New Country: New Zealand!

Christopher and I arrived last Friday night in Auckland and were excited to greet our friends Ben and Paula at the airport. Ben S. grew up in Glencoe with my husband Ben and is living here in Auckland with his Kiwi wife Paula before spending the next year in Sri Lanka as part of his doctoral degree. Ben (my husband) and I had dinner with Ben and Paula the evening after we learned about Ben’s deployment to Iraq back in August, and it was Paula that started me thinking about the trip. She and Ben extended an immediate invitation to spend some time with them during their months here in Auckland, and the rest of the trip progressed from there. I was really looking forward to seeing New Zealand and visiting with them - and am happy to have quite a bit of time in this country.

On Saturday, Ben and Paula drove us from Auckland to Piha, a small town on the west coast of the northern island. Piha is a small surf town lining a black sand beach known for its massive waves - a bit of the “wild” coast. Although the weather was quite rainy, we had a fun lunch and afternoon there, driving into a national park, eating steak & cheese pies in Piha, and witnessing a surf rescue boat competition in the stormy waters at the beach. We stopped for a coffee and some dessert in Titirangi on our way back to Ben and Paula’s apartment and enjoyed some time relaxing before heading downtown Auckland to celebrate Christopher’s birthday. Ben and Paula treated us to a delicious dinner on Saturday evening, which ended with some drinks and dancing in the Viaduct (bar) area of Auckland.


Stop en route to Piha with Christopher, Ben, and Paula

On Sunday, Paula and Ben took us to Paula’s home on Waiheke Island, an island located about 30 minutes away via ferry and known for its locally produced wine. Paula grew up on Waiheke, and her parents still live in an AMAZING home on top of a hill, overlooking vineyards, olive groves, the ocean, and the Auckland skyline in the distance. Mrs. Saward treated us to a wonderful lunch of quiche, salad, rolls, and banana cake, and we drank some of the wine made from the grapes they grow on their own vineyard. It was certainly a special way for us to spend Christopher’s birthday, and we both appreciate the warm hospitality that the Sawards showed to us.

After lunch, Ben and Paula took us on a tour of the island, walking through the national park located minutes from Paula’s home, strolling along the beach, and stopping in the Cable Bay winery for an afternoon coffee/wine. Upon returning from the ferry, we met two of their friends for a yummy Korean dinner before heading home and crashing early.

With Paula at her family's home on Waiheke

Christopher's Birthday Cake

View of Auckland from Waiheke Ferry

On Monday morning, Christopher and I set off for our two week journey around the south island. We flew into Christchurch, a town on the eastern coast, and immediately took off on the road traversing the island. We drove about 6-7 hours on Monday, crossing over to the west coast with a stop in Arthur’s Pass for lunch. Within an hour of leaving Christchurch, we were in the middle of arid mountains, which gave way to more lush peaks the further we traveled. We were in awe of the scenery – every bend in the road seemed to bring us something even more outstanding. After driving west for about 4 hours, we took a left and started south down the coast. Never before had I seen such an undeveloped beach – miles and miles of the sea with no developments, no buildings, no condos, nothing. It was refreshing to see such a pristine coast, and Christopher and I took a last minute detour to the beach of Okarito. Supposedly, there are only 30 permanent residents in the town, which lines the coast and had some of the roughest surf I’ve ever seen – surf that was clearly lethal should you choose to swim. I even feel confident in my swimming ability and knew at first glance that I was no match for the Arctic waters. Neither Christopher nor I took many pictures at Okarito – a town with no commercial stores other than a couple of tour companies – because we’re not sure either of us could capture the pleasant surprise of our unexpected stop.

