Well, every trip over a few days needs a day like we had today. This whole time that we’ve been here, Adam has been telling us to let our hair down- we’re on vacation! After last night catching up with Heather and working up some fantastic plans to go to the Gold Coast, we alerted Adam and Louise to this awesome plan of ours to catch a bus, to catch a train, to catch another bus to walk to the beach. When it was met with big eyes and “Ohh….well, okay!” we really should have known. Waking up this morning in our nice comfy clothes and the warmth of the blankets, the plan started to fade. Well, let’s see how we feel after we upload pictures (which yes, by the way, pictures are finally all uploaded so the world can breathe a sigh of relief. And all thank Brenda again!)
But nope, nothing changed except we liked our pajamas even more. Hey- everyone needs one of these days and we loved every minute of it! So after some toast and fresh squeezed orange juice, we curled back up in bed and decided to satisfy our Disney-song love. For some reason, this trip we have been belting out a little Enchanted and acting out the Pip pantomime scene like nobody’s business. Thanks to a little stealth googling on Sabrina’s part, we managed to find a website that let us watch Enchanted. In bed. Yeah, it was awesome! “How do you KNOOOOWWWWW!”
After our Disney fix, we just really enjoyed our time to hang out here today. We caught up on some reading, got our pictures up, caught up on emails and the like- it was pretty sweet. Louise had made some really delicious casserole that we enjoyed for lunch with Adam’s favorite drink: Wild Turkey and coke. Then later on in the afternoon we thought we would try to head into the city to do a little souvenir shopping and explore the last bit of Brisbane, but oddly enough none of the buses would stop! We sat at the bus stop for about a half an hour, and yeah here you have to flag down a bus like you do a taxi, but even with that they passed us on by. We took it as a sign to head back to the house, enjoy a little Wild Turkey and coke and wait around for Adam and Louise to get home from work.
They had an evening planned out in the city for Louise’s mom’s 50th birthday, and so it worked out perfectly that we could just catch a ride with them. We really have a blast anytime we are all together, just cracking up at the littlest things while we have some really thoughtful conversation. Sabrina and I were treated to their wedding video, a pretty stellar compilation with an obviously fantastic videographer. It was so beautiful and we got to see a few of the people that we’ll get to meet tomorrow in Adelaide.
But, we couldn’t spend our last night here in Brisbane just chilling at the house, so we hitched a ride with the Jennings’ into the city and met up with Heather once more. The square on Queen’s street that has become our meeting place always gets the same reaction from us when we get together: a gleeful smile, an excited “Heeeeey!!” followed by at least 20 minutes of standing there gabbing. There are always stories to share and we are just a bit too amped up to wait! Unlike the night before, we tore ourselves away before the hour ticked by and we strolled on down the Riverwalk to The Coffee Club for some delicious salads. Seriously, that will be one sad thing when I head back to America- they eat their food like I love it! Food tastes so fresh and actually tastes like food as opposed to butter and sauces. Mmmmm, gotta love it!
Conversation turned to the topic of dancing and how we all love to bust a move out – and thankfully, we have no shame because in the middle of the restaurant (and granted, there were only a handful of other people there) Heather, the ultimate dance teacher, breaks out some sweet moves for Sabrina and I to master. Oh the “Tabletop” was by far the best, and we told some stories through our salsa moves. It was pretty hilarious to try to be the guy in these dance ensembles, but we owned it.
Dinner with Heather was absolutely fantastic, and after a bit of walking around we decided to reminisce on our sweet photo shoot (hint: one took place right before the dancing dinner session. Again, thank you Brenda and the inventor of the self-timer feature!) Heather had her laptop in her computer so I handed her my SIM card that she slipped into her computer slot, ready to upload, point and laugh. Ahh but unfortunately me and the camera have had some issues this trip! The card didn’t fit the slot, and got lost in the abyss that is her Toshiba. Eh, no worries mate! 15 minutes later, there was some crazy finagling taking place in the backseat of her car, with her in a sea of bent bobby pins, clips and whatever else we had on hand that might be useful in the card’s retrieval. Visions of the Best Buy Express came to mind, and all I could think was, “But I haven’t thought bad thoughts about that machine today!!” Finally, after a slick two handed double bobby pinned, 3 armed attack, the card was released and safely back in my camera. What a relief!
