Brisbane and the End

So Brisbane was next on our travel list. Basically Brisbane is much like our Florida- always warm and all the themeparks. We went there to get a true Aussie vacation experience.

On the first night we went to the Australian Outback Spectacular which is a dinner show (another tick off the bucket list). It was good. Very funny, informative, Aussie, and had a lot of tricks involved. On the way in you get a cowboy hat to wear and it has a color on it depending on what team you are assigned. I thought that was clever and was good audience participation. The food was good; just real basic cooking. The green beans were like they had been picked right out of the garden. Oh and apple pie for dessert. I never had apple pie in my life and I usually hate pie unless it is meat but I ended up eating mine and Andreas:) We were top rail (high class hehehe) so we got some perks as well. You know how I like that. It really was a great time. Check out the website here. No pictures allowed inside.

The next day we went to Movie World which is like a Disneyworld but on a smaller scale and with warner brothers characters. So basically the same but different (my mom loves when I say that). It was really cute I thought. Again, there are some pictures on my Flickr here but probably look at the website. We went and watched Rio in 4D and walked around a lot looking at all the cool things. Oh and then when we were sitting eating ice cream, Batman came by in the Batmobile. That was mad cool. Luckily he drove by again and we had recovered from enough to take photos. Best thing about there was that now I am a proud owner of Hermione's wand from Harry Potter...it was a magic day...hahaha get it?

The third day we rode the hop on hop off bus around which is always really not worth the money but this time it was alright. We took it to the Brisbane Wheel which was cheesy but we had already bought tickets for it. Basically just a ferris wheel but it did have some good views of the rest of Brisbane. Then we went and ate at Puerto which is part of a reality show competition here called Restaurant Revolution. The theme of the restuarant was East meets Mex...and yeah the concept is weird. Anyway, this Asian lady waltzes over to our table and starts high fiving us and asking if we want our picture take (with her)...in the end she was the "owner". We went to Anzac Square and saw some beautiful bridges and churches there. Pictures posted with others in link above.

On the last day we did our laundry which was loads of fun...get it? I know I am on a roll. We ended up taking a bus and a train back to Sydney and yeah that was pretty HORRIBLE. I hate being trapped with humans, especially crazy ones! And I dont just mean Andrea...

Now we are back in Sydney. We went to the Chinese Gardens today which are in Darling Harbour, they are nice. Tomorrow we leave for home. Thank you for everyone who supported this dream of mine and kept me company along the way. I know emailing me was a major commitment and I appreciate those people who took the time. I have had a life changing experience and I hold Australia forever in my heart.

In the words of Porky Pig..

"That's all folks"

New Zealand Part 2

First off, all Auckland pictures are up. Tomorrow night we leave New Zealand for Brisbane.

Our Sunday started off at 4:30AM. Andrea and I decided to “run” (I wont over exaggerate here) down 13 flights of stairs in our pjs without jackets (mind you it is winter here). Why, you may ask. Oh that was because there was a fire drill…New Zealand lost points there.

Later on Sunday…we went on an all day tour with a Maori guide. I was really looking forward to this tour and I was not disappointed. First of all, for once the weather stayed nice all day long. We were picked up outside our hotel in a nice Mercedes Benz van. We joined a German family of four so it was a small personal tour. The tour guide/driver was a lady of Irish and Maori background who was also part owner of the business.

First stop was the tallest point in Auckland which happens to be a dormant volcano. The Auckland area has around 50 volcanoes so there are a quite a few. Auckland has 1.5 million residents which is basically a third of the population here.Auckland used to be 4 cities and they amalgamated them into one super city. Auckland was once the capital of New Zealand but that changed to Wellington so that the capital was in a more centralized location. There were some beautiful views of the city from the volcano but boy was it windy…

The visitors center we then went to was a huge park that had a lot of Maori carvings at the welcome center. We were also able to see the silver fern which is the symbol of New Zealand. It looks like a normal fern but underneath the leaves are silver. Apparently, kiwis (that is what New Zealanders are called…back to that in a minute) use these ferns as like a Hansel and Gretel trail. That was just in case any of you ever get lost in the New Zealand bush. Oh and also, bush walking or hiking is called tramping. We went and looked around the welcome center which was interesting because it had two birds which are now extinct here. One looked like a dinosaur crossed with an emu and the other looked like a griffin. The Maoris hunted them to extinction. Even now the Kiwi bird is low in numbers and they might lose them.

       This picture is a real Kodak moment from far away...up close, well let's just say don't zoom 

After the visitors center we went to the beach. It is a sister beach to Bondi in Sydney because the waves are so good there but it also dangerous. The sand was fine and black with sparkles in it. Apparently it is black from the volcanic ash. There is a rock that is supposed to look like a lion in the water but that was pretty abstract overall unless you were heavily medicated. Anyway we had morning tea there. It consisted of New Zealand Anzac biscuits (they have honey), kiwi juice, L&P “pop”, some different candy and some honeys to try. Now this L&P drink is a carbonated lemon drink that is excellent. It is “world famous in New Zealand”, more popular than Coke here, and now owned by the Coca Cola company.

While we were having morning tea, the guide went over some New Zealand things. One was biz-e-bee which is a wooden toy very popular for small children here. The thing that I thought was the most interesting was the Kiwi shoe polish. New Zealanders were not give the nickname because of the bird or the fruit but rather the shoe polish. Apparently, the New Zealand soldiers used to carry the Kiwi tin in their shirt pockets and the brand name “Kiwi” was all that stuck out so the other soldiers would say “Oh here comes that Kiwi”. I thought that was really interesting.  

We then went to see the Kauri (pronounced Kody) tree which is the second biggest tree in the world. This tree was between 800-1000 years old. It is one slow growing tree as it only grows the width of a fingernail in one year. The root system is really strong so it is able to withstand a lot of wind. Of course they used to be forested so many old homes and ships were made out of their wood. Now though it is illegal to cut them down so repairs must come from salvaged wood. Apparently, the movie Avatar was based around the Kauri tree and the Mauri people. The New Zealand government gave 6 million dollars to the film which grossed like 600 million. James Cameron is moving to NZ to work on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th installments of the film. I didnt care for it but as you guessed I am going to rewatch it and I bet I like it more now. Oh and to go see the tree we had to clean our shoes because there is some sort of fungus killing them.

