crew to get us. Chris is his name, so Chris and I were shown the tiny cabin room and dropped off our bags before heading back on deck to overcome the seasickness. It's like walking in a fun house all the time.

Mornings start at 7am onboard the Anaconda. The food is amazing, there's always a breakfast spread of toast, cereal, fruit and all the tea you can drink. But because we start so early, I always felt hungry by 10am. We'd start the day off right after breakfast. The first morning we went out to a smaller reef by the islands, not the GBR itself, but still really pretty. I snorkelled and then had a scuba lesson. It's awesome! When you snorkel, you feel like you're flying over an underwater civilization. The reef just drops into the depths and fish are all swimming around the coral. I saw many sea turtles and many references to Nemo were made. I couldn't help but get the Jaws music in my head while snorkelling - the famous 'dah dah' Jaws music, but also the eerie harp music that plays during the opening credits of the movies.

I then made the mistake of tanning on the bow of the ship after lunch, using sunscreen but neglecting my thighs which turned red later that day. Almost everyone was suffering from some sort of burn on some part of their body but a few jokes were made at my expense by the crew. They are all so fun! I can't believe their lives - they sail around the islands for a living, tanning, meeting new people, and being in the water. It sure beats a desk job. The guys who teach diving absolutely LOVE what they do. Simon, one of the divers, reminds me of a pirate scallywag in appearance, but is the nicest guy. Max is the heart breaker of the group and he's from New Zealand! At one point my scuba belt wasn't closing so he had to help - haha it was actually good he helped or I could have drowned, well maybe not ;)

We made it to the GBR the next and snorkelled all day. It's fabulous! Our skipper, Baz, a 50-something weathered and extremely intelligent sailor, and I had a long chat the second night, all about his adventures sailing around the world and diving at the reef. I felt like I was in Pirates of the Caribbean, chatting with this rough around the edges captain on the bow of a ship in the complete moonlight. He explained the GBR perfectly - its the biggest city in the world. It is! It's so full of life and growth, it's amazing to watch. I followed a sea turtle, who is named Crush, as he floated serenely through the warm water (it was 26 degrees in the water). What a life.

Today we made it to Whitehaven beach. It's truly paradise! The sand is so fine, it's 98% silica. Amazing! We walked all around, swam and had to go back to the ship by 10am. Just as the dinghys were coming to pick us up, a guy not from our cruise calls me over and asks me to take a picture of him on the cliffside above the water. He specifially asked for 8 or 9 pics, and proceeded to climb up the cliff, pausing to pose in various spots and in questionable positions. At one point, he started doing pushups on the rock and I'm down on the beach taking pictures of this guy like a creeper. When he made it to the top of the cliff he assumes the gladiator position - outstretched right arm and left arm arced above his head. It was quite the interesting situation. Turns out, the guy is Canadian from Toronto - I'm always meeting people in the most random places! First the LOTR gang, now this body builder from T.O.

The cruise back was great and we all departed this afternoon, only to go back to our hostels. What amazing weather we had - we didn't have to fret about any rain. It was sunny every day and so warm.

Tonight is the goodbye party at Phoenix bar in Airlie, where we get free food and beer and party with the crew. I can't wait! I gotta go, my internet time is almost up. One week left - I can't believe it!

At the airport - final phase in motion

2010-03-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

I'm at the Sydney airport, about to catch a flight to Proserpine via Brisbane. My one concern is the weather - heard its kinda rainy en route and maybe even at the destinash.

I booked a travel cruise through the Whitsundays, going to the barrier reef!!! It's 3 days and 3 nights, I can't wait but have no idea what to expect. Apparently I need a sting-ray suit, which is a tight-as-heck black wetsuit, so I'll be sure to get a pic of me looking like I work at Sea World.

The sailboat I'm on is 100 feet long, and quite luxurious, if the price is any sign. I've heard amazing things so far! Then Airlie beach for a few nights before heading back down south, last destination: Sydney, to fly out on March 12. This trip is going by so fast now :(

More stories from the sailing cruise to come...

Weekend party at Sheaf

2010-02-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's my last official day in Sydney before heading up the coast... at least I expect it is. I'm sitting in Tribal Travel, an awesome agency in King's Cross. They have free internet and it's raining out, so I expect I'll be here for a while, at least until I can meet with my travel guy to discuss plans.

While it's hard to top dinner with Donny-T, Saturday night was a close second here in Sydney. I bought the hottest dress - black with a gold design on it, and was planning on wearing it to Alana's house warming at Sheaf, a super-cool bar a short cab ride from Bondi. But first, we headed back to Dane's old place on Bronte and pre-drank with everyone. Trish and I (see pic on the left) cabbed it over to the beach. It was gorgeous outside! Nearly full moon, Bondi was packed with people, and we were all dressed up and ready for a sweet night out. Trish looked gorge in a coral dress and we both agreed my outfit choice was a winner (wow, don't worry my life isn't just about dressing up!)

About 12 of us packed onto Dane's old veranda overlooking the ocean. The guys had coincidentally (or not, perhaps it was planned) all worn white tee's and jeans, so they all resembled the days of boy bands. We drank beer and left around 11 for the bar. We accidentally left Aaron, Dane's friend, behind - or he just didn't clue into the fact we'd all left, because we got a text from him saying 'where are you guys, how am I gonna get to the bar now'. If you knew Ikin, you'd big time appreciate the humour.

Sheaf is AMAZING! It's all outside, and split into about four different courtyards on two storeys. We drank beer and met up with Alana and her friends on the second floor. The night was perfect! I'm so glad I stuck around for the weekend. (Right: pic of me and Mitch, Dane`s old roomie).

The next morning consisted of McDonald's and a long run along the coast from Bondi to Bronte to make up for it. This was my usual route whilst staying at Dane's in January and it felt surreal to be back there again, doing the same run I'd done in the start of my trip, but now able to think about all that's happened. What a humbling experience. The guys were all at Dane's old place and I stayed to watch a bit of Superbad and pick up my sandals I'd left there the night before in place of my heels.

It was also tsunami watch 2010 for Bondi. The earthquake in Chile had apparently set off tsunamis worldwide and Sydney was on the lookout. We did notice a lower tide than normal but nothing hit. I ran back to Bondi in the rain and stopped to lookout at the water for a few minutes, drenched in the rain but completely content. I don't know when I'll be back there, so I wanted to take it in. I did.

Last night we all went to see Shutter Island with Leo Dicaps. It's nuts! It's definitely a psychological thriller with an unpredictable ending. Leo's performance is awesome and I didn't predict the twist, save for one thing that I won't giveaway here. Today I've been hanging out in Sydney and am sorting out my life - what a task!

Canada won gold!! Can't forget to mention that here, although everyone knows by now. I watched it this morning and it was amazing. I'm sad I wasn't at McMullen's with the guys, although I did see pics - it's sooo snowy there.

So here I am. I'll keep you posted on the next move, although it will probably be straight up to the islands to soak in the sun. I don't have much time left. I fly out of Sydney on March 12 to go to Vancouver to reunite with Kates and I can't wait! It's been so long since I've seen sisto, or even talked on the phone... crazy in sisto-time. But now, I've got to focus on the next 24 hours and get my act together or I'll waste the last 2 weeks.

Dinner with Don in Sydney

2010-02-26T18:34:00.001-08:00

Friday nights in downtown Sydney are known for many things, and swanky restaurants with pools by the bar are fashionable post-work destinations for the elite. This type of place happened to be my destination yesterday. For a girl backpacking alone through Australia, who is not so used to the haute life a city brings and moreso used to hostels and condiment-less sandwiches for lunch and dinner, this would be a big change of scenery.

My dinner date was Don Tapscott, entrepreneur, international best-selling author, and close friend, who happened to be traveling through Australia to attend and speak at a few conferences. We'd arranged to meet on the 26th of February in Sydney at 6:30pm, in the lobby of the Westin hotel right outside Martin Place metro stop. Needless to say, I started preparations for this evening 3 hours earlier - showering (thank God, as UJ would say), primping, carefully choosing my outfit and enjoying a solo beer just before heading out. (Left: me excited in the bathroom at the Westin).