Caution - Kiwi Crossings (on the road returning from Okarito Beach)

We arrived in the town of Franz Joseph Glacier (aptly named after the glacier located a few km from town) and made a needed pit stop at the grocery and at the local tour office. While we had intended to just visit the peaks of Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier the next day for a look, we ultimately decided to sign up for the half day trip that took us up onto the face of the Franz Josef Glacier. It was a fantastic decision, and on Tuesday, we spent the morning hiking up and around the raging river (apparently normally much more of a “bubbling brook”), over a couple of rock hills (with the help of ladders, chains, and ropes), and up onto the terminal face of the glacier after attaching crampons to our hiking boots. The total tour lasted over 5 hours and is one that I would highly recommend to anyone visiting New Zealand. It was just so cool to actually be walking on a glacier! Our guide carried an axe pick, which he would use to clear the path up the face of the ice formation, and we stopped throughout the climb to snap pictures of the glacier, the countless waterfalls in the surrounding hills, and the mountains that had been formed by the movement of the glacier hundreds of years prior. It was difficult to not be overwhelmed by our surroundings, and we left the trip feeling satisfied and pleased with the decision to take the tour. On my next visit to New Zealand (note that I’m already intending to return), I intend to save some money to do the helicopter tour trip that promises views of both glaciers and Mt. Cook – as well as a drop onto higher altitudes of the glacier for hiking.

Walking to the Terminal Face of Franz Josef Glacier

Hiking up Franz Josef

We departed the glaciers on Tuesday afternoon and drove to Wanaka, a ski town on the edge of Lake Wanaka that provided a look of the “Southern Alps” and several good hiking trails. The drive through the Haast Pass was incredible, complete with more mountains, blue lakes, and breathtaking sites around every bend. We stopped multiple times to hop out to take photos and were even more pleased when we arrived in Wanaka to find a quaint town, a nice budget lodge, and some good food options. Dinner was at the Speight Ale House, with a drink afterwards at Shooters (the local bar), before heading home.

We had a coffee in town on Wednesday morning and walked around a bit before driving to Mt. Aspiring National Park. We had been told that the drive through the valley to the park was quite nice, and it delivered on the promise. Not only did we have more great views of the scenery (note that this is becoming a constant for each day of our trip), but we drove past several sheep farm and even forced our way through (thanks to Christopher’s honking) a herd of sheep blocking the way. We set out on a 3 hour (return) hike through the Rob Roy Valley from the Raspberry Flats parking lot, walked across a swing bridge, up a series of switchbacks, and were afforded with views of the Roy glacier, waterfalls, and mountain peaks surrounding us. We ate a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches sitting on the rocks in the valley, then packed up and headed back down.

Just another stunning view on our drives...

Feeling on top of the world in New Zealand

Wouldn't be a trip without some sheep-siting!

Hike into the Rob Roy Valley - view of glaciers

New Zealand scenery

We arrived back in the town of Wanaka and walked around for a bit before heading back to our lodge for dinner. After dinner, we were intending to watch some movies on my computer when we started chatting with a Kiwi couple – Matt and Tonia. They had spent about five years working in London (working and saving to travel – then traveling 3-4 months a year), before returning to Auckland for Tonia to attend law school. They had great travel stories, and we enjoyed talking with them about New Zealand and getting a much-needed explanation of cricket. They were so kind to pass along their contact information and an invitation to meet up for a drink when we arrive back in Auckland.

After a leisurely morning in Wanaka on Thursday, we started our drive to Te Anau, a small town in Fiordland and the jumping off point for Milford Sound. You may have heard of Milford Sound previously, as it’s known for its glacier-carved mountains plunging into the water and for its four day hike popular with tourists. Although we didn’t have enough time to do the Milford Track, we had been told by a Kiwi in one of the Wanaka shops about the Milford Wanderer, an overnight boat cruise that allows you to stay out in Milford for an evening, inclusive of kayaking trips and food. We managed to book at the last minute for the trip and were excited by our good fortunate that the tour had available spaces.

Our drive to Te Anau went through farm lands and vineyards, with small fruit stands lining the road advertising the fresh peaches/cherries/berries/etc for sale. We arrived in Te Anau early yesterday afternoon and walked around part of the lake to the Wildlife Park that had some native birds on display. We then wandered around town (a small town, so the wandering was brief!) before finding our way to the cinema, where a local helicopter pilot shows his 30-minute movie of fiord scenery taken over the past few years. It was so nice to zone out a bit in a movie theater, and we left feeling relaxed and excited about our trip into Fiordland.