A little later, around 9:00 we got the call that Adam and Louise had finished up their dinner down the street. The last night in Brisbane was coming to a close, but not without a few more laughs. Poor Adam had to drag us gasbags away because the stories just kept coming! But hey mate, we’re on vacation!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
I’m on VayCAYtion!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Brizzy, Sweet As
This morning we woke up to bid farewell to two good looking people – aka the Jennings were off to work. We had fresh squeezed orange juice with the oranges straight from the tree in their backyard! Louise mentioned how fantastic a bit of Vegemite on toast with butter was and that we should try it, so we decided to be a bit adventurous and go for a dab. It was creamy and good, but should be reserved to sample in small amounts. We got ready for the day, played a bit with Tibby (their adorable dog), watched some news etc. and were on our way to the city!
The bus station is just a stone throw away from the Jennings so we skipped up the road, caught the 204 and took it straight to the center of the town to where the windy river meets with lots of shops. As per the recommendation of many, we walked the famous river walk and stopped into the museums. Before that we needed a pick-me-up so we decided to grab a bit of coffee.
Coffee in Brisbane seems to be a tough thing to get right for Kristin. She is the simple customer over in America with nothing fancy, just straight up coffee with a bit of half and half. But so far this quest has failed, and she has ended up with either a cup of hot cream or full espresso. I told her to just give it up and get an espresso drink, which are quite delicious here such as skinny cappuccinos. I decided to try an espresso drink with marshmallows, not as sweet as you would think which is good and it hit the spot. But I think Kristin is going to get it right as tonight a few calls were made and we figure she needs to order a “long black with a bit of milk.” So we shall see…
We hit up the Modern Art Museum where there were some, as there are always in modern art museums, very interesting showcases. I enjoyed the Aboriginal Art section with bright fiery colors but also found the picture of what a man sees when he pokes himself in the eye…a very funny concept. The picture was a big black dot with red outer rim on the left and a smaller yellow circle to the right, or the light you see when you get poked in the eye. This artist probably had to poke himself in the eye multiple times before completing his masterpiece. When we walked into one room there was an enormous sculpture of a forlorn woman in bed that was like something out of Ripley’s. She would be a good match for Goliath or the Jolly Green Giant. A man also put up 9 TV screens showing pictures of John Wayne films. I know Grandfather Peterson would appreciate that one! The most calming part of the day was when we entered the “Song Dong” exhibit. They had massive stones in a dimly lit room with a video of the artist practicing calligraphy to soothing music. On the side were containers of water and calligraphy brushes so that you could interactively practice your calligraphy skills with a key on the stones. I brushed out the numbers and the symbols for happiness and longevity. Kristin brushed out lucky and harmony.
After our brains began to whirl from all the modern art, we walked a bit more through the park area singing songs from Enchanted. We stopped by a river café as the sun began to go down. Yes, the sun sets over here around 5pm! We took lots of pictures of the bridges, pools that people swim in along the river and the beautiful walkway that has a canopy of purple flowers covering overhead.
We went to Queens Street for some shopping and realized Heather Hirst would be close by and getting off work so we met up with her for dinner. It was a great run across the square and hug meeting followed by a catching up chat session standing in the middle of the hustle and bustling that lasted over an hour before we realized we should get some food. We grabbed a bite outside under some heaters, then walked to another place for a pitcher. She filled us in on Australian culture, such as zero tolerance for driving over the speed limit, even 1km! We got to hear more details about Shelley’s wedding, what it’s like working as a structural engineer with Australian construction workers. Apparently they are really respectful to women. The whole evening we were cracking up as Heather keeps you in stitches whenever she tells you a story. We saw where she worked, rode the marble elevators to use the nice bathrooms and rode home to the Jennings in the company car.
