Feejee experience part 2

Now where did I leave off the last part of our Feejee experience, oh yes that is right we had just finished up at the Kava ceremony and were heading back to our what would be our home for the third night. Now I have to say this accommodation had to be possibly the the worst I had seen on my travels and actually reminded me of the places they show in films when they are staying in a dirty sweaty Mexican motel. Anyway it was only for one night so we were not too bothered by it.

The next morning was our final day on the Feejee experience tour and this was possibly the funniest yet most heart warming day we had in Fiji. It started with us heading quite a distance in our little bus back to where we started and to the famous mud pools :o). Once we had stripped down to our swim costumes we proceeded to cover ourselves in thick lumpy mud. Bodies and faces. Once we had posed for pictures and laughed at each other we then took a slow and steady walk into the mud pool. Now I am not sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't to step into what I can only describe as thick knee deep reeds and mud. It was pretty cringe worthy. We didn't stay in there too long as we were all quite grossed out by it so instead jumped into the hot pools and boy were they warm, but much nicer than the previous pool we had been in. We washed all the mud off and then headed to dry off.

We left the mud pools and proceeded to our next and final stop. The orphanage. Not knowing what to expect as I had never been to one before I was pleasantly surprised with the accommodation and how happy the children all were. We all had bought toys for them to play with, chat with the staff and most importantly play in the garden with them. It was very heartwarming and rewarding to see them laughing and running around.

This was where our Feejee experience tour ended and we all went off on our separate ways. However saying that we did see the girls at our next stop - Mantaray Island.

On this Island we were able to relax and enjoy spending some time on the beach. I was also able to do three dives including a night dive which were amazing and have definitely given me the buzz to do more again. I even got to see a shark, no big deal! :o)

Unfortunately this was where our time on Fiji ended. We had a brilliant time, saw some amazing places and experienced some amazing things and really was a once in a life time trip.

This is also where my blog is going to end for now as whilst I write this I am currently on my way to move to Perth for work and therefore won't be doing too much traveling. Never fear though as this isn't goodbye and is only see you all very soon.

Take care all

-x-

My Feejee experience part 1

As I write this I am currently sat on a plane on my way back from Fiji where I have spent the last nine nights traveling around the main island and heading to one of the three hundred odd smaller islands.

When we first landed in Fiji we were welcomed into the airport by a band of locals singing us through passport control, brilliant. After getting in a very suspect looking taxi (no metre and a sound system that could rival many a boy racer) we headed to our first stop, the Sheraton Denearu. Here we spent two nights relaxing, eating and generally enjoying the beach side views.

Before we headed to Fiji we decided that we didn't just want to sit in one hotel and not actually get to head out and see what the island had to offer. Therefore we booked ourselves onto a three night, four day trip around the mainland with a company called Feejee experience.

When the bus arrived to great us we were met by the rest of our traveling companions. A girl from England, a girl from Italy and a man from Switzerland. A great mix. The ages ranged significantly as well with the youngest being twenty one and the oldest being sixty six.

The first stop on our trip was to the main shopping town were we picked up our sarongs for a later planned village trip and any other essentials we needed. Then it was off to the village to see how the locals really lived and not just how we saw them within the hotels. Afterwards we checked into our first hotel which had a lovely beach side view and outside showers.

The next morning we set off for a jungle trek which in the thirty odd degree heat wasn't the easiest but made jumping into the waterfall at the end all the more enjoyable. This conclude with a speedboat ride down the river to our next accommodation which topped the first night with fire dancing entertainment and privately being serenaded by a local group whilst drinking the lovely Kava (basically mud water).

The following days activities were interrupted slightly as it was Fiji independence day. The school we were planning on visiting was closed so instead we were able to watch the parade taking place in the capital city which included letting off giant cannons (didn't make me jump at all). When that had finished we donned our lovely sarongs (Mark looked especially nice) and headed to another village where we were presented with an authentic Kava ceremony (oh good, more muddy water). The day ended with us going rafting down the river which was made all the more special when the chef who was originally dressed in the traditional Fijian clothes for the ceremony was now sunglassed up, Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts on and was racing us down stream. Perfect picture!

I am going to end this now as I could go on forever but I figured rather than ram everything into one post I can split it over two and the you guys still have something to look forward to - you lucky things.

So until the next post - Bula guys!

-x-    

Goodbye New Zealand hello Tasmania

My trip through New Zealand really was one of the best I have ever had. From whale watching to bungy jumping I really did it all. The sights I saw were stunning and even though people had told me I would love it I am not sure I realised quite how much. How many other people can say they have been on the beach in the sunshine whilst looking up at snowy mountains.

Even the campervan didn't bother me too much and that was even after bumping my head a few million times.

So New Zealand you have been amazing and I have loved every second in your beautiful country however it is time to say goodbye and continue on with my travels......

Hello Tasmania!

Between New Zealand and going to Fiji I had a few days to kill. I didn't want to spend more time in Sydney as there was only so many times you could look at the Opera house before you got bored. So telling my friend my predicament she suggested Tasmania to me. It was not too far from Sydney by plane and was pretty cheap to get to - sold!

So the day came to say goodbye to Mum and Dad (very sad) and jump on a plane and head South. I arrived quite late so didn't get to see too much and just went to my hostel and crashed for the night. Again being the super organised person that I was I had arranged activities for the three days I was staying there in advance of arriving. The first day I planned to head to the museum Mona. This was like no other. Owned by a man who made his money through gambling it featured some of the strangest but most thought provoking pieces I have ever seen. I won't go into too much detail but lets just say I am not sure if my parents would have approved.

Day two was a trip called "The land of the giants" which was basically a trek through a forest to see some of the worlds tallest trees followed by heading up to the top of Mt Wellington. Unfortunately the weather once again wasn't really on my side and although it wasn't raining it was hard to get some good pictures up the mountain. I could tell however that if it was a clear day it would have been beautiful. I also got to go to a wildlife park where I was able to see a real life Tasmanian Devil (boy are they mean looking).

