Goodbye Cairns. Goodbye 50 hours/week of work. Goodbye over-crowded, over-priced hostel. Goodbye drunken customers, rude comments, no tips. Goodbye.
Hellooooooooo Great Barrier Reef!
Am I sounding too desperate here?
My friend Bas and I booked our trip to the reef together, planning to be buddy divers as both of us had our PADI open water certifications but neither had been out for a while (five years, in my case). With two days and a night of sailing, diving, and lounging ahead of us, it wasn't difficult to get psyched for the trip. Even if we did have to get up at 5:30 to make it to the boat on time.
Sitting on deck in my bikini, soaking in 35degree sun as our sailboat, Rum Runner, gently cruised through ocean swells was pretty much idyllic. I plugged my ipod in and settled down in perfect happiness to read my new novel, The Sex Lives Of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost. Blue skies met with blue seas, unmarred by grey city clouds, buildings, or land of any kind. We had nothing but the horizon and the promise of the world's largest coral reef ahead of us.
Unfortunately, my dive buddy was not quite as carefree as I. He was not a sailor. He was not a motor-er. He was not even a dinghy-er. Bas was seasick. Following the crew's tip to focus on the horizon when feeling ill, Bas fixed his eyes on the horizon and locked them there. When I asked if he wanted water, he answered without blinking. When people passed in front of him, he stared through them. Mouth screwed shut, eyes wide open, Bas sat immobile for nearly two hours. Staring at the horizon is really more of a guideline than an actual anti-seasickness rule. I decided not to enlighten him.
As we neared our mooring area, the fishing rod off the back of the boat gave a loud buzz and bent double. Shrieking in excitement, the entire boatload of people rushed to the stern to see what gigantic finned creature we had hooked. The struggle between man and sea was short-lived and soon we saw a huge yellowfin tuna thrashing just beneath the surface of the crystal waves. One of the deckhands leapt onto the stern platform with a gaffer in his hand, ready to hook the beast and bring him aboard. Just as he made his swing, however, the tuna made one final mighty effort to break free and he succeeded. Deflated and utterly disappointed, we all returned to where we had been sitting. Two minutes later, the reel buzzed again. This time, we landed a small skipjack tuna (not edible) and put it in a bag for shark bait.
The deck was filled with buckets of fins, snorkels, wetsuits, and, of course, dive vests/tanks. As the deckhands strapped our line to the mooring ball, we began strapping ourselves into weight belts, goggles, fins, and vests. The crew briefly briefed us on the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and then it was time to jump overboard and experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world for ourselves! Camera in hand, buddy at my side, I deflated my vest and sank into the 18m depths. Visibility was incredible; we could see coral reef and metallic fish flashing 30m away from us through a blue haze of tropical water.
It's not often that the water temperature feels just as warm as the outside air, but this was an exception. Jumping into the ocean was a delicious treat. In one instance it cleaned the sweat off our sun-baked bodies, in the next it enveloped us in a cocoon of warmth. Even at 18m, wearing nothing but a bikini, I felt far from cold. Taking a deep breath of tank air, I could not think of a better way to live life.
On our first dive, we saw Nemo and his father, flocks of parrotfish, damselfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, blennies, gobies, triggerfish, and several others. The reef was a collage of colours. From the purple and green anemones, turquoise parrotfish, red coral, pink fans, and speckled giant clams, it was a palace of jewels that we could only marvel at as we flicked our fins through the water. All too soon, our first 50 minutes were up and we returned to the boat to dry off under the sun, eat a wonderful a la carte lunch, and move on to our next dive spot.
We had four dives on our first day. Each one was more wonderful than the last, from petting a green sea turtle as it munched on coral to spotting a sea snake slithering through the shallow waves. Our last dive was at 8:00pm, just as the stars were coming out and the water came alive with green phosphorescent flashes. I was the first to jump in and immediately discovered to my dismay that my flashlight was faulty. It turned off upon impact with the water and left me floating in a void of black water and black sky. I tried very hard not to think about hungry sharks circling under my naked legs, about territorial triggerfish and their coral-strengthened beak-like mouths, about the coral snake we had seen earlier - one of the most venomous creatures on Earth. Needless to say, I was relieved when the rest of the crew jumped one-by-one after me. Contrary to my wild imaginings, we had a very docile night dive. Not a single shark spotting, though we had our flashlights flicking back and forth in a tentative but eager search for those tell-tale fins.
Utterly exhausted from a long day of sun and salt, I heaved myself out of the water after our final dive and immediately crashed into bed. Mine was the unconscious slumber of a truly satisfied human being. The Great Barrier Reef was everything I could have asked for and I loved every minute of my day.
The next day had us up at 6:45, donning wet bathing suits in a chill downpour. Gone were the sun and clear skies of the previous days. Grey replaced all blue and a chill wind made me consider donning a wetsuit. Acknowledging that all of them were wet, I decided to just brave the water. Forgoing a tank and vest, I decided to just snorkel this morning to give my ears a bit of a rest.
The first in the water once again, I was met with a truly unpleasant surprise. Jellyfish. The rain had attracted hordes of string-of-pearl jellies to the surface and every muscle in my body stiffened as I received three shocking stings to my wrist, knee, and ankle. I dipped my mask underwater and immediately regretted it, the jellies were everywhere and I had no chance of making it to dive platform at the back of the boat without swimming through dozens. Bracing myself, I kicked my flippers and kept my face out of the water. Two stings later, I scrambled out of the water and warned the rest of the divers of my encounter. A few decided to don wetsuits, but most just jumped in and immediately sank below the surface.
Shaken from my scare, I decided not to re-enter the water. Instead, I wrapped myself in a towel and settled down on some cockpit cushions to read.
The rain cleared as everyone exited the water an hour later. We ate a small meal and moved on to our final dive location. The sun was out and promising a wonderfully warm day to make up for our dreary morning. Undaunted by my red and itchy stings, I strapped myself into my gear one last time and made ready to jump in. Our captain informed us that this was his favourite dive location but he rarely got to bring people here due to wind direction and current. The rain from the morning had set the weather in a favourable direction and we were the lucky few to benefit by diving one of the Great Barrier Reef's most vibrant and alive shelves.
Captain Sparrow was not exaggerating. Our final dive was wondrous. A plateau of coral extended for kilometres, alive with thousands of fish, multitudes of coral species, and the promise of turtles. Sticking to the sunny shallow areas, Bas and I floated with the current, eyes constantly moving from fish to fish. It was a beautiful and truly satisfying final dive. We chased fish, did flips and funny faces underwater, explored trenches and small caves, took several pictures, and made our way slowly back to the boat as our air levels started to dip.
When all our gear was safely stowed in its correct basin and our towels hung up to dry, the Rum Runner started her engines and began moving towards the hazy mountains of Cairns. Heads full of new experiences, we sat in silence and soaked in the sun as we watched the approaching green of land.
With an offer to return to the Rum Runner and work as a deckhand in exchange for free accommodation, food, and my Masters dive certification, I was not sad to step onto the docks. I exchanged numbers with the captain and promised to be in touch, excited to hopefully return in March and begin work! Will I be able to? I'm not sure. I've got a lot going on in my life right now and it will take a lot of prayer and thought to figure out where I will go next. I could return home and recover from my homesickness, I could accept a job offer to work for the National Bank of Australia in Sydney in exchange for an extended visa, I could work and live with friends in Melbourne, I could move on to Fiji and India... or I could go up to Cairns. So many wonderful possibilities! Your opinions would be greatly appreciated : )
Until next time, thanks for sticking with me and I hope that my adventures may inspire you to seek out this wonderful world we live in!
Love and hugs to my wonderful friends and family,
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Utter Exhaustion
Well, it's now the 8th of November and time has flown in an odd way. Each day creeps by, but the week has moved swiftly. I have three jobs in Cairns; I work reception from 9:30-12:00 at my hostel in return for free accommodation, then I move to Travel Bugs to stand outside and hand out flyers from 12:30-3:30 for $16.50/hour; finally, I work as a bartender and drink runner at the Rattle & Hum for 6-9 hours each night for $18/hour. In conclusion, I often work 16-hour days and am therefore living on the bare thread of sanity as headaches, muscle exhaustion, and mental exhaustion wreck me everyday.
It has only been a week and a half of this so far and my body is starting to surrender to the abuse I'm giving it. It is no longer torture to get up in the morning after going to bed at 1:30am, nor do I feel like my back is going to break as I keep up with the frantic pace of happy hour at the bar. In fact, I really enjoy my job at the Rattle. I feel right in my element as I serve and laugh with customers and make friends with my co-workers. They often go out at night and I have joined them once so far and had an excellent night of Rugby and a random mascara war (we found a tube of mascara on the ground and decided it would be hilarous to coat each other with it - washing it off the next day was not so hilarious).
Let me ease your worries in letting you know that, despite working like mad, I am having a lot of fun in Cairns. My hostel friends are the best I've made yet and I truly enjoy every minute with them. Emily and Martyn from England, and Alex from Canada, are never boring, even if we just sit and do nothing in the commonroom. I have never laughed so hard.
I have not yet been out to the Great Barrier Reef yet, nor have I seen the jungles and waterfalls that surround tropical Cairns, but I will most definitely do that before I leave! I won a two-for-one trip to the jungle at a pub crawl the other night after dancing my face off against several other girls. Now I just need to find someone to go with! Martyn leaves tomorrow (sad face) and Emily leaves on Friday; Alex's friends have just joined her here so she is making travel plans with them. Time to make better friends with my co-workers!
I really don't have much else to write. Working keeps me busy and out of trouble; I'm often too tired to go out at night and I'm busy all day so I don't have time to go shopping or spend any money. So, all I'm doing is saving and spending precious minutes off with friends. Hopefully I'll have enough money to have an amazing Christmas in Sydney with Benji - with enough left over to see the Great Ocean Road, do some surfing, and fly home at the end of January!
I look forward to seeing everyone two months sooner than planned. It has been an incredible trip so far, but I'm already planning my final blog, putting together a list of everything I have learned in Australia thus far.
Hopefully my next blog will come sooner than this one did. Sorry for the silence, but I have been adjusting to my new lifestyle of having basically no life at all!
Until next time, love to everyone and hope you're enjoying Christmas preparations at home! You have no idea how weird it is to see Christmas ads on tv when the sun is beating out a 30 degree day. I have not put on a jacket or long pants in goodness knows how long. Even at 1:00am in the morning, it's hot and wonderful! This is why I came to Australia : D
xoxo - Katrina
It has only been a week and a half of this so far and my body is starting to surrender to the abuse I'm giving it. It is no longer torture to get up in the morning after going to bed at 1:30am, nor do I feel like my back is going to break as I keep up with the frantic pace of happy hour at the bar. In fact, I really enjoy my job at the Rattle. I feel right in my element as I serve and laugh with customers and make friends with my co-workers. They often go out at night and I have joined them once so far and had an excellent night of Rugby and a random mascara war (we found a tube of mascara on the ground and decided it would be hilarous to coat each other with it - washing it off the next day was not so hilarious).
Let me ease your worries in letting you know that, despite working like mad, I am having a lot of fun in Cairns. My hostel friends are the best I've made yet and I truly enjoy every minute with them. Emily and Martyn from England, and Alex from Canada, are never boring, even if we just sit and do nothing in the commonroom. I have never laughed so hard.
I have not yet been out to the Great Barrier Reef yet, nor have I seen the jungles and waterfalls that surround tropical Cairns, but I will most definitely do that before I leave! I won a two-for-one trip to the jungle at a pub crawl the other night after dancing my face off against several other girls. Now I just need to find someone to go with! Martyn leaves tomorrow (sad face) and Emily leaves on Friday; Alex's friends have just joined her here so she is making travel plans with them. Time to make better friends with my co-workers!
I really don't have much else to write. Working keeps me busy and out of trouble; I'm often too tired to go out at night and I'm busy all day so I don't have time to go shopping or spend any money. So, all I'm doing is saving and spending precious minutes off with friends. Hopefully I'll have enough money to have an amazing Christmas in Sydney with Benji - with enough left over to see the Great Ocean Road, do some surfing, and fly home at the end of January!
I look forward to seeing everyone two months sooner than planned. It has been an incredible trip so far, but I'm already planning my final blog, putting together a list of everything I have learned in Australia thus far.
Hopefully my next blog will come sooner than this one did. Sorry for the silence, but I have been adjusting to my new lifestyle of having basically no life at all!
Until next time, love to everyone and hope you're enjoying Christmas preparations at home! You have no idea how weird it is to see Christmas ads on tv when the sun is beating out a 30 degree day. I have not put on a jacket or long pants in goodness knows how long. Even at 1:00am in the morning, it's hot and wonderful! This is why I came to Australia : D
xoxo - Katrina
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Week Of Work
It is now the 30th of October - one more day and it's Halloween! I was mistaken about Australians, they do celebrate this most ghoulish of holidays. So, today I will find a costume : )
I've been working nearly every night since the 24th. The 25th and 26th were spent saying goodbye to Joseph and Dylan from Tennessee and saying hello to my good friends Rich and Martyn. We spent a lot of time basking in the gorgeous sun of Cairns, soaking up a tan and cooling off in the lagoon. I will take pictures soon so you can see what everything looks like. I am truly looking forward to spending the next month and a half here; it's beautiful, full of interesting travellers, never dull, and almost always sunny- this is why I came to Australia.
I visited a casino for the first time while Joseph and Dylan were here. Didn't spend any money, but it was fun to walk around and watch people playing blackjack and poker, slots (called pokies here), and other games. Perhaps I'll test my beginners luck with $10 one of these days, but for now I'm low on money and happy to just watch.
Cairns is a great place to be if you're low on cash. My hostel offers free breakfast of toast and coffee in the morning, the grocery shopping is affordable for lunchtime, and dinner is always free at the Woolshed. Now that I've began working, it's difficult to catch the free dinner so I'll have to start brown bagging. Cans of tuna are a lifesaver. I also chug orange juice like none other.
On the 27th, I woke up with cold symptoms - sneezing, stuffy nose, and stuffy head. That was my trial day at the Rattle & Hum, a very busy restaurant/bar just a few stores down from my hostel. They were offering $18/hour and 35 hours/week, far more than the $15/hour and 4 shifts/week at Bellevista. With high spirits and low health, I walked into the Rattle at 4:50pm and started my first shift bartending. I thought it would be frightening to be faced with multitudes of faces shouting drink orders, but it was surprisingly easy to take orders one at a time and pour the drinks I was already familiar with after being in Australia for a month. I even made a few cocktails that night!
After eight hours of non-stop drink-pouring, we closed the bar and went home at 1:00am. Silly as I am, I showered, prettied up, and went out to find some friends at the nightclubs. After finding them, I decided I was too tired to stick around and wound up heading straight back to the hostel. There were snorers in my room. Bad sleep #1.
On the 28th, I woke up quite late after not sleeping much that night. Feeling even more sick, I rolled out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, visited Martyn at the lagoon, then went straight back to bed to sleep from 12:00 to 5:30. Then I showered, got back into my uniform and walked to work. My shift was from 6:30-11:00 on the floor. This job consisted of taking drink orders from the tables, bringing them to the bar, then carrying the drinks back to the tables. I was not quite as comfortable doing this job. Carrying heavy trays full of precariously full drinks is not the job of a naturally clumsy person. Luckily I did not spill a single drink. I did break three glasses, which took quite a bit out of my self-confidence as all three happened in front of customers. In fact, two of them broke onto a table and into the drinks I had just served, which made it necessary to re-serve. Luckily, that table of young guys was quite nice about it and refrained from teasing me too much.
Happy not to close that night, I rolled out at 11:00 and spent some time with Martyn, the new night manager of our hostel - exchanging work for free accommodation. We talked until around midnight, then I went to my room to get ready for bed. Just as I was about to head into the room, a guy and girl walked in and closed the door. Not cool. I knocked before walking in and telling them not to keep me up because I was tired and sick. Well, when sharing a bunkbed with a busy couple, it is impossible to sleep. This was my first experience of hostel humps and I was not keen on the timing. Instead of kicking them out, which was well within my rights at 1:00 in the morning, I wrapped my sheet around me and huffed out to the commonroom, where Martyn was still writing in his journal. Exhausted and grumpy, I plopped down on the couch and tried to sleep there. For the next hour and a half, I drifted in and out of sleep as people came in from the night and decided to cap their evening by chatting on the couches surrounding mine. Finally, at 2:20, I got the courage to return to my room. Trying to make as much noise and bed-squeeking as possible, I settled down and finally tried to sleep a proper bed sleep. The night had something else in store for me though. Snorers #2. This time, there were two guys in the bunk across from mine in this four-share room, both of them snoring in chorus. I spent the next three hours vascillating between madly deciding what I could throw at them and resignedly squeezing my pillow over my ears. It was not at all fun. At 5am, I finally drifted off into a desperate, fevered sleep.
29th. Surprisingly, I woke up quite early, ready to start the day. I grabbed a coffee at Maccas, then went to the internet cafe to Skype with Benji. It had been a few days since we had spoken and we were both quite eager to catch up. After two hours of chatting, I signed off, visited Martyn at the lagoon, found a place to stay over Christmas in Sydney, had lunch, hung out with the hostel people, took a three hour nap, then once again got ready for work. My shift was another 6:30-1:00 at the bar. It went smoothly and swiftly, with no broken glasses or missed drink orders.
I really enjoy the company of my co-workers (even my manager) and am looking forward to keeping this job going! It's nice to look forward to going to work. I've earned a few tips (technically, we should put them in the tip jar that goes towards the staff party, but anything over a fiver is kept under the table), met some of the regulars, and shared my first post-work drink with the other bartenders.
That sums up my last week in Cairns! I hope my cold goes away soon - it seems to be fading, which is good. The weather is still fabulous, but I believe it's supposed to turn for a few days soon. Hopefully it's not Sunday and Monday, my first two days off! I start work as a part-time receptionist at my hostel in return for accommodation on Monday. That will certainly save me a lot of money, which will go towards having an amazing Christmas with Benji in Sydney!! Maybe we can go skydiving together : )
Hello to everyone in Victoria! Hope you have an awesome, crazy, safe Halloween! Don't forget to keep in touch with me : )
xoxo - Katrina
I've been working nearly every night since the 24th. The 25th and 26th were spent saying goodbye to Joseph and Dylan from Tennessee and saying hello to my good friends Rich and Martyn. We spent a lot of time basking in the gorgeous sun of Cairns, soaking up a tan and cooling off in the lagoon. I will take pictures soon so you can see what everything looks like. I am truly looking forward to spending the next month and a half here; it's beautiful, full of interesting travellers, never dull, and almost always sunny- this is why I came to Australia.