I was also very lucky to have stumbled upon an accidental, 7-day, free gym membership only 1 block from Dane and Trish's. I saw a sign saying you could get a free trial workout if you bought a guest pass and went in to investigate. Luckily, the guy seemed to be partial to Canadians and when he found out I hadn't been to a gym in 2 months, he handed me the free pass at no expense. I don't know exactly how to interpret this gesture... ha.

I had a great workout on an actual elliptical!! - my first since 2009, and watched the Canadian Hockey Girls win their gold medals and sing as our flag rose up high in the Vancouver arena... woooo, go girls!

So, after my workout and after a few hours of primping, I was on the subway making my way through town like a real Sydneysider. I'm very familiar with the city now and knew exactly where to go. What a change from when I arrived here Dec. 30. I arrived a bit earlier at the Westin and wandered through the swanky lobby. It's a gorgeous hotel with 3 restaurants/bars, all packed with happy-hour celebrators.

Don came downstairs and met me in the lobby a few minutes past half-six and we went for a glass of wine in the hotel before heading to our restaurant. It was so great to see Don! We chatted non-stop, I found out all about his tour to Sydney and 'MEL'-bourne (the city name was a hit with Don), and he heard all about my travels.

We then walked a short block to the restaurant with the bar-side pool. It's called Ucchello's, and typically requires a 2-month-in-advance reservation. Let's just say, Don pulled some strings. We both had margaritas by the pool. What a place! It was full of highfallutin people, all keen to spend their paycheques on $25 drinks and some of the best cuisine in Sydney. We were ushered to the front when it came time to sit down for dinner and our table was in the centre of the place. Service was impeccable, complete with a sommelier and at least four waiters/hostesses checking in on us. I've never been treated like that at a restaurant before... ever! (Left: Don and I at Ucchello`s).

Dinner consisted of a few appetizers, tuna and calamari, although they were called something much more elegant, and a delicious pasta dish we split. Dessert was decadent, a mousse-y, creamy, spongey thing that I'm not doing any justice to by explaining it this way. Don and I went for more margaritas by the pool afterwards and then headed out. I caught a cab home and by this time it was really late!

What a time. Thanks so much, Don, if you're reading this! You definitely made up for most of my living conditions these past few months. Although, I must say, I wouldn't trade in any of my hostel experiences for more places like Ucchello's. Don had a great point - that it's often more fun to live the way I've been living, instead of being waited on and taken care of everywhere you go. It's a treat for special occasions that keeps it special.

This morning I woke up late to a Saturday on Bondi. The weather is amazing. Not a cloud. My destination is the beach, then the gym, then home to get ready. Tonight, Dane's old roomie, Alana is having a house-warming party and EVERYONE is going. Can't wait! I bought a new dress to wear and am sooo excited to see my Sydneysiders again. Tomorrow I think I'll lie low and start my travels again on Monday. Well, gotta run catch the sun.

Last days in New Zealand

2010-02-25T16:27:00.000-08:00

Location: McDonalds, McCafe, Bondi Beach, Sydney
Day and time: Feb. 26 at 11:28am

Mood: Ecstatic!!!!

Let me just say how amazing New Zealand was!! I left with a heavy heart, but with memories that will last forever. My a-team/posse/new amazing friends from all around the world were slowly dispersing and it was time to move on with the rest of our trip plans. But first, let me backtrack....

I picked up my adorably sexy, hot little Toyota Camry rental car - baby blue, and an upgrade from the small car I'd requested - and at no extra charge. WOW! the Freedom!!!! I could taste it. Binnie gave me an escort on the highway out of Wellington to my freeway exit and I waved bye to Binnie and Joshie in their car as I coasted north on highway 1. While leaving Wellington, I was able to drive through the 'beep beep' tunnel, as Joshie calls it. It's sort of an unspoken rule for Wellingtonians, to beep like crazy as they drive through this tunnel beneath the mountain. Joshie just loves it! I beeped like mad also, it was a declaration to the world of my imminent freedom in my rental car.

The drive to Rotorua was FABULOUS! More than a feeling!!!! haha sorry that song just came on here at McDonalds. I drove for 6 hours on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, stopping every now and then for breaks. I arrived in Rotorua, checked into my hostel at around 7:30pm, and felt like something was missing. DUH, it was my 6 amazing peeps I'd been traveling with in NZ for the past week. They were elsewhere on the north island accomplishing more than is humanly possible to accomplish and I knew I needed to get to them.

One night in Rotorua later, I decided to check out the Waiotapu hotsprings 20 mins out of the city. They are incredible!! Just watching the activity of the hot springs, the bubbling sulpherous goop lurking below the surface, was spectacular. The volcanic activity on the North Island is unbelievable. The whole area is active volcano, something eerie to think about. I wandered in and around Waiotapu before heading back to the hostel. I checked my Facebook when I got back and saw a few messages from my peeps -- they were nearby! Bent on seeing them again, I checked out of the hostel and hopped into my car, without much knowledge of where I was driving to.

Let me just say, this is one of the best decisions I made on the trip. The 4 hour drive up north to Whitianga from Rotorua was the best drive I've ever been on. It was just me, my hot car, my music, and the gorgeous weather and views. The road wound like crazy up mountains and then would go flat again on the long countryside. Farms are everywhere, so are sheep. At this time it was around 4pm in the afternoon. This is my favourite time of day. The sun is setting and it hits the landscape at a perfect angle. It makes everything look so angelic and peaceful. I was so far away from home and away from everyone I knew, but I was so happy knowing I was on my own in such a gorgeous place.

I stopped in Waihi, a little town near my destination. I wanted to ask for directions so I hopped into a travel place 1 minute before it closed. It happened to be right across the street from an old mill building, with giant stone ruins. I had to check it out. With time to spare I crossed the street and went to look at this old building foundation. What a find! It was absolutely unique and breathtaking. I spent a few minutes taking photos of it and then hopped back in my car to continue on the route.

At one point I was driving on a windy road, with golden leaves that had fallen from a stretch of trees alongside, and I pulled over to change into my new dress. I was stopped in front of the cutest farm, it could have been a hobbit's place. I was in awe. If I could do this drive again, I would in an instant.

I stopped to take many pictures and arrived in Whitianga around 7pm. My group hadn't arrived yet so I had time to check out the beach. I brought my camera and was taking my usual self-pictures when a guy walked nearby and I asked him to take my pic. He asked me what I wanted in the background, but I thought he asked what WAS my background. So I replied 'Canada' completely straight-faced and he was like, uhhhh, ok. Then I clued in and we had a good laugh.

My friends arrived 20 mins later and it was such a great reunion!! It was the best day/night ever - great hostel, we went for dinner at a place called Smitty's then walked along the amazing beach -sooo great! I was so happy to see them again. It's great to be in these small towns with good people. I prefer them to the bigger cities by far.

The next day we went to Cathedral Cove, named so for the giant rock formation that forms a cathedral archway, separating two pristine beaches. The waves were vicious, the sun was hot, and we lounged for 4 hours. I'm sooo glad I did this. It was the best way ever to end my NZ phase.

We then had to drive to Auckland that day (February 23), so we left at 4-ish and drove along the coast, up around Coromandel and along the seaside. Linda came with me in my car and we had major mp3 issues - the music wasn't working. So we tuned into the Coromandel radio station and the first song that comes on is Fireflies!! We DIED!!! That is our song, it's the epitomy of the trip. We BLASTED it and coasted along the oceanside - what an amazing drive.

We arrived in Auckland late, after I took the wrong exit but made a quick recovery, with Linda laughing hysterically in the car as colourful language flew out of my mouth when we lost sight of the other's van. We shared a 6-bed dorm and went to the bar, unimpressed with it but staying for a few pints nevertheless.

The next morning, there was a strange feeling. Dave and I both were flying out that day and the others had plans to go visit more of the beautiful north. I was envious but knew the time had come to say goodbye. After a breakfast of muesli and a soggy peach muffin, we all made it to the cars and Dave and I said our tearful goodbyes, all of us promising to keep in touch and have a reunion in a few year's time. Then, the van drove off as Dave and I stood, quietly waving our arms off. Thank God I had Dave. I'd have been so depressed without him. We chilled in town for a few hours before I caught my plane to Sydney. I said goodbye to the bloke from Darlinghurst and watched as Dave walked off down the street in Auckland, armed with his giant backpack and knowing he had 83 hours of travel ahead of him to get home. I know how it feels and we're all the same.