Day three and my final day in Tasmania I booked onto a trip called "The Deep South". This was probably my favourite day of all. We headed to the southern most point of Tasmania which in turn was the southern most point of Australia and here we went inside a cave. It was pretty amazing even if our guide did seem to like the cave more than he did the people he was showing it to. After that we went to a couple of beaches which again were very beautiful, finally stopping in an apple museum on the way home (basically a room where they had a lot of apples and served cider - perfect).

My three days in Tasmania went very quickly but I am so glad I got to experience going there. It really is a beautiful part of the country even if the weather could rival that of Englands.

Now time to head back to Sydney where I am excited to say I will be meeting up with my Sister and Brother in law for the next part of my adventure - Fiji!!! Yay!

-x-

Milford sound and bungeeeee!

One of the last things I booked before heading to New Zealand was a trip to Milford sound. I had seen some other people's pictures and it looked beautiful. It was however a little way from where we were staying in Queenstown and the whole day tour was going to take around twelve hours most of which was going to be spent in a bus driving.

Now the thought of twelve hours in a bus didn't completely appeal to me however the $1000 price tag to get a helicopter was a little out of my budget and therefore bus it was going to be. This turned out to actually be a great choice as even though the idea was to go to Milford sound and take a boat around to see the area the journey down was actually really good and we got to see so many amazing sights. The driver was really informative and we actually all learned a lot as we were going along, except of course those who were napping (yes mother I am referring to you).

The boat journey was only about an hour and a half but it was really pretty and we even got to see some seals enjoying a life of luxury and sunbathing on a rock. All in all the trip was very worth the twelve hours and I managed to get some great pictures myself (again none to show at the moment as they are all on my camera which I cannot connect to my tablet boo).

So now for the post you have all been waiting for, yes that's right people. IT'S BUNGY JUMP TIME!!

Now for years I had wanted to do one but as I got older I got just that little bit more wimpy and knew if I didn't do it now I would never do it. Therefore about six weeks ago I went online and booked myself a spot figuring if I really did not want to do it I could chicken out and just never mention it again.

The day to leave Queenstown arrived and this was also the morning I had decided to book my bungy for. So off I went kissing my parents goodbye (hoping not for the last time) and strolled down to the check in centre. I was feeling pretty calm at this point however this soon changed when I got to the desk and they said those five fatal words no female wants to hear "Please step on the scales". Oh dear lord they wanted to weigh me - noooo!

Once that traumatic experience was over we were led off to bus and driven for about forty mins to the back end of nowhere. In the distance I I could see this little speck in the middle of a very large crater. Yep that was my bungy spot. Oh joy. Thinking I would have some time to mentally prepare I again checked in and again was weighed (would there be no end to this torture) and headed to sit down. Before my backside even had a slight chance to enter the seat I was called and told I was to head over to the jump station. Ahh what really now??

There was about five of us going over to jump and I was number four. Off the three people in front of me went with no trouble and then it was my turn. Putting on a brave face for the camera I sat in a dentist like chair and had my legs strapped together. Once that was done the guy swung me around and walked me to the edge of the platform. Telling me again to smile for the camera (not likely buddy) he counted down very quickly to one and told me to jump. Now I have always been one to not show face and as the three people in front of me had gone with no trouble there was no way I also wasn't going to jump on command. So with a little prayer to God and a lot of hope I jumped head first into the empty space below.

Wooo hooo I was flying, oh hang on crap no I wasn't, I was falling. Ahhh please let me stop. Thankfully and as you can probably guess the bungy did not fail me (mostly as I wouldn't be able to write this if it had). After bouncing around for a bit admiring the view and thanking the great above for my life I was safely brought back up to the platform with a little bit of shaky leg syndrome but feeling amazing.

Would I do it again? All I can say is bring on the next jump as clearly 134 metres didn't beat me! :o)

-x-

Whale watching and Franz Josef

When we first planned our New Zealand trip we decided to do about a week in the north island and then a week in the south island hoping we could fit in as much as possible. We managed to get quite a bit done in the north island including heading the to the capital Wellington and then across on the ferry to the south island. The crossing was beautiful and I managed to get some amazing pictures (no where near as good as my photography mad friends but I tried).

When we arrived in the south island we took a fairly short drive to Kaikoura where we were booked on a trip to do some whale watching. Now there was no guarantee of actually seeing any whales and after about two hours of watching the sea (pretty much like watching paint dry) we had all but given up hope. However just as we were about to head back to shore the captain heard about a sighting of a whale a few miles away. So off we went racing across the water (not great for anyone suffering sea sickness) but fun for everyone else and finally managed to get to the place the whale had been seen. Just like magic there he was laying all happy on top of the water without a care in the world. This made the water watching all worth while and after about ten minutes he flipped around and dove off back into the water flipping his tail as he went. Was a pretty awesome sight I have to say.

The other part of this post I really wanted to tell you about was our trip to Franz Josef. We had booked a couple of nights there as on one of the days we had planned to take a helicopter up onto the glacier and go on a hike. However once again the lovely New Zealand wind put stop to all that and our trip was cancelled, boo! Grumpy and disappointed we headed off to walk back to our campsite when we saw another company advertising flights. We figured we had nothing to lose and went in to ask if they were heading up on the glacier. As luck would have it they were and they could take us in the next half an hour! It wasn't going to include the hike it was better than nothing. Thank god we went for it. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. We were even able to land on the snow, get out and have a walk around taking everything in. Fantastic! Take that wind, you didn't beat us this time :o)

-x-

Sorry guys no pictures at the moment as my little adapter thingy is broken and therefore I cannot upload anything (now sent home with the parents to see if they can get me a new one)

The Tongariro Crossing

Another one of my great ideas before we arrived in New Zealand was to book the Tongariro crossing which was recommended to me by some friends I met travelling (may need to rethink that friendship now) only kidding. However not really knowing too much about it I had in my head a leisurely stroll over a mountain top and back down again. The whole mountain part should have given away that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Anyway the morning arrived for us to put on our walking boots, grab our hats and gloves and head over to where we were to check in with our guides and walking groups. Now up until this point I was still thinking that whilst this might be a challenge it wouldn't be too hard. That was however until the guides handed us our crampons and pick axes! Ok this was going to be interesting. 