I visited a casino for the first time while Joseph and Dylan were here. Didn't spend any money, but it was fun to walk around and watch people playing blackjack and poker, slots (called pokies here), and other games. Perhaps I'll test my beginners luck with $10 one of these days, but for now I'm low on money and happy to just watch.
Cairns is a great place to be if you're low on cash. My hostel offers free breakfast of toast and coffee in the morning, the grocery shopping is affordable for lunchtime, and dinner is always free at the Woolshed. Now that I've began working, it's difficult to catch the free dinner so I'll have to start brown bagging. Cans of tuna are a lifesaver. I also chug orange juice like none other.
On the 27th, I woke up with cold symptoms - sneezing, stuffy nose, and stuffy head. That was my trial day at the Rattle & Hum, a very busy restaurant/bar just a few stores down from my hostel. They were offering $18/hour and 35 hours/week, far more than the $15/hour and 4 shifts/week at Bellevista. With high spirits and low health, I walked into the Rattle at 4:50pm and started my first shift bartending. I thought it would be frightening to be faced with multitudes of faces shouting drink orders, but it was surprisingly easy to take orders one at a time and pour the drinks I was already familiar with after being in Australia for a month. I even made a few cocktails that night!
After eight hours of non-stop drink-pouring, we closed the bar and went home at 1:00am. Silly as I am, I showered, prettied up, and went out to find some friends at the nightclubs. After finding them, I decided I was too tired to stick around and wound up heading straight back to the hostel. There were snorers in my room. Bad sleep #1.
On the 28th, I woke up quite late after not sleeping much that night. Feeling even more sick, I rolled out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, visited Martyn at the lagoon, then went straight back to bed to sleep from 12:00 to 5:30. Then I showered, got back into my uniform and walked to work. My shift was from 6:30-11:00 on the floor. This job consisted of taking drink orders from the tables, bringing them to the bar, then carrying the drinks back to the tables. I was not quite as comfortable doing this job. Carrying heavy trays full of precariously full drinks is not the job of a naturally clumsy person. Luckily I did not spill a single drink. I did break three glasses, which took quite a bit out of my self-confidence as all three happened in front of customers. In fact, two of them broke onto a table and into the drinks I had just served, which made it necessary to re-serve. Luckily, that table of young guys was quite nice about it and refrained from teasing me too much.
Happy not to close that night, I rolled out at 11:00 and spent some time with Martyn, the new night manager of our hostel - exchanging work for free accommodation. We talked until around midnight, then I went to my room to get ready for bed. Just as I was about to head into the room, a guy and girl walked in and closed the door. Not cool. I knocked before walking in and telling them not to keep me up because I was tired and sick. Well, when sharing a bunkbed with a busy couple, it is impossible to sleep. This was my first experience of hostel humps and I was not keen on the timing. Instead of kicking them out, which was well within my rights at 1:00 in the morning, I wrapped my sheet around me and huffed out to the commonroom, where Martyn was still writing in his journal. Exhausted and grumpy, I plopped down on the couch and tried to sleep there. For the next hour and a half, I drifted in and out of sleep as people came in from the night and decided to cap their evening by chatting on the couches surrounding mine. Finally, at 2:20, I got the courage to return to my room. Trying to make as much noise and bed-squeeking as possible, I settled down and finally tried to sleep a proper bed sleep. The night had something else in store for me though. Snorers #2. This time, there were two guys in the bunk across from mine in this four-share room, both of them snoring in chorus. I spent the next three hours vascillating between madly deciding what I could throw at them and resignedly squeezing my pillow over my ears. It was not at all fun. At 5am, I finally drifted off into a desperate, fevered sleep.
29th. Surprisingly, I woke up quite early, ready to start the day. I grabbed a coffee at Maccas, then went to the internet cafe to Skype with Benji. It had been a few days since we had spoken and we were both quite eager to catch up. After two hours of chatting, I signed off, visited Martyn at the lagoon, found a place to stay over Christmas in Sydney, had lunch, hung out with the hostel people, took a three hour nap, then once again got ready for work. My shift was another 6:30-1:00 at the bar. It went smoothly and swiftly, with no broken glasses or missed drink orders.
I really enjoy the company of my co-workers (even my manager) and am looking forward to keeping this job going! It's nice to look forward to going to work. I've earned a few tips (technically, we should put them in the tip jar that goes towards the staff party, but anything over a fiver is kept under the table), met some of the regulars, and shared my first post-work drink with the other bartenders.
That sums up my last week in Cairns! I hope my cold goes away soon - it seems to be fading, which is good. The weather is still fabulous, but I believe it's supposed to turn for a few days soon. Hopefully it's not Sunday and Monday, my first two days off! I start work as a part-time receptionist at my hostel in return for accommodation on Monday. That will certainly save me a lot of money, which will go towards having an amazing Christmas with Benji in Sydney!! Maybe we can go skydiving together : )
Hello to everyone in Victoria! Hope you have an awesome, crazy, safe Halloween! Don't forget to keep in touch with me : )
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Long Overdue - 20th-24th
There is a reason I haven't been blogging on a daily basis. Now that I'm not adventuring from Brisbane to Cairns, my days no longer consist of awesome adventures. Don't get me wrong, Cairns is certainly not boring, but the fun here lies in good friends and what we make of it, not exploring tropical beaches and discovering sea life.
I arrived on a Monday and it is now Monday again. One week in Cairns and I feel like I have been here much longer. I moved from my first hostel (Caravella 149) to Waterfront, which is closer to town and saves my mangled feet from walking.
Monday - Thursday pretty much consisted of job-hunting. I spent hours searching for job postings online, in the newspaper, and at store-fronts. After handing out countless resumes, it turns out none of this was necessary. All I had to do was sunbathe with friends at the lagoon and I'd get a job. Well, almost. We (Andre, Nicolai, Chris, Sabine, an Aussie guy, and I) were lounging by the lagoon in the steaming sun, talking about work, when the Aussie guy suggested I pop into Bellevista (a popular bar I had not yet applied at) because he heard they had two free positions. I grabbed my purse and walked over immediately. The man did not even glance at my resume before setting a trial shift for Sunday the 24th. Spirits high, I paid my hostel up until Sunday and had an excellent night of Woolshed dinner and poker at the hostel.
On Friday, Andre left on a dive boat for his internship; Nicolai and Chris (Denmark), and Sabine (Holland) left to work on a mango-picking farm on Saturday; Martyn "Pudding" arrives today and Rich "Haggis" is coming soon. In the meantime, I spend my time with two guys from Tennessee and three Dutch girls. We go out for free dinner at the Woolshed each night (mass produced spaghetti and rice), and often go dancing afterwards. My days are usually my own. I take the morning to use the internet, then go for a walk around town, still hunting for new job openings. If it is sunny, I'll read at the lagoon. If it's not, I often watch movies or play cards with people from the hostel.
Speaking of jobs and the internet; I was paying for my internet on Saturday and mentioned to the guy that I was looking for work. He said they had an open position as a promoter and I asked him to hire me. No resume needed, I am hired for 25 hours/week, getting paid $16.50/hour to stand outside their door and promote the internet cafe by handing out free half-hour internet slips!
On Sunday, I had my job trial at Bellevista from 4:30-6:30. Butterflies in my stomach, I walked into the bar and was set to collecting glasses, washing them, serving food, and generally keeping the bar clean. Fifteen minutes after I arrived, the bar was packed for Happy Hour. I mean packed. There were people sitting on the ground. I learned to pile glasses high and carry 30 at a time in my hands, or 100 in a basket. My fingers learned tollerence as I carried out hot plates of pizza and willed myself not to drop them as the heat radiated to my bones. I slopped alcohol from half-empty glasses all over myself, sweated in the barely-air-conditioned bar, swerved and danced out of the way of the bartenders as I restocked their cup fridges and trays, broke two glasses (only two), and had the time of my life. It was so much fun! Everyone I worked with was incredibly friendly. They did not hesitate to whisper tips in my ear when I wasn't sure what to do, were ready with compliments when I did a good job, and made sure I ate and drank when I had forgotten to do so. At 9:30, three hours after I was scheduled to finish, the boss told me to roster my hours and head home. He asked me to come in the next day to collect my trial wages and discuss availability. I got the job!!
Absolutely full of adrenaline after such a great night, I showered and met up with my Tennessee friends and a couple Australian girls to dance the night away at the local gay club, Vibe, and later at the party-central hostel, Gilligan's. At 2:30, I fell into bed, exhausted and happy after an excellent day/night.
So, that sums up my first week in Cairns. I am looking forward to staying here until mid-December, when I'll fly to Sydney to meet with Benji for Christmas!
Love and hugs to everyone back home (and everyone reading this).
xoxo - Katrina
I arrived on a Monday and it is now Monday again. One week in Cairns and I feel like I have been here much longer. I moved from my first hostel (Caravella 149) to Waterfront, which is closer to town and saves my mangled feet from walking.
Monday - Thursday pretty much consisted of job-hunting. I spent hours searching for job postings online, in the newspaper, and at store-fronts. After handing out countless resumes, it turns out none of this was necessary. All I had to do was sunbathe with friends at the lagoon and I'd get a job. Well, almost. We (Andre, Nicolai, Chris, Sabine, an Aussie guy, and I) were lounging by the lagoon in the steaming sun, talking about work, when the Aussie guy suggested I pop into Bellevista (a popular bar I had not yet applied at) because he heard they had two free positions. I grabbed my purse and walked over immediately. The man did not even glance at my resume before setting a trial shift for Sunday the 24th. Spirits high, I paid my hostel up until Sunday and had an excellent night of Woolshed dinner and poker at the hostel.
On Friday, Andre left on a dive boat for his internship; Nicolai and Chris (Denmark), and Sabine (Holland) left to work on a mango-picking farm on Saturday; Martyn "Pudding" arrives today and Rich "Haggis" is coming soon. In the meantime, I spend my time with two guys from Tennessee and three Dutch girls. We go out for free dinner at the Woolshed each night (mass produced spaghetti and rice), and often go dancing afterwards. My days are usually my own. I take the morning to use the internet, then go for a walk around town, still hunting for new job openings. If it is sunny, I'll read at the lagoon. If it's not, I often watch movies or play cards with people from the hostel.
Speaking of jobs and the internet; I was paying for my internet on Saturday and mentioned to the guy that I was looking for work. He said they had an open position as a promoter and I asked him to hire me. No resume needed, I am hired for 25 hours/week, getting paid $16.50/hour to stand outside their door and promote the internet cafe by handing out free half-hour internet slips!
On Sunday, I had my job trial at Bellevista from 4:30-6:30. Butterflies in my stomach, I walked into the bar and was set to collecting glasses, washing them, serving food, and generally keeping the bar clean. Fifteen minutes after I arrived, the bar was packed for Happy Hour. I mean packed. There were people sitting on the ground. I learned to pile glasses high and carry 30 at a time in my hands, or 100 in a basket. My fingers learned tollerence as I carried out hot plates of pizza and willed myself not to drop them as the heat radiated to my bones. I slopped alcohol from half-empty glasses all over myself, sweated in the barely-air-conditioned bar, swerved and danced out of the way of the bartenders as I restocked their cup fridges and trays, broke two glasses (only two), and had the time of my life. It was so much fun! Everyone I worked with was incredibly friendly. They did not hesitate to whisper tips in my ear when I wasn't sure what to do, were ready with compliments when I did a good job, and made sure I ate and drank when I had forgotten to do so. At 9:30, three hours after I was scheduled to finish, the boss told me to roster my hours and head home. He asked me to come in the next day to collect my trial wages and discuss availability. I got the job!!
Absolutely full of adrenaline after such a great night, I showered and met up with my Tennessee friends and a couple Australian girls to dance the night away at the local gay club, Vibe, and later at the party-central hostel, Gilligan's. At 2:30, I fell into bed, exhausted and happy after an excellent day/night.
So, that sums up my first week in Cairns. I am looking forward to staying here until mid-December, when I'll fly to Sydney to meet with Benji for Christmas!
Love and hugs to everyone back home (and everyone reading this).
xoxo - Katrina
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Feeling Hot Hot Hot
I got into Cairns at 8:00pm on the 18th and went straight to sleep at Caravella 149. It's $18/night here with free dinner at the Woolshed each night. Pretty sweet deal! I'm sharing a room with five other girls; haven't met them all yet, but the three I have met are really nice. We all went dancing last night : )
My first day in Cairns involved a lot of walking. I woke up at 6:30, showered, and went to McDonalds for a coffee and free wi-fi. Nothing else was open, so I computed for an hour or so, then went in search of jobs. I looked at the Classifieds in the Cairns Post and didn't find many promising openings but I did follow the one waitressing job listed. When I Google Mapped the directions, it looked like a short walk from where I was sitting. Unfortunately, scale fooled me and I wandered halfway across this much-larger-than-Airlie-beach city for 40 minutes before finally giving up because I wasn't even halfway there. So, with no other leads to follow, I decided to just pop my head into every popular-looking pub/restaurant and hand my resume out. A couple places said they'd be hiring in the near future so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll give me a call!
At around 2:00, I met with a friend from Brisbane (well, from Sweden, but I met him in Brisbane) and we had lunch with a couple of his friends. After that, Andre and I went sunglasses shopping and he showed me around the lagoon. There's a man-made beach here that tops Southbank's dunk tank in Brisbane. It's beautiful and I look forward to taking a dip today!
After shopping with Andre (and finally finding him a pair of sunglasses), I skyped, then went back to the hostel to get changed for dinner and a night on the town! Tuesday nights at the Woolshed offered inexpensive drinks and great music so the two girls I had met from my room (one from Korea, one from Ireland) and I got all jazzed up and met up with Andre and a few of his friends for a great night of dancing, free dinner, and fun.
It's now 9:50am on the 20th and I'm about to head back out to hand out more resumes. Wish me luck!
Signing out from wonderful, sunny Cairns, I'll talk to you soon!
xoxo - Katrina
My first day in Cairns involved a lot of walking. I woke up at 6:30, showered, and went to McDonalds for a coffee and free wi-fi. Nothing else was open, so I computed for an hour or so, then went in search of jobs. I looked at the Classifieds in the Cairns Post and didn't find many promising openings but I did follow the one waitressing job listed. When I Google Mapped the directions, it looked like a short walk from where I was sitting. Unfortunately, scale fooled me and I wandered halfway across this much-larger-than-Airlie-beach city for 40 minutes before finally giving up because I wasn't even halfway there. So, with no other leads to follow, I decided to just pop my head into every popular-looking pub/restaurant and hand my resume out. A couple places said they'd be hiring in the near future so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll give me a call!
At around 2:00, I met with a friend from Brisbane (well, from Sweden, but I met him in Brisbane) and we had lunch with a couple of his friends. After that, Andre and I went sunglasses shopping and he showed me around the lagoon. There's a man-made beach here that tops Southbank's dunk tank in Brisbane. It's beautiful and I look forward to taking a dip today!
After shopping with Andre (and finally finding him a pair of sunglasses), I skyped, then went back to the hostel to get changed for dinner and a night on the town! Tuesday nights at the Woolshed offered inexpensive drinks and great music so the two girls I had met from my room (one from Korea, one from Ireland) and I got all jazzed up and met up with Andre and a few of his friends for a great night of dancing, free dinner, and fun.
It's now 9:50am on the 20th and I'm about to head back out to hand out more resumes. Wish me luck!
Signing out from wonderful, sunny Cairns, I'll talk to you soon!
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ready, Set, Dive!
WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! That's about all I could say an hour ago. With adrenaline rushing through my veins, the wind screaming through my hair, and Mission Beach swiftly approaching, I could think of nothing but how absolutely, mind-blowingly incredible life is.
I got on the bus at 9:15 last night and promptly fell asleep. Fifty shifts to find a comfortable position later, I arrived in Mission Beach at 4:35am. It was dark and my contacts were out, nothing was open, and I was in dire need of some sleep. So, I reached for my inner vagabond, got out my pillow and sleeping bag, lay down on a bench, and tentatively fell asleep.
It was a fitful sleep and I awoke at 6:30 with too much traffic going by for me to be able to be comfortable closing my eyes with my bags left out in the open. So, I picked up my life and went to the nearest hostel to seek a safe place to leave my things for the day (and a clean washroom). With that settled, I walked down the muggy 7am road in search of the skydiving shop.
When I arrived, I signed my life and legal rights away, payed $35 for the membership fees, and sat - hands shaking - with the five other parachuters. At 9:00, we watched an explanatory video, got harnessed up, met our tandem divers, and were herded onto a shuttle bus heading for the airstrip. The small plane was just being fueled when we got there so we walked around as our excitement and anxiety built! A couple minutes - an eternity - later, we boarded the plane and sat with our backs to our tandem's stomachs. I was hitched to Glenn's harness and he filmed the plane taking off (and my ever-increasing smile) and rising through the cloudy sky.
It took about five or ten minutes for the plane to reach 14,000ft and we were all shuffling our feet, wiping sweaty palms, and practicing breathing slowly. Then it was time.
The first diver sat on the edge and plummeted down, then the second, third, and fourth. I was last and not quite prepared for the butt shuffle up to the edge, feet tucked under, head back, arms crossed, no time to think, falling. With a gigantic scream that soon turned into a whoop of sheer delight, we were falling through the air. Glenn pulled the balancing shute and we went spread eagle through the clouds. The islands were dots below us, the land a patchwork of fields. My mouth was dry from screaming and laughing and my cheeks were flapping wildly. A long minute later, Glenn pulled the bigger shute and we floated gently over the beach. He let me steer and we went swooping left and right over the ocean. A few minutes later, the other jumpers had landed and it was our turn to approach the beach at rapid speed. I pulled my legs up and landed on my bum on the soft yellow sand.
Absolutely filled with adrenaline (and air), I couldn't stop laughing. Glenn high-fived me, finished filming, and unclipped me from my harness. All too soon, it was over. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot explain how exhilarating it was, I can only hope you get to try it one day.
The rest of my day consists of waiting around for the 6:00 greyhound! It's $5/hour for the internet here so I'm going to sign off and wish everyone a happy 18th of October! Hope you're enjoying life and that midterms don't get you down (for all my student friends).