I flew back to Sydney, jumped on a subway and was welcomed with open arms into Dane and Trish's apartment, which is RIGHT ON THE BEACH! We went to Bondi and tanned all day yesterday. Last night's dinner consisted of Bondi Pizza, the best pizza joint I've ever been to, and I treated my two hosts.

Tonight is going to be amazing. Don Tapscott is taking me out for dinner in Sydney!! And that will be where my next blog starts....

But quickly, here's another acceptance speech. I love New Zealand. Traveling is all about saying goodbye and it's been quite painful at times. I've never felt so sad to leave people I've just met and I've never wished so much to rewind time and relive all that we've done. It's so bitter sweet but I just know the memories are all that matter and there will be way more good times to come. So I just wanted to say, THANK YOU... Thanks for taking a chance on a nerdy girl on the Lord of the Rings tour....

In the words of Dave Hatton, "what the *#&# is wrong with New Zealand?"

I concur, Dave, it's perfect.

In the words of the ginger boy "THIS IS THE BEST VACATION EVER!!!!"

Beachside with Binnie

2010-02-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, the beach, the sun, the waves and the hills - life has been exceedingly normal the past few days compared to the week I just came from, but they contained all these wonderful things Kiwis often take for granted. I left off, standing in the rain, waving goodbye to my friends as they drove off down the street in Wellington, gung-ho for more fun, while I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd been living out of a van for many days and the thought of an actual house, with my own room and bathroom sounded like a funny joke too good to be true. When traveling, you often have to shift your frame of mind, so I immediately began to think of this weekend as my 'down time' at home. So far, it's been amazing!

I wandered the streets of Welly-wood for a few hours before meeting Binnie, mom's family friend from Branksome. She picked me up and we drove to her place, and I could tell instantly that we'd get along really well. Binnie is from Toronto but moved to New Zealand many years ago, so it was cool hearing her Canadian/Kiwi accent but also nice to be with someone from home.

Binnie has an adorable 3 year old son named Josh who we picked up from daycare then went home. It was Thursday night and we kept it low key, with wine and chicken for dinner, followed by an early bed time. While this doesn't sound too exciting, it was for me - I have my own room, my own bathroom, and an internet I can use without having to deposit $2 every half hour. Luxury!

Friday was a day that will go down in history as one of those surreal yet totally comfortable experiences. I slept in til 11 at Binnie's insistence and then we went for a drive to the Kapiti coast, near her house but right on the beach. We walked along the beach, ate fish and chips, and paused for photo ops whenever possible. The day finished off with a ride up to the Mt. Victoria lookout that overlooks the entire city, and a stop at the park where Josh played by the beach.

Today, I awoke earlier to go watch Josh's super spectacular soccer game. Every Saturday morning here in the summer kids 1-7 play soccer (wow, alliteration!), which is more like describing little ones in oversized Beckham jerseys kick the ball a distance of two feet (and this is with all their might) and miss the goal when they are only inches away. It's adorable! It's like watching someone really inexperienced play Wii or Xbox - you just want to help but you also know you can't. Josh is a super energetic kid and he actually ran around more practicing soccer with me before the game started.

Afterwards, Binnie and I headed to the local fair, where at least 6 blocks of a main street in Petone were blocked off for various shops and rides. We were both sucked into one particular booth selling gorgeous and unique wrap dresses and I bought two - yikes! One for Kates, of course, but we can both share. Kate you will LOVE THESE. I tried one on and a few people gasped, they were so nice. Or, maybe they gasped in horror, either way, I bought some. I then sampled a hot dog, followed by a quesadilla, then it was time to head out.

I'm very excited. Firstly, tonight I'm going to a real live Rugby match downtown. Wellington is playing Perth and I'll be cheering for Wellington. Second, tomorrow I have successfully rented a car and am driving myself to Rotorua and then to Auckland. Binnie is so amazing and has already let me practice left-hand-side-of-the-road driving here, and we'll do some more tomorrow. Luckily, the highways are very straight forward, literally, so she thinks I'll have no trouble, but I'm going to be texting her every now and then just in case to check in. I can't wait! One of my biggest to-do's has been to rent my own car and sail down the road with the window down and good music, so if all goes to plan, that's my life for the next 3 days. I'm still unsure if it will happen, since there is a shortage of rental cars in New Zealand and I was already turned down by another car rental place because of availability. If I'm turned down again, then I have to take a bus and it'll delay me a day. Everyone cross your fingers!

So, I'll let you know how things go when I get to Rotorua. I can't believe my NZ trip is almost over and I'll be so sad to think about that, so I won't do so yet. Can't wait to meet up with my a-team in Auckland.

If 10 million fireflies...

2010-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

For anyone checking my blog often, I apologize that it's been a week since my last post. For those just checking in, here is a recap of all the excitement of the past week! I had just left Christchurch when I last wrote, with little idea of all that was going to happen in just 7 days. I jumped on an 8-hour bus to Queenstown and booked a room at Base for one night. Feeling a little lonely for the first time in 6 weeks, I quickly made friends with a British girl in my dorm named Sadie (pic to the right). Fun and bubbly, Sadie reminded me much of Alicia Miller (family friend) in a really crazy way! We got dinner and hung out at the bar that night, but I was exhausted and I went to bed early, knowing I had to plan my next day carefully.

Now this is where I have to pinch myself every time I think about it. Do you remember the tour I took to go to the Lord of the Rings site? Well, do you also remember that I bumped into a group of 6 young people also traveling through New Zealand in a van and that I made friends but then said goodbye to them to return to the LOTR group? Do you also remember Ben's 'yes you can, no you can't' messages to me about whether I could join then in the van? Well I heard from Ben, one of the peeps in the group, and they needed an extra person for their van to travel around New Zealand. I was a bit apprehensive as I didn't know them, but after coordinating for several days, the plans were in motion. The only downside was that I couldn't take full advantage of Queenstown. This was ok, since I'm not the jump-out-of-a-plane type, or the swing-from-a-bungy-cord-over-a-river person, and this is the essence of Queenstown. So, I caught a bus to Wanaka the next morning (February 12, Friday) to meet up with the group. (Group pic from left: Monika, Dave, Ben, Josie, Coralie and Linda).

Within 24 hours, I went from CHCH to the back backseat of a camper van next to the most adorable German girl I've ever seen named Linda (see pic to the right). Linda and I hit it off right away. The group consisted of 1 Belgian, Josie, 2 Germans, Linda and Monika, 1 American, Ben, 1 English guy, Dave, and 1 French girl, who we all called Frenchy, or Coralie (her real name). There I was, sitting in the back of a van winding its way along the beautiful and remote roads of the South Island of New Zealand. The music was on, the weather was fair, and the 7 of us were off on a big adventure.

The whole group had met in Christchurch after Ben put up an ad looking for travel companions. Turns out, Linda and Monika had been on my Melbourne flight to Christchurch! They welcomed me into the group with open arms and my dream of traveling around New Zealand with a group in a car became reality. (Left: me in front of cairns at Lindis Pass, along west coast in NZ).

Our first night we ended up in Fox Glacier with one catch - there were no hostels. Luckily, the 7 of us clever travelers knew how to blend in and look like we were paying guests, when in reality we all just picked a spot on the floor of the hostel lounge once everyone had turned in and we slept there. Ahhh the joys of traveling!

It wasn't until the end of Day 1 when we realized that the locking mechanism on the trunk of the van was broken. It was locked shut, unopenable, and all of our bags were buried inside. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to load a van from the middle seat? Well, we became quite good at it, establishing an assembly line of sorts, with Dave tasked with positioning the luggage. It turns out we managed to pack more efficiently with the trunk door welded shut, than opened, and Monika, the driver of us all, could finally see out the back.

The following day it was miserable and rainy. You couldn't see any scenery and we spent our time inside the hostel where we weren't technically guests and played games. I started to excel at Trivial Pursuit, stumping Ben, the Harvard graduate a few times. We then curled up and watched Empire Records before leaving the hostel around 5pm.

We lived night by night, calling hostels and motels the day of to ask if they had accomodation, and often we were turned away but kept on persevering.