So off we set. Backpacks on, ice picks in hand we started the steady climb up the mountain side. It was funny as at one point we saw a small amount of snow scattered around and thought how lovely it looked and that it must be the leftover from the winter - oh were we in for a big surprise. 

Soon after our short flat stroll we hit the beginning of the real climb and boy was it steep. There had to have been about a million steps (ok slight exaggeration but I wasn't in the mood to start counting them) it was however safe to say there was a lot.

Oh and that small bit of snow we had seen at the bottom soon turned into a lot of snow and to give you a real idea of how much I am talking about people were actually walking past us with ski's!

Being the troupers that we were though we did not let this put us off and up we carried on trekking up the mountain side.

This went on for about 8km, stair after stair after mountain edge after freezing cold hands. As we neared the top our guides had a little side meeting and gave us the unfortunate news of not being able to continue on with the walk. The wind at the summit was just too strong and they feared for our safety. As disappointed as we were we knew that they wouldn't have made this decision lightly and therefore it really was in our best interest to turn around and head back down to where we had come from. The worst part of all of it was we were only about 1 and a half km from the middle and if the mother nature hadn't been acting up we would have made it all the way across. As it turns out we in fact did 16km of the 19km we would have done had we completed the walk. Not too bad an attempt I don't think and I guess it just gives us reason to come back again one day and try again! However maybe next time we will try summer time!  :-)

-x- 

The Maori way of life

After leaving Hot Water Beach we headed centrally to a place called Rotorua! Here we stayed in a lovely place called Blue Lake and yes before you ask there was a lake and it was blue. Unfortunately we only had one night at the campsite so didn't get to explore the area too much.

Anyway before we arrived in New Zealand I booked some activities to do whilst we travelled our way round and one of those was a dinner and show which explained about the Maori people and their way of life. Now for all my uneducated friends (no insult intended as I didn't know about them) the Maori people are the original inhabitants of New Zealand. That is of course before the white people came along and did what the whites did everywhere - took over and decided the country was their own.

When we arrived at the location of the show we were treated to a display of the Haka which anyone who has watched rugby will know is dance which represents pride, strength and unity. We were asked not to laugh as some bits can be quite funny but in all honestly it was pretty damn threatening. Very cool to watch though!

Next we were led around to different areas each one explaining to us about the different aspects of the Maori lifestyle. These included games they would play, the clothing they wore and the resources they used.

After finishing at each section we headed off to do one of my most favourite things - eat! There was so much food I was in heaven (and so was my Dad who went up more than once for cakes, shock horror). The food had been cooked in a traditional Maori way which involved a giant pit of steam and the food being lowered into it. I am sure it is more technical than that but that's about as good an explanation as I can give you.

All in all the evening was really good fun and for once I actually learned something rather than just going out and getting drunk (that the parents influence for you).

So goodbye Rotorua, it has been short but sweet however we must continue on with our travels.

Until next time...

-x-

The accommodation

After a very early morning to catch a fairly early flight we arrived without any dramas to New Zealand. Now as there was three of us we decided that having to try and book accommodation might be a bit of a nightmare so instead we attacked the adventure in true travelling style. We hired a campervan!

As I was with my Mum and Dad I decided that only the best could do so I booked a four person, fully equipped kitchen plus toilet with shower giant monster! Which along with my Dad I was going to have to drive, lord help us all.

Once all picked up we headed to our first location, Hot Water Beach which as the name suggests is a beach which has hot water under it. Brilliant. The drive over there took about three hours (campervans are not the speediest of things) and Dad chose to drive the whole distance. Now whilst at first I thought I was maybe missing out by not leaping behind the wheel and zooming off I soon realised I had chosen right in letting him drive the first leg. I had never seen such winding roads before and to add to the excitement they were going up the side of a mountain as well.

We finally arrived at our first destination and proceeded to set up the campervan creating our own little home (bumping our heads in the process). As it was getting on to nearly nighttime we decided to have dinner and relax on the campsite. Now in true Craig fashion we were not the most prepared and lacked food to cook dinner. So heading to a very small shop we pulled together whatever we could find and knocked up a lovely chips, fish fingers and beans with little sausages in the mix - yep it was as nice as it sounds. Even the backpackers in the kitchen were looking at us with sympathy (that's when you know you have hit rock bottom in the food pool).

After a pretty comfy sleep, the next day we headed down to the hot water beach to see what it was all about. Well it turned out that we were too late and as the tide had come in we couldn't get across to dig up the sand and lay in it. Still got some lovely pictures though so not all was lost.

After heading back to the campervan it was soon time for me to take my turn behind the wheel and head off to the next location, back down the lovely turns and mountain side. All I can say is if I was going to have any issues driving they were soon going to be sorted out on that road.

You will be pleased to know we all arrived in one piece :o)

-x-

Here we go again...

Well people I am back and about to continue on with my travels, this time however I have company. That's right, Ma and Pa are joining me and boy do we have an adventure planned.

Quite a few people have been asking me why I haven't been writing a blog lately and that is purely down to not wanting to bore you to death. I haven't been doing much other than working and saving. I did however meet some amazing people at my work who I hope I will keep as friends forever.

Ok that is enough about what hasn't been happening in my life and now time to tell you what is coming up. 

Tomorrow my friends I am off to jump on a plane and head to, wait for it.... New Zealand! Yay!

I cannot wait. I have only heard great things about the country and I think the views will be amazing. I may have also booked a bungee jump too eeek!

Anyway that is enough for this post as it was really only to say, hey I am back and I hope you enjoy reading.

The next time you hear from me I will be off in another country - wow that feels great to say! 

Welcome to the world of me

For anyone who does not know me I am a girl who is having a mini qtr life crisis and have decided to give up on the 9-5 everyday office job and head for the world of travelling.   

My first stop is Australia (with a mini stopover in Dubai on route) where I plan to spend a year traveling and working my way around followed by a year in Canada doing the exact same thing.

After then, who knows?!  

I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures!

-x-

The end of the East Coast adventure

Well my friends it has come to the time where I finish my East Coast trip and head back to reality.