I love you and miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
I got on the bus at 9:15 last night and promptly fell asleep. Fifty shifts to find a comfortable position later, I arrived in Mission Beach at 4:35am. It was dark and my contacts were out, nothing was open, and I was in dire need of some sleep. So, I reached for my inner vagabond, got out my pillow and sleeping bag, lay down on a bench, and tentatively fell asleep.
It was a fitful sleep and I awoke at 6:30 with too much traffic going by for me to be able to be comfortable closing my eyes with my bags left out in the open. So, I picked up my life and went to the nearest hostel to seek a safe place to leave my things for the day (and a clean washroom). With that settled, I walked down the muggy 7am road in search of the skydiving shop.
When I arrived, I signed my life and legal rights away, payed $35 for the membership fees, and sat - hands shaking - with the five other parachuters. At 9:00, we watched an explanatory video, got harnessed up, met our tandem divers, and were herded onto a shuttle bus heading for the airstrip. The small plane was just being fueled when we got there so we walked around as our excitement and anxiety built! A couple minutes - an eternity - later, we boarded the plane and sat with our backs to our tandem's stomachs. I was hitched to Glenn's harness and he filmed the plane taking off (and my ever-increasing smile) and rising through the cloudy sky.
It took about five or ten minutes for the plane to reach 14,000ft and we were all shuffling our feet, wiping sweaty palms, and practicing breathing slowly. Then it was time.
The first diver sat on the edge and plummeted down, then the second, third, and fourth. I was last and not quite prepared for the butt shuffle up to the edge, feet tucked under, head back, arms crossed, no time to think, falling. With a gigantic scream that soon turned into a whoop of sheer delight, we were falling through the air. Glenn pulled the balancing shute and we went spread eagle through the clouds. The islands were dots below us, the land a patchwork of fields. My mouth was dry from screaming and laughing and my cheeks were flapping wildly. A long minute later, Glenn pulled the bigger shute and we floated gently over the beach. He let me steer and we went swooping left and right over the ocean. A few minutes later, the other jumpers had landed and it was our turn to approach the beach at rapid speed. I pulled my legs up and landed on my bum on the soft yellow sand.
Absolutely filled with adrenaline (and air), I couldn't stop laughing. Glenn high-fived me, finished filming, and unclipped me from my harness. All too soon, it was over. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot explain how exhilarating it was, I can only hope you get to try it one day.
The rest of my day consists of waiting around for the 6:00 greyhound! It's $5/hour for the internet here so I'm going to sign off and wish everyone a happy 18th of October! Hope you're enjoying life and that midterms don't get you down (for all my student friends).
I love you and miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Airlie Beach and The Mighty Boomerang
Hey everyone! I just got back from my two day/two night sail on the Whitsundays and I'm absolutely high on the salt water, fresh air, hot sun, and good times. Just had a shower, drank some water, and am feeling human (an incredibly exhausted human) after two days of salt water and air.
The 14th was spent in Airlie Beach, walking the length of this one street town about 20 times. The reason for my exercise was my bank card and job situation. I couldn't take money out through my access card and didn't know why. No ATM would work and I was getting quite worried as cash was needed at my hostel and for my Whitsundays trip. Luckily my parents helped me out on the home front and, after several hours, I finally got my access card to work.
For the rest of the day, I printed out resumes and asked around for jobs. I had three places tell me they were interested in hiring and would like to talk when I return from Cairns. So, that's three potential jobs in paradisical Airlie Beach!
I don't want to spend too long on the 14th because it was uneventful; just a day in a town, waiting to leave on my next adventure.
SO! The 15th. I hung out with friends in the morning, messed around on the internet, and met my boat on the dock at 1:45pm. There were 27 people and four crew aboard the sailing vessel Boomerang. We loaded up the boat, removed our shoes, donned bathing suits, and set sail for the Whitsunday Islands. The weather forecast predicted a sunny day that day with rain coming the next. With that in mind, we soaked up as much sun as we could on the 1.5hour crossing to Hook Island. We put down anchor in a wide bay and immediately jumped overboard. The water was a gorgeous turquoise, though it was too deep to see the bottom. We flipped, dived, and twisted off the side of the boat until it was time for dinner. We ate green curried chicken over rice, then brought out some drinks and sat around on deck laughing over our perfect day. At 10:00, the rain started coming down and we packed it in for the night.
On the morning of the 16th, we woke up at 6:15, had peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, and raised anchor to go to our next bay. It was just a short sail over there and the sky showed none of the day's predicted rain. It was sunny, hot, windy, and cloud-free. We put down anchor at Tongue Bay and did a short bushwalk over to Whitehaven Bay. Picture paradise. White sand and clear blue water as far as the eye can see; palm trees and jungle birds, coconuts and colourful flowers, stingrays and wild turtles. This was Whitehaven Beach. We spent the next 2.5hours here, frolicking in the purest sand in the world, taking crazy pictures, trying to play frisbee in the strong wind, and swimming in the warm ocean. We had an amazing time. True to my clumsy self, I sliced my toe open on an oyster and left bloody footprints in the sand for the rest of the day.
We walked back to Tongue Bay at 11:00am and moved over to Luncheon Bay (Hook Island) for a snorkel just after lunch. We all looked ridiculous in much-loved stinger suits and mix-and-match snorkel/masks but the water was warm, clear, tropical, and fishy. It was a great snorkel and I'm glad I bought an underwater camera to record the lovely coral reef fish. We even saw Nemo! One shocking fact about the movie is that, under the circumstances of Nemo's mom and siblings being wiped out in one go, Nemo's dad would have become the alpha male and Nemo would have changed into his female partner! How disturbing is that? Just a piece of daily trivia for you ; )
After snorkeling in Luncheon Bay, we cooked our bodies on deck some more as Captain Kane moved us over to Black Island to snorkel with wild turtles and watch the sunset while eating cheese and crackers on the beach. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We had nothing but amazing weather and all of us were quite a bit darker (or more red) as a result. During one of the crossings, Jordan (snorkel master and crewhand extraordinaire) took out pink, green, and white zinc sticks and my friend Laura and I went crazy drawing on everyone : D I have a tan tattoo of an anchor and flower on my back!
Our sleep on the 16th was at Stone Haven, just a short motor away from Black Island.
The 17th took us to Caves Cove (a wonderful sail away) for one last snorkel before we set sail for Airlie Beach. The wind was gusting 30kts and we had an incredible sail home. The main and mizzen were up, the boat heeled over right to the railings, and us 27 had our feet dangling over the high side as we clung onto the railing and shrieked each time a wave broke over the bow. It was amazing!
Tonight we have a pub crawl, but I'm catching an 8:30 Greyhound up to Mission Beach so I can skydive 14,000ft. tomorrow morning! Wish me luck! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow : )
Can't wait to post pictures!
xoxo - Katrina
The 14th was spent in Airlie Beach, walking the length of this one street town about 20 times. The reason for my exercise was my bank card and job situation. I couldn't take money out through my access card and didn't know why. No ATM would work and I was getting quite worried as cash was needed at my hostel and for my Whitsundays trip. Luckily my parents helped me out on the home front and, after several hours, I finally got my access card to work.
For the rest of the day, I printed out resumes and asked around for jobs. I had three places tell me they were interested in hiring and would like to talk when I return from Cairns. So, that's three potential jobs in paradisical Airlie Beach!
I don't want to spend too long on the 14th because it was uneventful; just a day in a town, waiting to leave on my next adventure.
SO! The 15th. I hung out with friends in the morning, messed around on the internet, and met my boat on the dock at 1:45pm. There were 27 people and four crew aboard the sailing vessel Boomerang. We loaded up the boat, removed our shoes, donned bathing suits, and set sail for the Whitsunday Islands. The weather forecast predicted a sunny day that day with rain coming the next. With that in mind, we soaked up as much sun as we could on the 1.5hour crossing to Hook Island. We put down anchor in a wide bay and immediately jumped overboard. The water was a gorgeous turquoise, though it was too deep to see the bottom. We flipped, dived, and twisted off the side of the boat until it was time for dinner. We ate green curried chicken over rice, then brought out some drinks and sat around on deck laughing over our perfect day. At 10:00, the rain started coming down and we packed it in for the night.
On the morning of the 16th, we woke up at 6:15, had peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, and raised anchor to go to our next bay. It was just a short sail over there and the sky showed none of the day's predicted rain. It was sunny, hot, windy, and cloud-free. We put down anchor at Tongue Bay and did a short bushwalk over to Whitehaven Bay. Picture paradise. White sand and clear blue water as far as the eye can see; palm trees and jungle birds, coconuts and colourful flowers, stingrays and wild turtles. This was Whitehaven Beach. We spent the next 2.5hours here, frolicking in the purest sand in the world, taking crazy pictures, trying to play frisbee in the strong wind, and swimming in the warm ocean. We had an amazing time. True to my clumsy self, I sliced my toe open on an oyster and left bloody footprints in the sand for the rest of the day.
We walked back to Tongue Bay at 11:00am and moved over to Luncheon Bay (Hook Island) for a snorkel just after lunch. We all looked ridiculous in much-loved stinger suits and mix-and-match snorkel/masks but the water was warm, clear, tropical, and fishy. It was a great snorkel and I'm glad I bought an underwater camera to record the lovely coral reef fish. We even saw Nemo! One shocking fact about the movie is that, under the circumstances of Nemo's mom and siblings being wiped out in one go, Nemo's dad would have become the alpha male and Nemo would have changed into his female partner! How disturbing is that? Just a piece of daily trivia for you ; )
After snorkeling in Luncheon Bay, we cooked our bodies on deck some more as Captain Kane moved us over to Black Island to snorkel with wild turtles and watch the sunset while eating cheese and crackers on the beach. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We had nothing but amazing weather and all of us were quite a bit darker (or more red) as a result. During one of the crossings, Jordan (snorkel master and crewhand extraordinaire) took out pink, green, and white zinc sticks and my friend Laura and I went crazy drawing on everyone : D I have a tan tattoo of an anchor and flower on my back!
Our sleep on the 16th was at Stone Haven, just a short motor away from Black Island.
The 17th took us to Caves Cove (a wonderful sail away) for one last snorkel before we set sail for Airlie Beach. The wind was gusting 30kts and we had an incredible sail home. The main and mizzen were up, the boat heeled over right to the railings, and us 27 had our feet dangling over the high side as we clung onto the railing and shrieked each time a wave broke over the bow. It was amazing!
Tonight we have a pub crawl, but I'm catching an 8:30 Greyhound up to Mission Beach so I can skydive 14,000ft. tomorrow morning! Wish me luck! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow : )
Can't wait to post pictures!
xoxo - Katrina
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Schizophrenic Paradise - 13th
I woke up at 6:30, just as the greyhound was pulling into Airlie Beach. The skies were still watering and all I could think of was finding a bathroom. With my big backpack, small one, and crate of groceries, I thumped into the first hostel I found and checked into a 17-bed dorm for $20/night. As it was before check-out time, I could not claim my room until noon. They had free luggage storage, so I left everything but my necessities there, and went in search of free wi-fi and breakfast.
McDonalds was just down the street and they offer free wi-fi across Australia. I bought a coffee and made myself a peanut butter/banana sandwich, then sat down to drain my computer's battery. The day consisted of me alternatively plugging my computer in at the hostel and returning to McDonalds to drain it again. I also visited Peterpans to book my Mission Beach skydive for the 18th. So excited!!!
The skies were truly schizophrenic all day. It would be raining one minute, gusting the next, then sunny for a long period. Not exactly conducive to exploring, but I did walk around a bit. I felt like shopping so I went into an opal shop and found an incredible floating opal necklace for $120. The man who worked there was one of a family of opal workers. His father worked the mine, his six brothers all did something to do with opals. I enjoyed talking with him, though I did not buy the necklace. I cannot justify spending that much money when I do not have a job yet. I know that is the cheapest I'll find an opal of that size and quality (straight from the manufacturers), but I will have to wait on it.
To satisfy my shopping craving, I went to clothing shops instead and bought a pair of parachute pants (everyone wears them and they are so darn comfortable!) and a cute shirt. Then I bought ingredients for Indonesian fried rice and went back to the hostel to make dinner.
As I was cooking, I met a girl from BC (Shantel) and another girl from Florida (Laura). We ate dinner together, talked about our travels (Laura has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Asia), and made plans to go out that night. I had a cup of goon at dinner and that was my only drink of the night. We went out to a popular backpackers bar called Magnum. It was full, but we found a table and met three English guys who were hilarious. Magnum wasn't really doing anything for us, so we packed up and went a couple doors down to Shenanigans where the music was awesome. Singing Bryan Adams and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, we stormed up the dance floor and generally just had a really fun time. At 1:30, we packed it in and said goodnight.
I never go to bed unhappy after a night of dancing. The English guys were a laugh, Laura and Shantel were great, and I had a lot of fun on nothing but water. I tip-toed up to my dorm and slept soundly. When I woke up, I realized someone had pulled a second blanket over me. Whoever it was, thank you, the air con works a little too well.
Looking forward to sharing my Whitsundays experience in a couple days! I'm going to buy an underwater camera today.
xoxo - Katrina
McDonalds was just down the street and they offer free wi-fi across Australia. I bought a coffee and made myself a peanut butter/banana sandwich, then sat down to drain my computer's battery. The day consisted of me alternatively plugging my computer in at the hostel and returning to McDonalds to drain it again. I also visited Peterpans to book my Mission Beach skydive for the 18th. So excited!!!
The skies were truly schizophrenic all day. It would be raining one minute, gusting the next, then sunny for a long period. Not exactly conducive to exploring, but I did walk around a bit. I felt like shopping so I went into an opal shop and found an incredible floating opal necklace for $120. The man who worked there was one of a family of opal workers. His father worked the mine, his six brothers all did something to do with opals. I enjoyed talking with him, though I did not buy the necklace. I cannot justify spending that much money when I do not have a job yet. I know that is the cheapest I'll find an opal of that size and quality (straight from the manufacturers), but I will have to wait on it.
To satisfy my shopping craving, I went to clothing shops instead and bought a pair of parachute pants (everyone wears them and they are so darn comfortable!) and a cute shirt. Then I bought ingredients for Indonesian fried rice and went back to the hostel to make dinner.
As I was cooking, I met a girl from BC (Shantel) and another girl from Florida (Laura). We ate dinner together, talked about our travels (Laura has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Asia), and made plans to go out that night. I had a cup of goon at dinner and that was my only drink of the night. We went out to a popular backpackers bar called Magnum. It was full, but we found a table and met three English guys who were hilarious. Magnum wasn't really doing anything for us, so we packed up and went a couple doors down to Shenanigans where the music was awesome. Singing Bryan Adams and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, we stormed up the dance floor and generally just had a really fun time. At 1:30, we packed it in and said goodnight.
I never go to bed unhappy after a night of dancing. The English guys were a laugh, Laura and Shantel were great, and I had a lot of fun on nothing but water. I tip-toed up to my dorm and slept soundly. When I woke up, I realized someone had pulled a second blanket over me. Whoever it was, thank you, the air con works a little too well.
Looking forward to sharing my Whitsundays experience in a couple days! I'm going to buy an underwater camera today.
xoxo - Katrina
On The Move
I stayed another night at the Beachside Hostel (also known as Freckles, which I found out when I got lost and tried asking for directions back to the hostel, only to find that no one had heard of it - frightening experience). Woke up still feeling down, but the day was destined to get better. I went into town to compute at Tribal Travel, cancelled my Castaway trip at the same time (it was raining, with no chance of letting up), and booked my bus to Airlie Beach for 9pm that night.
When I left Tribal, I ran into Rich (aka Haggis), a Scottish guy from Fraser Island. He was in Agnes Waters with Martyn (aka Pudding - from Yorkshire), also from Fraser, so we found him and played a game of monopoly at the hostel. The wind blew our cards around and the rain splattered the board. We were using a new electronic set so there wasn't any paper money, just credit cards that we inserted into a "credit machine" to make transactions. I lost miserably, Haggis won. It's not about skill, just luck of the dice. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When we finished our game, we walked to the grocery store and bought a package of six meat pies for $6. Armed with our frozen lunch, we went back to their hostel and microwaved them. When we finished eating, Haggis played another game of monopoly with some other hostel-goers. Pudding and I walked back to Tribal and computed until we were kicked out at closing time.
With another four hours to burn before my bus left, we decided to walk to my hostel and watch a movie. They got beers, I got water, and we tramped downstairs to join the couch of movie-watchers just finishing Liar Liar. When that was finished, everyone trickled out and left us to watch Aliens. I feel like I've seen it before, but Pudding may have been right in saying that it's one of those movies everyone has seen parts of. Like Top Gun, this movie started cliches. Needless to say, the scare tactics still worked and I was thoroughly horrified at 8:30 when I had to get the shuttle to the bus station.
I climbed on the bus, settled myself across four seats, and promptly fell asleep. At midnight, I awoke at Rockhampton and crawled into the lower luggage compartment to get my inflatable pillow. Newly equipped, I re-claimed my four seats (legs stretching across the aisle) and slept once again.
This was a longer blog than I expected so I will put the 13th in a new one.
My love goes out to Victoria and everyone in it. I'm feeling homesick and wish I could just fly everyone I love out here to travel with me.
Until next time.
xoxo - Katrina
When I left Tribal, I ran into Rich (aka Haggis), a Scottish guy from Fraser Island. He was in Agnes Waters with Martyn (aka Pudding - from Yorkshire), also from Fraser, so we found him and played a game of monopoly at the hostel. The wind blew our cards around and the rain splattered the board. We were using a new electronic set so there wasn't any paper money, just credit cards that we inserted into a "credit machine" to make transactions. I lost miserably, Haggis won. It's not about skill, just luck of the dice. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When we finished our game, we walked to the grocery store and bought a package of six meat pies for $6. Armed with our frozen lunch, we went back to their hostel and microwaved them. When we finished eating, Haggis played another game of monopoly with some other hostel-goers. Pudding and I walked back to Tribal and computed until we were kicked out at closing time.
With another four hours to burn before my bus left, we decided to walk to my hostel and watch a movie. They got beers, I got water, and we tramped downstairs to join the couch of movie-watchers just finishing Liar Liar. When that was finished, everyone trickled out and left us to watch Aliens. I feel like I've seen it before, but Pudding may have been right in saying that it's one of those movies everyone has seen parts of. Like Top Gun, this movie started cliches. Needless to say, the scare tactics still worked and I was thoroughly horrified at 8:30 when I had to get the shuttle to the bus station.