Not sure what the day holds tomorrow but we plan to live it up! Oh Brizzy…
Sunday, June 28, 2009
No Worries!
Well, the time has come for our ambling ways to take us past Cairns and down south into the city of Brisbane. It was tough to say goodbye to paradise because….well, it was paradise! But that’s the beauty in these rambling ways of ours: we get to explore all over the east and southern areas of Australia. Have I mentioned that?? Sometimes it still hits us smack on the head. Here is the map….here is DC…..WAYYYYYYY over here is the happenin Aussieland. Baffling!
So this morning we enjoyed our last breakfast overlooking the mountains and coastline and ventured back to the lobby to check out and all that jazz. But when we did, we saw our shuttle driver waiting there for us, and granted he was early, but we got so caught up in the view that we lost track of time! (You know us and food, that *may* have had something to do with it too). In a mad dash to get out of the hotel, Sabrina went up to get our luggage while I checked out. But as the minutes ticked away, the driver’s foot began to tap even faster. The absolute best characteristic of Australia I have found so far though is that the national slogan seems to be “No worries!” The driver was hurrying us, but he was making conversation about the weather, Cairns, and even politics, and following each segment up with, "Eh mate, no worries!" And what got a hearty chuckle from him was when poor Sabrina, outnumbered by my suitcase as well as hers, tried unsuccessfully to load all of the luggage into the elevator so she could escort it to the lobby. Instead, the door slammed shut and her purse, suitcase, and carry-on arrived on the ground floor for me to pick up. What a team we are, even if it’s unintentional!
The flight to Brisbane was a quick 2 hours, and frankly anything is quick compared to 37 hours of travelling! The flight attendants here though operate under more stringent airline policies, and demand full attention of passengers instead of America where it is “yeah, yeah…I know where the exits are, yep there’s the oxygen mask…so anyways as I was saying...” The flight attendant was right next to Sabrina and I, who ironically turned to quietly comment to me that after all of the flights we have been on, we know this whole spiel backwards and forwards. That’s when we got a harsh, “You need to pay attention to this.” Louise filled us in later that even she herself had gotted shh’d at times, and it wasn’t a typical “loud American” instance.
Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful flight- just some good conversation and mini-nap. We got into Brisbane airport and made our way outside to meet Adam. How did we know who he was? He was the bloke standing on the seat across the street, decked out in some sweet sunnies who immediately yelled out Sabrina’s name as we walked through the doors, knowing her from pictures on what else? Facebook. FB-stalking does come in handy, ya know? We hadn’t been in a car really, just buses and shuttles since getting into Australia, and so it was a bit of a shock as Sabrina went to get into the passenger seat…only to realize, nope! That’s the driver’s seat over here, and trust me, we do not want Sabrina (or I for that matter!) driving here.
That brings us to meeting Adam and Louise. This is truly one phenomenal couple! Jenn and Leif met them the Feast that they spent out here, and they graciously took us two travelers in during our stay in Brisbane. Sabrina and I both were amazed at how warm and incredibly easy they were to talk to! It’s been nothing but stories and laughs since we walked in.
They both had a few things to take care of this afternoon, and so Sabrina and I took the opportunity to walk around their neighborhood and see what we see. Down the road we came across a little fish and chips shop where we decided to split an order for a quick snack. But unlike the ketchup packets in the States, these were funky! Two plastic squares of ketchup with a little kink in the middle. You have to pop the little kink, fold the two squares together in order to squeeze out the “tomottoey” goodness. Well, as I make a dive in for a chip, I hear a “pop” and “pplllllllllt” as ketchup sprays across the fish, chips, table, and my arm! Sab over there though, had no idea where the ketchup was coming from and goes, “Kristin! You’re getting it everywhere!!” Ahh, these tricky cultural differences….