I finished up in Cairns where I have just spent the last six nights. Whilst I was here I got to catch up with all the people who I had met over the last five weeks traveling. It was so nice for us all to be together to celebrate the end of one adventure and for most the start of a new one.

I also was able to go to Port Douglas which is quite possible the most beautiful place I saw on the East Coast. Myself and a couple of friends headed there for a bit of lunch and walk along the beach and it was just such a nice day.

One of my days was spent on a trip called Fun, Falls and Forest which was pretty much as stated. We had fun playing in waterfalls and walking through forests. We even got to go to where they filmed the hair flick for the Herbal essence advert. Wow was that cold when we tried to recreate it.

Other than that I mostly relaxed by the lagoon (you can't go in the sea here for fear of being eaten), ate some lovely food and drunk more than my fair share of alcohol. I knew once this was over I was going to have to go back to reality and start my exciting search of looking for a job so was making the most of my last few days of lovely warm sunshine.

So here I am sat back at Jo and Marks in Melbourne with temperatures that I haven't felt since leaving England and thinking back over the adventures of my last five weeks.

I really have had such a great time and met some amazing lifelong friends who I cannot wait to meet up with again very soon. I have had some amazing experiences from cave diving to sky diving to white water rafting and I have enjoyed every single second of it.

Unfortunately finding work does not create too many interesting stories so unless something really epic happens this will be the last post I write for a little while. I really hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey and I cannot wait to start another adventure again soon.

Therefore this is not goodbye and merely just see you soon!

-x-

Skydiveeee!

To continue on my adventures at Mission beach I decided to book and do a skydive.

I have wanted to do one for so long and had previously thought about doing it in the UK however it just seemed a little more special to throw myself to my death in Australia instead.

Some friends of mine had been booked in for a couple of days before but due to the unreliable Australian weather they had to be cancelled as it would not stop raining.

I was convinced that mine also would be cancelled and on the morning of the jump was expecting to receive a phone call telling me to stay in bed. However this was not the case.

We were picked up and driven to the jump centre where we were advised that they were going to try and get some people up however due to the low clouds it was not looking likely. So off I went to park myself on a bench planning to catch up on the sleep I had not had due to getting up early.

After what seemed like hours but really was probably about forty five minutes a guy came in and told us to get downstairs and ready as they were going to try and get us up, still the whole time telling us they were not sure we could jump.

I was put in my sexy harness and introduced to my dive instructor (ladies you would have been jealous of this one as he wasn't too bad on the eye) and off we set to the field to board the plane.

When we arrived we were once again stopped and told we were not sure we could go up and by this stage I was starting to get a little nervous and just wanted it to happen. The next thing I knew they were given the go and we were all being rushed to the plane and strapped in ready to take off.

Finally we were up in the air. This was when my nerves really kicked in and I was thinking to myself what the hell was I doing? Why would anyone want to be so stupid as to throw themselves out of a plane and hurtle towards the ground? Too late to back out now.

After about twenty minutes of climbing we made it to our required height of a measly fourteen thousand feet. Ahhhh!

We circled for a bit, went through the safety instructions and then bam the door was open and the three brave soldiers in front of me took their places and were literally sucked out of the plane. Just as it was about to be my turn they slammed the door shut and hit the red light which basically meant the people on ground had said we couldn't jump.

I was gutted, I had come all this was only to be told once again we might not be able to go. However after about another five minutes they changed the light to green and I honestly do not think I have seen someone move as fast as what my instructor did. He wasn't taking any chances and before I knew it we were out that door and flying through the air.

I can honestly say free falling is the strangest feeling in the world. It does not really feel real and you sort of feel like you are just hanging in mid air. By this point I was no longer nervous and was just embracing the moment.

After sixty seconds we opened the parachute and floated the rest of the way over the sea back down to the safety of the beach doing a few spins and me on occasion being trusted to control the direction.

Once we landed it all sort of felt like it had been a dream but an amazing one.

Would I do it again? Yes but not any time soon. The adrenalin rush would be too much to have again so quickly and besides there are many other things I need to tick off my extreme sport bucket list.

Next stop - bungy jumping :o)

-x-

White water rafting

Of the whole east coast trip the one thing I was most looking forward to was my time in Mission Beach.

Mission Beach does not have a huge amount around it to do. Obviously as the name suggests there is a beach however my hostel was a little way out of town so other than go hiking there wasn't a lot around.

This however was not a problem for me as I had booked a couple of activities whilst I was here and one of those was my white water rafting.

I had done this once before in Thailand and really enjoyed it however little was I to know that rafting in Thailand and rafting in Australia are pretty different. For starters in Thailand you do not get involved in the paddling and basically just sit back and enjoy the ride. This was not the case in Australia.

We arrived at the starting point and were put into our groups. In mine I had a girl from England, two guys from Korea and two guys from Brazil. Very multicultural I must say. Once we were finally all kitted up (the Brazilian guys had to be sent back to the bus to change their speedos) we were ready to set off on our adventure.

The guide positioned myself and other English girl in the front of the boat which meant we had to control the speed of the paddling (well girls  obviously are more organised so this made sense) however I think soon after we started the guide quickly regretted his decision as quite frankly we were rubbish. This did not stop our enthusiasm though and we gave it everything we had.

We raced through the waves in a style that could rival top rafting athletes (ok this is clearly a lie) but we did almost make it to the end without fallen out - damn you Korean boy for letting us down.

We also saw some spectacular boat flips which literally sent all crew members flying through the air and landing face first in the river - hilarious.

I have to say of all my experiences in Australia this was one I enjoyed the most and would encourage any one to give it a go (yes Mum and Dad we are going to do it in New Zealand). I have not laughed so much as what I did for those four hours and would quite happily do it over and over again.

Now on to day two of my Mission Beach adventures - Skydiving Ahhhh!

-x-

The Whitsundays

Before I go on to tell you about my amazing time in the Whitsundays I have to mention my Scooter roo experience in 1770.

 Basically Scooter roo is where they turn mopeds into pretend Harley Davidson's and you ride around in a gang with fake tattoos and leather jackets. It was awesome. There were about thirty of us I think and we all set off to ride in convoy around the place I was staying called 1770. We then ended the ride by going to watch the sunset which was so beautiful. It really was so much fun to do and I am glad I got the chance to experience it.