I climbed on the bus, settled myself across four seats, and promptly fell asleep. At midnight, I awoke at Rockhampton and crawled into the lower luggage compartment to get my inflatable pillow. Newly equipped, I re-claimed my four seats (legs stretching across the aisle) and slept once again.
This was a longer blog than I expected so I will put the 13th in a new one.
My love goes out to Victoria and everyone in it. I'm feeling homesick and wish I could just fly everyone I love out here to travel with me.
Until next time.
xoxo - Katrina
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wishing For A Day Without Rain - 9th-11th
Since nothing of much importance has happened in the last couple days, I have decided to just bunch them up together.
On the morning of the 9th, I woke up early and took a boat half an hour over to Tin Can Bay to feed wild dolphins! Now, naive as I am, I expected a tropical beach like that of Fraser Island. I was hoping we'd put on snorkel gear and actually swim with the dolphins while we hand-fed them. I pictured crystal clear water, scattered coral, sparkling sunshine, and playful dolphins. As we clamboured aboard the bay ferry, floating in briney water, I knew I was mistaken.
The captain was a character, dressing us in pirate gear as he shared his wide knowledge of the bay and its surrounding islands. The half hour passed quickly and we were soon piling out onto a petrol dock, looking at a group standing on the yellow sandy shore, pants rolled up, smelling of fish, snapping photos of two dolphins looking a little worse for wear.
The male and female Indo-Pacific Freshwater Humpback dolphins were 19 and 23 years old, both showing the scars and missing flesh of several fights with both sharks and other dolphins. They were floating placidly in the shallow water, waiting for each tourist to approach them and thrust a fish towards them under water. Two seconds later, the fish would disappear and the next tourist would approach. Photos were taken desperately fast as no one wanted to miss their big chance with the dolphins.
Our boat group stood in line, payed $5 for a bucket of two fish, and waited again for our turn to step into the water. The handlers (volunteers who kept this endeavor going) informed us that we were not to try to pet the dolphins as it would frighten them into attack mode. They did suggest that a dolphin would approach you if they wanted to be pet. None had been so forward, so I guess they'd had all the scratching they wanted for the day.
Soon, the handlers called me forwards and I handed my camera to a friend so I could wade into the knee-deep water with my bucket of fish. The long-nosed mammal in front of me lunged forward as I put the fish underwater. A yoink and a photo later, it was gone. I did this twice and, to be honest, it was a little anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed being so close to wild dolphins, but I think my morning's tropical visions had led me to a downfall. Smelling of fish and covered in salty sand, I waded out and spent the next 40 minutes wandering listlessly around as the other tourists had their turns then ordered breakfast at the cafe on the water. At 9:00, we boarded the ferry once more and motored back to the Rainbow Beach dock.
I spent the rest of the day packing and doing nothing. As my laundry was not yet dry, I chose to stay another night at Dingo's. That day was spent reading, reading, sleeping, and reading. I found my book, Atonement, at the community centre, and got 3/4 through it by the end of the day. That night, we enjoyed live entertainment from a local who played didgeridoo, guitar, drums, and vocals at mostly the same time (obviously not the two winds simultaneously). It was an awesome beat and great fun. I would have bought his CD, but I have exhausted my cash supply and am now fully reliant on Visa. Not a smart way to travel, but I was going to get huge Visa surcharges from Peterpans when booking my adventures so I was forced to pay with cash and travellers cheques to get the best deal.
10th - Honestly, worst day ever. People who were involved will know why. For all intensive purposes, I woke up, computed, nearly packed up and flew home, and caught a bus at 12:30 to Agnes Waters instead. Six hours on the bus, totally dehydrated and feeling sick (not hungover, just not eating and drinking properly), watched Pirates of the Caribbean, arrived at Agnes Waters, checked into the hostel, computed once again, exhausted my international credit on my phone, and went to bed completely miserable.
11th - Raining. Again. I wanted to explore Agnes Waters, known for its surfing and wonderful sunsets, but the weather would not permit it so I computed, then took a boogie board down to the ocean and just sat there for two hours, praying and watching the waves crash in. A couple rogue waves managed to snake up the beach to where I was sitting so my bottom half was sandy and soaked by the time I stood up to go back to the hostel. I watched Accepted with a few other hostel inmates (truly, it is rather like a prison in the rain) then went upstairs for a 2:00pm phonecall from home. It was wonderful to hear my parents' voices after nearly a month. I felt totally homesick and regretted missing Thanksgiving, was thankful to talk through my problems with my parents, and got off the phone feeling peaceful and on-the-mend. I went grocery shopping and got bread, tuna, peanut butter, and bananas to last me the next few days, then went back to the hostel to watch another couple movies before bed. Sound boring? It was.
That, my friends, sums up my last few days. Homesickness has kicked in, partying has caught up with me, I need to start eating better, and this rain has got me down.
Hoping for the sun to come out again!
Love to everyone back home, and everyone reading this blog. If you are religious, please keep me in your prayers; if you are spiritual, keep me in your well-wishes; if you are friends, keep me in your thoughts : ) It's been a rough couple of days and I am thankful that everything is starting to look up again.
The next blog will be happier, I promise!
xoxo - Katrina
p.s. There are plans to put a marina up in Tin Can Bay where the wild dolphins have been coming since 1950. This is their home, their habitat, ingrained in their migration habits. If the marina goes up, they will no longer have a place to come and be fed. The feeders are careful to only give them a small percentage of their daily intake in order to keep them wild, so this is truly an amazing place for the dolphins. If you want to help petition to keep the marina out of Tin Can Bay, go to http://www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au/ and fill it in. Every name helps!
On the morning of the 9th, I woke up early and took a boat half an hour over to Tin Can Bay to feed wild dolphins! Now, naive as I am, I expected a tropical beach like that of Fraser Island. I was hoping we'd put on snorkel gear and actually swim with the dolphins while we hand-fed them. I pictured crystal clear water, scattered coral, sparkling sunshine, and playful dolphins. As we clamboured aboard the bay ferry, floating in briney water, I knew I was mistaken.
The captain was a character, dressing us in pirate gear as he shared his wide knowledge of the bay and its surrounding islands. The half hour passed quickly and we were soon piling out onto a petrol dock, looking at a group standing on the yellow sandy shore, pants rolled up, smelling of fish, snapping photos of two dolphins looking a little worse for wear.
The male and female Indo-Pacific Freshwater Humpback dolphins were 19 and 23 years old, both showing the scars and missing flesh of several fights with both sharks and other dolphins. They were floating placidly in the shallow water, waiting for each tourist to approach them and thrust a fish towards them under water. Two seconds later, the fish would disappear and the next tourist would approach. Photos were taken desperately fast as no one wanted to miss their big chance with the dolphins.
Our boat group stood in line, payed $5 for a bucket of two fish, and waited again for our turn to step into the water. The handlers (volunteers who kept this endeavor going) informed us that we were not to try to pet the dolphins as it would frighten them into attack mode. They did suggest that a dolphin would approach you if they wanted to be pet. None had been so forward, so I guess they'd had all the scratching they wanted for the day.
Soon, the handlers called me forwards and I handed my camera to a friend so I could wade into the knee-deep water with my bucket of fish. The long-nosed mammal in front of me lunged forward as I put the fish underwater. A yoink and a photo later, it was gone. I did this twice and, to be honest, it was a little anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed being so close to wild dolphins, but I think my morning's tropical visions had led me to a downfall. Smelling of fish and covered in salty sand, I waded out and spent the next 40 minutes wandering listlessly around as the other tourists had their turns then ordered breakfast at the cafe on the water. At 9:00, we boarded the ferry once more and motored back to the Rainbow Beach dock.
I spent the rest of the day packing and doing nothing. As my laundry was not yet dry, I chose to stay another night at Dingo's. That day was spent reading, reading, sleeping, and reading. I found my book, Atonement, at the community centre, and got 3/4 through it by the end of the day. That night, we enjoyed live entertainment from a local who played didgeridoo, guitar, drums, and vocals at mostly the same time (obviously not the two winds simultaneously). It was an awesome beat and great fun. I would have bought his CD, but I have exhausted my cash supply and am now fully reliant on Visa. Not a smart way to travel, but I was going to get huge Visa surcharges from Peterpans when booking my adventures so I was forced to pay with cash and travellers cheques to get the best deal.
10th - Honestly, worst day ever. People who were involved will know why. For all intensive purposes, I woke up, computed, nearly packed up and flew home, and caught a bus at 12:30 to Agnes Waters instead. Six hours on the bus, totally dehydrated and feeling sick (not hungover, just not eating and drinking properly), watched Pirates of the Caribbean, arrived at Agnes Waters, checked into the hostel, computed once again, exhausted my international credit on my phone, and went to bed completely miserable.
11th - Raining. Again. I wanted to explore Agnes Waters, known for its surfing and wonderful sunsets, but the weather would not permit it so I computed, then took a boogie board down to the ocean and just sat there for two hours, praying and watching the waves crash in. A couple rogue waves managed to snake up the beach to where I was sitting so my bottom half was sandy and soaked by the time I stood up to go back to the hostel. I watched Accepted with a few other hostel inmates (truly, it is rather like a prison in the rain) then went upstairs for a 2:00pm phonecall from home. It was wonderful to hear my parents' voices after nearly a month. I felt totally homesick and regretted missing Thanksgiving, was thankful to talk through my problems with my parents, and got off the phone feeling peaceful and on-the-mend. I went grocery shopping and got bread, tuna, peanut butter, and bananas to last me the next few days, then went back to the hostel to watch another couple movies before bed. Sound boring? It was.
That, my friends, sums up my last few days. Homesickness has kicked in, partying has caught up with me, I need to start eating better, and this rain has got me down.
Hoping for the sun to come out again!
Love to everyone back home, and everyone reading this blog. If you are religious, please keep me in your prayers; if you are spiritual, keep me in your well-wishes; if you are friends, keep me in your thoughts : ) It's been a rough couple of days and I am thankful that everything is starting to look up again.
The next blog will be happier, I promise!
xoxo - Katrina
p.s. There are plans to put a marina up in Tin Can Bay where the wild dolphins have been coming since 1950. This is their home, their habitat, ingrained in their migration habits. If the marina goes up, they will no longer have a place to come and be fed. The feeders are careful to only give them a small percentage of their daily intake in order to keep them wild, so this is truly an amazing place for the dolphins. If you want to help petition to keep the marina out of Tin Can Bay, go to http://www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au/ and fill it in. Every name helps!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Shower Off the Sand - Day #3
Last day in Fraser Island. Muz had us up again at 7am and this morning was slightly more painful than the previous one. I made cheese toasties (aka grilled cheese sandwiches) and we chugged coffee before packing everything up (including the tents) and heading to our final destination on Fraser Island: Lake Wabby.
It was a 45-minute walk from the 75-mile-beach to Lake Wabby so I was happy that my toe was beginning to feel better. We stopped at the most disgustingly smelly bathroom I have ever been in to change into our bikinis, then we started shuffling up the sand path. Halfway along the walk, I did an incredibly stupid thing. I stubbed my toe. Again. Same toe, similar stump. Faced with a split-second decision to laugh or cry, I chose the first and blinked back tears as my friends and I laughed over my incredible lack of gracefullness.
Continuing on with more of a limp than before, we climbed sand stairs, jumped at rustling bushes (remember that the eight most poisonous snakes in the world reside here), and finally topped the sand peak. Sweating and out of breath, we were absolutely longing to see the sparkling expanse of lake in front of us. As we climbed over the peak of the hill and saw what looked like a lake bed (but with no lake) in front of us, we were both devastated and confused.
To our right was the ocean, in front of us was sand dunes and jungle, to the left appeared to be more sand dunes. However, a small group of people were gathered to the left so we decided to walk that way. Muz wasn't with us to guide as he had returned to the campsite to pack up the rest of the gear, which explains our confusion. Luckily, we chose the correct direction. Five minutes later, we were standing at the top of a 50 ft. sand dune, looking down on the emerald green expanse of Lake Wabby. Black catfish swam in the shallows and jungle trees hung over the opposite bank. Although we were tempted to run down the dune and dive into the water, we had been warned not to due to unexpected shallows and invisible stumps. Still not satisfied with merely walking down the dune, Mirtja and I got on our tummys and rolled down the hill. I thought I was covered in sand before! Not even intense scrubbing in the lake could rid my hair and body of the fine white sand.
We spent an hour and a half in the lake, swimming, playing games, and trying to catch the minnows and catfish. Luckily, we were unsuccessful in catching the catfish. I say luckily because Muz informed us of the poisonous spikes on the catfish fins after we returned from the lake.
The walk back was slow and exhausted as our group of 31 backpackers realized this was our last stop on Fraser Island. We stopped at a cafe for lunch and drove to the barges at 1:00 to go back to the mainland.
Sandy, tired, and full of new memories, we cleaned out the cars and parted ways at Rainbow Beach, heading to our own hostels.
Had burritos for dinner, did my laundry, had the best shower of my life, got a book, and fell asleep very early.
I will not forget you: Potato, Spud, Predy, Pudding, Marzipan, Speculaas, Haggis, Fish 'n Chips, Carlos, and Tom. Rest assured that I will introduce myself as Maple from now on : ) I will also pass along goggles and fuzzy duck whenever a group of people are sitting down for a beer. Oh, and you owe me 10 for the game of life ; ) We'll see how many people we can get with Jimmi Whoops and Green Glass Doors!
See you in Sydney for Christmas! Thanks for the laughs and awesome memories.
Love to everyone back home, sorry for the inside jokes, hope you are having even a fraction of as much fun as I am!
xoxo - Katrina
It was a 45-minute walk from the 75-mile-beach to Lake Wabby so I was happy that my toe was beginning to feel better. We stopped at the most disgustingly smelly bathroom I have ever been in to change into our bikinis, then we started shuffling up the sand path. Halfway along the walk, I did an incredibly stupid thing. I stubbed my toe. Again. Same toe, similar stump. Faced with a split-second decision to laugh or cry, I chose the first and blinked back tears as my friends and I laughed over my incredible lack of gracefullness.
Continuing on with more of a limp than before, we climbed sand stairs, jumped at rustling bushes (remember that the eight most poisonous snakes in the world reside here), and finally topped the sand peak. Sweating and out of breath, we were absolutely longing to see the sparkling expanse of lake in front of us. As we climbed over the peak of the hill and saw what looked like a lake bed (but with no lake) in front of us, we were both devastated and confused.
To our right was the ocean, in front of us was sand dunes and jungle, to the left appeared to be more sand dunes. However, a small group of people were gathered to the left so we decided to walk that way. Muz wasn't with us to guide as he had returned to the campsite to pack up the rest of the gear, which explains our confusion. Luckily, we chose the correct direction. Five minutes later, we were standing at the top of a 50 ft. sand dune, looking down on the emerald green expanse of Lake Wabby. Black catfish swam in the shallows and jungle trees hung over the opposite bank. Although we were tempted to run down the dune and dive into the water, we had been warned not to due to unexpected shallows and invisible stumps. Still not satisfied with merely walking down the dune, Mirtja and I got on our tummys and rolled down the hill. I thought I was covered in sand before! Not even intense scrubbing in the lake could rid my hair and body of the fine white sand.
We spent an hour and a half in the lake, swimming, playing games, and trying to catch the minnows and catfish. Luckily, we were unsuccessful in catching the catfish. I say luckily because Muz informed us of the poisonous spikes on the catfish fins after we returned from the lake.
The walk back was slow and exhausted as our group of 31 backpackers realized this was our last stop on Fraser Island. We stopped at a cafe for lunch and drove to the barges at 1:00 to go back to the mainland.
Sandy, tired, and full of new memories, we cleaned out the cars and parted ways at Rainbow Beach, heading to our own hostels.
Had burritos for dinner, did my laundry, had the best shower of my life, got a book, and fell asleep very early.
I will not forget you: Potato, Spud, Predy, Pudding, Marzipan, Speculaas, Haggis, Fish 'n Chips, Carlos, and Tom. Rest assured that I will introduce myself as Maple from now on : ) I will also pass along goggles and fuzzy duck whenever a group of people are sitting down for a beer. Oh, and you owe me 10 for the game of life ; ) We'll see how many people we can get with Jimmi Whoops and Green Glass Doors!
See you in Sydney for Christmas! Thanks for the laughs and awesome memories.
Love to everyone back home, sorry for the inside jokes, hope you are having even a fraction of as much fun as I am!
xoxo - Katrina
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Rafting, Whales, and Broken Bones - Day #2
Day two on Fraser Island began at 7am when Muz drove into camp and honked us awake. Bleary eyed and dehydrated, we got up and began by brushing off as much sand as we could. Recognizing a hopeless endeavor, we turned to making breakfast. After eating and packing up again (leaving the tents set up), we took off for the day's adventures.
Our first stop was a freshwater creek where we walked along a boardwalk to the creek head, then just floated down to the ocean in the foot-to-metre-deep water. It was glorious. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, white sand flanked by multi-coloured sand cliffs and towering jungles as far as the eye could see on both sides. We played frisbee, sunbathed, splashed around, and had the time of our lives. Once again, we were there for longer than expected as Muz had to drive one of our group members to the hospital to deal with a deep cut on his thumb. No one minded this hold-up as Eli creek offered no end of entertainment and enjoyment. Slightly darker of skin, we drove off at noon to have lunch in one of the many small towns on the island.
Lunch consisted of delicious corned beef sandwiches and more goon. We rinsed our feet off under the freshwater taps (had the option of a hot shower if you had $1 coins and shampoo - I didn't), re-filled our water jugs, and experienced our third injury of the trip. Rich from Scotland had broken or severely sprained his foot during a game of frisbee at Eli, now it was my turn to join the list of casualties. Walking through the parking lot, I did not see a small stump peeking its wooden head through the sand. A stub and a crack later, I was on the ground with a broken toe. It swiftly swelled up and turned a lovely shade of purple, leaving me throbbing in pain and unable to walk properly. To understate matters, it was a bummer.
After lunch and injuries, we went to see the famous Maheno - a massive ship that wrecked in the 1940s and still lies rusting on the beach, a skeletal shell of the majestic luxury steamer it had been in its heyday. We snapped tons of photos, splashed in the tropical waves, and dug up clams before driving on again.
Our next stop was the Champagne Pools. Nestled on the tip of the island, the Champagne Pools are a group of large tidal pools that are wonderful to swim in. Fed by the constant crashing of waves over the rocks, the pools hold small fish, several shellfish, and the ever-present white sand. We didn't stay for long, but we had a lot of fun. Michaele and I sat on the edge of the pool and let the approaching waves sweep us back into it. This provided endless entertainment for the half hour we were there. It was also a great way to have fun without walking around.