In the afternoon we went to the Museum of Auckland (which is a top 20 in the world museum) to watch an authentic Maori experience. There were 3 male performers and 2 female performers who did a really good job. They talked about different aspects of their culture like instruments, weapons, and games. They were quite the performers and not camera shy at all. Maoris used the intimidation factor and therefore they are pretty scary. Their rule was that you were an enemy before a friend. The men would stick their tongues out while the women bulged their eyes out. Then they stomped their feet and made less than cuddly sounds. Quite unsettling, I can tell you from firsthand experience.

After that we went out and explored the Maori part of the museum. There were some beautiful wooden carvings there. And we got to go in a meeting house which was a really cool experience. We had to take our shoes off but it was worth it. Maori meeting houses are sacred and very ornate inside. The weaving and carvings tell a story. It is basically the center of life for them. Like they have funerals, town meetings, weddings, and general get togethers there. We also chatted with a guy who was working on some carvings as well.

Maori people touch noises when meeting and how many times depends on where you come from. There are many different Maori tribes all over New Zealand. There are more in the north island than the south because the climate is better here. The strongest tribes took over in the Auckland area because it is the best of all with good soil, two harbors, and a more gentle climate. When meeting each other they ask three questions: 1) What is your body of water, 2) What is your mountain and 3) What was your canoe. From that they know all sorts of things like where you come from and who your family is. The Maori people are really big on facial tattoos especially in men but women can have them as well.

This experience was much different than I expected to be honest. I was quite prejudiced against the Maori before coming here because of similarities between two other native people. I was fascinated by their culture because I had been told numerous things about cannibalism, violence against the European settlers, the Maori gangs, sacred places where white people are not allowed, their intelligence, etc. Although, the tour guide did not mention violence against the white settlers, it existed (not saying they didn’t deserve it). In the end we got trench warfare from the Maori people and they were the first native people to have a signed contract with white people-brilliant! As far as the sacred places where white people cant go, I was surprised to find out that a person from one tribe isn’t even welcome in another tribe’s meeting house. They also need to get permission to do things such as fish in the waters of another tribe. I didn’t have the heart to ask about cannibalism and of course I wanted a ride home.

I have a major problem with affirmative action so I had to ask if Maori’s were given special treatment here. The tour guide went on about how fiercely independent they are and how they make it to be judges and such. But then she admitted that yes if there were two candidates with about the same credentials, the Maori one would be chosen. She said they want more Maoris to study… Anyway they have their own courts and their own laws and special exceptions.

The thing I think I found the most interesting was that the tour guide said that the Maori people are different from Native Americans and Aboriginals because they have been integrated. New Zealanders welcome foreign people and want them to stay. She said that in New Zealand they ask how long a person has been here rather than when a person is leaving and consider you a local after just three days. She made it a point to say that Maoris have fought in many wars side by side white New Zealanders and many times were important in victories. From my perspective, I saw the difference in the answer when I asked if Maoris identified as New Zealanders first before their Maori heritage. The answer was yes. I think the Aboriginal answer can be found in the fact that they have their own flag which is displayed alongside the Australian flag. But alas, it takes two to tango. I wont get going on this. I just thought it was interesting.

After we left the museum we toured around Auckland and Davenport (a restored area) and then had some ice cream. They have a national ice cream here called Hokey Pokey which is caramel bits in vanilla ice cream. It was awesome. At this point in the tour we were the only passengers so it was really personal. We had the tour lady drop us off at a souvenir place where we loaded up…

On the way home we stopped and had an Italian guy do a caricature of us. I have always wanted to do that. He was an interesting guy who loved to make people happy. I wouldn’t say that I thought it looked like us but I will take the rendering from the neck down…hahaha.

On a funny note (but not really) Andrea and I went to a 24 hour convenience store when we arrived last Sunday. It was 2AM…it was closed…not very convenient for a 24 hour convenience store as Andrea put it. Oh and on another note, McDonalds here is called the American Embassy…

New Zealand

We basically just settled in here on Monday. We got some groceries because Andrea booked us in an apartment. It is a nice apartment with a full kitchen, laundry, and a nice balcony. On Tuesday we went to see the Minion movie…complete with our minion made goggles…yes that is for real. It was an alright movie but I missed Gru. The movie theatre seats were really comfy! The popcorn and pop tasted like home. It makes me wonder why Canada’s popcorn and pop taste so weird. But that is a conundrum for another day.

Then on Wednesday we went to Hobbiton. That is where the hobbit holes were filmed for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. Andrea and I are Hobbit fans but not Lord of the Rings fans. And by fans I mean we liked the movies and enjoyed the book not that we have hobbit tattoos. We took a tour and it was a very enjoyable day.  The only thing that could have been better was the weather. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He told us where certain scenes had taken place and fun facts about the set. For instance Peter Jackson (the director) didn’t want to use the sheep which were already there so they imported a special type of sheep for the shots. Then there was a tree that is 100% artificial and has tons of spray painted leaves wired onto its branches. He also did a scene re-enactment, probably should not quite his day job for acting… It is an interesting set up because it is a private operation where you have to book a tour and not just drive there yourself. The site was picked for its secret location and it is secret. I mean you cant see from the road that is for sure. They still operate a farm on the land as well- the wool goes to China for carpets and the beef goes to McDonalds. The tour was capped off with a Ginger Beer (oh how I hate ginger) at the Green Dragon and then a buffet lunch at a fancy tent.

On Thursday we went looking for street art but apparently I was going in the wrong direction so we ended up knee deep in souvenirs. The souvenirs are pricey compared to those of Paddy’s Market. Lots of different things though. Many Maori crafts. Auckland has a lot of people begging for money on the streets, people handing out flyers, and people sleeping on the sidewalk. I am not too keen on that. It wont be surpassing my love of Sydney anytime soon. Although, New Zealand wins in the fast food arena. First of all they have free fountain drink refills and they have more choices than just McDonald’s and KFC. I have discovered Carl’s JR and have fallen in love with criss cut waffle fries.