At the end of Day 2 we hopped in the van (no easy task with 12 bags and 7 folks) and drove to Franz Josef glacier (Nina, it IS AMAZING!). We got a motel with lots of beds and couches to make up for our previous night, but first decided to check out the hike to the glacier. It was a bit nicer out so we walked for 40 minutes to investigate what our route for the following day should be. Then we went for dinner in the cute little town of FJ and found an Indian place. We were never short on conversation or laughs.

Day 3 we did the Franz Josef glacier and hiked all the way to the bottom. However, with time constraints and money constraints, we decided to forego the $100 inside-the-glacier hike and just admire it from its base. It was a good idea, as the weather wasn't the best and we had to hit the road and drive up to Nelson that night! Funnily enough, though, at the glacier I bump into Sadie, my Queenstown hostel mate! I love meeting people in random spots.

So, after the glacier we all climbed into the camper van and hit the road, but stopped at the pancake rocks for everyone to see. I was so happy to go back there and felt kinda cool as the others called me their tour guide for knowing where to go. Oh, Canadians, we know so much! I also decided that the pancake rocks undeniably needed a restaurant where they serve pancakes. It's the perfect niche market. I also decided to name this restaurant 'Pancakes Rock' and announced this brainchild idea to Ben who, although concurred, probably thought I was nuts. It really was hilarious.

Stopping for dinner in a cute little town, we cracked open the beers. Did you know that in New Zealand you are allowed to have open beers consumed in a moving vehicle, provided the driver himself isn't drinking? So we took the party on the road on the way to the next destination. Drinking also leads to needing to pee, so twice we had to pull over in the pitch blackness of the New Zealand open road and pee in the bush. Laughing hysterically and screeching at what we thought might be the odd spider, the drive took a little bit longer than planned.

We arrived in Nelson, once again hostel-less, but we knew we could probably pull off another lounge-sleep so we did that but as it was late, we only got about 5 hours of sleep before heading off again.

So that brings us into Day 4 - Abel Tasman National Park!! I'm so glad we spent more time there because it was certainly the most beautiful part. It was finally sunny, and after a quick stop over at the mechanics to fix the trunk mechanism (which earned Collin, our mechanic, a round of applause), we carried on up the mountains and down to the coast. What a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the air was warm, and we did a 3-hour beach walk along the water.

The walk consisted of many obstacles, including beaches full of rock that required extreme walking precision, but we all did it successfully and reaped the benefits of a private beach in the end. We went for a swim, too, and it was just surreal to be in the water in a private cove with my new friends and on the bottom of the planet.

Linda's favourite expression is "Ohhhhh Nooooo", spoken in her high-pitched, adorable German accent, and throughout the trip we'd frequently imitate her to everyone's amusement. Ben is a soon-to-be stand up comic and was able to practise many a joke on us, so we were never short of entertainment. He's also got a great knack for voice impressions, Smeagol is one of them and so is the Nazgul, a demonic dragon/snakelike creature that the Ringwraiths fly around on in Lord of the Rings. We'd frequently ask for his impressions and they'd send us into hysterics.

Dave is the soft spoken British bloke from Darlington with adorable feet and hair. He's also the human sand fly, as was typically the first person to get bitten by the little annoying creatures. Think mosquito, but smaller. These things come at you whenever you get out of the car. By the end, Dave was covered in bites, and after counting them, he could find 73 individual attacks on his body. Josie has a song we all like to break out and sing and it goes like "we love you Josie, we do, we love you Josie, we do, ohhhh Josie we love you!" and Dave was typically the first to initiate a sing a long. Josie also knows a lot of my music and we frequently broke out into song while waiting for the crew to get organized. Monika, mother Monika, our driver, is so fabulous, as she was in charge of transporting all of us around and she did so flawlessly along the winding, sharp corners of the New Zealand bush. Frenchy would often wander off, so we developed a game and counted how many times during the day we'd ask, "Where's Coralie?" Sometimes it would get up to 11 times.

Our theme song is.... Fireflies by OWL CITY!!!! Kate, I know, how crazy is that? "You would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies..." haha. The story is that the guys love that song and sing it exactly like that band. But my story is the day I flew to Sydney from Toronto, Kate and I heard it on the radio and we both commented on how funny and stupid yet catchy it is - but also it themed my trip just by coming on the radio at that moment. Funny how it's now themed our trip.

The next day we hiked Abel Tasman through the forest and to another secluded beach. The sun was out again and the bugs weren't so bad. When we made it to the beach, it was definitely worth it. Although too cold to swim, we walked in the water, did cartwheels, took photos and had a great time.
It was 10km round trip and we were all pretty exhausted by the time we got back to the car. The next stop was the Picton ferry to Wellington, so we drove for 3 hours to make it to the 10:30pm departure time. The ferry was amazing! Although you couldn't see many sites, we had 3 hours to relax and have a glass of wine before driving to our hostel. We booked into Nomads hostel, a 6-bed dorm so we could all actually have a good sleep.

Yesterday we did Wellington but the weather wasn't so nice. It rained a bit but we walked around, discovered the greatest breakfast spot called Mr. Bun, and tried to see all we could. That night was our last night in Wellington together and we all went out, first to a really swanky place called Matterhorn and then to a bar right next door called Mighty Mighty. It was so great! I ended up dancing like a mo fo at MM before we all left to head back to the hostel around 2am.

The gang had plans to drive up the North Island, but I said I'd stay in Wellington to visit with my mom's friend Binnie. I talked to Binnie yesterday and we said we'd meet today at 1:30pm for lunch downtown. So that is where I am right now. I said goodbye to my little gang of companions, who I've known for only 7 days, but it was 7 intense and fun days of traveling together. Someone should come up with a formula for how long you can say you've known someone compared to how long you've traveled with them. Traveling with people is the easiest and fastest way to get to know someone and it already feels like I've been friends with them for years.

This morning (Thursday at 11:30am right now as I type this) I said bye to everyone and it was a little sad, but I'm meeting up with them in Auckland the day before I fly out to Sydney. It's raining out and I'm still drenched from standing in the rain and saying my goodbyes. What a whirlwind time, I can't believe still how much has happened and how far I've gone. This group of people are the best bunch I could have ever wanted to meet and it's honestly crazy to think about the series of events that have brought me here. I'm off to meet Binnie, who I'm staying with for a few days. She's taking me to a rugby game this weekend and promised to show me around - I'm so fortunate to know such great people.

New Zealand isn't over yet... stay tuned!

The Kiwi, the Aussie, and the Canuck

2010-02-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

And then there were three. Jamie wasn't able to join us on our trip, something I found out 20 minutes after posting my last blog. We completely understood, as he wasn't intending on going in the first place until we all ended up at Christchurch Idol, aka the local karaoke place, and in a drunken state Jamie said he could come.

I also had to go and take care of my cell phone issues. I'd run out of money on my plan and usually am able to go to any Vodafone to top it up. But in New Zealand, you can't top up an Australian phone, so I ended up getting a NZ SIM card, with a new number. Mum, Uj, I'll email it to you.

Either way, Mike (the Kiwi) met Zoe (the Aussie) and me (the Canuck) at the Base hostel around 10:30am yesterday (Wednesday) and we headed out on the open road. We were really lucky with weather even with the 2.5hour journey through the mountains looming before us. If you look at a map of New Zealand, you can see Greymouth, our destination, on the mid-north, west coast side of the south island, so we literally drove across the entire country in half a day. The mountains usually dictate erratic weather but we left in the bright sunshine, 25 degrees outside, with a good feeling it would stay that way.

Our road trip was amazing. Pumping the tunes, we had flat country for the first 45 minutes and that's just when you start to see the first of the mountains on the horizon. They looked like really defined clouds, but you soon realize that's where you are headed. It's so different from Ontario where the only excuse for a mountain is the escarpment (sorry Milton, but it really can't compare). Suddenly, the hills grow all around you and the car goes from driving on a flat plain to winding on sometimes-precarious roads. Mike knew the best places to stop for pictures, so we'd pull up, be the only car on the road for miles, and score these amazing shots of the landscape.