We made a cheap spaghetti dinner back at the hostel, which happened to be affiliated with the Youth Hostelling Association. Unfortunately, I think the “youth” part of the YHA had been long forgotten, because there were many more older people there than young travelers. Christopher even renamed it the “Geriatric Hostel,” a much more appropriate name for the accommodation. As much as we tried, we couldn’t avoid overhearing the discussion of health issues and how to use a computer (“no jeane, just left click on that…”) and finally threw in the towel. We left the hostel and picked up a couple of other women around our age who also seemed eager to break out for a bit. Turns out that the other women were also American travelers, and we enjoyed chatting with them about their lives back in Boston and LA. We also met two Aussies at the bar, cousins from Melbourne, and Christopher now has a buddy to do the bungee with in Queenstown (I’m just entirely too scared). Turned out to be a great evening and a good escape from the loud crowd at the YHA.

Friday, we woke to pouring rain – after a break over the last few days, it appears that the rain was back to accompany us to Milford. Although we intended to hit the road early to stop for hikes along the way, we opted out of that plan and postponed our departure to later in the morning. The drive included a 1.2 km tunnel downhill and switchback roads with countless waterfalls spilling off the side of the mountain.

We spent the afternoon out on Milford Sound aboard the Milford Wanderer, a large ship that was to provide accomodation for the evening. We had a break in the weather for a kayaking trip in the sound, which was certainly a highlight of the overnight voyage. The trip provided great food and a first hand look at more of the Sound than that which we would have ordinarily received on a 2-hour tour.

Christopher kayaking in Milford Sound

Christopher and I disembarked the boat this morning and departed Milford for Queenstown, where we're stay for the next couple of days. It looks like a pretty fun place and is known for its adventure sports, which we're contemplating. It promises to be an exciting few days here before we head back to Christchurch and head back to the north island later this week.

Friends in Far Places

My week in Sydney has been fantastic. On Tuesday morning, I met Christopher in the international arrivals terminal, fresh off his flight from Chicago (via San Francisco). Chris had been given three weeks off of work, and I had been looking forward to having him join me for quite some time. It was so great to see family halfway around the world. Not only did he bring me a fresh supply of movies and books, he also brought the SUNSHINE! We’ve had beautiful weather here in Sydney this week, and I have to believe it’s in part due to his arrival.

After a quick pit stop back at the Casey’s house, we headed down to the Harbor for some good viewings of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge in Circular Quay. In lieu of doing the Bridge Climb (I did it with my family back in 2004), we climbed up the Pylon next to the Harbor Bridge for a birds-eye look at the city before walking to lunch next to the Opera House. After our sandwiches, we opted to take the ferry through the harbor over to Manly, an iconic beach on the north side of the harbor entrance. The beach was extremely tempting, and Christopher decided to hop in for a quick dip. We stopped in a pub en route to the ferry landing and soaked up some sun and good city views on our ride back to the city center. Dinner on Tuesday evening was just perfect – not only did Tami “whip up” another amazing meal of lamb (on the “barbie”), grilled veggies, salad, and homemade baklava, but we enjoyed the company of the whole Casey family – Ashley and Shelley joined us for dinner and drinks with Tami and Paul as we ate outside on the patio.

Having coffee with Ashley in the Rocks area of Sydney (taken during my visit in early February)

View from the Pylon next to the Harbor Bridge (with opera house in the background)

City View on return ferry trip from Manly

Dinner at the Casey's - with Christopher and Shelley

On Wednesday, Christopher and I headed to the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney on another great recommendation from Faith P. I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the Mountains on my last trip and was looking forward to some nice scenery and good hiking. After taking the train a couple of hours to Katoomba, a small town outside of Sydney, we walked through the town to Echo Point and a wide view of the mountains and valleys. Apparently, the mountains earned their name because the eucalyptus that grows on the hillsides gives off a blue-ish tint. We hiked down the 900 Giant Steps, along a trail between two of the mountains, and took a cable car up the other side to the café, where we had lunch outside. We then hiked back to the original Echo Point where we had started and enjoyed our last view of The Three Sisters before heading back to the train station. It was a fun and active way to spend the day outside of the city, and we were blessed with sunny skies and pleasant weather.