 Now onto the main subject of this post. The Whitsundays, which are made up of seventy four Islands and are off the coast of Airlie Beach. When I booked my boat I didn't really know much about it however as I was traveling up the East Coast everyone just kept telling me how it was the crazy party boat and no one slept and basically people were just drunk the whole time. Anyone who knows me knows that I love my sleep therefore I was a little worried about what I was getting myself into. I had no need to.

 The boat is the biggest that goes out on The Whitsundays and due to that there was a great mix of people aboard. Some who loved to dance and drink at night and others who like to relax on the deck and play cards. I did a little of both. The one thing we all had in common though was we were all there to see the Whitsundays and therefore that meant very early mornings and long days of activities which everyone got involved with.

 First of our activities was to go to Whitehaven beach which is beautiful with white sand and an amazing view. You can actually use the sand to clean your teeth and jewellery which some people tried (I decided my teeth were fine just as they were so opted out of shoving it in my mouth).

 Other activities included snorkeling, diving off the boat and slide and my favourite - the diving. When I went to Thailand I did my Padi open water and couldn't wait to get back into the water and see what Australia had to offer. It did not disappoint. The first dive was just going around seeing the fish and other weird little sea creatures but the second one involved diving through caves which I had never done before. All I can say is it has opened up a little passion inside of me and I cannot wait to get out there again.

 One exciting thing we did see one night was a hammerhead shark swimming around our boat. The crew promised us it wasn't dangerous but I am not going to lie, I was pretty pleased when we moved location in the morning for the diving. All in all it has been one of my most enjoyable experiences so far on my trip and I am so pleased I did it. I just hope everything else lives up to it now!

 -x-

(Sorry guys once again no pictures but after an hour of trying to upload one I gave up the will to live and quit. Promise to get them on FB as soon as possible)

Fraser

As part of my package I got to experience the amazing Fraser Island which is an island made completely of sand off the east coast. I headed there from a place called Rainbow Beach which was on the mainland. Rainbow Beach didn't really have much around but I think that is mostly due to the fact people only go there to head off on a tour to Fraser. Before you head off on your trip you are put in groups of eight to spend the time together doing the most fun part - driving four wheel drives across the sand. We had to get up quite early to leave to go to the island (anyone who thought traveling meant laying around sleeping think again). I offered to be the first person to take the wheel and I am glad I did as I got to do mostly road driving and therefore didn't make too much of a fool of myself :o) Once we got across to the island we headed off in convey taking it in turns to race down the beach to the most amazing lake. It really was just beautiful and it made a nice change to swim in fresh water. Someone said it reminded them of Canada however having never been I wouldn't know. Guess I will get to find out next year! :o) After we finished up there we headed to the campsite we would be staying in with our luxury suites and by luxury suites I actually mean tiny tents with no underfloor padding. Fantastic. That night we cooked dinner in our groups and mostly just drunk until we were all too tired or tipsy to carry on and headed off to our homes for the night. I think the alcohol helped as I pretty much passed out as soon as my head hit the "pillow" and I didn't wake up till the next morning. All I can say is sleeping on the floor may be good for your back but I honestly felt like someone had gone ten rounds with me in a boxing ring. Oh and joy we got to do it all over again that night as well. Couldn't wait. That day after breakfast we headed off to the Champagne pools. Now Vicky do not get excited they are not actually filled with Champagne the waves coming in just made them look like that. After that we went to float down a pure water creek which was a bit like being at a water park which was really fun. Finally we went to look at a shipwreck on the beach and sat around whilst our lead driver told us the story of it (it wasn't that exciting so I won't share it with you). Again that night people got on the drink however after the previous night there was a huge lack of enthusiasm and most people just sat round the campfire or went to the beach to look at the stars. Unfortunately on the last day it started to rain - not sure if you have heard about the Cylone here, well that was causing a little bit of a rain issue for us. Anyway we didn't let it affect us too much and we still headed off to do our last days activities. This involved climbing a hill for forty five minutes only to spend about fifteen minutes at the top to walk back down, all in the pouring rain. Super fun. That pretty much ended our trip on Fraser Island and although the whole experience was brilliant I have never enjoyed having a shower so much and our hostel felt like five star accommodation when we got back. All I would like to say though to end this post is....... I HATE CAMPING!! -x-

Noosa

I wasn't in Noosa for a huge amount of time so do not have loads to tell you about it.

One thing I can tell you about is the wonderful electric bike hire I did and when I say wonderful I actually mean ridiculous.

The idea was that the bike helps you when you pedal and therefore you do not struggle when going up hills etc. So after promises of getting up to speeds of about 40km and sporting a rather sexy yellow helmet off I went. Now I am not sure if anyone has seen that episode of friends with Phoebe when she is trying to learn to ride a bike but that was pretty much how I started out. I mean the last time I rode a bike I think it was at a family BBQ, I was a little tipsy and I tried to speed round the garden resulting in failing and falling off. This nearly ended the same way.

Anyway after wobbling along, off I set to see the great sights of Noosa. Now I was either doing it wrong or the damn thing was broken because aid me it did not. After racing off down a hill with the wind in my hair (that wasn't stuck down under the helmet) and riding around for a bit I soon decided it was time to head back to drop the bike off.

Here was where the fun part began and then ended very quickly. I started off well and felt the bike kick in however after about thirty seconds it stopped and I was left stuck, panting and nearly rolling backwards. After realising the stupid thing had given up on me I jumped off and started to push. The hill which had previously been a thing of great pleasure was now the most evil thing I had ever seen.

So now picture me pushing a bike (which I might like to add is heavier than a normal bike) yellow helmet still on looking like a sweaty walrus panting up a hill. Great image isn't it.

When I finally made it to the top I stumbled grumpily into the hire place and dumped the helmet and keys on the desk whilst the overly friendly gay guy asked if I had had a "super time". I won't tell you what my response was.

Other than the bike hire there wasn't a huge amount to do and this was mostly due to the fact that yep, once again it started raining in Australia (and people complain about the English weather).