The last stop of our day was Indian Head. Crumbling cliffs and the promise of shark and whale sightings makes Indian Head a must-see for all visitors to Fraser Island. On a good day, you can see Humpbacks breaching, tiger sharks prowling, sea turtles floating, dolphins frolicking, and mantas gliding through the ocean 20 metres below. We saw sharks and whales and were happy with that. After snapping more photos, enjoying the breeze, and marvelling over a spectacular whale jump, we made our way back down the cliff (Rich and I hobbling quite a bit) and into the cars.
Back at the campsite, we cooked our dinner of Asian stirfry over rice (served in wraps to save dishes) and poured out more goon. Sam taught us some fantastic drinking games and we stayed up until 3am laughing and crying over the increasingly hilarious games. I will never forget the great friends and fantastic memories made that night. We went to bed absolutely satisfied with our last night on the island.
With no regrets and a fantastic new tan, I'll leave you until tomorrow!
xoxo - Katrina
Our first stop was a freshwater creek where we walked along a boardwalk to the creek head, then just floated down to the ocean in the foot-to-metre-deep water. It was glorious. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, white sand flanked by multi-coloured sand cliffs and towering jungles as far as the eye could see on both sides. We played frisbee, sunbathed, splashed around, and had the time of our lives. Once again, we were there for longer than expected as Muz had to drive one of our group members to the hospital to deal with a deep cut on his thumb. No one minded this hold-up as Eli creek offered no end of entertainment and enjoyment. Slightly darker of skin, we drove off at noon to have lunch in one of the many small towns on the island.
Lunch consisted of delicious corned beef sandwiches and more goon. We rinsed our feet off under the freshwater taps (had the option of a hot shower if you had $1 coins and shampoo - I didn't), re-filled our water jugs, and experienced our third injury of the trip. Rich from Scotland had broken or severely sprained his foot during a game of frisbee at Eli, now it was my turn to join the list of casualties. Walking through the parking lot, I did not see a small stump peeking its wooden head through the sand. A stub and a crack later, I was on the ground with a broken toe. It swiftly swelled up and turned a lovely shade of purple, leaving me throbbing in pain and unable to walk properly. To understate matters, it was a bummer.
After lunch and injuries, we went to see the famous Maheno - a massive ship that wrecked in the 1940s and still lies rusting on the beach, a skeletal shell of the majestic luxury steamer it had been in its heyday. We snapped tons of photos, splashed in the tropical waves, and dug up clams before driving on again.
Our next stop was the Champagne Pools. Nestled on the tip of the island, the Champagne Pools are a group of large tidal pools that are wonderful to swim in. Fed by the constant crashing of waves over the rocks, the pools hold small fish, several shellfish, and the ever-present white sand. We didn't stay for long, but we had a lot of fun. Michaele and I sat on the edge of the pool and let the approaching waves sweep us back into it. This provided endless entertainment for the half hour we were there. It was also a great way to have fun without walking around.
The last stop of our day was Indian Head. Crumbling cliffs and the promise of shark and whale sightings makes Indian Head a must-see for all visitors to Fraser Island. On a good day, you can see Humpbacks breaching, tiger sharks prowling, sea turtles floating, dolphins frolicking, and mantas gliding through the ocean 20 metres below. We saw sharks and whales and were happy with that. After snapping more photos, enjoying the breeze, and marvelling over a spectacular whale jump, we made our way back down the cliff (Rich and I hobbling quite a bit) and into the cars.
Back at the campsite, we cooked our dinner of Asian stirfry over rice (served in wraps to save dishes) and poured out more goon. Sam taught us some fantastic drinking games and we stayed up until 3am laughing and crying over the increasingly hilarious games. I will never forget the great friends and fantastic memories made that night. We went to bed absolutely satisfied with our last night on the island.
With no regrets and a fantastic new tan, I'll leave you until tomorrow!
xoxo - Katrina
The Land of Sand - Day #1
Three days and two nights on the world's second largest sand island later and I can honestly tell you that I have sand in every orifice of my body. It's in my ears, nose, eyelashes, toes, finger nails; it's become so much a part of my scalp that I foresee sand on my pillowcase for the next week. It's also in other places, but this is a public blog.
We piled up the 4wdrives with eskies, pots/pans, tents, sleeping bags, and our personals on Wednesday morning and were off by 9:30am. We were in the lead car, which meant that Muz (our leader) drove the entire time. The following three vehicles were driven by the passengers (if they were over 21 and familiar with manual 4wds). With heavy metal music pumping, Muz drove us onto the barge ferry where we enjoyed a dolphin show for the 10 minutes it took to cross the channel to Fraser Island. Back in the cars, we took off down the beach, marvelling at the endless expanse of white sand, crashing waves, and jungle trees.
Fraser Island truly is an all-sand island. The trees have created a sort of soil over the years from decomposed leaves, but underneath is pure sand. There eight of the world's deadliest snakes on the island, three venemous spiders, wild dingos everywhere, and a croc sighting on the west side of the island. Luckily, we were not bothered by any, though we did see several dingos.
We drove to Lake Mackenzie first, a crystal clear lake that defines paradise. On our way through the inland sand roads, car #3 stopped for no apparent reason and did not start again so Muz had to drop us off a the lake (1/2hour away), go back for them, then return once again to take care of the car. It turns out the starter engine was broken so the car was still functioning, it just had to have a running start. In the meantime, we spent 3 1/2 hours at the lake, frolicking in the water, sunbathing, getting to know our group members, and starving. Breakfast at the hostel had been at 7am. It was 4:00 by the time Muz came back. Our circle of swimmers was so hungry that we drew a sand bbq and placed sand steaks, corn on the cob, and a dead fish (found floating in the lake) on it. We also reminiced about the food we had eaten over the last 12 years of our lives. Salivating, clutching our stomachs, and moaning about starvation, we gave a cheer when Muz finally showed up to take us to the campsite.
After setting up tarps, tents, and bbq area, we got down to cooking dinner. It was dark by this time so we cooked by torchlight and the headlights of one of the cars. I volunteered to be the chef for the weekend (though we had a professional chef in our group, he was on holiday so it would not have been fair to designate him - though he did help me quite a bit) so I ruled the kitchen, ordering chopping and potato boiling while I took care of the steaks. We had mashed potatoes and rump steaks with a white wine (goon, to be exact - the cheap wine named after the aboriginal word for pillow since it comes in bags that the abos use as pillows once they've drunk the contents) onion saute sauce. It was a feast for kings and we enjoyed every bite.
After dinner, we mingled with the other groups, drank more goon, played games, and generally just had a marvelous time. Our bathroom was the sand (with a shovel to bury it so the dingos didn't get too close), our roof was the stars (far away from city lights, I truly enjoyed more stars than I have seen in the last five years), and our passions all centered around travel, giving us great conversations and fantastic stories to share.
The night ended with ghost stories and some rowdy song-singing at around 2am. Tired but happy, we crashed in our respective tents and slept on sand.
From sunny, beautiful Australia,
xoxo - Katrina
We piled up the 4wdrives with eskies, pots/pans, tents, sleeping bags, and our personals on Wednesday morning and were off by 9:30am. We were in the lead car, which meant that Muz (our leader) drove the entire time. The following three vehicles were driven by the passengers (if they were over 21 and familiar with manual 4wds). With heavy metal music pumping, Muz drove us onto the barge ferry where we enjoyed a dolphin show for the 10 minutes it took to cross the channel to Fraser Island. Back in the cars, we took off down the beach, marvelling at the endless expanse of white sand, crashing waves, and jungle trees.
Fraser Island truly is an all-sand island. The trees have created a sort of soil over the years from decomposed leaves, but underneath is pure sand. There eight of the world's deadliest snakes on the island, three venemous spiders, wild dingos everywhere, and a croc sighting on the west side of the island. Luckily, we were not bothered by any, though we did see several dingos.
We drove to Lake Mackenzie first, a crystal clear lake that defines paradise. On our way through the inland sand roads, car #3 stopped for no apparent reason and did not start again so Muz had to drop us off a the lake (1/2hour away), go back for them, then return once again to take care of the car. It turns out the starter engine was broken so the car was still functioning, it just had to have a running start. In the meantime, we spent 3 1/2 hours at the lake, frolicking in the water, sunbathing, getting to know our group members, and starving. Breakfast at the hostel had been at 7am. It was 4:00 by the time Muz came back. Our circle of swimmers was so hungry that we drew a sand bbq and placed sand steaks, corn on the cob, and a dead fish (found floating in the lake) on it. We also reminiced about the food we had eaten over the last 12 years of our lives. Salivating, clutching our stomachs, and moaning about starvation, we gave a cheer when Muz finally showed up to take us to the campsite.
After setting up tarps, tents, and bbq area, we got down to cooking dinner. It was dark by this time so we cooked by torchlight and the headlights of one of the cars. I volunteered to be the chef for the weekend (though we had a professional chef in our group, he was on holiday so it would not have been fair to designate him - though he did help me quite a bit) so I ruled the kitchen, ordering chopping and potato boiling while I took care of the steaks. We had mashed potatoes and rump steaks with a white wine (goon, to be exact - the cheap wine named after the aboriginal word for pillow since it comes in bags that the abos use as pillows once they've drunk the contents) onion saute sauce. It was a feast for kings and we enjoyed every bite.
After dinner, we mingled with the other groups, drank more goon, played games, and generally just had a marvelous time. Our bathroom was the sand (with a shovel to bury it so the dingos didn't get too close), our roof was the stars (far away from city lights, I truly enjoyed more stars than I have seen in the last five years), and our passions all centered around travel, giving us great conversations and fantastic stories to share.
The night ended with ghost stories and some rowdy song-singing at around 2am. Tired but happy, we crashed in our respective tents and slept on sand.
From sunny, beautiful Australia,
xoxo - Katrina
On the Bus
Woke up at 5:20am on Tuesday morning and caught the 7:00am Greyhound from Brisbane to Rainbow Beach. Without going into too much detail, I'll let you know that a stifling, bumpy bus is not a fun place to be the disgustingly early morning after a fantasticly great goodbye party. Five hours and a long nap later, I arrived in Rainbow Beach at the Peterpans.
I checked in to Dingo's hostel (part of my Fraser Island package) and immediately did some computing. The debriefing for our Fraser trip was at 2:30. Basically all this included was a dingo warning, garbage and waste disposal rules, driving tips, and a whole lot of talking (all of which was repeated the next day). I met the six other people in my car and sat with them for a chat afterwards. Becky and Sam from England had just spent six months working on a dive boat in Cairns as chef and waitress; Michaele, Fiona, and Trisha (I'm butchering the spelling here) from Ireland were driving a rented camper van around Australia; Carlos from Spain had wanted to come with his wife but complications ended with him travelling on his own. We all got along right away and anticipated a fantastic trip. In my room were five other Irish travellers heading on the same Fraser trip.
The rest of the day consisted of me sleeping, eating dinner at the hostel, and going to bed at 8:00 with my alarm set for 6:20am.
Writing about the trip now!!
xoxo - Katrina
I checked in to Dingo's hostel (part of my Fraser Island package) and immediately did some computing. The debriefing for our Fraser trip was at 2:30. Basically all this included was a dingo warning, garbage and waste disposal rules, driving tips, and a whole lot of talking (all of which was repeated the next day). I met the six other people in my car and sat with them for a chat afterwards. Becky and Sam from England had just spent six months working on a dive boat in Cairns as chef and waitress; Michaele, Fiona, and Trisha (I'm butchering the spelling here) from Ireland were driving a rented camper van around Australia; Carlos from Spain had wanted to come with his wife but complications ended with him travelling on his own. We all got along right away and anticipated a fantastic trip. In my room were five other Irish travellers heading on the same Fraser trip.
The rest of the day consisted of me sleeping, eating dinner at the hostel, and going to bed at 8:00 with my alarm set for 6:20am.
Writing about the trip now!!
xoxo - Katrina
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday/Monday Fun Day!!!
Couldn't get to the internet on Monday to write about Sunday, so here's the two days all wrapped up in one.
Sunday was pretty mellow, not much to write. It rained (big surprise) so I stayed at the hostel and hung out with Alex (17:female:Aus), Jeremy (20:male:NZ), Andre (22:male:Sweden), Pernella (23:female:Sweden), and Emma (23:female:Sweden). We played cards, cooked food, and enjoyed happy hour when it came along. I also took a nap during the afternoon to make up for the previous night's lateness and that morning's early rise to get to the library. That was everything that happened on Sunday! Not a whole lot, but I had fun with new friends : )
Now Monday. Was. Excellent. Woke up with intentions to compute, pack, hang out with friends, and generally just wrap things up at the hostel to prepare for leaving on Tuesday morning. When I got outside, however, I found the clouds gone and the sun shining full-strength. I put on my bikini and enticed Alex to jump into the frigid hostel pool with me. We swam with the Aussie AFL team and said goodbye to them, then went to dry off. As I passed Jeremy and Andre, I got an invite to go to the Gold Coast with them for the day. Surfer's Paradise to be exact! Obviously I said yes! So, at 10:00am, the three of us were on a bus to the transit centre, then a train, then another bus, then on the beautiful white, hot, sandy, amazing beach of Surfer's Paradise!!
We bought $10 towels, some sunscreen, sushi lunch, and spent the next three hours sunbathing, body surfing, people-watching, and generally just having an amazing time! At 3:00, the skyscrapers next to the beach started casting lengthy shadows so we packed up and made our way back to the train station. Highlight of the trip back: I saw a wild kangaroo!! My first one! I made a fool of myself by pointing, exclaiming loudly, and delighting about it afterwards. No worries, I thought it was exciting!
Monday was my last night at the hostel and everyone was determined to send me off with a bang! Happy hour came twice that night (since we missed the first one by being in transit), we played speed pool, got cards out, went to the music cafe, swapped phone numbers, and generally just had a great time!
My stay at the Brisbane Backpackers Resort was incredible. I have nothing to complain and only praises to sing. If you're heading that way, I would recommend their establishment!
Ta Ta for now! I will not be on for another two days as I'm heading to Fraser Island tomorrow so I'll fill you in when I get back!
Love you!!
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday was pretty mellow, not much to write. It rained (big surprise) so I stayed at the hostel and hung out with Alex (17:female:Aus), Jeremy (20:male:NZ), Andre (22:male:Sweden), Pernella (23:female:Sweden), and Emma (23:female:Sweden). We played cards, cooked food, and enjoyed happy hour when it came along. I also took a nap during the afternoon to make up for the previous night's lateness and that morning's early rise to get to the library. That was everything that happened on Sunday! Not a whole lot, but I had fun with new friends : )
Now Monday. Was. Excellent. Woke up with intentions to compute, pack, hang out with friends, and generally just wrap things up at the hostel to prepare for leaving on Tuesday morning. When I got outside, however, I found the clouds gone and the sun shining full-strength. I put on my bikini and enticed Alex to jump into the frigid hostel pool with me. We swam with the Aussie AFL team and said goodbye to them, then went to dry off. As I passed Jeremy and Andre, I got an invite to go to the Gold Coast with them for the day. Surfer's Paradise to be exact! Obviously I said yes! So, at 10:00am, the three of us were on a bus to the transit centre, then a train, then another bus, then on the beautiful white, hot, sandy, amazing beach of Surfer's Paradise!!
We bought $10 towels, some sunscreen, sushi lunch, and spent the next three hours sunbathing, body surfing, people-watching, and generally just having an amazing time! At 3:00, the skyscrapers next to the beach started casting lengthy shadows so we packed up and made our way back to the train station. Highlight of the trip back: I saw a wild kangaroo!! My first one! I made a fool of myself by pointing, exclaiming loudly, and delighting about it afterwards. No worries, I thought it was exciting!
Monday was my last night at the hostel and everyone was determined to send me off with a bang! Happy hour came twice that night (since we missed the first one by being in transit), we played speed pool, got cards out, went to the music cafe, swapped phone numbers, and generally just had a great time!
My stay at the Brisbane Backpackers Resort was incredible. I have nothing to complain and only praises to sing. If you're heading that way, I would recommend their establishment!
Ta Ta for now! I will not be on for another two days as I'm heading to Fraser Island tomorrow so I'll fill you in when I get back!
Love you!!
xoxo - Katrina
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Bumped My Head And Went To Bed
I woke up at 9am with just seven hours of sleep under my belt. Stomach grumbling, I walked to a fruit and vegetable shop I had seen on my walk the previous day and spent $6.50 on six grapefruit, a bag of onions, carrots, pears, tomatoes, bananas, and spinach. Then I went to the bakery next door and bought a huge loaf of bread for $2. With everything in a cardboard box, I walked back to the hostel just as it started to rain. My breakfast was two bananas (they're miniature ones), a grapefruit, and a chunk of bread.
After eating, I caught the 11am shuttle to the library and spent the next two hours computing (a large portion of that was spent trying to get an Australian tax number - TFN - and failing because the page refused to load properly).
When I left the library, the clouds above gave a menacing rumble and proceeded to shed their contents on me. It absolutely poured. I was wearing a rain jacket, but my legs were bare and my feet were encased in flip-flops that were not at all stable in the downpour. I took them off and walked barefoot to Coles (the grocery store) and bought the rest of the groceries I needed to last me the weekend. When I got out of the grocery store, it had stopped raining.
I got back to the hostel at 2:00 and put my groceries in the communal kitchen. There were some people (Irish and English) sitting around the table having a beer so I joined them while I waited for the cleaners to finish in the kitchen so I could make lunch. An hour later, I made a pot of soup and went back out to eat it. I also mixed a package of minced beef with a packet of chili spices, some hot sauce, and fresh onion and left it to marinade in the fridge.
The tables started filling up as it got closer to happy hour (5:00) and we had a regular hostel party going on by the time 6:00 rolled around. I cooked up a mean chili (carrots, onions, beans, fresh tomatoes and spinach, the beef, and noodles) and ended up with a gigantic pot - more than enough to share. My efforts earned me about three marriage proposals from around the table : P
After dinner, I played a few rounds of slaps with the Aussie footballers, won five beers for my victories, learned a new card game, and made several new friends.
With a full stomach and a light head, I went to bed at 10:00 so that I could get up early to skype. Hostel life certainly does not lack variety and fun.