After the great ketchup debacle, we walked around a bit more around the parks and made our way back to the Jennings’ place. By this time Louise was back, so as we were standing in the kitchen talking, Adam walked in “with a few treats for us girls.” Boy did he ever! Vodka-guava fizzy drinks were under his arm, and soon in our hands. We had a blast sitting in the kitchen talking, and had to remind ourselves to leave so we would eat dinner at a decent hour! We headed downtown and were treated to some pizza and delicious cappuccinos at this little cafe, and then our two amazing tour guides gave us a drive-thru of Brisbane, including the Story Bridge, and the botanical gardens where these two got hitched. The absolute best moment though was when they took us to Mount Cootha Lookout. It is absolutely breathtaking!! No wonder it’s such a hot spot for all the lovebirds! It was a bit of a chilly night, but the panoramic view of the city lights sparkling was incredible.
There were these two spot lights waving around from the center of the city, just like a movie premiere or something. What was it? Some famous site that we overlooked??? Naaah, that's just Stefan, the famous hairstylist guru. At his salons, you can "Discover Yourself" and in true epic adventure, full-circle fashion: Louise starts working with Stefan in her shopping center TODAY! Maybe she will find herself...
Who knows what the next few days of Brisbane exploration hold, but eh mate…no worries!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Down Under, Karunda!
“Welcome to Karunda!” signs greeted us at the top and we leapt off the train to take in the beautiful surroundings. Karunda is a small village that has many flea markets, small cafes with amazing food, art galleries and opal stores. There were some interesting things for sale including aborigine designs, boomerangs, kangaroo scrotum lighters – (goodness gracious, talk about great balls of fire!), kangaroo fur everything; postcards, keychains, wallets, vests, ties, you name it! They also had butterfly, bird and wildlife sanctuaries.
We’ve been averaging two meals a day because it’s pretty expensive, but totally worth every penny! Today, because it is a feast day, I decided to get a little extra somethin’ somethin’. As suggested by our bus driver, we had a mango smoothie as a snack as we strolled through the village onto Rainforest Station.
We had another tour of the wildlife when we got up the Rainforest Station seeing the famous Cane Toad that was introduced about 25 km from Karunda in 1935 to control cane beetles, but was not successful as the beetles are near the top of the plant and toads towards the earth floor. Instead, the toads established themselves and became pests and not only that, they are poisonous! We saw a sanctuary for soon-to-be mother koalas and learned that the babies stay in their pouches for about 6 months. We saw this ginromous saltwater crocodile named Jack the Ripper. The story goes that 12 different female crocodiles were introduced to Jack the Ripper and instead of mating, he killed each and every one!
We then went in an army duck, really spelled DUKW, which is basically half truck, half boat, to tour the rainforest and learn about the vegetation. Upon entering the canopy covered road, the oxygen content level skyrocketed and I felt like with each breath I was breathing a thousand! The guide pointed out the various ferns that independently grow on the palms and trees. I loved how everything he pointed out seemed to work together for the rainforest as a whole. “Anything that dies is just food for the rainforest!”
One plant he pointed out as we were water bound was the “gimpy gimpy” which translates as bad bad plant. The stingy tree basically attacks your nervous system making it feel like “your mate just punched you.” Our guide had been stung by it and he said the best way to get out the fibers is to wax it off as the sting can last up to 6 months! Apparently in WWII a soldier used the leaf after he went to the bathroom and his buddies had to hold him down so he wouldn’t kill himself because of the terrible pain. Youch! There were also lots of termites and ant nests, wait-a-while palms and huge canopy trees/emergents. Wait-a-while palms were hilarious: they have these thorny vines poking out that get caught on your clothes or skin, and so what do you do but wait a while!
We took the Skyrail back down the mountains and had two stops along the way, seeing the Barron Falls from a different point of view and the aerial viewpoint of the rainforest! It was so lush and the plants really DO have to fight for the light!