We made it to the landmark of Arthur's Pass, a town on a road that winds between two very high peaks. It's the only place for miles where you can get food and go pee. It's also one of the only places along the route where you can get cell phone reception! I took a photo of myself in front of the weather camera for Arthur's Pass - you can Google pics but while you won't see me, you'll see the views.

Stopping in Arthur's Pass for a meat pie, I had a steak and cheese one, we sat outside admiring the views but were suddenly weary of unwanted guests. These guests are Keas, birds that are so ruthless for food, they'll jump on the table and steal the food from your hand (or worse)! They are giant, parrot-like birds and are in constant attack mode. Under no circumstances can you feed a Kea. They bothered us for a bit but then went off to look for more generous scavengees.

Shortly out of Arthur's Pass we stopped at a lookout just above a river tucked in deep beneath the mountains. The beautiful red trees amongst the green foliage swept up the hills, giving it a Canadian fall-like feel. The pics speak for themselves.

We arrived in Greymouth at around 4pm and headed south down the coast about 20 minutes to a place called Hokitika, famous for jade stones. We went to a store/manufacturer that sells and carves the jade. Jewelry is quite pricey, but the pieces are gorgeous. I bought a little necklace and so did Zoe.

We then headed north up the coast to Greymouth where Mike's sister and husband live with their two kids. We dropped off our things, said hi to the family, and then headed even farther north. This drive was incredible. It was so scenic and we each thought about how it looked very Hawaiian. It was entirely along the ocean coast, with the water going on for thousands of kms before reaching Australia. The sun was setting along the water and it was a beautiful day, still. We drove to Punakaiki, a coastal lookout famous for its pancake rocks. What a place! It was like traveling back millions of years to these huge rocks that formed gradually over time, creating blowholes for the ocean to spew out of in giant bursts. The rocks stand like pillars coming out of the water and long, dark, flowing seaweed grows out of them at the bottom, floating grimly in the water. Zoe so aptly noted how the seaweed resembled the Harry Potter dementors and we all concurred. I could also compare the seaweed to the dead girl's hair in The Ring - creepy.

We stayed and took photos and enjoyed the sights (and ocean smells) for at least 45 minutes before heading back into Greymouth to grab some food. We ate dinner at a pub called Speight's, named after a New Zealand beer. I had the best garlic-thai shrimp. It was a great dinner. We headed back to Mike's sister's and watched some tv, chatted, and Zoe and I went to bed around midnight as we had to leave early this morning to get back to Christchurch.

An interesting thing happened. While quickly checking my email at Mike's sister's place I get a Facebook message from one of the guys who was at the Lord of the Rings tour. Remember how I said I bumped into a group of six people my age? Well I gave the one guy my Facebook info. So, it turns out I got a message from him saying they'd love for me to join then in their van! They said they have one free spot because the British dude is leaving to go home early. But then, I get another message from the Ben guy saying that the British dude is actually sticking around and that they don't have room. Then, I get a third message from Ben saying they figured it out, they can put the luggage on the roof, and that he feels bad for offering a seat to me and taking it away so they are trying to make it work now! Either way, I'm a bit skeptical so will fill you in on that if anything happens.

The drive back to Christchurch was much quicker without all our photo stops, but it was also gloomier with the rain and low clouds. We dropped Zoe off at the airport at noon - we were so sad to see her go! She's been my Christchurch companion this whole time and with such a fluke-y way to meet, and for all we ended up doing, it was so great to meet her and get along so well.

What an amazing road trip we had. Now I can say that I've seen the northwest coast. I've bought my bus ticket to go down to Queenstown already and I leave tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I arrive there at 4:30pm, so it'll be another long day of journeying ahead.

Bye, Christchurch and everybody, I'll really miss it here and remember how amazing it was for the rest of my life. We all made a pact that in 2012, we'd meet each other somewhere for a reunion. While it would be cool to make that spot Greymouth, we decided, for convenience, to make it Vegas.

Ain't no stoppin' us now!

2010-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'all!

That's such a Southern greeting, but I'm mistaken for being American a lot. Most of the locals say they can decipher between my Canuck accent and an American one, but sometimes I can't even do that myself. I guess it's the 'oot' sound, for 'out', that sets me apart. They also love it when I say 'orange' and 'Carl' haha.

I'm sitting in the Cathedral Square in Christchurch, on a for-hire computer charging $3.00 per hour, which isn't too bad a price. It's nice and quiet here, 9:07am, and today Shrek and Donkey are off on another whirlwind adventure.

After leaving you all off in Middle Earth, I returned back to reality to go and stay at Jamie's place for a few nights, as all the hostels were full (well, Base was and I didn't have time to check others haha). What a great place! He lives only a few blocks from the city centre - us Torontonians could compare it to living at Queen's Quay, about 10 mins from Union - that's NOTHING. We all had a lazy day on Saturday - blogging and watching cricket - then we had the best intentions to go and watch a one man play in the park but didn't end up leaving Jamie's, we just stayed there drinking and listening to music.

The listening to music part was a feat and a half. At that moment, what I wouldn't have given for my five computer speakers and sub-wooooooooooofer from home! We sat around for about 45 minutes figuring out how to achieve ample sound with what we had - and we finally did that with some handy technical work.

Sunday was great. The guys took me to Lyttleton and Sumner to see the sights and the ocean. Everywhere is so hilly! The hills are alive, the hills have eyes, and The Hills are all popping into my mind - but this place is so picturesque. We had lattes at a local cafe and then drove up the mountain to the other side to see the OCEAN. Jamie got a video of me epic-running into the water. I only made it to my ankles, but still, I did it. We had beers on the beach listening to a two-man band, known as Stig, the name of the front runner. Mike had to steal the poster to prove what a nut Stig was. He looked like Santa on holiday and sang lousy covers of songs - all with the gall to charge $10 door cover. Luckily we didn't have to pay, but got to rag on the entertainment instead.

We all then headed to a warehouse store we Canadians would compare to Zellers and each had a hankering to watch Anchorman. Only problem - Jamie doesn't own Anchorman. Thinking we'd have no trouble picking up a copy from the giant store, we set out not knowing our task. It took four of us 45 minutes to comb through at least 5,000 dvds and none of us found what we were looking for. It was hilarious! Settling on pizza and Wedding Crashers for our Sunday entertainment instead, we called it an early night.

On Monday I went for the most amazing run through town and to the Botanic Gardens. It was so splendid being out early and getting a workout, something I've been lagging on. I was completely alone for most of it in the gardens, save for the ducks, and I'd love to go again only we are leaving early this morning for another adventure. Then, yesterday afternoon we watched the Superbowl yesterday (I felt like I actually knew more about NFL than I thought I did!), we went for dinner, and then went to sing Karaoke... again. My rendition of 'Be My Baby' was a keeper, wish I'd recorded it.

So that is where I am now. I had no idea I'd be staying in Christchurch for this long, but I love that I have no obligations (no medical? haha) to go anywhere else. Although I know I have to move along soon so I will keep y'all posted as to where that may be. Either way, think of us on our road trip today (me, Zoe, Jamie and Mike), driving up through the mountains and Arthur's Pass to head West for a fun day of sightseeing wonders.... just another day typical day of my IWA. I don't want this to end.

Edoras and the Lord of the Rings tour I actually did

2010-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

I'd booked my hostel for two nights only and when I went to the front desk to ask if they could book me in for a third night, they said unfortunately, we're full. No room at the inn. What to do, what to do, what to do? Got it! Jamie kindly offered me to stay at his parent's apartment right downtown, so that is where I am sitting right now. I am so so so lucky, I couldn't have planned this better. On Thursday night he said of course you can stay over for a few nights and I was relieved I wouldn't have to find another hostel or sleep outside.

But first thing first. I'd actually done it. I actually went into the travel office and booked myself on a day-tour. This wasn't just any day tour. This was the OFFICIAL Lord of the Rings day tour that takes you to where they filmed a large chunk of the second film, The Two Towers. I actually shelled out the $200 for the 9 hour trip, that departed at 9am on Friday morning. I was a little skeptical. Would I be on a bus with complete fanatics, or would this be worth it? So after our night of Karaoke, I woke myself up at 7:30am to pack, check out, and go wait for the tour bus. I was able to store my luggage at Base.