On Friday, we went whale watching. Just as some background…it has been a lifelong dream of mine to go whale watching. I was pretty excited because New Zealand is supposed to be a really good whale watching spot. It was a beautiful cruise out to the location and I do mean beautiful. The countryside here is unlike anything I have seen. We ended up seeing a ton of dolphins but no whales. It would have been killer to have seen a whale (pause for laughter) but in the end that didn’t happen. Perhaps this was another time where I had my sights set higher than they should have been. In my mind I pictured taking a photo of a humpback whale turning in the air…yep okay so maybe my hopes were a bit higher than they should have been. It was pretty cool to see so many dolphins in the water. Plus it was the common dolphin and I have only ever seen the bottlenose dolphin in captivity. They could have posed better in the water. On that note if anyone wants to see what the Pacific Ocean looks like let me know, I have lots of shots of it. At least the weather was beautiful. And the company was a good one. They do marine research so a lot of the crew were students. Oh and while we were on the docks we did see a New Zealand fur seal in the harbor killing a fish. That was cool.

 

Pictures HERE

Sydney Wrap-up

Before I begin I need to backtrack a little because I forgot some things that Andrea and I did in Sydney before we went to Tasmania. We went to the Sydney Tower at night which was interesting. I hadn’t been there yet and it was nice. We are going to hopefully go back in the daylight when we return to Sydney. It was interesting to see things all lit up and be able to point out things that I was familiar with. We visited the aquarium so that Andrea could see the dugongs. Then we went to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Now, I made everyone go in London and it was terrible but the one in Sydney was really well done. First of all we didn’t have to wait in line for 2 hours and there were not one million people milling around. We got some pretty epic shots with ET, Crocodile Dundee, Obama, the Royals, Ricky Martin, etc…They had really good props that you could use too so that was nice. I would totally go back there. Alright, I think that was the highlights that I missed before.

 

On Friday, July 10^th my workmates had a farewell dinner for me at a club in Merrylands. It was really nice. Wendy, Stan, Demi, Rishi, Neha, Azeez, Rachel, Rebecca, and Rebecca’s two kids came. It was really nice of them since of course they didn’t have to do anything. I was also happy because Andrea got to meet everyone. Rebecca and Rachel had gotten me three beautiful silver charms: the Opera House, a kangaroo, and a koala for my charm bracelet so that was really thoughtful of them. It was a really nice evening. Very touching.

On Saturday, Andrea and I went on a jet boat ride in Circular Quay. It was awesome from start to finish. First off the weather was perfect. The company was so professional and nice. I was having a wee bit of trouble with my life jacket and the jet boat driver came over to help and said (with a smile) “There’s always one” and then basically looked at Andrea and said “Oh I guess there’s two”. It made us laugh really hard and remember back to the times in chemistry class. Can you believe this year makes 10 years out of high school for me? That is sick. Anywho…the boat ride wasn’t as thrilling as the Riptide Ride in Munising we had been on but the views of the Harbour (even out past where I had been before) were amazing. I was very impressed with the professionalism of the company. I would for sure do that again.

After that ride, we caught the ferry over to Luna Park. It was awesome!!! I love that park so much! Anyway, first of all they had minion mania going on there which I was excited about. We got to see the parade which I had missed before. And finally Andrea went on two rides with me. First, we went on the Ferris Wheel and then we went on another ride that was a bit more intense…I loved it. It had been so long since I was on an amusement park ride. Most fun I have had in some time. I really like Luna Park!

 

On Sunday, I said goodbye to my flatmates and left for the airport. It was sad leaving the apartment, I mean after all I was there for over 6 months. I really liked that place. It was close to work, the mall, and transportation. I could not ask for more than that. And my flatmates were so nice. I wasn’t super close to them or anything but they looked out for me and I appreciated that very much. It was a really lucky find, no doubt about that.

And then we were in New Zealand…

Tasmania

So the next visitor to arrive was Andrea. Our first big trip was to Tasmania! I wasn’t sure what to expect about Tassie. To be quite honest I didn’t think it was a state in Australia but rather a separate country before I started talking to Wendy and learning more about Australia. Now, thankfully I know each state and at least one major city/place in each…and I am well informed on the geography of New South Wales from my job. Anyway, we picked to go to Tasmania pretty much because it is exotic sounding, no? Really there wasn’t a lot of research behind our choice I wouldn’t say. It usually works better that way I think. From what I had been told at work, Tasmania is freezing cold, lots of nature, and two headed people. Basically exactly what the Trolls (people from Lower Peninsula of Michigan) say about Yoopers. Therefore, I was not too concerned.

Arriving in Hobart we picked up our rental car which was a white SUV number just in case we encountered a lot of snow. Andrea had to drive as I have been in Australia too long now in terms of using my American license. We left the airport and I navigated us to the hotel. Okay maybe the GPS and Andrea did the navigating while I was busy eating the snacks she brought with her…I knew I liked her for some reason….hehehe. She did good driving and there were only a few brushes with death which is basically like driving with me in the Sault.

The scenery on the way there was beautiful. After we checked in at the hotel we went to Mount Wellington. Basically this is the big beautiful mountain that can be seen when arriving in Hobart. When we arrived it had snowed some so we were only allowed to go up about halfway. The cool thing was that the snow made it look prettier I thought. The view of the summit was really mysterious looking with the snow and clouds. The view down the mountain reminded me of Porcupine Mountains.

The second day we decided to drive up to Wineglass Bay which is approximately 3 hours North of Hobart. It is listed along with the drive to get there in the 1000 places to see before you die. It was a beautiful drive. Lots of water, mountains, and green fields. We stopped to take photos at a beach and of the spiky bridge on the way there. The bridge is an odd looking thing that was made by convicts.

Once we arrived at Wineglass Bay we stopped at the visitor center to purchase our park pass which was a bit pricey but worth it I suppose. Then we drove to the carpark where we saw wild wallabies hopping around. We climbed to the lookout which was quite the climb but we made it. Then we walked down and drove to the lighthouse which was 100% beautiful. We were the only ones there and the views from the boardwalk surrounding it were breathtaking! Then we started the long drive back in the dark. Thankfully, Hamish and Andy provided us some entertainment.