As we arrived back to the Mercure, we got some Tropical Paradise drinks, and split some fish n’ chips and a lamb wrap. We went for a walk by the beach and said good-bye to the perfect paradise of Cairns and are ready for our next adventure in Brisbane! We head off tomorrow bright and early and excited for what lies ahead!
Friday, June 26, 2009
You CAirNs Dance!
Well, no early bird special last night! Rested up from the previous night’s 6:30pm bedtime, we decided to take the front desk agent up on his recommendation and give the Woolshed a try. After something as awesome as a day swimming at the Great Barrier Reef, we were both utterly mellow, just taking it all in, which was exactly the atmosphere of Woolshed around 8:00pm. We ventured upstairs to the lounge/bar/restaurant area, grabbed ourselves a drink and headed to the open air deck that overlooked the street. This place was decked out in wood and bamboo, and the canopy from the massive trees outside made it feel like we were in an aborigine hut out in the jungle…complete with a thatched roof.
That fateful game of pool changed the course of the night. For one, it was the longest game, ever. And no, not due to any craziness like a lack of pool skills, but the table was so cramped in the room! We had to maneuver around people’s legs, tables, walls etc. etc. in order to get a shot, yet somehow we managed, even with the smaller balls. Big difference from American pool, there were no numbers or range of colors, but just red and yellow. 2 choices. We ambled through this obstacle course until Robby, a guy camped out on a nearby stool, introduced himself. It’s really amazing sometimes how small the world can be! This guy was an American, and the fact that we were American travelers (something he had found very few of on his escapades) prompted the intro. He is starting med school at USC in the fall, but before he signs up for the next 10 years of school he’s on a travelling blow out, hitting all the spots of New Zealand, Australia, Dubai, Singapore… Cairns really is the mecca for travelers and backpackers.
If this was Transfomers, here is where we morphed from a semi and a camaro into Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. After Robby took off, we headed to the bathroom with the idea that we would call it an early night and head back to our hotel. But the place had other plans for us. Apparently, it was Ladies Night and by the time we came out of the bathroom, the music was pumpin, the black lights flashin, and Kir Royale was flowin into the plastic flute we found in our hands. After getting an intro into the backpacking realm, we bumped into two locals: Mitch and Davidy, two airplane mechanics/mango farmers. These two kept us cracking up the entire night with their random quips and pretty sweet dance moves. Gloria Estefan was right: the rhythm IS gonna get you. When Boom Boom Pow came blasting over the speakers, Sabrina and I busted out the moves girls break out in their rooms when the door is locked and blinds are closed. Oh yes, we brought back the robot, the hustle, Greased Lightnin and just random all out, go for it moves. Sabrina’s thought really echoed it all: “I wish these people would move so I could have more space. I need space to DANCE!!!!” Later that night, we could not care less about our ringing ears or hoarse throats- we had enough laughs from all that dancing to take us on home! Honestly, we should have known what the night would bring when Jamiroquai kicked it all off.
It was a pretty terrific night, and awesome getting to meet some other travelers and of course local mango farmers. Waking up today, I still can’t get enough of our view. I know when we finally post our pictures you’ll probably think, “Wait, didn’t I see that view before?” But outside our window and the walk down to town, I just completely understand Monet trying to capture Cathedrals and Parliament in absolutely every shade of light the time of day offers. It’s a tremendous view no matter the color of the sky.
Today though was our day to relax, explore and enjoy what Cairns had to offer. After another fantastic brekkie, we walked along the water down to the pool that is the center of the town. This is no suburban community pool, mind you. This thing is huge, open in the middle of town, and it looks like it just falls off into the ocean. We grabbed our towels, LC News, and camped out alongside ~75 others in the surrounding grass. Everyone is so relaxed, enjoying the view and just taking it all in. My favorite was this nearby Jack Johnson-esque guitarist who unintentionally entertained the crowd. That was literally our entire day. We had all these notions of running around and doing this and that, but that so quickly went out the window. That is local life- spending time with friends and enjoying the outdoors…all day long.