Next stop Fraser Island. I am really excited for that one as I have heard some great things about it and I hope it lives up to my expectations.

-x-

Surfers Paradise and Brisbane

I decided to do the above two places together as in all honesty there is not a huge amount to do in either and therefore two separate blogs would have been quite boring to read (and to write).

I will start with Surfers Paradise and no before you guys get any ideas I didn't suddenly find my inner surfer superstar and try to do it with the big boys. This was just another stop on my tour and I had heard mixed reviews about it and figured may as well see what it is all about for myself.

Now quite a few people do not really rate it and I think if like me you are coming from Byron bay I can understand why. Byron is very chilled whereas Surfers is much more in your face. Also a lot of people told me it was like the Australian version of Miami. Now I have never been to Miami but if it is like what it is on TV then I would have to agree with them. There is a lovely beach (made better by the fact we are now now later in the season and therefore was very quiet) and then beside the beach there are high rise buildings. Hotels, offices etc. It makes for a great picture.

Other than the beach there really is not a huge amount to do. Surfers is known as a party town and that is pretty much what it is. Lots of bars and bar crawls with cheap drinks deals and dancing. I went out the first night I got here but soon realised I didn't fancy wasting my money on beer and therefore chilled out on the second night. Two nights was definitely plenty enough for me in Surfers.

Now onto Brisbane. I honestly did not know what to expect when I got here and honestly I still do not really have an opinion. All I can say is I am glad I am only here for a couple of days as I think any longer and I would be bored. That isn't to say it isn't nice however again there is not too much to do and even the man made beach is a little bit of a let down. The one good thing about Brisbane is the Australian Zoo.

After being recommended it by a friend I figured it was a great way to spend one of my days whilst here so off I went and booked myself on the trip. Just in case you do not know Australia Zoo is the one that Steve Irwin developed therefore it is pretty special.

At first I thought the seven hours I had here were going to be far too long however I didn't actually realise how big the place was. It has so many different sections and amazing things to see. They also put on regular shows which I took full advantage of. I even got to hold a Koala. So cute but boy did he smell.

I am now sat waiting for my bus enjoying a good old cup of tea (you can take the girl out of England but you can't take the England out of the girl). Tomorrow I move on to the next place and I cannot wait to carry on the adventure :o)

-x-

Sorry for the lack of pictures guys but I am in quite possibly the worst place ever for wifi (so glad I wasted that $4)

Godbless Greyhound wifi - pictures below

Byron bay (with a little bit of Nimbin)

After the last few hectic days of surfing and buses it was nice to finally get to somewhere to chill for a little while.

I have just spent the last four days in Byron Bay which is roughly about half way up the East coast. It is basically a little hippy town with a lovely beach. When we first arrived it was night time so I pretty much went to bed straight away. The next day was the trip to Nimbin.

Now if you are like me and had never heard of it I will explain. Basically it is a very hippy town where they smoke a lot of weed and genuinely just all walk around in a daze.

So there I was waiting at the bus stop for the transport to arrive and what turns up? Quite literally something that was stolen from Austin Powers - I kid you not.

After two very bumpy hours on that bad boy we finally arrive in Nimbin. It is quite a small place and the hour and a half they gave us there was possibly a little long. There is a few shops selling the same things and then a lot of people selling drugs (don't worry Mum I behaved myself). I am not sure how they get away with it but I honestly just think the police turn a blind eye (either that or they are stoned themselves). All in all it was an interesting experience and the BBQ on the way back was certainly worth it.

The rest of my time in Byron Bay has mostly been spent sunbathing and drinking lots of beer and cider whilst meeting some amazing people. This is the first place I have been to since being in Oz and actually thought I wasn't in England. I was stood in the sea yesterday and just thought "wow I am really here" it was an amazing feeling. 

Today I decided I couldn't carry on laying around anymore and chose to hike up to the lighthouse and most easterly point of Australia. Wow that was a mission. Thirty degree heat and all uphill. I made it though and the views were amazing (even if I did have to spend most of the time looking at them from the floor of the lighthouse after nearly dying).

Tomorrow I move on again so it is time to say goodbye to Byron Bay however before I do I am going to have one last jump in the sea :o)

-x-

The mystery of Spot X

I have now officially started the tour I booked which if I haven't already told you is about thirty days traveling up the east coast of Australia stopping at pretty much every place you can think of on route.

My first destination was a bit of a strange one. It was called Spot X and I had never heard of it before. It took ten and a half hours to get here and before I arrived I did the normal Googling reviews etc and found out it was in fact a surf camp - wonderful. Even though I had enjoyed my lesson the other day (mostly due to the amazing sights of Mr Butler) I wasn't quite sure two days at a surf camp was really for me. Also the reviews from people were really mixed from some saying it was the best time of their lives to some saying they turned up and pretty much left straight away due to how horrible the place was. I figured as it was now booked and paid for and I was to make up my own mind.

I am glad I chose not to cancel. Whilst I can understand why some peoples reviews were a little negative I honestly do not see why you would leave after a couple of hours.

The place itself was basic but very funky. We stayed in this tin room which I know sounds horrible but were actually pretty cool. They reminded me a bit of my parents old caravan. They also had tepees you could stay in which looked quite cool but I am not sure how comfy they would really be. The area was lovely and it was right next to the sea. The only downside was it was raining when we arrived and proceeded to do so for most of the next day as well. However just when we thought it couldn't get any wetter out came that wonderful Australian sun I have heard so much about and a day later I am still sat in the chill out zone in shorts and a vest top enjoying every ray.

During the days my time was obviously taken up with surf lessons and the nights were a mixture of drinking cheap cider and making new friends whilst eating the most amazing dinners (amazing because they were so big).

The surf lessons were fun but I really think after this couple of days I am ready to hang up my surf board for a while. Quite frankly I am terrible and have possibly got even worse than the other day. That didn't however put a downer on the time here. The staff were friendly and tried to do everything they could for you, especially when it was raining.

I am going to be sad to leave the place but unlike some people here I do not want to get stuck in a rut and spend months lazing around and doing very little (some people literally have been here that long). Right better run, need to catch the bus to my next destination! :o)

-x-

PS - I have now amended my settings so you guys can comment if you want (a few of you have asked to)

Sydney, surfing and celebrity spotting

My adventure has now brought me to the lovely Sydney.