Alrighty, the third day was by far the best! We went toBonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Main reason for going there was that Andrea needed to see some Australian animals and I wanted to spend time with a wombat!!!!! Yes, my wish came true! Actually, I cant say enough good things about this reserve. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They put the animals first which I loved. Very conscious of how the animals were feeling. Tasmania has some unique species and is missing other species because of the fact it is separated from the mainland.

The first stop was to spend one on one time with Tina the wombat. Poor Tina was at the reserve on account that her mom had been hit by a car when Tina was still in her pouch. She has slight brain damage so she might be a lifelong resident of Bonorong but they hope she recovers enough to release her. Wombats are interesting because they are the sweetest animals while young but once they turn into teenagers they are fiercer than a Tasmanian Devil. Unlike most human teenagers, they stay that way. This is why it is so hard to be able to get too close to a wombat because they must be young ones and also why we chose this particular “zoo”.

After that, we hand fed a big Kangaroo some pellets that we were given at the entrance gate. We then got to watch the Tasmanian Devils being fed. They were much cuter than the other ones I had seen. The keeper was leery of them though so I don’t think they are super tame. Finally, we got our picture taken with a koala. It was cool because the koala was really cute and you could see how much she loved her keeper. It was an awesome experience!

We had a lot of trouble with the hotel (Travel Lodge), an unpleasant returning experience with the rental company (AVIS), and a bad experience with the airline (Jetstar) but it couldn’t spoil the time we had! Tasmania reminded me a lot of home and that was nice. It is a beautiful state and I would for sure return.

Pictures coming…check Flickr soon…

Work Wrap Up

Wednesday brought tax time! Yes June 30^th was the end of the financial year here. I wasn’t going to do my taxes but in the end I changed my mind mainly because Angela called her accountant and he thought I would be eligible for my tax back. Mind you I have paid $5,900 in taxes. That is a lot of money! Do you realize how much Vera Bradley that can fund? Anyway when it comes down to it if the Australian Tax Office (like our IRS) decides that I am a resident for tax purposes then I get $5,500 back and if not I owe an additional $500. I don’t think I should really get the tax money back but I also don’t think that I should have to pay more. The accountant seemed pretty sure that I would be considered a tax resident because I started work three days after I got here and maintained that job fulltime as well as the same permanent residence. Time will tell…fingers crossed.

On Thursday July 2nd, my workmates had a morning tea for me at work. That was really really nice. I have said it before and I will say it again, this time around friends were harder to come by. I mean they were already established and had lives here. Exchange students are for the most part equally desperate. But at any rate I did it, I made friends. These people welcomed me into their lives and for that I will be forever grateful. They opened my small mind to the world around me and showed me that friendship doesn’t have to fit into the black and white box I have always put it in. The morning tea was special because there were so many treats on the table and people had brought them for me, just me. That was a really big deal.

I have to take a moment to reflect on my work experience. Well, first of all it was great that I was given a chance that I would have never gotten in my own country. Secondly, I can’t believe I made it. I remember being terrified out of my mind on my second day of work and looking at Wendy with panic in my eyes while I hissed “what happens if I don’t get it”. She smiled warmly and said “don’t worry you will”. Then the embarrassment I felt when Rachel took me into the conference room so she could explain how to read timetables. When I again asked her the same question she said “You can do it”. For these people to believe in me was amazing. Then I met Azeez who I named “Mr High Five”, my mentor. I could not have been assigned a better mentor. He encouraged dumb questions and was always available for help. Plus, he too believed in me. Then there was Rebecca my first friend at work. She included me in lunches, gossip, and smoke breaks. Without that socialization factor I might have still failed. Actually I don’t think “might” but rather that I would have failed. I never before realized how important that socialization factor is at work.

Little by little the work became easier. I think the real turning point was when I was assigned medicals. It made me feel like I really could contribute something. The work was challenging I felt and never before had I thought that I would have liked to be constantly challenged but I really did. When we split off for the audit, the three people in my cubicle area elected me team leader. This was a new challenge because they actually looked to me for guidance. At times it was difficult because of the age and culture differences between all of us and of course the fact that we were all female. It was a tremendous learning experience. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and I respect each person that was part of my team. We all had something to contribute and areas where we needed help. I think the highest point was probably when Glenn (Wendy’s boss) told me that arrangements could be made with immigration to make it so I could stay on past the 6 month mark.  I proved myself and that showed it.  

April, Rani, and Neha gave me a going away gift when we went to the markets on Friday. The gift was very nice – all Australian things BUT the card was even better. Just to know that I made a difference in their lives however small or big. After that I said goodbye to my workmates which was harder than I expected, isn’t it always though?

What did I learn from working for Transport for New South Wales and my time in Australia? So many things. I learned that friendships can be forged in the most unlikely pairings. I learned to accept myself and open my mind more. No one is perfect and the people who care the most about perfection are the least perfect of all.  Above all I learned that I can do anything (except perhaps throw a boomerang and sing). I have NEVER been proud of anything I have accomplished in my entire life and for once I can say I am proud of me. It was a great experience that I will never forget.

On Saturday I went to the Botanical Gardens with Rani and her daughter Mya. It was a beautiful day and those gardens were amazing. In Australia, Botanical Gardens are a really big deal. Anyway we took the cheesy tourist train (loved it) around the gardens as they encompass like 75 acres. I know I have written about the gardens before but I hadn’t really gotten very far in exploring them. There are a lot of different parts to it. There is a Chinese Garden, monuments, rose garden, herb garden, greenhouse, sensory fountain, Government House, café, fernery, etc. By far my favorite part was the cockatoos!! I hadn’t been so close to so many wild Cockatoos. I am not a big bird lover but those are beautiful birds. Oh and just an update on the Government House-I give up! This time I had my passport and they closed the tour 1 hour early! I posted some pictures here of the garden.

Wendy also had me over for a delicious meal! That was awesome. We played Zingo where my catlike reflexes came in handy (I was really bad at that game). It was tons of fun! It was great to spend time outside of work with Wendy and of course to see Demi and Stan again. I will really miss them. They were a major part of this journey and without them I wouldn’t have made it either. 

Cairns aka The Coral Reef Destination

Long time no blog…sorry about that. An entire month has went by already. No worries-Yes I am still alive and yes I am still abroad. Time kept running out which means that I have a lot to catch up on. Today is national “Letitia needs to catch up on her blog day because she is tired of the smart remarks from Andrea” Day.  I guess I’ll start from the beginning of that month and move along that way.