What an excellent morning. It was a bit cloudy when I left the hostel in search of tea and a muffin, but it was warm. I went to the Starbucks on the outer part of the cathedral square in the heart of the city. Mum, I was all set to use my Starbucks card but they didn't accept it. Bummer, I'd have liked to say I used it here. So I bought my venti tea and a blueberry muffin and, armed with my mini backpack and a positive attitude, I set out to meet my little tour bus.

It came around the corner in full force, a 6-wheel, 15-seat bus with the huge letters written on the side: 'Lord of the Rings tours'. I climbed on board in a flash, not keen to have the onlookers associating my face with the cheesy bus. I was met with the faces of my companions for that day, many of whom I anticipated to be on board. There was a cute older couple from Seattle, a group of 3 sexagenarians from Britain, a German girl, and two brothers, one of whom had ginger hair and a minor mental handicap, and the other who was dressed like Neo from the Matrix meets Woody from Toy Story. What a group. I could see I'd fit right in.

One very promising individual was the bus driver named Hammond - a Kiwi version of my Dad, although he had white hair. Dad, I couldn't believe how much this guy reminded me of you!! We had the best bus driver. Not only were we lucky enough to have him take us on the tour (he only works once every two weeks) but he has worked with Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings sets doing sound editing, had won 2 Oscars for his work on the 3rd LOTR ROTK and King Kong, and he knew the location inside and out. He also confessed that the other drivers were not associated with the films at all and that he was the only tour director who had this level of connection to them. WOW! He only told us this full story on the way back and he'd only said he'd done sound editing on the films enroute to the location. But, being the movie buff I am, I did manage to corner him during one of our first pee breaks in a town called Staveley and asked about winning an Oscar for the movie. He looked at me like I was onto something but I'd have to wait for the full story later.

Check out these pics below: First is Hammond, on our tour, and the Second is Hammond (far right) winning his Oscar!

We stopped a few times before actually reaching our destination. Where we were going was called Mt. Sunday, although the LOTR fans will know it as 'Edoras' the location where the mighty king Theoden holds court in the land of Rohan, home of the horse lords. I'm laughing out loud writing this. As we approached, we snaked through the giant hills, with huge, high peaks all around. They had no snow at the top, but would have had some at the time of filming. We stopped at various vantage points to take photos (let me just say how unloading and re-loading people, many of whom are less mobile than others, on and off a bus is quite a task.)

Then, when you truly do approach the mountain, the driver puts on the Lord of the Rings theme music over the speakers and the nerds go insane with excitement. I was full of cringe moments, laughing to myself about where I was and how, if anyone in this world besides Sandy, Nick, Rick or Kate were with me, I'd be getting the death stare for me bringing them there.

By this time, the mentally handicapped ginger boy (he was at least 21) was over the moon with excitement. We climb out of the bus for another photo opp and he's running around the group shouting 'This is the best vacation ever!' and yelling 'I'm feeling LOUD!' We haul ass back into the bus and are literally at the helm of this giant landscape. The driver tells us to buckle our seat belts and proceeds to drive through the rockiest, most unstable area I'd ever seen. I thought we'd tip over multiple times and he advised us to watch our heads on the windows as we were tossed around like salad.

Then, he advised we unbuckle our seat belts. Waiting for the universal 'why? you're crazy' he informed us that we'd be crossing through a shallow river and that should we tip over, our escape would be facilitated without the constricting seat belts. We gladly unbuckled them. Finally, our journey was almost complete. Aside from the cheesiness of it all, it was actually quite a feat to think of how the crew filmed in such a location. The small lump of a mountain is actually 600 ft. above sea level. It is nestled onto the valley floor and surrounding it is a wall of even higher peaks, some four times as large, forming a ring around the valley. Famous for reaching winds of up to 180km/hr, we were very lucky with the sunny, warm day. It's truly breathtaking to see it all. It's phenomenal, I've never seen anything like it in my life.

This is the moment when the driver unloads the legitimately real LOTR weapon props used in the movie and hands it to the true fanatics. He gave the ginger boy the axe to wield around like Gimli and we all slightly questioned this decision. I noticed the other passengers fearing for their lives should this kid swing too wildly and chop off someone's appendage. We kept our distances.

We hiked higher and higher, avoiding the cow dung, until we were at the top of the hill, or on the exact location where the great hall was constructed for the movie. Hammond held up photos to show us what it all looked like when it was built. He pointed to different spots where King Theoden pushed Wormtongue out of the hall and down the steps, and where Theoden mourned for his son by the grave.

My all time favourite part of the movie is in Part 3 when the lighting of the beacons occurs and I asked about the peak where it appeared. It's when Aragorn first sees it and comes rushing to tell the Rohan guys that Gondor is calling for aid. This ever-so-detailed question destroyed my skepticism about whether I truly fit in with all the nerds. I did.

At this point, Hammond was about to show us a particular area where a scene was filmed and he asked for a volunteer to help demonstrate. I was hanging back to take some photos when I overheard the scene he was describing, which called for a young blonde girl. I knew exactly what part he wanted to portray but it was only when the ginger-haired guy started shouting for me to come over did I realize I had no other choice. This is the kind of stuff that would happen to me or Kate. Everyone watched as I followed Hammond to the spot on the edge. He told me to look out in the right direction and stand still. There I was, Eowyn, princess of Edoras, and the other tourists snapped away their cameras with me the focus of the recreation!!!!!! See the comparison:

Wwwwwwow!!!!! The funniest thing is that all 12 other people on the bus will have this exact photo on their cameras to take home and show everyone because as I stood there, trying not to LMAO, they were all taking their photos of me. It was quite the moment in my life.

I even got a pic of me holding a sword, which I won't post, it's just too embarassing...

There were a few other people also visiting the LOTR site in their own group. They were my age, also staying at Base, and they'd rented a camper van to go up to Mt. Sunday. It made me feel even more lame knowing that I was with the official tour haha. One of them asked me to get a group shot of everyone and I got talking to them. There were two guys and four girls, one guy from the States, and they all said to look them up when I get to Queenstown. Wow, what are the chances of meeting people THERE.

The rest of the tour included lunch and champagne back at the cabin. While the other nerds sat inside, I brought my food outside to sit quietly overlooking the gorgeous view. It was another unreal 'am I here' moment, ahhh. We all drove back into Christchurch and Mike picked me up and took me to Jamie's where we chilled and had Thai food. So here I am! What an adventurous two days. So amazing, what a great time so far in New Zealand. I love it here and can't wait for more.

Just to close, I want to say, Happy Bday SHPEE!!! Have such a great day and have fun in Whistler. Check out this special birthday message I did for YOU!! love ya xoxoxox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryOK5wieg6s

Landing in Christchurch and Akaroa

2010-02-05T17:11:00.001-08:00

Oh My Gosh!!! OMG, what a life I am leading... is this for real? Hi everyone, this is the next phase of the trip and it's been incredible.

Remember how I said in my last post, 'we'll see where meeting up with Mike leads?' Well, you have no idea! I left off in Melbourne, so picking up from there, I woke up on Wednesday to go and catch my 5:50pm plane to Christchurch. Philip drove me to the train and it was sad to say goodbye to them, as I'd had such a great 3 weeks staying there. I'd wanted to do something for them so I went to a gift shop and bought them a butterfly made from metal - a really cool decoration that I thought would fit into their home perfectly. I would have liked to do more, though. I also picked up wine and dinner for our last supper and we had vino and tacos. What a great time in Melbourne, sigh.

So, the day of my flight I stopped off at the post office to mail home some items I couldn't carry with me to New Zealand - it wasn't too big of a cost, I think it's worth it rather than facing the hassle of bringing books and souvenirs with me. I sent off my items and they should arrive in Waterloo in three weeks. I had the option of doing the 'sea' service, but that would've taken 3 months!! I'd have been jealous of my possessions still on holiday when I return home in March!

It was very easy getting to the airport and I arrived in plenty of time for the plane. I'm certainly an experienced traveler now, heading off with my backpack, my baby pack strapped onto my chest like a real baby carrier, and my new purse. I love the journey, of having to get somewhere on time and make it there on your own. So, once checked in for the flight I bought a few magazines and waited in the cute, quiet Melbourne airport. I was feeling a bit apprehensive, as I tend to feel before heading somewhere new where I don't know anyone. One good thing - I'd met a new tennis friend named Mike from New Zealand and he lives in Christchurch, so he said we could meet up Thursday. Little did I know!!