Enjoy that sunny weather I hear you're having in Victoria, I'm going to steal it soon : )
xoxo - Katrina
Friday, October 1, 2010
At Last, Resort
Woke up to Spencer the cat jumping on my back. I did some computing in the morning, then walked with Malcolm to the grocery store to pick up breakfast ingredients. We made capsicum, bacon, tomato, shallot scrambled eggs on toast. I got teased for putting butter on my toast. Did you know that butter here is bright yellow? It looks unnatural, even though butter is technically supposed to be that colour!
After breckie, I packed my gear up and was driven to the Brisbane Backpackers Resort in West End. Chantelle had been there for three months and I was excited to see her and stay at the same hostel! I got a room (211), met my German, French, and French-Canadian roommates (two guys, five girls), ditched my bags, and walked to the library. After skyping for a little while, I packed up and walked to Tribal travel.
Remember when I mentioned the 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Fraser Is., 2days/2nights Whitsundays, + bus for $670 at Peterpans? Well, before purchasing that, I just wanted to make sure it was a good deal. So I went to Tribal travel and talked with the woman there. Not only did she not have a similar package, she said there was no way she could match it; it was a deal of a lifetime. So, I rushed to Peterpans to book my tickets!
I had inquired into this deal last Sunday and was told it was a special that did not expire. The girl was wrong. Apparently this amazing package had expired the day after and the travel agent was not able to get it back. The best deal she could now give me was $1060 (now including photos and a dvd of the skydive ($150 value)). Not at all impressed with this turn of events, I went back to Tribal and asked what she could do for me. She still said she wasn't able to give me the same deal, but what she could do was make a false statement so that Peterpans would be forced to lower their fees. Still trying to sound believable, my wonderful agent quoted $990 for the skydive, dvd+photos, Fraser Is, Whitsundays, bus, and a free 2day/1night trip to 1770s. Knowing that Peterpans didn't have that free 1770s trip, the agent thought it might be a good bargaining point to lower the rates. So, back to Peterpans I went, armed with my statement. The girl took one look at it, gave a frustrated sigh, and went to work making phone calls. She said that accommodation on Rainbow Beach would have to be included (and extra $40), which brought that to $1030. She could bring it down to $1005 and add a free three-hour wild dolphin tour. I asked her to cut out the cost of the bus ($250) so I could buy it through Tribal to secure the free 1770s trip. So, for $700 (plus an extra $60 in park fees to be payed at the Whitsundays), I got my package (bus not included, free dolphin tour included). At Tribal, I booked the greyhound bus and got the 1770s trip! Feeling quite successful, very grumpy (I didn't mention that the Peterpans agent was hungover and incredibly grumpy), and famished, I walked back to the hostel. On the way, I stopped at a Lebanese street restaurant and bought a Falafel for $3.50.
When I got back, it was 4:15 and I had an hour and a half to get showered and downstairs for my "new arrival" free drink. I stopped by Chantelle's room and heard her incredible stories about 5 months in SE Asia (btw, I'm totally going!), made plans to go dancing, and agreed to meet back in the common area for drinks at 5:45. I showered, changed, and was back down in time for drinks. I sat with Chantelle, Katie from Seattle, Emma and Pernella (P-Dawg) from Sweden, and a bunch of guys who were in and out of the conversation. We had a great time drinking beer, playing cards, and learning about each other. At this hostel, people are friends by default. Everyone was rowdy, friendly, open, and fun. We played the nightly games at 8:00, hung out for a while longer, then caught the 11:00 bus into the Valley for clubbing.
This is where my night wasn't exactly incredible. The cover was $15, the club was half-empty, the music wasn't great, and Chantelle and I were so busy going in and out to meet friends (Malcolm, Kate from Victoria, and some Brazillian guys) that we didn't exactly get to party. Oh, and there was no coat-check so I had to carry my jacket until Chantelle offered to stuff it in her purse. We did have a good time dancing for about an hour, but then Chantelle and I got quite tired (around 1:30) and decided to peace out. We walked most of the way home, got lost, caught a taxi back to familiar territory, then walked from there (taxis are expensive, we are broke... especially me after paying for my trip to Cairns!).
Got in at 2:00am, scrambled around in my dark room, then collapsed in bed after a thoroughly long, emotionally schizophrenic, truly awesome day. I'm going to like hostel life!
Missing my girls back home! Clubbing wasn't the same without you!
xoxo - Katrina
After breckie, I packed my gear up and was driven to the Brisbane Backpackers Resort in West End. Chantelle had been there for three months and I was excited to see her and stay at the same hostel! I got a room (211), met my German, French, and French-Canadian roommates (two guys, five girls), ditched my bags, and walked to the library. After skyping for a little while, I packed up and walked to Tribal travel.
Remember when I mentioned the 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Fraser Is., 2days/2nights Whitsundays, + bus for $670 at Peterpans? Well, before purchasing that, I just wanted to make sure it was a good deal. So I went to Tribal travel and talked with the woman there. Not only did she not have a similar package, she said there was no way she could match it; it was a deal of a lifetime. So, I rushed to Peterpans to book my tickets!
I had inquired into this deal last Sunday and was told it was a special that did not expire. The girl was wrong. Apparently this amazing package had expired the day after and the travel agent was not able to get it back. The best deal she could now give me was $1060 (now including photos and a dvd of the skydive ($150 value)). Not at all impressed with this turn of events, I went back to Tribal and asked what she could do for me. She still said she wasn't able to give me the same deal, but what she could do was make a false statement so that Peterpans would be forced to lower their fees. Still trying to sound believable, my wonderful agent quoted $990 for the skydive, dvd+photos, Fraser Is, Whitsundays, bus, and a free 2day/1night trip to 1770s. Knowing that Peterpans didn't have that free 1770s trip, the agent thought it might be a good bargaining point to lower the rates. So, back to Peterpans I went, armed with my statement. The girl took one look at it, gave a frustrated sigh, and went to work making phone calls. She said that accommodation on Rainbow Beach would have to be included (and extra $40), which brought that to $1030. She could bring it down to $1005 and add a free three-hour wild dolphin tour. I asked her to cut out the cost of the bus ($250) so I could buy it through Tribal to secure the free 1770s trip. So, for $700 (plus an extra $60 in park fees to be payed at the Whitsundays), I got my package (bus not included, free dolphin tour included). At Tribal, I booked the greyhound bus and got the 1770s trip! Feeling quite successful, very grumpy (I didn't mention that the Peterpans agent was hungover and incredibly grumpy), and famished, I walked back to the hostel. On the way, I stopped at a Lebanese street restaurant and bought a Falafel for $3.50.
When I got back, it was 4:15 and I had an hour and a half to get showered and downstairs for my "new arrival" free drink. I stopped by Chantelle's room and heard her incredible stories about 5 months in SE Asia (btw, I'm totally going!), made plans to go dancing, and agreed to meet back in the common area for drinks at 5:45. I showered, changed, and was back down in time for drinks. I sat with Chantelle, Katie from Seattle, Emma and Pernella (P-Dawg) from Sweden, and a bunch of guys who were in and out of the conversation. We had a great time drinking beer, playing cards, and learning about each other. At this hostel, people are friends by default. Everyone was rowdy, friendly, open, and fun. We played the nightly games at 8:00, hung out for a while longer, then caught the 11:00 bus into the Valley for clubbing.
This is where my night wasn't exactly incredible. The cover was $15, the club was half-empty, the music wasn't great, and Chantelle and I were so busy going in and out to meet friends (Malcolm, Kate from Victoria, and some Brazillian guys) that we didn't exactly get to party. Oh, and there was no coat-check so I had to carry my jacket until Chantelle offered to stuff it in her purse. We did have a good time dancing for about an hour, but then Chantelle and I got quite tired (around 1:30) and decided to peace out. We walked most of the way home, got lost, caught a taxi back to familiar territory, then walked from there (taxis are expensive, we are broke... especially me after paying for my trip to Cairns!).
Got in at 2:00am, scrambled around in my dark room, then collapsed in bed after a thoroughly long, emotionally schizophrenic, truly awesome day. I'm going to like hostel life!
Missing my girls back home! Clubbing wasn't the same without you!
xoxo - Katrina
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Today I Ate A Kangaroo
You read it. Today I ate Kangaroo. Other things happened, but really the central event was eating Roo rump. Mio was still at the Gold Coast on the morning of the 30th so I did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, packed my bags, wrote her a letter, watched tv, returned my night's movies in Sandgate, and caught the 3:00 train to Albion Station, where I was meeting Malcolm to go back to his and Tenai's place. Got there at 3:45 and Malcolm started cooking right away.
The house smelt of bbq sauce, spiced meat, and savoury smoke. We chatted and drank rum&cokes as we waited for the meat to cook. At 5:30ish, we all sat down to eat. The roo meat resembled lamb, yet it tasted like nothing I've ever eaten before. It had a faint gamey flavour, but mostly just bbq sauce and what I can only term as regular 'red meat' flavour. We also had Angus Beef sausages, potato salad, and cabbage salad. More drinks were poured, then Tenai had to go to work for a couple hours. So, Malcolm and I picked up a movie (Paranormal Activity) and sat down to watch it until Tenai got back. Good God, I do not recommend you watch that movie if you are at all faint of heart. I spent half the time with a blanket up around my ears. Spencer (the house cat) did not help by walking under my legs or stepping onto my shoulder from the couch back at particularly suspenseful moments. Needless to say, I embarrassed myself and Malcolm had a good laugh. When Tenai got home, we talked for a bit, played a game of Green Glass Doors (someone says something like "I love squirrels, but I hate rodents" and you have to figure out what the connection is. The name of the game is Green Glass Doors; the aim of the game is in the name. That is how it is introduced, and you must figure out what pattern is in the name and how it is repeated in the following "I love___, but I hate___." I got frustrated and tired after an hour of failure and cheated by Googleing the answer.
So, that was the end of my night; Tenai and Malcolm had put a mattress in the living room for me so I slept there in my sleeping bag.
p.s. Did I mention they have another roommate? He's a 30-year-old NZ bloke who I only saw for dinner so I didn't really get to know him.
Hope the weather clears up soon! Hugs to everyone back home!
xoxo - Katrina
The house smelt of bbq sauce, spiced meat, and savoury smoke. We chatted and drank rum&cokes as we waited for the meat to cook. At 5:30ish, we all sat down to eat. The roo meat resembled lamb, yet it tasted like nothing I've ever eaten before. It had a faint gamey flavour, but mostly just bbq sauce and what I can only term as regular 'red meat' flavour. We also had Angus Beef sausages, potato salad, and cabbage salad. More drinks were poured, then Tenai had to go to work for a couple hours. So, Malcolm and I picked up a movie (Paranormal Activity) and sat down to watch it until Tenai got back. Good God, I do not recommend you watch that movie if you are at all faint of heart. I spent half the time with a blanket up around my ears. Spencer (the house cat) did not help by walking under my legs or stepping onto my shoulder from the couch back at particularly suspenseful moments. Needless to say, I embarrassed myself and Malcolm had a good laugh. When Tenai got home, we talked for a bit, played a game of Green Glass Doors (someone says something like "I love squirrels, but I hate rodents" and you have to figure out what the connection is. The name of the game is Green Glass Doors; the aim of the game is in the name. That is how it is introduced, and you must figure out what pattern is in the name and how it is repeated in the following "I love___, but I hate___." I got frustrated and tired after an hour of failure and cheated by Googleing the answer.
So, that was the end of my night; Tenai and Malcolm had put a mattress in the living room for me so I slept there in my sleeping bag.
p.s. Did I mention they have another roommate? He's a 30-year-old NZ bloke who I only saw for dinner so I didn't really get to know him.
Hope the weather clears up soon! Hugs to everyone back home!
xoxo - Katrina
Stormy Storm Storm
Just before all internet cut out, it was yet another typical day in Shorncliffe. Mio left for the Gold Coast with two of her mates at around noon, leaving me queen of the house for the day/night. The day had dawned beautiful and clear, but I wasn't fooled. It had dawned that way for 8 days solid and each day the clouds crept in from the South, bringing shade and humidity that made going outdoors more of a chore than a pleasure.
I can't wait until I'm acclimatized. At the moment I feel rather pathetic walking around in shorts and a beater, raking my sweaty hair off my face while native Queenslanders are bundled up in jeans and a jacket on these "cold" Spring days.
I saw the clouds rolling in at 1:00 and decided to make a run for town before any rain action started. So, carefully slipping my shoes over my poor blistered feet (tip for travellers, bring worn-in shoes on your journey... if you plan on breaking-in new shoes, plan for them to break you), I walked to town for some movies and groceries. I planned to fill Mio's fridge so it would be re-stocked for when she returned. I picked up some juice, capsicums, bananas, and cookies, then couldn't think of what Mio might like so I stopped there. Got Invictus, Robin Hood, and She's Out of My League at the rental place, then raced to catch the train home. Literally was grabbing at the door handles as the train took off, missed it by moments, so I limped home with my heavy bags. Luckily it was only a 15 minute walk or I would have minced meat for feet.
Just as I turned into the driveway, the rain started coming down. After forgetting to close the windows the previous day and resulting in wet carpets, I ran inside to make sure I didn't make that mistake again. Thunder and lightning rolled in and the air turned grey with thick rain. I love tropical storms! Well, I love watching them. I hate what they do. I logged on to skype to talk with Benji and ended up losing him 5 minutes into the conversation. Practically crying in frustration, I re-booted my computer, trouble-shooted the internet, turned the source off and on, and tried every sort of remedial method before finally giving up. The storm had cut my internet, leaving me feeling exposed, alone, and totally isolated (yes, I realize that doesn't walk hand-in-hand with exposure, but work with me).
So, really, nothing monumental happened during the rest of the night. I watched my three movies, ate disgustingly garlicky spaghetti, tossed the leftover fennel sausages, broke into the cookie package I had so good-intentionally bought for Mio (after eating the previous cookie packet), and went to bed feeling quite lonely. Pathetic what a lack of internet can do for a modern-day girl. I'm not going to say I hope I get better because, truly, I hope it never happens again. I rely on my contact with home life to remain positive here. So, luckily I have internet again, I'm happy, healthy, and heading to Cairns soon!
xoxo everybody! - Katrina
I can't wait until I'm acclimatized. At the moment I feel rather pathetic walking around in shorts and a beater, raking my sweaty hair off my face while native Queenslanders are bundled up in jeans and a jacket on these "cold" Spring days.
I saw the clouds rolling in at 1:00 and decided to make a run for town before any rain action started. So, carefully slipping my shoes over my poor blistered feet (tip for travellers, bring worn-in shoes on your journey... if you plan on breaking-in new shoes, plan for them to break you), I walked to town for some movies and groceries. I planned to fill Mio's fridge so it would be re-stocked for when she returned. I picked up some juice, capsicums, bananas, and cookies, then couldn't think of what Mio might like so I stopped there. Got Invictus, Robin Hood, and She's Out of My League at the rental place, then raced to catch the train home. Literally was grabbing at the door handles as the train took off, missed it by moments, so I limped home with my heavy bags. Luckily it was only a 15 minute walk or I would have minced meat for feet.
Just as I turned into the driveway, the rain started coming down. After forgetting to close the windows the previous day and resulting in wet carpets, I ran inside to make sure I didn't make that mistake again. Thunder and lightning rolled in and the air turned grey with thick rain. I love tropical storms! Well, I love watching them. I hate what they do. I logged on to skype to talk with Benji and ended up losing him 5 minutes into the conversation. Practically crying in frustration, I re-booted my computer, trouble-shooted the internet, turned the source off and on, and tried every sort of remedial method before finally giving up. The storm had cut my internet, leaving me feeling exposed, alone, and totally isolated (yes, I realize that doesn't walk hand-in-hand with exposure, but work with me).
So, really, nothing monumental happened during the rest of the night. I watched my three movies, ate disgustingly garlicky spaghetti, tossed the leftover fennel sausages, broke into the cookie package I had so good-intentionally bought for Mio (after eating the previous cookie packet), and went to bed feeling quite lonely. Pathetic what a lack of internet can do for a modern-day girl. I'm not going to say I hope I get better because, truly, I hope it never happens again. I rely on my contact with home life to remain positive here. So, luckily I have internet again, I'm happy, healthy, and heading to Cairns soon!
xoxo everybody! - Katrina
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tropical Storm
You read it, the 28th was incredibly stormy! So much for the morning looking so beautiful! As per usual, I job-hunted in the morning; watched the news, made breakfast, and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows : ) That kept me occupied all day. At noon, when I had hoped to walk into town for some more dinner groceries and movies, the lightning struck. Great crashes of light and sound filled the dark grey skies; rain poured like a marathon from the sky, deafening splatters on the ground. Book in hand, curled up in a duvet, chocolate cookies at my side, I was not hard-pressed to stay inside. I did take my camera out to snap some photos of the storm, but that was my only outdoor excursion.
I finished the book at around 6:00 and picked a couple movies from Mio's small collection to watch. I mashed some potatoes and onions for dinner and sat down to watch Love Actually and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Mio arrived home just as I was starting the second movie, but she went to bed early.
Again, not an incredibly eventful day in paradise. I'm feeling quite restless here and can't wait to get moving. You may wonder why I'm not getting out more here, but it's rather like living in Sydney, BC... beautiful, but small and isolated. And with a $10.60 pricetag on getting downtown and back, I'd rather save my money and stay indoors. So, that's what's happening for now. I move into a hostel soon, so I'll be living right downtown for a few days. That will hopefully be a great opportunity to meet people, make plans, perhaps get a travelling partner, and finally get going!
Until then, stick with me, I'll have awesome and interesting things to write about soon : )
xoxo - Katrina
I finished the book at around 6:00 and picked a couple movies from Mio's small collection to watch. I mashed some potatoes and onions for dinner and sat down to watch Love Actually and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Mio arrived home just as I was starting the second movie, but she went to bed early.
Again, not an incredibly eventful day in paradise. I'm feeling quite restless here and can't wait to get moving. You may wonder why I'm not getting out more here, but it's rather like living in Sydney, BC... beautiful, but small and isolated. And with a $10.60 pricetag on getting downtown and back, I'd rather save my money and stay indoors. So, that's what's happening for now. I move into a hostel soon, so I'll be living right downtown for a few days. That will hopefully be a great opportunity to meet people, make plans, perhaps get a travelling partner, and finally get going!