So first of all my mom and Fern came to visit me. That was very nice to see them. Six months without a face from home is too long. It was my first time hosting anyone and made me feel like very much of a big kid. They explored on their own and I tried to show them what I thought was neat around Sydney. 

The big trip we went on was to Cairns. Cairns is located in northern Queensland and is a vacation destination for many Australians and international visitors. This is because even in the winter it is warm and they also offer many tours to the Great Barrier Reef. We picked this destination because if you are going to Australia you might as well go to the Great Barrier Reef.

The weather in Cairns was perfect actually the whole time we were there. It was warm but not too hot. Hard to imagine that is the way some people spend their winters. Anyway I found the people there really friendly. Now I think the people in Sydney are also friendly but in Cairns they would approach you to speak with you. The prices seemed to be pretty on par with Sydney. I will say however that Cairns is a place that if you are a hardcore tourist and not a vacationer, it will only take you a few days. Some people go on vacation to relax and this destination would exceed their expectations but as far as wanting to be always on the go there are only a couple of things to do there. It was much more picturesque then I was thinking. I have never been to Hawaii but Cairns looked like what I pictured Hawaii to look like.

The first day we went on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. It was really GREAT!!!!!!!! First of all since we are super rich we upgraded to Gold Class. That was well worth it! Gold class meant that we were located in a better car- less people, lounge style chairs, dedicated servants (hehehe) and FOOD!!! Oh we also had special stickers to mark us from the normal peons…hehehe.  I know that was exciting. Okay apparently I am the only one who thought so… We had warm savory muffins, Anzac Biscuits, Mango ice cream, etc. Oh and pop which of course put a smile on my face. We also received a Railway commemorative pack which has a postcard, pin, and pen so all good things for me to hoard. Finally it also entitled us to a historical talk of the signal cabin which was pretty interesting. Signal cabins are apparently another victim of technology.

Haha I cant believe I am posting this picture. Let's take note of the Gold class sign and sticker...and the smug look. When I start my cult I might use this picture for the propaganda. 

 The train ride was beautiful. I think my favorite was when we were turning and we could see the other part of the train as it is pretty neat looking. The staff made sure to let us know when there was a photo op coming and which side to be on which was nice. We saw some gorgeous waterfalls as well. Once we arrived at the station and had taken the tour, we walked a little ways to where we caught the Skyrail. Basically gondolas which go over the Daintree Rainforest. It was beautiful up there and we also got to stop at two stations along the way. The first station offered some breathtaking views of waterfalls and the second was a rainforest walk.

Once we finished with the Skyrail, we went to Tjapukai which is an Aboriginal Culture Park. I wasn’t terribly impressed with this part as it seemed a little on the cheesy side but it was informative. We learned about the different types of boomerangs there are which was neat. Two I remember that I didn’t know about were the clapping stick ones and the hunting one. These were some pretty sophisticated tools. I mean from Tobruk, I realized that I would have starved if I needed to hit my next meal with a boomerang but these tools were made multipurposed. We watched some traditional dancing which was interesting and some members of the audience who I suspect were highly intoxicated participated as well. I didn’t want to outshine anyone so I didn’t participate in that, we just got our clap on. Then a lady talked to us about Aboriginal medicine and which food was edible and not. That seemed a bit tricky as some things off the rainforest floor are poisonous until they ripen. Again, I don’t see me faring well in those conditions. Also, the guy told us of Aboriginal punishment where the first offense is this saw like looking thing being run all the way through your thigh muscle on one leg. Second offense is the other leg. The third is death. I think I would ask for death first. Anyway, at the end we were able to participate in boomerang throwing and spear throwing. I opted out of both because my medical insurance here isn’t too good and people get really jealous of my Olympian Boomerang moves.

Saw blade one on bottom...told you death would be better

Day two brought our journey to the Great Barrier Reef. First of all we walked there which was funny (but not) because apparently we were entitled to a hotel pickup. Anyway it was a beautiful day and it took us along the shore, this gigantic outdoor free public pool, and the wharf. Once we found the ship, we had to pick our fins and snorkel gear up. People could snorkel or scuba on this boat. We had a hilarious safety talk where the guy mentioned that our lifejackets were made by Australians for New Zealanders (very simple to use). It really cracked me up. I like the sibling relationship the two countries share. As a matter of fact I cant imagine finding two countries more closely tied together. We also listened to  a marine biologist student’s presentation. The crew was made up of young people but things were professional yet still fun. The boat ride there was horrendous! I never get motion sick and I was about ready to toss my cookies along with the rest of the boat. I have seriously been on jet boats that were tamer.

Anyway once we made it there we went snorkeling. It was much harder than I anticipated even for a competent swimmer like me….hehe that was a total joke. Every time I needed to use the snorkel I would start breathing like I was hyperventilating:D So I will also cross snorkeling off my potential hobby list. Anyway, we stayed in the water for awhile then came aboard to get warm. They also offered a glass bottom boat ride over the reef which was super cool and a great way to see the stuff that you had missed while snorkeling. The marine biologist came on the boat and it was a small group so we learned more about the reef and its occupants. We saw a shark (just a small one, harmless), some Nemo clown fish which were much smaller than I thought, and lots of different coral. We were a bit disappointed as the reef isn’t as colorful as we had pictured it. Mostly blues and greens instead of bright pinks and oranges. I posted lots of pictures so you could see for yourself. The ride back was smoother thankfully. 

That night we went to the night markets where we loaded up on our souvenirs. The next day we hit some more markets. Rusty’s is a famous one they have there where we looked at the fruits as they had different ones from ours like breadfruit, custard apples, lychees, etc. There was also a more boutique market offering handmade creations by the public pool. We looked in at some op shops and toured the mall as well. See this is the thing after the railway and Great Barrier Reef there isn’t a whole lot going on there so it was the perfect amount of time. So overall, I really liked the people in Cairns. The weather would be too hot in the summer since you sweat in winter. The area is beautiful and not too busy. I wouldn't visit there again but it was certainly worth a visit. 