The plane ride was great. It was awesome watching the sun set in the distance, and the horizon turned so red as the plane made its way into the night time "The daytime of the night" - Jemaine, Flight of the Conchords haha.

We landed and I had no idea what to expect. I hopped onto a shuttle going into the city. Sitting next to me was a girl also traveling alone. We soon struck up a conversation and I found out that she was Zoe, traveling alone in NZ for a week before heading back to study/her job as a Microbiologist. She's from Melbourne, she was on my flight, and she's going to the same hostel as I am, and I later found out that she was staying on my floor! I love traveling!

So, Zoe and I hit it off right away. We checked into Base and went down to the bar - it was packed- for a beer. Then, the craziest thing happened. I noticed this guy in the bar and thought he looked familiar. He looked at me and we both kinda did the 'I know you but don't know you' thing. He came up to me and asked if I was from Toronto, and I said yes, and it turns out he knows Kate (his name is Andrew T. - forget his last name) but he went to high school with Kate and he was at Base in Christchurch. What a coincidence!!

The next morning Zoe and I went for a walk in town. Our hostel was right downtown. Christchurch is the nicest place. It's so quaint, really easy to walk around in, and lots of sights to see all in one central place. It's very clean and well kept. There's a cathedral, which we went into briefly, and we also went to the botanic gardens. We walked in the small market where they were selling jewellry and trinkets when I got a text from Mike. I thought he'd just be sending some details about that night's dinner but he mentioned he had his car and that he and his friend Jamie were going to drive to Akaroa, the coast near this peninsula and that we should come.

We'd just finished saying how amazing it is to hang out with locals, and now we had some locals who wanted to hang with us! Within 5 minutes we were driving in Mike's car, heading for Akaroa, an amazing little village by the water. It was about an hour's drive of beautiful hills and scenery, and so nice to catch up with Mike, who worked with me on the tennis website, and with his friend Jamie, really awesome guy as well.

We stopped for icecream and to take in the scenery, and drove to the coastal village. What a marvelous spot. There is a salt-water bay in the middle of giant hills, with a long pier and shops along the water. We walked down the pier and I was lucky enough to film a movie of the dolphins swimming! Dolphins, in February! Dolphins, at all?! I couldn't believe it. We then went for fish and chips and beer on the beach. All I can say is 'wow'.

That night the four of us went out for beer at a bar called Dux de Lux, a local pub that was hosting a special evening called PechaKucha night, where speakers get to show the audience a series of 20 photos on a PowerPoint, but the catch is the photos can only be up for 20 seconds each. It's really interesting to learn about the Maori culture (pronounced Mau-ree, like Maui). We heard from 10 people, some were funny, some told really interesting stories about what they do. It was such an amazing thing to listen to. I had one of those moments where you're thinking, am I actually here? Am I actually in New Zealand with these strangers who are now friends listening to this? Unreal moments like that are such treats.

If that was amazing to listen to, then what we did next wasn't. We all went out to sing Karaoke at an Asian Karaoke bar! The way they do it here is there are about 7 rooms and you rent out a Karaoke room so you and your group can sing as much as you like. We had a ball belting out our favourite tunes and by the time Zoe and I got back to the hostel, after KFC and 7-11, it was 3am! But what comes next is even crazier... it needs a new post to describe it.

Okay, last Melbourne post

2010-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Turns out I am able to do one more blog post before leaving Melbourne. I head out tomorrow afternoon to fly into Christchurch, landing around 9pm.

I left off writing about the men's final and it didn't disappoint. The last set between Federer and Murray was a roller coaster ride - a tie break that ended 13-11!! What a match! The biggest treat was still yet to come - our web team got to go and stand down on centre court to get a photo taken of us, and I brought my camera along for the ride. It was so surreal standing on centre court where Federe had JUST played, winning the Australian Open. See the first pic in the previous blog post - that's the writing on the ground where Federer stood to accept his trophy. So cool!
(Pic to the right is Hewitt practicing --- haha mmmm, nice! It's an older pic but just wanted to throw it in there for you.)

Sunday evening was also the bigger staff party for all those involved in putting on the Open. It was held in the player cafe, so after taking photos on centre court, a group of us went over to get our 3 free drinks and mingle. When we arrived, we heard that Federer had just been there to the player cafe to say thank you to the staff - d'oh, missed him again, polkaroo!! I didn't stay too long, and got a ride home with Kim, the head of the Web Team.

Yesterday was relaxed. I went for a nice, long run, and came home to do laundry and clean up. That evening, Tom had plans to take the Trengove family clan out for dinner at France Soir, a very exclusive, swanky place downtown. The Williams' sisters apparently love going there and Henri Leconte had been recently during the two week Open. Did anyone see/hear Leconte's commentary? Amazing! He was very funny and down to earth, it was a popular topic here.

So, I drove to the restaurant with Philip and we met Meg there while the others arrived separately. It was me, Philip and Megan, Deborah, Joan, Alan and Tom. What a cute group! I had a steak poivre, which I thought was too spicy, and some apple pie, which I thought was too bitter. The wine was delicious and the atmosphere was great, so I'm not complaing about a free dinner. Tom was very generous to treat all of us.

Then, I had a second party to go to (ha!), the web team part at Post Office Hotel. Tom and Philip drove me and stopped inside for a beer as well. It was so great to see everyone and you could tell we'd all gotten along really well over the tennis. I've added most of the team to Facebook to stay in touch! (Pic above: part of web team crew, celebrating a great two weeks!)

Right now, I am in an internet cafe in Richmond, a neighbourhood right near the tennis, and afterwards I'm going to look around for a gift for the Davey's. I'm also in charge of picking up dinner ingredients - tacos, so nothing too hard to make - and I'll pick up vino for the last night here in Melbourne. So this time, I can safely say I'll be writing to you next from NZ where I already have plans to meet up with new friends (Mike Steere, a tennis friend from Christchurch).

We'll see where that leads but I reckon it will be a lot of fun!!

Media team party at Long Room

2010-01-31T01:50:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks!!! Federer is playing Murray in the final as I type this. There is a hush in the media area and the arena outside is packed. I can't believe it's almost all over. Working here at the tennis has been the greatest experience ever. I'm tempted to reapply and come back next year, but then I'd be out of pocket a couple thousand... again. (Pic on left is writing on centre court - I got to go stand there and take pics after! See newer blog post).

I've booked my ticket to New Zealand, leaving next week. It only came to $200 one-way, which I thought was a good deal. It's about a four hour flight, I'm really excited. The best part of this so far has been not knowing what's happening next (to some extent). Being stranded in Sydney with no rooms was one thing I probably wouldn't plan the same way if I were to do it over, but not knowing what's coming and where I'll go is so great.

I'm just a bit tired today, and I'll explain why. I got home at 4:30am yesterday - first time in a while I've been out THAT late. But before that, I went out for lunch with a Canadian girl, Nicole, who I met in Bondi Beach in Sydney who is also traveling solo. She's from Saskatoon and is loving her time here. Nicole and I had beers and potato wedges in Richmond at a place called Wild Oscar's. We chatted about everything - she's heading to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road, and then into the Outback - quite the adventure. We have such a great connection, being Canadian but we're also both outgoing and funny.

Then, that night, it was the media party at a club downtown called Long Room. The name speaks for itself - it's a long, basement room with a swanky feel to it. With our media accreditation passes, we were able to by-pass the line, so I couldn't turn that one down. However, I wasn't prepared, so just before Serena and Henin stepped on court I took a short tram ride into the city to buy an outfit for the night. It was hot yesterday - it reached 36 Celsius and was still that hot at 6pm when I made my quick shopping spree into town.

I rode the tram to Flinders St. and walked up five blocks to the shopping area. Melbourne is famous for its little shopping districts and for the best stores. I went to 'Cotton On', what Melburnians call the cheap version of Zara. I bought a pair of black heels and two skirts, one black and one purple, so I'd have options. I made it back to the tennis in good time and was lucky to walk in when I did because a girl who works at the media desk, Kate, was also just arriving. She mentioned that she and a group of girls were going to the Heineken tent to watch the match and invited me along.