I only have a short amount of time here as I arrived Monday morning and I leave tomorrow morning but I still managed to pack in the activities.

Firstly starting with The Opera House and Habour Bridge. I did these on the first day I arrived even though my body was telling me to go to bed after traveling for twelve hours on the night bus, I refused to give in and off I set. From where I am staying it was very easy to find and took about twenty five minutes to walk there. I have to say the Opera House was not what I expected. I really thought it would be a lot bigger. Not that it failed to impress. Around the area was pretty quiet so I had a lot of opportunities to get some good pictures. The bridge was well, a bridge. It was nice but really it was just a bridge and there is not a lot I can write about that.

Whilst I was out there was a huge thunder storm and I got caught nicely in the rain. I swear literally everywhere I go it rains. Anyway it reminded me of England which was nice. Actually saying that Sydney is very similar to London. They even have a Hyde Park and Oxford Street.

Yesterday I went to see the Blue Mountains. I had never heard of them before but it was recommended to me so off I went on another bus to see what they had to offer. The first thing I will say is mountains they are not. More like really large hills and this comes from someone who has spent many years attempting and failing miserably trying to ski down some. Anyway saying that the one thing I cannot fault is the views. I got some amazing pictures and it was so peaceful up there. Would I recommended it? Yes, however don't expect to be trekking up Everest.

Today was the day I did something I genuinely did not think I would ever do - surfing. For my birthday my brother and sister in law bought me a gift voucher to have a lesson on Bondi beach so I thought why the heck not, when in Rome and all that. Was I any good? Well all I can say is sorry Mum and Dad I won't be heading to star as an extra in Hawaii 5-0 anytime soon. I did however really enjoy it and did manage to stand up a couple of times (I feel that was more due to luck than skill though).

Anyway now to the most exciting part of my day. Ladies are you ready for this? Whilst I was on my way to my lesson who else would be on the beach having a lesson with the same surf school as me? Only Mr "PS I love you" himself, yes that's right Gerard Bulter! Ahhhh! Unfortunately I couldn't get any pictures as there is not much room in a wetsuit to carry a camera however we did share a moment when he placed his board down and I quickly claimed it as mine to use. Had I not wanted to waste the great birthday pressie I think we would have run away together and lived happily ever after unfortunately it was not meant to be.

Anyway time to head off for a shower as unlike some girls I do not rock the sea salt hair wet look!

-x-

Goodbye Melbourne (for now)

My time in Melbourne has now come to an end and I am ready to move on to pastures new

I have been asked how I feel about Melbourne and honestly I think it will now be my "safe place". Somewhere that is familiar and when I come back to sort of feels like home. I had the same thing with Bangkok when I traveled Asia.

So after moving back into Jo and Marks (happier now Mark) on Friday they kindly took me to an AFL game. For anyone who does not know what that is I will attempt to explain. It is basically an Australian version of football, rugby, basketball and probably a few other sports I have forgotten to mention. I am not too sure of the rules but it something like put the ball in between the  sets of posts and score points. Honestly watch it on youtube and you will see what I mean.

Even though I couldn't really get my head around the rules the atmosphere was great and so was the pie and chips Jo encouraged me to buy. It was really nice to spend the evening with old and new friends.

Saturday was a trip to the shop to replace even more things I had left in hotels/hostels (I think I forgot to mention I left my phone charger in Dubai) well this time it was my iPod and headphones. I am hoping this is the last of my forgetfulness but it is only the end of week two and I have a lot more weeks to go.

Sunday was an epic day - my first Australian BBQ and yes people we did put shrimp on it (however they are really just called prawns but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it) and then I had to leave :o(

I was sad to be leaving Jo and all the new people I had met however if I had just stayed there this would have been one very rubbish traveling adventure.

So after twelve and a half hours overnight on a bus from Melbourne to Sydney with a mini stop in Canberra the capital (interesting fact time: Canberra is the capital due to both Melbourne and Sydney wanting the honour. So to stop them fighting they put the capital in the middle of the two) I am now sat on a couch in my new hostel enjoying a cup of tea (so British) and some free breakfast.

Right time to head off for a shower as I feel the way people are starring at me I may smell a little after not washing all night  - yuck

-x-

The Great Ocean Road

One thing I have realised whilst doing my traveling adventure is I hate to sit and do nothing. I get so bored easily and it drives me up the wall. Yesterday I went on a trip where I had to get up early, travel on a bus for hours to see sights and get back late. All I can say is I damn well loved it. Whilst having some drinks at night is also fun I can do this back home and I came out here to see the sights therefore the sights I shall see. Also I have found when I have nothing to do I am getting a bit homesick which seeing as it had not even been two weeks yet is ridiculous.

So saying all that I have booked myself on a 32 day organised trip up the East Coast. It was such a good deal and stops everywhere I want to go. As I now have a shorter time to do everything it means my days are going to be filled with activities and a lot less sitting around painting my finger nails. As much as I would love to say I am a free go with the flow kind of person, anyone who really knows me knows this is not true and I am as organised as they come. Hence why a structured trip is much better for me. Plus there is nothing stopping me going back somewhere if I really love it.

I will keep you updated more with the tour when it happens!

Back to yesterdays adventure. As per the title I went to see the Great Ocean Road and it was lovely. Firstly we drove along it to get to the 12 Apostles, then we stopped in Loch Ard Gorge (a beach where some a shipwreck happened) followed by a walk in the rainforest. However the best part of the whole day was seeing a real life Koala - sooo cute.
As the day was so long I pretty much came home and crashed out on my bed.

Today I was supposed to be going to Melbourne Zoo but Jo managed to get a couple of days work so instead I headed into the city with one of my roommates. I even managed to negotiate the tram system on my own which I was pretty impressed with. Then this afternoon I made the most of the 28 degree weather and headed to the beach to do some sunbathing. I am not bothered about not getting to the zoo as I can go there when Mum and Dad get out here (not that they know I am making plans for them).