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains

Upon arriving back in Sydney, we met my friend Terry from Greensboro. Terry took off on a world tour over three years ago and ended up meeting Drew, her boyfriend, right after landing in Australia. Once she finished her trip, she moved back here to Sydney and has been living in the city almost two and a half years with Drew. Terry and Drew purchased a spacious flat in the Coogee Beach area a few months ago and have a two block walk to the ocean! Terry and I guessed that it had been at least five years since we last saw each other (most likely at a Christmas Eve service at our church), and we enjoyed spending the evening catching up on the past few years. She walked us up to the point overlooking Coogee, where we enjoyed the sunset and the full moon – and where Christopher and I had a few minutes to talk with Ben, who happened to call once we reached the crest of the hill. We then ate fish and chips on the beach, looking out on the Pacific Ocean, the bright moon, and enjoying some Carlton Beers purchased up the street at the bottle shop.

View of Coogee Beach and the sunset with Terry

On Thursday, Christopher and I had some coffee before splitting ways for the day. I was really looking forward to my trip down to Wollongong, a town about 100 km south of Sydney. I was traveling to meet Sophie, an Aussie from Canberra whose husband is working with Ben in Baghdad. I had heard Ben talk about Cam over the past few months and about how much he has enjoyed working with Cam during his deployment. Ben had asked Cam for his wife’s contact information, and then Sophie and I exchanged several emails during the week prior when I was leaving Queensland and traveling through Melbourne and the Northern Territory. While I was looking forward to seeing a new area of New South Wales, I was more excited to meet Sophie and to have the opportunity to talk with someone else who was living through the same separation with her husband.

Sophie and I had a wonderful day – if only we had more time together! Sophie picked me up from the train station around noon, and then we drove a bit through town to the beach and the lighthouse. On a suggestion from Tami, we went to the Lagoon for lunch, a seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean. Although we had intended to drive up the coast after lunch, we never made it that far – we stayed at the restaurant all afternoon talking, at least around four or five hours. We chatted about her past few months away from Cam, their brief reunion on his two week R&R, and her outlook on the upcoming months before he returns, and I felt like we could have stayed for days exchanging stories and thoughts. Sophie has an amazing perspective on this time of her life with Cam, and I certainly left feeling inspired and motivated to make the best out of this experience that Ben and I are living through together. At the end of our long lunch, Cam and Ben called Sophie’s mobile phone, and we each had the chance to talk with the two of them. Sophie, I can’t say thank you enough for driving three hours to meet me, taking me to a delicious lunch, giving me such a thoughtful and perfect gift, and spending the afternoon with me. It was truly my favorite afternoon of the trip, and I hope that this is only the first of many, many visits together. Next time we’ll just be sure to bring our husbands along…

Lunch with Sophie at The Lagoon in Wollongong, New South Wales

I joined back up with Christopher upon arrival in the train station and heard about his day, which also included meeting a friend of his from work who was ironically vacationing in Sydney at the same time. We then headed over to Bondi Beach, the most famous beach in Sydney. We met up with David G. and his new flatmate Fernando at the Iceberg Café, a bar/restaurant in the south corner of Bondi Beach. The café overlooked the beach and the lap pool, and we watched the pool fill up with ocean water as the waves crashed over the edge. The bright full moon also helped with the view back into the city from the edge of the bay, and we spent quite a few hours there catching up. I had met David back in 2005 when I was working in India – David spent over two years traveling between Sydney and Hyderabad for his consulting job and was part of our weekly expat group that converged on the Taj Krishna hotel pool on Sundays. It was great to see him after three years and to meet his new flatmate, who arrived from Spain only last week and was intending to spend some time training and studying up on Australian rugby.
We also met up with Steve, whom I had met during the Garden Route tour. Steve is mates with Michael and Peter (who I had also met on the trip and stayed with during my time in Brisbane), and I was looking forward to seeing him again in Sydney. It was certainly a very fun evening out in Bondi Beach, and I’m so glad I had been able to see both David and Steve during my week here.