If I could describe a perfect night, it would be last night. The air was very warm but there was a light, cool breeze. The moon was at its fullest and largest in years (thanks for the article on that UJ, very interesting), and it was a Saturday night women's final match in Australia - can it get any better? I made my way over to the 'Oval' which is a little outside centre here at the tennis with shops, activities, and of course a beer and wine tent complete with two giant big screens. I met the girls and we watched the women's match. There was a noticeable favour for Justine but Serena beat her - all the while we were all remarking on how Serena can possibly play tennis with such big... hmmm, whats the word.... 'bbbbbandages on her legs' hahaha. Well, you know what I mean. But honestly, she's a powerhouse and I'm not a big fan of her.

Either way, we stayed til the end, then Kate and I made our way to her apartment, which is right near the tennis and the downtown area, and we changed into our bar clothes. Her place is amazing! We waited for our friend Malin and then all walked to the bar.

Melbourne is so much fun at night. There's a very carefree vibe, but you know people are still in for a serious night of dancing and drinking. We made it to the bar and bypassed all the people in the line, flashing our media badges like we were Federer himself, and strolled inside. The music was loud, typical hip hop and club music, and it was really good and varied throughout the night. What's more is the Australian Open had arranged for the media folks to have a private area so we went behind another velvet rope (sorta) to sit up behind the bar and chill with our own kind, or 'Journos' as they're called.

It was nearing midnight when the rest of them showed up - they'd been waiting for the Nestor match to end. The six of us girls danced, drank ($9 glasses of wine) and mingled, and before we knew it, the lights were coming on and it was 3am, closing time. We were herded outta there like cows and everyone flooded out onto the streets, confused as to where to go next. We all walked to a place called 1806 where I stayed for 10 minutes and then took a cab home. It was a fabulous night!!

Tonight there is another media party here and tomorrow the web team is going to a bar called the Post Office Hotel for a wrap up party. Then I'm outta here.

I thought about how many nights I've gone without having some booze and couldn't remember the last night I was drink-free (whoops!). I also can't remember the last day I haven't gotten sun. The way of life down here is so relaxed. I'm also picking up a lot of the lingo here. People say 'I reckon' instead of 'I think', they say 'heaps' instead of 'a lot', and they say 'flat out' when they mean 'really busy'. I've said 'good on you' many times and I like it! Good on me!

So, I may not be able to blog until I get to New Zealand, but when I do, you can guarantee some stories. Until then, (I'll do a little acceptance speech here) I'm so happy with everything in Melbourne and I'm sad my time is ending here. It's been a GREAT run and I'll really miss the people, the tennis and the many friend/shopping/drinking/tennis celebrity adventures. Adieu!

Funny/minor observations while tramming

2010-01-30T02:27:00.000-08:00

For over two weeks now, I've been taking the same tram along the same route to the tennis and back every day. For two weeks, I've passed the same church and always noticed a banner strung across it reading: 'Jesus: the only way to God'. However, for the past two weeks, a tree's been covering part of the banner, so I've been reading it as if it said: 'Jesus, the only way to Go." Today I realized it and had a good chuckle to myself. It's times like these I wish I had Kate or someone with me to appreciate the humour. Ahh, the ups and downs of travelling alone.

There is also a tram-card payment system here called the My Ki, pronounced My Key, where riders put their cards up to a small machine, installed in every tram, and it reads it. Many people here complain about it as it often doesn't work. I've almost been tempted to suggest to name it the 'Quick Ki' (say it fast), and I think it would take a bit of the pressure off a machine that sometimes doesn't work but is fun to watch people trying to use. It sure would apply to the often frustrated patrons jamming and pulling out their keys multiple times before it actually works.

There's a store called Dimmey's and I can't stand the name. It just reminds me of that guys' name in the Exorcist so every time the tram goes past I try to avoid looking at it. It's not just a store, it's a giant building that takes up an entire block of the city and the name is written all over it at least 30 times! It's kinda funny, I don't know what it is, but I'll sit on the opposite side of the tram so I don't look over.

That is all.

Weekend finals here at the Open

2010-01-28T19:45:00.001-08:00

I was very lucky (I keep using that word!) today to stumble upon Andy Murray - maybe I should leave the sentence like that - while he was practicing on court 4. I watched his match last night as he defeated Cilic and was amazed at how far the Brit/Scot has come in the AO. To set the record straight, Murray isn't the grumpy, whiny kid most people think of when they read or hear about him. He was joking, laughing, playfully hitting the ball in the direction of his comrades and even handed out balls to the crowd after.

I'm sure no amount of practicing can prepare him when he faces either Federer or Tsonga, the winner of that match to be determined tonight. And here we are - two days left of tennis and it's been a phenomenal few weeks here in Melbourne.

I'm much poorer now than when I woke up this morning. I had my hair done this a.m., highlights and cut, and it looks amazing! I've never had such a good cut. It's cute, summery, blonde and worth every penny (although they don't use pennies here haha).

It is also because I spent a few hundred today that I avoided booking my travel plans, at least until tomorrow. I couldn't bear to part with another couple hundred and for some reason, waiting 24 hours before I do again felt logical. I am a bit confounded as to what to do next! I've settled into life here in Melbourne, so much so that taking off and arriving in another foreign country to check into a hostel feels about as normal as leaving Toronto to go to Sydney in the first place. I'm very excited for New Zealand and it is certainly going to be where I go next, but I'm just not sure where to start off my LOTR ROTK (Frodo fans know that one) journey.

I'll be booking it tomorrow and have a few options: fly to Wellington and stay with a family friend for a few days to get my bearings; or fly to Christchurch, hostel-it-up and make my way to Wellington after a week on my own. These are both viable options and I'll do both of them at some point, the question is in what order? The answer is, it doesn't matter!

For now, I have the last few days to look forward to here in Melbourne. Tonight, a Sydney friend is in town at the tennis. Tomorrow, it's the women's final game and all will be a-buzz here. Sunday is of course the men's final match - can't wait. Sunday night is also the media party here in the cafeteria with booze and food. Then Monday night is a double-party for the web team and also Tommy T. is taking all us fun-seekers out for dinner. I hope to do both but Tom mentioned it's ok for me to divide my time 70(tennis party)/30(dinner).

I can't wait to fill you in on this weekend - it's my last hurrah here in Melbourne.

Australia Day

2010-01-27T01:15:00.001-08:00

It's been one month since I landed in Australia, which is really hard to believe. Time has gone by really fast since I arrived! I just watched Federer beat Davydenko in 4 sets - it's hard not to cheer for the GOAT (greatest of all time), but when you're sitting in the media section you have to show no bias. I couldn't help but clap once the match was done.

The tennis will be over in four days and I really have to start planning the next phase. This week has been much more low key than last. I've spent my days sleeping in, having leisurely breakfasts and reading sessions with the Davey's. I then head into the tennis, never getting in earlier than noon or 1pm. It's a nice way to live your life! But, I end up staying here til 10:30pm or later, as the night matches are by far the best.

I've spent the past two lunches chatting with a Swedish bloke who is 29 but looks 20. He is here to cover the tennis and to write his first non-fiction novel about the 'underbelly' of Australia, i.e. the drug-related side. I told him I've written two trilogies already (haha). Of course they are unpublished and are left wanting.

Today, sitting in the web team room, I spotted my favourite tall Croatian guy, Karlovic, walking in the media room. He noticed me, too, and in the split second when he walked past the door, he stuck out his giant arm and gave me a wave! We are buddies now. He's still playing in the doubles, despite losing to Rafa. I watched Ivo play doubles last night against two guys who Tom and I bumped into at an ice cream shop in St. Kilda. That was cool.

Yesterday was Australia Day here. I almost shouted, 'Happy Canada Day' as Tom and I watched the fireworks from the pit-like patio in the bowels of Rod Laver. The last fireworks show I watched was from the Washington Mall on July 4th. What a far ways away that was.

So, as you can read, not much is going on. I shouldn't be blah-say (sp?) - I love the tennis and there is a lot going on everywhere I look. I've come up with a routine and have only a few days left before I'm swept off my feet again in New Zealand. I wonder what adventures I'll find myself in there...