Tomorrow I am checking out of my hostel and heading back to Jo's for a couple of days. Whilst I am excited to spend some time with Jo again I am a bit sad to leave my roommates. The three of us have been together since I first arrived and I am going to miss our late night chats about what we have been up to during the day.

I have realised there is a huge difference between Oz traveling and Asia traveling. In Asia firstly people do not travel and work where as in Oz this is a big thing for everything. Then secondly in Asia there is pretty much a set route backpackers take when traveling so you always run into the same people however in Oz there are so many different paths to take that finding people who are going the same places as you at the same time is pretty hard to come by.

Yesterday I met two girls on my trip. One of them flew to Cairns this morning and the other is heading to New Zealand Saturday, both on their own. Very different destinations.

Anyway as the sun is still up I am off to do some more sunbathing, followed by a real backpacker dinner of beans on toast :o)

-x-

My first hostel experience

For anyone who knows me finding out that last night was my first hostel experience may come as a surprise. Seeing as I have already travelled around SE Asia you may have thought I might have stopped in one or two on the way however it was not so. The hotels where so cheap in Asia that there was no need to ever put myself up in anything else.

I have to say about the whole trip this was the one part I was least looking forward to. You really do never know what to expect when you walk in. On the recommendation from my friend Lindsey I booked into Habitat HQ Hostel in St Kilda. However the one piece of advice I didn't follow was to book a mixed room. She said that all girl rooms were a bit unsociable and not as easy to make friends where as you find girls in the mixed rooms were a little more outgoing. Looking back now I wish I had taken her advice. Not saying there is anything wrong with my new roomies but we are all sort of keeping ourselves to ourselves which isn't good for travelling.

Sleeping was fine except for a small amount of snoring from one of the lovely ladies on the bottom bunk and at some stupid hour this morning one of the girls who had arrived really late decided to have her alarm go off and she hot footed it out of there. Other than that the room was clean, the bathroom we had was nice enough and there wasn't a fight to use it which seeing as there was now 5 of us that was a bit of a surprise.

You will see a picture of one of my roommates at the bottom, some of you may recognise her :o) there is also a nice quote on the wall which apparently she said but I also thought was quite fitting.

Right back to my adventures. Obviously I have now left the comforts of Jo. We spent the weekend catching up, drinking wine and she was even kind enough to download the Veronica Mars film for us all to watch which was excellent (Jo downloading it and the film).

Other than the above my weekend was spent mostly around sorting out a bank and planning my next trips. I have decided tomorrow to book myself to go and see the Great Ocean Road and then on Thursday I am meeting back up with Jo to go to Melbourne Zoo. After that? Who knows!

Right back to trying to make friends in my hostel, wish me luck!

-x-

Welcome to Melbourne

Well guys I am here. After nearly a year of planning I am finally in Australia about to start the adventure.

Getting here wasn't as plain sailing as I would have liked it to be though. After saying a teary goodbye to my sister at the airport I headed off to check in thinking I would have a couple of hours to relax and read a book. Oh how wrong I was. I arrived at the check in desk to firstly be told they couldn't find my flight time which obviously sent me into a mild panic to then actually be told the reason they couldn't find it was because it had actually been delay five hours. Yes people you read that correctly five long hours. At first I thought the guy was joking, I mean how could it be delayed so long but nope there was no punch line. So off I trotted to go and see how I could entertain myself for what actually would be seven hours (being the good person I am I was ready to check in two hours before my flight).

I finally made it onto my flight and unfortunately I wasn't as lucky this time as I was on the first one and had to actually share my row with two other people (the cheek of it). I managed to get a bit of sleep and actually with the delay it worked out a little bit for me as it meant I was actually travelling at a more sensible time.

I am not really sure what I expected when I arrived at Melbourne airport but honestly I kept thinking I could be walking back into Heathrow. When going through passport control, as I was here on a working visa, I really thought there would have been some questions maybe a light shone into the eyes whilst being interrogate but nope I quite literally walked straight through without anyone giving me a second glance. Then came the fun part of collecting my luggage. You know how it is when you are either really lucky and it is already going round ready for you to pick up or  when you are stood there and stood there convinced it had gone missing and mentally trying to work out how much longer you can last in the clothes you are wearing. Thankfully after what felt like a couple of hours round it came looking all proud of itself.

Off I went with bag in tow to meet my lovely friend Jo who was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and let me stay with her for a couple of nights. Even though I was going to somewhere that spoke the same language it is still nice to see a friendly face when you are walking out of the terminal.

Before I get too carried away and end up writing an mini novel I am going to end this post but I will say that what I have seen of Australia so far I have loved and really hope that feeling carries on :o)

-x-

The Dubai review

Dubai was never top of my list of places to visit however as part of my world domination I thought it was a great place to stop for a few days whilst on route to Australia.

I have heard mixed reviews from people with regards to Dubai. Some who absolutely love it and return time and time again. Then there are the others who visit once, enjoy it however decide once really is enough.

I would have to agree with the latter. Whilst Dubai is a very hot relaxing country we actually found ourselves with too much time on our hands and therefore getting a little bored. There are things to do like see the fountains and go on a safari however no matter where we looked and how much research we did we could not find much else other than shopping and eating. You know it is going to be limited when you ask for advice in your hotel and you are told that the third favourite thing to do is visit The Cheesecake factory.

Dubai is very much a shopping place and whilst you can get a good deal on some gold this wasn't exactly what I was after as the last thing I wanted to do was spend my money on an item I would be worried about losing.

The one thing I cannot fault is the people. They really are some of the nicest I have met and genuinely would do anything to help you. We were always made to feel very welcomed and safe wherever we went.

Something we did do was go to the Taste of Dubai. We had gone to one in Dublin and really enjoyed it. This did not let us down. We were concerned however that we may not make it when the taxi driver taking us was not sure where we were going and ended up passing me his mobile so I could speak to his brother and get directions.

All in all for Vicky and myself the holiday was just what we needed. Time to relax by the pool, drink cocktails and eat nice food!

Below is a few pictures I took of the hotel and the Taste of Dubai, now I better go as I need to get some sleep before my long flight to Australia tomorrow. See all you guys on the other side :o)

-x-