It was just a gorgeous, perfectly relaxing day. Heading back as the sun began to set, we stopped at a street café and enjoyed some more fanastically fresh food. It’s amazing, every time plates are set in front of us with all sorts of vegetables adorning them, Sabrina and I look at each other and say, “Okay, I’ll talk to you in 15 minutes.” It’s THAT good!
In other news, our pictures will be posted on Picasa soon and we’ll link y’all up. There are some pretty sweet ones! We’ve got a day in nature for tomorrow, but hope everyone has a wonderful Sabbath!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
No Boundaries, Just Barriers
Well, Woolshed’s didn’t happen last night. Our intentions of going out and having a schooner (beer) were put on hold when Kristin and I both fell asleep at 6:30pm – we then woke back up at 10pm, and again at 2am for a one hour girl talk and finally hit the bed again until my cell began singing it’s happy tune at 6:45am. We got ready for the day by sporting our swim suits and 30spf. We hurried down to the hotel restaurant for an amazing brekkie overlooking the sparkling water and mountains. We were surprised (Kristin was elated!!) to see some spaghetti being served and got some crème fraiche to put on some delicious fruit. We’ve realized that our conversations during mealtimes consists solely of, “mmm, MM, yeah… that’s good.” Everything is so fresh and healthy!
We caught the big bus for Quicksilver tours outside our hotel, which took us on a scenic drive to Port Douglas. Along the way we saw lots of sugar cane fields and have this sweet plan that in the future we will return here to live in bungalows, harvest sugar cane and become rum makers here. Seriously, Bacardi ain’t got nothin on us! The best way for you to picture it here is it is the scenery in the Jurassic Park, so that theme song was hummed pretty much the rest of the way there. As we traveled along the coastline on Cook Highway, named for the man who discovered this beautiful beach area, we saw Wallabies! ….Wallaby Raptors, what?! “Shoot her! Shoooot HER!”
We made it to the docking area and embarked onto this huge ship. We sat in the front on the boat ride out, feeling the full force of the wind and soaking in the experience to the max! Literally, it brought a tear to our eyes (although, that may have been the fierce wind…) As soon as we got to the pontoon, we grabbed some flippers and snorkeling gear and dove into THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!! The whole time we flashed back to middle school geography class and pictures where we were on the map. We are actually here, swimming around what we’ve only read about!! Randomly throughout the day it would just hit us full force and we couldn’t help but thank God for all the blessings we have, and seeing this miraculous creation first hand is truly one! It was a breath-taking experience, as we would dive down to get closer to the reef and swim with the schools of fish, although we were careful not to wack a flipper on the reef itself (that is a big no-no!). Yes, we put an underwater camera to work down there trying to capture all that we could. There was an incredible variety of fish and coral. “Under the sea, under the sea, darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter, take it from me!” Yes also a theme song for the day.
Some of my favorite included the Sergeant with four black stripes, the Maori Wrasse that had big lips like Wanda from In Living Color… “Heeeeey! I’m gonna rock your world,” the turquoise rainbow fish, the unicorn fish, this crazy looking long yellow fish, and all the mackerel that sparkled like confetti as we would swim. As my buddy Kristin and I swam along, we saw spaghetti coral waving in the sea, brain coral, a turtle and huge clams! So I went “out of boundaries” while snorkeling, whoops! Boundaries don’t hold me back! Thankfully Kristin came to my rescue and we held hands after that- hehe. 2 things she likes: spaghetti on the breakfast buffet, and spaghetti coral. On the pontoon we caught a half submerged submarine boat that drove around the coral reef so that we could see even more! There was a place to walk under to see the fish close up as they fed them from the sides.
Lunch – well let’s just say there was some more, “Mmm, delicious...” comments. The boat ride back we made friends with Taylor, one of the boat’s lifeguards who had lost his “sunnies” while saving a person’s life earlier that day. Naturally, we kinda giggled a bit and now love our sunnies. He was pretty pumped to go see Transformers 2 tonight, a movie we had been talking about wanting to see earlier! Oh, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, plus who the new villain would be since Megatron made for a deep discussion. Oh! And apparently that morning we had run over a Minke whale on the way out, so we had our eyes peeled for any crazy wildlife. All the salty sea air, the beautiful views, they brought us to tears!