Until then, stick with me, I'll have awesome and interesting things to write about soon : )
xoxo - Katrina
Monday, September 27, 2010
Spaghetti Rom-Com
As with previous days, the first part of my Monday was spent Skyping and looking for jobs. The Peterpan's job page that I paid $39 for was bringing up tonnes of likely jobs and it was all I could do to keep up with them! I applied for room attendant positions on a Dive Boat and three island resorts. Hopefully these will be as successful as my applications in Brisbane. Out of four applications, I was called in for two interviews. Now that I have decided to go to Cairns, however, I don't need/want a job in Brisbane.
At noon I walked into Sandgate (a 15 min. stroll down the road) to buy a contact case (out of the fifty million I have at home, I brought 0), some hair clips (same situation), post some mail (look out for it!), and buy some dinner ingredients. Mio was working from 2:00-9:00 so I offered to have dinner ready when she came home. I had some spiced sausage, spaghetti, fresh bread, and a $7.99 bottle of red wine (a Merlot to be exact). I also picked up two more movies from Mio's work : )
It was only 1:30 when I got back to the house, so I put the movies on and continued job searching. I also skyped with Giustina (stuck in the middle of no where, working a back-breaking tree-planting job for three months so she can be eligible to apply for a second work visa), Chantelle, and Benji.
When the movies were finished (and my sappy tears dried), I began chopping vegetables and frying sausage. The dinner-making process was more of a scavenger hunt as I did not know where anything was in Mio's house, but I ended up locating everything I needed. Thyme, Rosemary, Cumin, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, sausage, onions, garlic, and whole roma tomatoes went into the sauce. It smelt fantastic and I was starving so I grabbed the half-baguette and decided to eat my half. An empty bag later, I felt rather guilty but deliciously content.
There was just one thing wrong with the spaghetti. The sausage. It had fennel in it. The bursts of liquorice taste did not contribute to the rosemary/thyme and it was a bit of a disaster. I felt quite stupid since I'm usually not a bad cook at home. But spaghetti has never been my strong point. We decided to save the wine for a better occasion : )
After dinner, I began reading Mio's 7th Harry Potter. A couple hours and a couple hundred pages later, it was 11:30 and I was asleep on the chair. I was trying to stay up until midnight so I could say goodmorning to Benji (his 7am) but my eyelids wouldn't allow it. Utterly defeated and exhausted, I crawled upstairs and into bed.
So, goodmorning Benji (my time) and everyone else! Today looks like a lovely day. Let's see what it has in store.
xoxo - Katrina
At noon I walked into Sandgate (a 15 min. stroll down the road) to buy a contact case (out of the fifty million I have at home, I brought 0), some hair clips (same situation), post some mail (look out for it!), and buy some dinner ingredients. Mio was working from 2:00-9:00 so I offered to have dinner ready when she came home. I had some spiced sausage, spaghetti, fresh bread, and a $7.99 bottle of red wine (a Merlot to be exact). I also picked up two more movies from Mio's work : )
It was only 1:30 when I got back to the house, so I put the movies on and continued job searching. I also skyped with Giustina (stuck in the middle of no where, working a back-breaking tree-planting job for three months so she can be eligible to apply for a second work visa), Chantelle, and Benji.
When the movies were finished (and my sappy tears dried), I began chopping vegetables and frying sausage. The dinner-making process was more of a scavenger hunt as I did not know where anything was in Mio's house, but I ended up locating everything I needed. Thyme, Rosemary, Cumin, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, sausage, onions, garlic, and whole roma tomatoes went into the sauce. It smelt fantastic and I was starving so I grabbed the half-baguette and decided to eat my half. An empty bag later, I felt rather guilty but deliciously content.
There was just one thing wrong with the spaghetti. The sausage. It had fennel in it. The bursts of liquorice taste did not contribute to the rosemary/thyme and it was a bit of a disaster. I felt quite stupid since I'm usually not a bad cook at home. But spaghetti has never been my strong point. We decided to save the wine for a better occasion : )
After dinner, I began reading Mio's 7th Harry Potter. A couple hours and a couple hundred pages later, it was 11:30 and I was asleep on the chair. I was trying to stay up until midnight so I could say goodmorning to Benji (his 7am) but my eyelids wouldn't allow it. Utterly defeated and exhausted, I crawled upstairs and into bed.
So, goodmorning Benji (my time) and everyone else! Today looks like a lovely day. Let's see what it has in store.
xoxo - Katrina
Knock Knock
I woke up on Sunday morning with plans to see an old friend from high school. She had just finished a Southeast Asia tour and is now living and working in Brisbane until she can get to New Zealand. I love how small this world can be sometimes. I'm halfway across the world from home and high school and here I find one of my mates; it's pretty cool. So, we had been trying to hook up for a few days and Sunday was supposed to be the day. Maybe. Probably. Chantelle had lost her cellphone charger and her mobile was dead so we were limited in our communications. Nevertheless, I hopped on the train at 11:45 and went downtown in hopes that we could meet up somewhere.
Well, I didn't end up meeting with Chantelle, but I did meet with someone else. My old friend Ryan, now married to the beautiful Charissa, called me and we three met for sodas on the grass at Southbank. We had a great two hours of chatting, laughing, and catching up on the last few years. At 3:30, Charissa had to return home to finish some homework and I had a meeting at Peterpan's travel agency. I left with an invitation to attend church with them next Sunday night and I'd love to take them up on that if I'm still in Brisbane (probably will be).
I had seen a deal in the travel agency window and wanted to ask into it. So, I met with the travel agent, chatted about fun ways to get to Cairns, signed up for their job board, and went home with lots of decisions to make. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday (prematurely since I was writing about the 25th and really that info was from the 26th), I'm hoping to head to Cairns to get an island resort job; Peterpan's is helping me out by getting a great package together so I can experience the beaches and gorgeous Northern Queensland climate as I make my way to tropical Cairns.
At 5:30 I hopped on a train back home, picked up a couple movies at Mio's work, then ate leftovers and watched Rom-Coms : )
Ready for adventures to begin!
xoxo - Katrina
Well, I didn't end up meeting with Chantelle, but I did meet with someone else. My old friend Ryan, now married to the beautiful Charissa, called me and we three met for sodas on the grass at Southbank. We had a great two hours of chatting, laughing, and catching up on the last few years. At 3:30, Charissa had to return home to finish some homework and I had a meeting at Peterpan's travel agency. I left with an invitation to attend church with them next Sunday night and I'd love to take them up on that if I'm still in Brisbane (probably will be).
I had seen a deal in the travel agency window and wanted to ask into it. So, I met with the travel agent, chatted about fun ways to get to Cairns, signed up for their job board, and went home with lots of decisions to make. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday (prematurely since I was writing about the 25th and really that info was from the 26th), I'm hoping to head to Cairns to get an island resort job; Peterpan's is helping me out by getting a great package together so I can experience the beaches and gorgeous Northern Queensland climate as I make my way to tropical Cairns.
At 5:30 I hopped on a train back home, picked up a couple movies at Mio's work, then ate leftovers and watched Rom-Coms : )
Ready for adventures to begin!
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday, September 26, 2010
For Lack of a Better Title
I don't have much to write for the 25th of September. I spent a lot of time on the computer, looking for jobs in Cairns. I have no plans to stay in Brisbane, where it feels like I'm not traveling. It is beautiful here, but it is also lonely in this vast metropolis. I have not met any other travelers by staying in Shorncliffe so I hope to head to a backpacker's inn when I take my leave of Mio's house. Giustina said she met a lot of cool people in her hostel, so I'll go there for a few days, then head up to Cairns.
Despite being lonely here on my own, I do not regret my decision of coming, nor do I feel out-of-place or sad. I love the constant heat of the day, the foreign sounds and sights, the freedom that comes with each day. I love walking with my camera, taking each step slowly so I don't miss a good shot. I love the independence of choosing where I will go next week. I saw a package deal at Peterpans Adventure Travel; 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Frazer Island, 2 days/2nights sail Whitsundays for $675. I think I will book that for myself and head to Cairns right after that to find a job. I could harvest, bartend, wait tables, teach English, nanny, work on an island resort (three guesses which one is my preferred choice there!). So many opportunities and choices, I am truly excited to get going. I'm glad and thankful that Mio offered me a place to stay for my first week in Australia, but it's time to move on and start my adventure. I have to remind myself that I am here to experience life, to treat myself, to not worry about spending money on adventures (just don't spend it on silly things), and to speak to strangers.
Apart from sitting on my bed looking for jobs (which lasted me from 10am - 4pm... I also procrastinated), I went for another walk around Shorncliffe. This time I turned right. My hour-long walk was less exciting than the previous one, but more relaxing. I walked along the marina, with the water to my left and the Sandgate Golf Course to my right. Mio said the water's edge used to be lined with small seafood vendors, but they're all gone now. Everything is a little tired and washed out, like a vintage photo. Shorncliffe is a small suburb, filled with typical Queensland raised houses with large verandas and latticed windows. I love the architecture. I love the trees and the flowers, the fact that I haven't seen any spiders yet. I love that there are Lorikeets and lizards present in every tree. The ocean here is not swimmable, however, and that upsets me. I can't wait to jump into the warm, salty Australian ocean (wearing a wetsuit, of course!). I have read that box jelly fish do not come into shoreline water, nor are they present on the Great Barrier Reef. Nevertheless, I don't plan on taking any chances.
Truly, that is all I have to write. My day was uneventful, not not bad. It was relaxing, exactly what I needed to help get over this lingering jet lag. I suggest to anyone travelling long distances that they fly through the day and arrive at night so they can sleep right away. Arriving in the morning here (Victoria's late afternoon) sent my internal clock into outer space and it's only just arriving home again. I'm still waking up at unholy hours of the morning and yawning at 7pm. Mio and I were supposed to go out to a popular pub/club last night, but I ended up curling into a warm duvet and watching cars. At 9:00pm, I couldn't think of going out. Hopefully we'll get out together before I leave Brisbane.
Love and happiness to everyone at home. I miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Despite being lonely here on my own, I do not regret my decision of coming, nor do I feel out-of-place or sad. I love the constant heat of the day, the foreign sounds and sights, the freedom that comes with each day. I love walking with my camera, taking each step slowly so I don't miss a good shot. I love the independence of choosing where I will go next week. I saw a package deal at Peterpans Adventure Travel; 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Frazer Island, 2 days/2nights sail Whitsundays for $675. I think I will book that for myself and head to Cairns right after that to find a job. I could harvest, bartend, wait tables, teach English, nanny, work on an island resort (three guesses which one is my preferred choice there!). So many opportunities and choices, I am truly excited to get going. I'm glad and thankful that Mio offered me a place to stay for my first week in Australia, but it's time to move on and start my adventure. I have to remind myself that I am here to experience life, to treat myself, to not worry about spending money on adventures (just don't spend it on silly things), and to speak to strangers.
Apart from sitting on my bed looking for jobs (which lasted me from 10am - 4pm... I also procrastinated), I went for another walk around Shorncliffe. This time I turned right. My hour-long walk was less exciting than the previous one, but more relaxing. I walked along the marina, with the water to my left and the Sandgate Golf Course to my right. Mio said the water's edge used to be lined with small seafood vendors, but they're all gone now. Everything is a little tired and washed out, like a vintage photo. Shorncliffe is a small suburb, filled with typical Queensland raised houses with large verandas and latticed windows. I love the architecture. I love the trees and the flowers, the fact that I haven't seen any spiders yet. I love that there are Lorikeets and lizards present in every tree. The ocean here is not swimmable, however, and that upsets me. I can't wait to jump into the warm, salty Australian ocean (wearing a wetsuit, of course!). I have read that box jelly fish do not come into shoreline water, nor are they present on the Great Barrier Reef. Nevertheless, I don't plan on taking any chances.
Truly, that is all I have to write. My day was uneventful, not not bad. It was relaxing, exactly what I needed to help get over this lingering jet lag. I suggest to anyone travelling long distances that they fly through the day and arrive at night so they can sleep right away. Arriving in the morning here (Victoria's late afternoon) sent my internal clock into outer space and it's only just arriving home again. I'm still waking up at unholy hours of the morning and yawning at 7pm. Mio and I were supposed to go out to a popular pub/club last night, but I ended up curling into a warm duvet and watching cars. At 9:00pm, I couldn't think of going out. Hopefully we'll get out together before I leave Brisbane.
Love and happiness to everyone at home. I miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Friday, September 24, 2010
Shorncliffe
I woke up early yesterday and decided to go for a walk. The morning was bright and heavy with heat, cloudy but not overcast. I left my ipod silent in my pocket, preferring to listen to the buzz and chirp (sometimes screech) of the birds and bugs that filled each bush and tree. Down the road half a block was the bay; a wide expanse of flat water with a marina to the right and clear skies to the left. A beautiful brick walkway lined the entire waterfront, curving around the corner to my left, where the soft mud of the riverbank met with sandy beach. I chose this way to walk, keeping my eyes searching for interesting things to photograph - of course I had my camera with me. A pier jutted out from the walkway, where several people stood lazily fishing, not necessarily to catch anything, but just for the sheer relaxation and pleasure of bobbing their rods. Just after this pier, the walkway melted into natural paths; one was a trampled grass path leading along the cliffs, the other was the sandy beach. I hopped down onto the beach and sank my feet into the sand, eyes peeled for shells. It was an incredibly peaceful walk that led me 5km along the waterfront, past parks and grassy fields, outdoor bbq areas and waterfront housing. The walkway re-started a km later and was filled with cyclists, runners, and other people like myself, just out for a morning stroll.
Now, when I say peaceful, I mean that rather loosely to resemble the larger percentage of my walk. During my beach amble, I admit that I was not only looking for shells. Every rock, dark crevice, blade of grass, leaf of tree... everything, was examined for spiders and other insects. Every noise had me alert, each brush of hair or vegetation against my skin had me leaping for fear that I had met with some deadly critter. I am truly a pathetic individual. Ironically, it was not an insect that eventually attacked me; it was a bird. A magpie, to be exact. I was halfway through my walk, just going through a public playground/park, scrolling through the ringtones on my new phone when something swooshed over my head, stirring my hair in its proximity. Naturally, I ducked and gave a yelp, causing my fellow walkers to give me rather strange stares. I looked wildly around, but couldn't see anything that might have just caused me such a fright, so I continued walking. Three steps later, it swooped again. This time, I saw a flash of black and white and followed it until it landed on a light post beside me. I stopped and stared at this pile of plumage for a while, assessing its speed and deadly beak while trying to figure out what I had done to bother it so that I could oblige it by stopping. I continued walking, warily this time, glancing over my shoulder to see if I was to be left alone. Not so. It swooped a third time, causing me to fling my arms over my head and duck again. I'm sure this was by now a source of great amusement to everyone around me. I did not know how to handle the situation and was becoming increasingly flustered. Finally, I turned to some passerbys and asked for their assistance. They suggested I put my sunglasses on my head, to make it look like I was watching it all the time. I did so and walked on, backwards this time, keeping my eyes glued on my taloned adversary. Putting a bathroom between it and myself, I turned around and walked swiftly away, glancing over my shoulder regularly to ensure I had lost it for good. I felt like a fool for being so shaken by a bird, but the experience of the moment was truly frightening and I felt helpless against my winged attacker.
I returned home at 10:30, showered, ate, and sat down at my computer to begin my job search. Not knowing whether I'd be in Brisbane or Cairns, I applied for jobs in each location (but secretly hoped for success in tropical, beachy, lush Cairns). At around 12:00, Mio and I hopped in the car and drove along the waterfront, through Shorncliffe and nearby Sandgate, exclaiming over the shabby million-dollar houses to our left and the sunny million-dollar view to our right. For lunch, we stopped at a fish'n'chips restaurant and ordered a colossal vegetarian burger for Mio and a mixed seafood platter for myself. As soon as mine arrived, I knew I had made a mistake. Everything was deep fried, and not much of it looked familiar. I picked up an orange-coloured bite-sized piece and popped it in my mouth. My stomach revolted, my tongue shrank away; the fishy taste was overwhelming and the slimy, mushy texture did nothing to improve the impression. With difficulty, I swallowed and quickly washed the taste away with chips and water. Now I was wary of the plate. I picked up something familiar, a piece of cod, and ate that. Good. Ok, not everything is bad. Now for the long, sausage-like thing. Crab. Also good. But kind of revolting in that it's deep-fried, sausage-shaped crab. Then there were scallops, calamari rings, more cod, and a couple prawns. Lots of salty chips, and a whole lot of water. There was also another orange thing, but I didn't touch that. I did slice it open to look inside though. It resembled a sponge, if sponges can be pureed and stuck back together with brown liquid oozing out of its pores. Disguised in tempura batter, it looked harmless on the outside, but the inside revealed its true alien nature and my stomach turned at the sight of it, knowing it had one inside. I felt rather sick for the rest of the day, but I'm sure it was just mental.
Mio had to work at 4:30, so I computed for a while, then went with her into town (5 minutes away). I picked up a movie at Mio's workplace, then walked back home as dusk slowly seeped into the daytime, bringing tropical Lorikeets out for dinnertime. I stopped to photograph a pair that had flown into a low-down branch, then continued home to make supper and watch my movie.
I had chosen Shutter Island, fully aware that I would be home alone and frightened to death of this psychological thriller. I figured I would be brave and get through it. I was wrong. I couldn't get past the introductory page - the one where you press play. The music started playing and scenes of the movie flashed on the screen as shadows played on the walls and the window and doorway behind me felt ominously full of hidden beings. True to the wimp that I am, I turned on the tv and began watching Australian sitcoms instead.
When Mio returned home at 9, we watched the movie together and agreed that it was definitely too scary to watch alone. We ate the leftover curry from the night before and huddled in our blankets as the music thumped and crescendoed.
The movie ended at 11:30 and I washed up and went to bed. Luckily, I was able to fall asleep without any nightmares or ghosts.