Once we arrived back in Sydney we went to the Blue Mountains and did a little impromptu bushwalk. Have I mentioned I am not an outdoorsy kind of girl? Anyway it was beautiful scenery but rather rough terrain. Even though we bought a trolley pass we found ourselves in need of a ride to Echo Point. Thankfully, in true Aussie fashion a lady stopped and offered us a ride. After that bushwalk no STRANGER DANGER thoughts passed through our heads. That was a nice experience and she was from New South Wales so score one for the friendly meter there.  We ate at the café mall there and then came back. Shortly after that adventure my two guests left with much heavier suitcases than they brought with them...and there was a loud silence in my room...

PICTURES HERE

Thanks Mom and Fern for travelling all the way here. I hope you enjoyed your stay as much as I enjoyed seeing you:)

Weekend Wrap Up

On Saturday Angela from work took me to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. It was nice. This park is more Australian native animal centered and is smaller I think but in a good way. The ticket you get issued is a passport that you get to stamp at each station…yep I stamped each one and was downright giddy about it…yes I am 28. The big claim to fame is that a person can get their picture taken with a koala for free. Oh and they also have Archer the koala who is Australia's cutest animal per a recent poll. For me the big deal was that they have tons of wombats and they were awake!!! I got to pet a wombat and was pretty excited about that so excited that I ignored the sign that said “we bite” above the enclosure…oops! They are so cute. I don’t think they bite really….

Wombat!!

We mingled with the wallabies for feeding time. There were lots of joeys hopping around as well. We checked out the pelicans on the way to the koalas.Then we visited the koalas. They have 35 koalas plus another 8 joeys still in pouches. Koalas are so lazy…Actually do you know why they sleep all the time? They only eat the eucalyptus leaves and they provide little energy. I’m not sure if I mentioned that before or not. Then we got in line for our photos.

After that we went and saw more wombats!!!! There are three species altogether. We saw echidnas which are weird animals. Then we went and looked at the emus, dingoes, crocodile, all kinds of birds, and the kangaroos. They had some larger kangaroos there which was neat. Oh and I finally got to see the Quokkas and Bilbies. Those were two things I hadn’t seen yet. Actually before coming here I hadn’t even heard of them. We were there about 2.5 hours. It was nice. After that we went for lunch at the Westpoint mall and I did some window shopping.

Meanwhile in the dead of winter in Sydney Australia....

On Sunday, I finally crossed something off my list again: Bondi Beach. It is a little tricky to get there and I am lazy so I hadn’t made the journey before. It is actually pretty famous and the walk from Bondi to Coogee is well known. Everyone kept telling me to go there but since when do I listen to other people? Per the norm, this was well worth it! Actually it was one of the more beautiful sights I have seen here and there are many.

I took a train from here to Town Hall (I’ll skip the part where I got on the wrong train) and then another train from Town Hall to Bondi Junction. From there I caught a very very full bus. Surfboards are awkward on the bus. I got off when I could see the beach and the walkway was pretty much right there. There were many people there but it was a beautiful day so I could see why. The shore line was really nice. Once I reached the end I walked back to Bondi Beach itself. There were a lot of surfers in the water but the waves were not very good so not too many were actually surfing. Lots of people on the beach. There was wonderful street art on the wall behind the beach and at the skatepark which was an emptied pool I think. There were even some artists working on their pieces. And such a range of work! Amazing. Best graffiti I have seen in Sydney so far. 

And that was my weekend!

Pictures HERE

Oh yeah and something I forgot from last blog was that on the train to Canberra there were many kangaroos hopping in the fields which I thought was neat. Still seems unreal though. Kind of like reindeer in Norway...

Canberra

Well first of all, Happy belated Birthday to the Queen!!! I had Monday off because it was her birthday. Yes people I survived Yum Cha! It was pretty good actually. I had deep fried beef, calamari, duck, mango  pancakes, lemon cakes, spring rolls, vegetable and prawn dim sum, and many other things that I dont remember. Basically you sit down and the trolleys are rolled over to the table and you just start loading plated on the table. It was a wee bit pricey ($35) but it was an experience. 

I left on Saturday morning on the train bound for Canberra located in the Australian Capital Territory. Pretty much the same as Washington in the District of Colombia from what I can tell. Just a note that I have never been to DC so I cant really compare anything.  Apparently there was some disagreement between Sydney and Melbourne for the capital so they compromised in the middle (sort of). The train trip was about 4 hours long and this time I actually enjoyed it. There was no one sitting next to me and it was light out so I could watch the beautiful scenery go by. It turns out that NSW has some pretty nice hills like Victoria does. I wouldn’t have known that otherwise. The trip was uneventful, thank goodness. I was anxious we might get a medical emergency, or a broken down freight car, or even a car accident like last time but nothing!

While I was on the train I was silently applauding myself for packing for the trip in nothing but the cloud not even an additional purse. You can pretty much bring as much luggage as you want on the train but I knew I would be carrying whatever I brought around all day long so I didn’t pack much. This was a first for me and one of the main reasons I could never be a backpacker (I will just pretend I would be brave enough to do that). Anyway, well I was in the middle of singing my praises I realized that I had not brought any identification. Okay people the single most important thing you can bring as a traveler is your passport!!! What an idiotic mistake! You need it to confirm your hotel room, identify yourself for the train ticket, and even get into some government buildings! Idiot!!! I hoped for the best on that one and it turned out okay luckily! That could have been really bad. What a rookie mistake!

Once I arrived in Canberra I knew that transportation was going to be tricky. If I opted for a cab it was $25 and the tourist bus was $30 for the day. Well come to find out the tourist bus didn’t even service the station so that option was out. I saw some fellow passengers huddled at the bus stop so I went over with them. I paid $4.80 and got on the bus which took me to the center of town. On the way there I glimpsed the War Memorial which was exciting.

When I got to the town center I knew I needed an ACTION card which is their public transport card. I went to the convenience store on the corner and purchased one. This wasn’t without hassle as each state has a limit to how much you can be charged for transport in one day but I didn’t know what the limit was in ACT so I asked. The clerk didn’t know either so I ended up with $20 on the card and I had to pay $5 for the card. That also varies because in NSW, Opal cards are free but I know the Myki cards in Victoria were $6 so it just depends. Anyway, I had the card and was ready to roll.