It was an absolutely amazing FIRST day of seeing this marvelous country! There is so much more left to explore! So since we ended up takin a coma last night, we’re skipping the early bird special and heading out to explore the Woolshed and life in Cairns! We out to see the town and soak in something more than just sun.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Live the Dream...That's Sooo L.A.
After a couple more hours of girl talk, we landed in the happenin city of Los Angeles, baby! The mountains, city buildings, and the majestic mist settling in the valleys made for an ethereal site, and naturally Sabrina and I were pretty giddy! Now to you naysayers and pessimists out there, you may say, “Now girls, that was not an ethereal mist adorning the city of LA, but rather SMOG.” That is false. We optimists decided it was, in fact, a majestic mist welcoming our arrival! The plane landed smoothly and we gathered up our belongings, eager to get off and use our legs again. Walking through the boppin LAX (our eyes peeled for Britney Spears and her entourage), we caught a glimpse of a Best Buy Express. Really, people? Who is walking through the airport and thinks, “Oh, snap! I’ve got to get a new IPOD pronto?” Ludicrous I tell you. So naturally, severe mocking of that machine ensued. But as would become the theme of our trip, everything comes full circle. About 7 minutes into our 15 minute walk to the terminal where we would catch our connection, a thought came to mind that stopped me in my tracks. Literally. “How terrible would it be if I didn’t have my camera for this epic adventure??” Just to clear my mind, I looked through my bag, and looked….and didn’t have it!
After that, we got around to looking at our flight itinerary and realized it was not 2, but 6 hours we had for a layover! Ben and Stefan happened to be somewhat close to the airport, and came over to meet up with us. Another one of those convenient awesome happenings! We ducked over to this fantastic pub, McKaden’s (sp??) to catch the last bit of happy hour. After the long day and nothing to eat since breakfast, we sank into those couches and got started on some beer and appetizers. It really was an awesome couple of hours- surprise visits with friends can’t be beat! Sabrina enlightened us with her beer choice: a Black Moon. Half Guinness: Half Blue Moon. It’s a little sample of each, but pretty tasty. I stuck to my Smithesesmieseisecfnsiofn though (The name of the beer was lost on all of us). So the night was pretty spectacular catching up and we were treated to a few “hypothetical but true….but hypothetical” stories.
Then came the 14 hour flight to Sydney… which actually was surprising uneventful! We dozed in and out of consciousness for the first 7 hours, and then just talked and jammed to a little Elton John the rest of the way. By this time, we were wiped but determined to plug on. We caught our connection in Sydney over to Cairns, and then the sleep-deprived, sore tukkuses, glee to be using our legs again that was produced by our 37 hours of travelling kicked in. Looking out at the breathtaking mixture of mountains, city and sea that is Cairns, there was nothing but giddy shrieks of “Look at this!! Are you serious? Look at this!!!!! (jump, jump, jump, high five) Wooooooo!” And repeat. The view from our room…it just can’t be expressed! Absolutely gorgeous!
We forced ourselves to stay awake today, which actually wasn’t too hard. We aimlessly wandered through Port Douglas, the town where the Great Barrier Reef tours are outside of Cairns. It’s amazing how laid back this beach town is, with this pervasive easygoing, stress-free vibe. There are lush trees everywhere, a HUGE pool in the middle of town that goes into the Coral Sea…just unbelievable, and the best part: everyone is incredibly active outside and eats fresh veggies and fish! We’re big fans
Thank you Kobe Bryant for the title to this blog: Live the Dream….that’s so L.A.
But reality?? WE’RE IN AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
G’day Mates!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Our first blog post!
Epic Adventure starts Monday! We are finalizing our plans, packing up our clothes and gathering last minute essentials.
Three days and counting!