Hope you're getting some sun up there, I'd hate to hog it all : )
xoxo - Katrina
Now, when I say peaceful, I mean that rather loosely to resemble the larger percentage of my walk. During my beach amble, I admit that I was not only looking for shells. Every rock, dark crevice, blade of grass, leaf of tree... everything, was examined for spiders and other insects. Every noise had me alert, each brush of hair or vegetation against my skin had me leaping for fear that I had met with some deadly critter. I am truly a pathetic individual. Ironically, it was not an insect that eventually attacked me; it was a bird. A magpie, to be exact. I was halfway through my walk, just going through a public playground/park, scrolling through the ringtones on my new phone when something swooshed over my head, stirring my hair in its proximity. Naturally, I ducked and gave a yelp, causing my fellow walkers to give me rather strange stares. I looked wildly around, but couldn't see anything that might have just caused me such a fright, so I continued walking. Three steps later, it swooped again. This time, I saw a flash of black and white and followed it until it landed on a light post beside me. I stopped and stared at this pile of plumage for a while, assessing its speed and deadly beak while trying to figure out what I had done to bother it so that I could oblige it by stopping. I continued walking, warily this time, glancing over my shoulder to see if I was to be left alone. Not so. It swooped a third time, causing me to fling my arms over my head and duck again. I'm sure this was by now a source of great amusement to everyone around me. I did not know how to handle the situation and was becoming increasingly flustered. Finally, I turned to some passerbys and asked for their assistance. They suggested I put my sunglasses on my head, to make it look like I was watching it all the time. I did so and walked on, backwards this time, keeping my eyes glued on my taloned adversary. Putting a bathroom between it and myself, I turned around and walked swiftly away, glancing over my shoulder regularly to ensure I had lost it for good. I felt like a fool for being so shaken by a bird, but the experience of the moment was truly frightening and I felt helpless against my winged attacker.
I returned home at 10:30, showered, ate, and sat down at my computer to begin my job search. Not knowing whether I'd be in Brisbane or Cairns, I applied for jobs in each location (but secretly hoped for success in tropical, beachy, lush Cairns). At around 12:00, Mio and I hopped in the car and drove along the waterfront, through Shorncliffe and nearby Sandgate, exclaiming over the shabby million-dollar houses to our left and the sunny million-dollar view to our right. For lunch, we stopped at a fish'n'chips restaurant and ordered a colossal vegetarian burger for Mio and a mixed seafood platter for myself. As soon as mine arrived, I knew I had made a mistake. Everything was deep fried, and not much of it looked familiar. I picked up an orange-coloured bite-sized piece and popped it in my mouth. My stomach revolted, my tongue shrank away; the fishy taste was overwhelming and the slimy, mushy texture did nothing to improve the impression. With difficulty, I swallowed and quickly washed the taste away with chips and water. Now I was wary of the plate. I picked up something familiar, a piece of cod, and ate that. Good. Ok, not everything is bad. Now for the long, sausage-like thing. Crab. Also good. But kind of revolting in that it's deep-fried, sausage-shaped crab. Then there were scallops, calamari rings, more cod, and a couple prawns. Lots of salty chips, and a whole lot of water. There was also another orange thing, but I didn't touch that. I did slice it open to look inside though. It resembled a sponge, if sponges can be pureed and stuck back together with brown liquid oozing out of its pores. Disguised in tempura batter, it looked harmless on the outside, but the inside revealed its true alien nature and my stomach turned at the sight of it, knowing it had one inside. I felt rather sick for the rest of the day, but I'm sure it was just mental.
Mio had to work at 4:30, so I computed for a while, then went with her into town (5 minutes away). I picked up a movie at Mio's workplace, then walked back home as dusk slowly seeped into the daytime, bringing tropical Lorikeets out for dinnertime. I stopped to photograph a pair that had flown into a low-down branch, then continued home to make supper and watch my movie.
I had chosen Shutter Island, fully aware that I would be home alone and frightened to death of this psychological thriller. I figured I would be brave and get through it. I was wrong. I couldn't get past the introductory page - the one where you press play. The music started playing and scenes of the movie flashed on the screen as shadows played on the walls and the window and doorway behind me felt ominously full of hidden beings. True to the wimp that I am, I turned on the tv and began watching Australian sitcoms instead.
When Mio returned home at 9, we watched the movie together and agreed that it was definitely too scary to watch alone. We ate the leftover curry from the night before and huddled in our blankets as the music thumped and crescendoed.
The movie ended at 11:30 and I washed up and went to bed. Luckily, I was able to fall asleep without any nightmares or ghosts.
Hope you're getting some sun up there, I'd hate to hog it all : )
xoxo - Katrina
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Sleep and A Day
Malcolm (Tenai's roommate) dropped me off at Central Station five minutes before I was supposed to meet Mio. With an 18kg backpack on my back, a 7kg bag on my front, and a shopping bag in my hand, I waddled up two flights of stairs, along some long corridors, up some more stairs, and over to the McDonalds where we were supposed to meet. Looking very vulnerable and uncertain, I'm sure, I circled the McDonalds, looked around for an ulterior entrance, and finally took a seat on a stool. A few minutes later, I saw Mio walking towards me, her face familiar from our Facebook conversations. She said we had 4 minutes to catch our train so we rushed to the ticket booth, spent a ridiculous $5.30 on my ticket, then sped down some more stairs to the platform. Our train was waiting there so we stepped on board and took off towards Shorncliffe.
Mio and I chatted a little, but I was quite out of it; in need of a shower and some sleep. I did enjoy watching the interesting trees and houses speed by, as well as the graffitied industrial areas full of smoke stacks and tin roofs. We were forced to get off the train one station early as they said there were some malfunctions on the track ahead. Luckily, a bus driver volunteered to take the train passengers the rest of the way for free! This was totally off his regular route, so we were extra grateful. Off at the station, we walked two minutes down the road to Mio's 90-year-old house.
After a quick tour, Mio kindly left me to shower and crash into bed. She had prepared her bedroom for me (angel that she is) and took the spare bedroom (with no door) for herself. At 6:00pm Brisbane time (1:00am Vic) I fell into bed and knew nothing of the world until the birds started chirping at 3:45. From then on, I tossed and turned, sleeping fitfully until 6:45 when I gave up on dreams and picked up my computer instead.
In the morning, Mio and I ate a quick breakfast, then hurried to catch the train into town. Mio had uni in the morning, but she left early so she would have time to show me around a bit. From Central Station, we walked through the pedestrian Queen St. Mall, full of stores as varied as Versace ($500/shirt) and Valley Girl ($5/shirt), with banks, restaurants, and cellphone stores in between. From there, we walked across a courtyard with a library on one side in a geometric modern building and a casino on the other in a building that looked more suited to be an olden times courthouse or expensive hotel. Then, across a bridge (must remember to look to the right before crossing the street, not the left), to the Southbank bus station. Southbank is Brisbane's jewel. It has undergone a massive facelift since I was last here and is now one of the most beautiful and inviting places to take a walk and spend an afternoon. There are museums, performing arts centres, cafes + restaurants, wonderful paths along the Brisbane river, and lots of places to do some free outdoor bbqing and picnics. There are trees and plants growing everywhere, alive with exotic birds (at least, exotic to me: ibis and magpie), lizards, geckos, iguanas, tons of bugs, and wonderfully colourful/fragrant flowers. I left Mio at the bus station and went for a walk on my own.
The rest of the day was spent leisurely walking about, taking pictures and enjoying the wonderful sun that had finally broken through the heavy grey clouds that had hovered over the city since the day before. The air was humid, causing my shirt to stick to my back and my hair to be an inconvenient veil of heat. I walked along Southbank, across the pedestrian bridge, through Brisbane's botanical gardens, then up the road to Woolworths, where I purchased the ingredients to make a sandwich for lunch. After enjoying that delicious meal, I walked back up to the Queen St. Mall, where I opened an Australian bank account and acquired a cellphone. One amazing thing about Australia is that the area code for phones is the same throughout the continent, so I can use this phone anywhere without getting long-distance charges! I'm really impressed by that, and I wish Canada could improve their terrible cellphone service to better resemble this one. For $30/month I get 3000 texts, 100 minutes, unlimited e-mail/facebook access, and $30 credit towards anything else I might like (such as sending "I love you" texts to my boy back home).
Feeling quite accomplished and more than a little tired, I made my way back to Central Station at around 3:00 and took the train back to Shorncliffe. I met Mio on the platform (turns out we were on the same train) and we walked back home.
The rest of the night contained some computing, grocery shopping, cooking a delicious curry dinner with Mio, watching tv, and going to bed at 8:30.
My first day in Brisbane was absolutely lovely and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of these 6 1/2 months!
Lots of love and wishes of happiness for everyone back home! I miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Mio and I chatted a little, but I was quite out of it; in need of a shower and some sleep. I did enjoy watching the interesting trees and houses speed by, as well as the graffitied industrial areas full of smoke stacks and tin roofs. We were forced to get off the train one station early as they said there were some malfunctions on the track ahead. Luckily, a bus driver volunteered to take the train passengers the rest of the way for free! This was totally off his regular route, so we were extra grateful. Off at the station, we walked two minutes down the road to Mio's 90-year-old house.
After a quick tour, Mio kindly left me to shower and crash into bed. She had prepared her bedroom for me (angel that she is) and took the spare bedroom (with no door) for herself. At 6:00pm Brisbane time (1:00am Vic) I fell into bed and knew nothing of the world until the birds started chirping at 3:45. From then on, I tossed and turned, sleeping fitfully until 6:45 when I gave up on dreams and picked up my computer instead.
In the morning, Mio and I ate a quick breakfast, then hurried to catch the train into town. Mio had uni in the morning, but she left early so she would have time to show me around a bit. From Central Station, we walked through the pedestrian Queen St. Mall, full of stores as varied as Versace ($500/shirt) and Valley Girl ($5/shirt), with banks, restaurants, and cellphone stores in between. From there, we walked across a courtyard with a library on one side in a geometric modern building and a casino on the other in a building that looked more suited to be an olden times courthouse or expensive hotel. Then, across a bridge (must remember to look to the right before crossing the street, not the left), to the Southbank bus station. Southbank is Brisbane's jewel. It has undergone a massive facelift since I was last here and is now one of the most beautiful and inviting places to take a walk and spend an afternoon. There are museums, performing arts centres, cafes + restaurants, wonderful paths along the Brisbane river, and lots of places to do some free outdoor bbqing and picnics. There are trees and plants growing everywhere, alive with exotic birds (at least, exotic to me: ibis and magpie), lizards, geckos, iguanas, tons of bugs, and wonderfully colourful/fragrant flowers. I left Mio at the bus station and went for a walk on my own.
The rest of the day was spent leisurely walking about, taking pictures and enjoying the wonderful sun that had finally broken through the heavy grey clouds that had hovered over the city since the day before. The air was humid, causing my shirt to stick to my back and my hair to be an inconvenient veil of heat. I walked along Southbank, across the pedestrian bridge, through Brisbane's botanical gardens, then up the road to Woolworths, where I purchased the ingredients to make a sandwich for lunch. After enjoying that delicious meal, I walked back up to the Queen St. Mall, where I opened an Australian bank account and acquired a cellphone. One amazing thing about Australia is that the area code for phones is the same throughout the continent, so I can use this phone anywhere without getting long-distance charges! I'm really impressed by that, and I wish Canada could improve their terrible cellphone service to better resemble this one. For $30/month I get 3000 texts, 100 minutes, unlimited e-mail/facebook access, and $30 credit towards anything else I might like (such as sending "I love you" texts to my boy back home).
Feeling quite accomplished and more than a little tired, I made my way back to Central Station at around 3:00 and took the train back to Shorncliffe. I met Mio on the platform (turns out we were on the same train) and we walked back home.
The rest of the night contained some computing, grocery shopping, cooking a delicious curry dinner with Mio, watching tv, and going to bed at 8:30.
My first day in Brisbane was absolutely lovely and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of these 6 1/2 months!
Lots of love and wishes of happiness for everyone back home! I miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Not Another Down Under Joke
I'm finally here in Brisbane and it feels great to be off a plane and on solid ground! I remember my long flight to Thailand as a fun experience with lots of movies and good food. The flight from L.A. to Sydney was not so. I flew into L.A. at 9:30 and had half an hour of free time before I had to go through the fight gates. I used that time to look for free wi-fi and therefore didn't eat dinner, thinking I could get some through the gates. Not so. There were no hot meals on the other side and I wasn't about to pay $8.00 for a sandwich so I sat and ate some M&Ms. Our plane boarded at 11:50, sat around for half an hour, then finally took off at 12:20am. We weren't served "dinner" for another hour. I had grilled Mahi-Mahi in a mustard sauce with steamed vegetables; tiramisu for dessert and a bloody mary to drink (it was free.. couldn't resist!). The vodka managed to knock me out and I slept from 2:00am until 7:30am.
The two ladies sitting next to me were an elderly (unless you take her view that 75 is the new middle-aged) aunt, Theresa, and her niece, Elizabeth. They were wonderful company, full of great stories and comforting advice. When I woke up, they were shuffling a big deck of cards that slightly resembled Tarot. When I inquired into it, they informed me that these were Oracle cards - different from Tarot in that these do not have set meanings for each card, but rather tailor to the "energy" of the holder. They offered to read my cards and I accepted, curious as to what it would say. After shuffling my energy into the cards, I drew one, then five, then an extra because Theresa felt that my oracle was not completed. It was interesting to hear Theresa tell me what her impression of me was; I felt that she had a gift for discovering someone's true personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
Though I do not believe in the spirituality that surrounds Oracle cards, I did enjoy the experience and felt like the advice I was given was good advice, regardless of its origins. I was told to awaken my spirit and embolden myself for the future, to accept offers of kindness and not worry about where my meals or beds are going to come from because they would be provided. I was also advised to tune into my body and meditate, but also to dance and let free. Theresa said I should rise above any situation that might arise and listen to my heart because it would never lead me astray. My final card told me that I would not have to worry about finances because I was provided for. I liked that final card. : )
With a cramped bum and a seriously full bladder, I got off the plane in sunny Sydney at 7:30am on Wednesday the 22nd. We had passed the international date line during the night and arrived in the future! The customs line to get into Australia was an anthill and I immediately began to worry that I would miss my 9:15 connecting flight to Brisbane. An hour and a half later, I was informed at the ticket desk that there was no possible way I could make my flight. Thank you, customs. They put me on a 12:30 flight, which left me with 3 1/2 hours to burn. I was hungry, tired, and eager to find some wi-fi (which the lady at the ticket desk assured me was free throughout the airport). A shuttle bus took me across to the domestic departures building and I found an empty chair to compute on. Wi-fi turned out to be $5 so I packed up and went to the beautiful business lounge I had passed a little earlier. Up the elevator and to the left was an airport paradise. Big comfy chairs, computer desks, couches, coffee, and snack tables. I walked in and sat down, not giving anyone the chance to think I didn't belong there. After connecting to the internet and logging onto Facebook, I picked up a smoked meat sandwich, couscous salad, and cheese/crackers at the snack table. All deliciously free.
At 11:50, I boarded my Brisbane flight and immediately started snoring. We flew over the Sydney Opera House and I got a lovely view of the sunny harbour before settling in for the 1 hour and 8 minute flight. The lady next to me started looking very eager as we descended into Brisbane so I asked if she was arriving home. That conversation led me into a cab with Tanei, heading to her house, with an offer to drive me into town and to sleep at her house should I ever need a place to stay! She paid for the $30 cab ride, called her roommate to give me a ride when it turned out her car was at her mum's, and made it clear that I was welcome at her place any time. I was truly taken-aback by the unabashed friendliness and generosity shown me; it was such a wonderful first-impression of Brisbane!
As for Brisbane itself, it's cloudy, hot, and humid! No sunshine here on the first day of Spring.
I'll write about my wonderful new roommate for the week, my first night's sleep (or lack thereof), and first trip into town tomorrow!
Until then, I hope everyone is safe and healthy and happy!
xoxo - Katrina
The two ladies sitting next to me were an elderly (unless you take her view that 75 is the new middle-aged) aunt, Theresa, and her niece, Elizabeth. They were wonderful company, full of great stories and comforting advice. When I woke up, they were shuffling a big deck of cards that slightly resembled Tarot. When I inquired into it, they informed me that these were Oracle cards - different from Tarot in that these do not have set meanings for each card, but rather tailor to the "energy" of the holder. They offered to read my cards and I accepted, curious as to what it would say. After shuffling my energy into the cards, I drew one, then five, then an extra because Theresa felt that my oracle was not completed. It was interesting to hear Theresa tell me what her impression of me was; I felt that she had a gift for discovering someone's true personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
Though I do not believe in the spirituality that surrounds Oracle cards, I did enjoy the experience and felt like the advice I was given was good advice, regardless of its origins. I was told to awaken my spirit and embolden myself for the future, to accept offers of kindness and not worry about where my meals or beds are going to come from because they would be provided. I was also advised to tune into my body and meditate, but also to dance and let free. Theresa said I should rise above any situation that might arise and listen to my heart because it would never lead me astray. My final card told me that I would not have to worry about finances because I was provided for. I liked that final card. : )
With a cramped bum and a seriously full bladder, I got off the plane in sunny Sydney at 7:30am on Wednesday the 22nd. We had passed the international date line during the night and arrived in the future! The customs line to get into Australia was an anthill and I immediately began to worry that I would miss my 9:15 connecting flight to Brisbane. An hour and a half later, I was informed at the ticket desk that there was no possible way I could make my flight. Thank you, customs. They put me on a 12:30 flight, which left me with 3 1/2 hours to burn. I was hungry, tired, and eager to find some wi-fi (which the lady at the ticket desk assured me was free throughout the airport). A shuttle bus took me across to the domestic departures building and I found an empty chair to compute on. Wi-fi turned out to be $5 so I packed up and went to the beautiful business lounge I had passed a little earlier. Up the elevator and to the left was an airport paradise. Big comfy chairs, computer desks, couches, coffee, and snack tables. I walked in and sat down, not giving anyone the chance to think I didn't belong there. After connecting to the internet and logging onto Facebook, I picked up a smoked meat sandwich, couscous salad, and cheese/crackers at the snack table. All deliciously free.
At 11:50, I boarded my Brisbane flight and immediately started snoring. We flew over the Sydney Opera House and I got a lovely view of the sunny harbour before settling in for the 1 hour and 8 minute flight. The lady next to me started looking very eager as we descended into Brisbane so I asked if she was arriving home. That conversation led me into a cab with Tanei, heading to her house, with an offer to drive me into town and to sleep at her house should I ever need a place to stay! She paid for the $30 cab ride, called her roommate to give me a ride when it turned out her car was at her mum's, and made it clear that I was welcome at her place any time. I was truly taken-aback by the unabashed friendliness and generosity shown me; it was such a wonderful first-impression of Brisbane!
As for Brisbane itself, it's cloudy, hot, and humid! No sunshine here on the first day of Spring.
I'll write about my wonderful new roommate for the week, my first night's sleep (or lack thereof), and first trip into town tomorrow!
Until then, I hope everyone is safe and healthy and happy!
xoxo - Katrina
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