I wanted to see the Mint for sure and I knew it was the thing that was located furthest away from my “hotel” so I went for that first. I basically hopped on the bus and hoped for the best…bad idea. The buses were clean and empty but the stops were not what I was expecting at all. If you were going to the Mint for instance it wouldn’t say “Mint” it would say Bradburn/Livingston or something equally not helpful. So I ended up at another bus station. Luckily the next driver was uber helpful on that. It was a bit longer walk but it was the best that could be done and better than where I was getting otherwise.

The Mint was amazing. I had originally just wanted to go because I wanted to mint my own coin (you can and I did) but I am so glad that I went! Australian coin history is really interesting! Some highs of the tour were:

1: The officers who looked after the prisoners were paid in rum so there were houses that were actually being bought with rum! They stopped that though because wives were also being traded for rum…

2:They discontinued the 1 and 2 cent pieces in Australia because nothing could be bought for that amount anymore and it was costing more to produce the coins than they were worth.

3: If another coin is discontinued it would be the 5 cent coin because it costs 6 cents to make it and again nothing can be bought for that amount anymore. The tour guide said it was really unlikely that would happen any time soon though. She said it is the most popular coin and it would make giving change difficult.

4: The reason that the $2 coin is smaller than the $1 coin is because the government decided after the $1 coin had been minted that it wanted a $2 coin and the mint couldn’t go any bigger. The Kiwis take pride in the fact that their currency is correct: The $1 is smaller than the $2. There is an intense but friendly rivalry between the two countries and sadly the Kiwis got the upper hand on that one.

5: The man who won the original design competition for Australian currency worked for the mint for like 40 years and then retired from that to become the personal jewelry designer to the Queen!

6: The 2000 Olympic medals were made at the mint. The Bronze was made from recycled 1 and 2 cent pieces because it meant that each medal hand been touched by all the citizens.

7: Paper money is made in note printing Victoria and their money is recycled into trash containers.

8: Australia did not have its own currency for many years because they used the currency found washed up on shore from trade ships. It got tricky paying for something in Dutch coins and getting change in Rupees though. They liked to cut coins in pieces to make change as well but then the medal degraded a lot quicker.

9: England sent 40000 Spanish coins to Australia because they were experiencing a coin shortage and they had extra of those laying around. The Governor of Australia had a convicted felon stamp out the center of each coin and mint it so then they had 80000 coins. Yes the convict was in prison for currency forgery so he had the knowledge.

10: These donut coins from #9 resemble washers and are worth a lot of money! One sold the other day for overall half a million dollars. Basically they are the first minted coins in Australia. They are rare because people did use them as washers. There is a story that a farmer was having a bad day and to top it off his tractor broke down in the field. When he lifted the hood he found a donut coin. Needless to say his day and life got a lot better!

11: The 50 cent piece use to be round but it was too close in size to the 20 cent piece so they changed it. It also used to contain 80% silver because the government wanted it to be special. Unfortunately, people figured out the silver was worth 57 cents so they were hoarding them and it had to be changed to less silver content.

12: Apparently there are some $1 coins here that have the 10 cent piece design on them and they are worth $500.

13: The Queen’s picture has changed over time to account for her aging!I would have never noticed that. 

Those last two were courtesy of a guy I met in the lobby who was really disappointed that I hadn’t been to our mint in the US…

Well after the Mint I was going to go to the Dinosaur Museum but that didn’t pan out. For one the bus would have gotten me there like an hour after closing and for two I had spent that money on a nice Two-up (game from Anzac Day) set…beautiful I might add. So I then went back to the station to take the bus as close to the embassies as I could get. Lucky for me I got the same uber helpful bus driver…not so lucky for him! He dropped me off at the closest point and I was able to walk to see several embassies. There was the Chinese embassy which was on a grand scheme and has often been said it belongs in DisneyLand but hey go big or go home. The British one was very cold and clean. The New Zealand one was like the British one but had a lot of windows giving it a more environmental look. The Canadian one has maple leaves stamped in the concrete and a big totem pole out front. The totem pole threw me off because that isn’t what I think of when I think of Canada. Anyway the Papua New Guinea one was the best as it had like hand carved masks covering its exterior. The South African one was out of this world beautiful. I looked into that and apparently it is rare for South Africa to even have an embassy. 

After I had seen enough embassies I went for  a walk along Lake Burley Griffin which I was told is Australia’s biggest manmade lake. I just discovered that it is named after Walter Burley Griffin, the AMERICAN architect who won the competition to design the city of Canberra! Anyway the walk was nice because there was a beautiful Chinese Garden and the water was so peaceful. I could see the National Museum, Black Mountain, and the water geyser from there.They had the weirdest statue there of a horse stepping on a swallow to represent the agility of the horse or something...it makes me laugh still...

It was getting dark by then so I decided to head to my lodgings. This time I opted for a dorm room in university housing which was actually quite nice. It hadn’t been renovated in a really long time and everything was very basic but man was that one clean room! I was impressed (yes Andrea I left housekeeping a nice note and tip, you’ve taught me well). I also had a balcony that offered a wonderful view. The room was located on the campus of ANU (Australian National University). So I will just go ahead and cross staying in a dorm room off my list. Getting there on the bus was a bit tricky but I made a new friend who knew right where I needed to get off. It was humorous though because I was complaining about the buses instead of Sydney Trains and she had lived in Sydney for 12 months and of course hated it. She said there were too many people and it was dirty. I took personal offense to that! Yes Canberra was cleaner and had less people but I still like Sydney better. Sydney has life to it I would say is the best way to put it. 

 View from balcony

The next morning I was determined to get to the War Memorial so go I did. It was really massive. The grounds themselves were a museum. There were lots of statues which makes me think that is something I don’t see much back home and it pretty cool. There were trees that had importance for one reason or another. One was planted by the Queen or something and one was from a cone that was retrieved from Gallipoli. There were military devices scattered about as well. The museum inside of the War Memorial was beautiful and covered everything I would say. They had uniforms, planes, medals, statues, etc. When you enter the Memorial you see the walls of remembrance and the eternal flame. I was on a mission though.

So when I went to the Poppy Park in Penrith I had purchased 4 Poppies and they arrived just before I left on my trip. I copied down the information off each flower determined to put a poppy by their names at the memorial. The staff was really helpful with printing me off the location of each name and a little about them. I was able to make that happen with their help. Although I think they were puzzled why I had an American accent and four different deceased Australian Soldiers names. I had some leftover poppies so I put those by the soldiers with the last name Phillips on the wall. Most of them already had flowers though but a few didn’t. Popular name here! Good taste what can I say. Then I put some on the current wall memorial for some reason it was that one that affected me the most. Some flowers that were there had pictures on them with a little about the people and it made it that much more real. 

There was also a statue of Nike in the museum that was really breathtaking. I enjoy learning about mythology and to see it incorporated into history this way was nice I think. So it was called Winged Victory and was originally located in the town of Marrickville which had a population of about 35,000 and 450 of their men lost their lives in WWI. This huge sculpture was created for the town square to "mark a town's sorrow at its loss and pride in the achievements of its sons." The description on the statue tells of how Australia gained major confidence in its place in the world after WWI. How the men came home to what they believed to be everlasting peace but it was not to be. That room was dedicated to the stories of the widows, the psychological impacts, and the physical handicaps that resulted from the war. It was my favorite room.

After that I walked down the center of the city basically the part that runs from The War Memorial to The Parliament House. There were many statues in remembrance of each war. 

 Parliament

War Memorial

Then I loaded back on the bus because my train to come back left at 5pm and I didn’t want to miss it. The train trip back was nice as well. I sat next to a chatty Cathy so you know I was all about that. And that was the end of that. Overall it was a good trip. I liked it there (but not better than Sydney or Melbourne). The public transport was a big negative but the cleanliness and lack of people was refreshing. The cleanliness was a little sterile though as it isn’t as if Sydney is dirty. I would go back if I had the time but I don’t. I saw the things that were most important to me but there are tons of things to see and like 90% of everything is free. I am not interested in US politics and although Australian politics seem much more lively I didn’t need to see inside the Parliament. Did I mention I really liked the Mint?

Other pictures (and these found bigger...looking at you Amigo) can be found here.

I will end here wishing everyone a happy week!

Vivid Lights

On Friday I organized an outing for my team to go to Vivid Lights together. Angela didn’t want to go though as she had been there done that already. So Neha, April, and I went. It was a lot of fun. We caught the train after work and went to Town Hall. We then walked from Town Hall to Darling Harbour. We took the foot bridge to the other side of Darling Harbour to the Ferris Wheel. I had really wanted to go on the ferris wheel as it isn’t there all the time and I knew it would provide good views. So we bought our tickets which were only $8 and loaded in. April apparently is afraid of heights so she was less than enthused but Neha and I made up for that. It was beautiful views! I really liked it, can you tell? There was also a beautiful laser light show set to music by the Ferris wheel that I just found really nice too. 

 Laser show in Darling Harbour

 Neha and April. I think you can guess who is who:)

After the ferris wheel we walked to Circular Quay where most of the action was. We saw several light installations like a big lit up pig, a round gazebo with lights, these weird atom looking things, and then we arrived at the Contemporary Art Museum which was AMAZING! Lots of color, action, and shapes moving all over the place. After that we went to look at the Opera House from across Circular Quay. Surprisingly for me the Opera House was a bit of a letdown. I guess I just thought it should be the star and it wasn’t by any means. It was still interesting but not breathtaking. April decided to go home at this time because she doesn’t like crowds. So at that point I dragged Neha with me to stand in line for the cheesy photo frame picture. Lucky kid. Then we went and looked at the lighted trees and up close at the aboriginal pictures on the Harbour Bridge as we were in the Rocks by that point. Finally, we went and stood mesmerized for like a half an hour at the Customs building across from the train station which had dinosaurs, elves, fish, sharks, snails, jellyfish, owls etc telling stories on its façade. At about 9:30pm we caught our train home.

On Saturday I helped Rani as she was able to move in that day. Her place is nice. The electricity hadn’t been turned on yet though so that made things a wee bit difficult. She lives in Parramatta now which is nice for her because it is closer to work. It would be a pain taking the train home from work every night. Parramatta is quite large so she lives a hefty walk from me, probably 25 minutes without using the free shuttle bus.

Sunday I went back to Luna Park to look around and then caught the ferry to Circular Quay.  Catching the ferry meant that I didn’t have to hike back up the hill…let’s pause while I pat myself on the back. Anyway I returned to the Opera House and strolled around the Botanical Gardens some more. I am eventually going to make it there to tour the Government House but I missed it by an hour that day. I really am going to get there though.  I need to look around the Gardens more as they are really beautiful. I waited around for Vivid to start and was able to catch a breathtaking sunset from the Opera House.

Finally Vivid started and I think it was busier that night than it was the other nights put together. I was able to see some installations that I didn’t know were there as I hadn’t been on that side of the harbor for the other nights. I saw a giant fish, three lighted people, a prism that was lit up, and a walking robot! The robot was really cool as it was walking with the crowd. I may have gotten a little geeked up about that. Then I stood across the harbor to take videos of the art museum. Next to me were two teenage boys that were trying to fish a skateboard out of the water. It was stuck on something about 4 feet beneath the surface against the wall. They had jolly rigged some golf clubs together and the one was over the fence leaning into the water. That looked like a recipe for disaster and since I am a competent rather than a confident swimmer (love you too mom) I decided to get out of there before things went south. I didn’t want to have to go all Baywatch on them...

So anyway I have posted pictures and videos all over everywhere.  HERE ALSO   It isn’t like being there first hand but at least it gives you an idea of what it was like. I would like to come back every year just for that but somehow I don’t think that will happen…I will say again that I was lucky to come at a really good time.

Oh and someone had asked what the Vivid Festival is all about so I did some research. Apparently it started off as a festival about energy conservation if you can believe it. It includes musical performances and innovative talks. It grew each and every year to become a huge event in Sydney now. It runs for about 3 weeks and is free to attend. Also there are installations all over the city, it’s just the biggest ones are at Circular Quay. Now I think it is more art based as I wasn’t understanding the big pig??? Anyway it was so cool. I think part of the fascination I had with it was that this cutting edge technology was being projected onto these historical buildings. The imagery was fitted so well that it looked real like giant cockroaches were running up down the buildings…and now off to bed.