Full moon over Bondi Beach - view from Iceberg Cafe

Dinner with Steve, David, Fernando, and Christopher at Iceberg Cafe

Christopher and I finished our stay in Sydney on a very good note. Tami drove us first to Bondi Junction, an upmarket mall, to visit Ashley and her store. We then drove along the coast through Double Bay and Rose Bay to Watson’s Bay and The Gap. The Gap is actually a park on the top of the Southern Head of the Harbor Entrance. We walked up the sidewalk to see the sheer cliff drop right into the ocean and snap some photos of the northern cliff head. We stopped at the Watson Bay Hotel for a look back at the city and then headed on to Bondi Beach. It was a gorgeous day to spend an hour on the beach, sitting on the fine white sand looking out into the blue water and the surfers dotting the waves. Christopher took a swim while Tami and I chatted on the beach, soaking up the last sun of my stay in Australia.

View of the cliffs of the Southern Head from The Gap - near Watson's Bay, Sydney

Bondi Beach (Iceberg Cafe is the white building on the water in the middle of the picture)

Enjoying some sun on Bondi Beach with Tami

I was quite sad to be leaving Australia, as I’ve had an amazing three week tour here. Not only did I get to see Melbourne and Ayers Rock – places I had intended to visit before leaving home – but I had some extra wonderful days in Sydney and a bonus visit to Queensland. I enjoyed the ease of travel in the country, the ability to hop on a bus up the coast, and all of the fellow travelers I met en route. But more than anything, I loved seeing so many friendly faces – the Casey family; Michael, Peter, and Steve, my new friends from Capetown; Dan and Wendy on their vacation in Melbourne; Christopher, my traveling companion; Terry and David, old friends that I hadn’t seen in years; and my newest (but hopefully life-long) friend Sophie. It has been an outstanding few days here, and I leave with certainty that I will return again. A HUGE thank you to everyone that hosted me along the way, and the most appreciation to the Casey family for offering up their homes (Shelley & Adrian; Tami & Paul), providing me with a clean (and private!) place to sleep, laundry, delicious meals, and assistance in getting around the area. Thank you for everything you have done for me!!

A Beach, A City, and a Desert

Not only did the weather not improve the next day at Airlie Beach, but it actually got even worse. My originally scheduled tour was cancelled, most likely due to the fact that they had few bookings given the weather conditions. I ended up rebooking with another group that did go out around the islands; even though rain was predicted all day, I wanted to at least see the Whitsundays after all of my effort.

The day turned out to be pretty fun, despite the weather. We did some snorkeling, and I saw more colorful fish here than anywhere in the world. We then climbed up to a scenic look-out on one of the islands that would have been stunning on a gorgeous day. I had seen pictures of what it should have looked like and tried to picture that in my mind – crystal blue turquoise waters leading to the deep azure blue beyond. If you’d like to see what it should have looked like (as compared with my photo below), check out http://www.ccy.com.au/area/whitehavenbeach/. We then finished the day at Whitehaven Beach, which has the finest, whitest sand of any beach I’ve ever visited. Apparently there is a significant fine for removing sand, and only certain governmental agencies are permitted to do so for scientific purposes (making lenses for telescopes, etc.). I enjoyed a peaceful final evening in Airlie Beach and met a fun Irish couple over dinner. The wife of the couple had never traveled before and was having a hard time adjusting to the backpacker lifestyle – even had gone so far as to contemplate cancelling a leg of her trip – but was starting to enjoy the experience on the road.

View from lookout of Whitehaven Beach

Rather than spend two days traveling to Melbourne via a series of overnight buses and a string of flights (to Brisbane, then Sydney, then Melbourne), I found a $100 ticket from Hamilton Island, one of the Whitsunday Islands, directly to Melbourne. I booked it instantly and was happy that I had saved myself the time and the effort of riding on a coach for 18+ hours back south. In order to catch my flight, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to catch a 7:27 bus from my hostel to the Shute Harbor. I then took an 8:05 ferry one hour to Hamilton Island, during which time I was notified by the airline that my flight was significantly delayed. I actually didn’t mind the delay, as the Irish couple from the night before had stayed on Hamilton Island and had suggested that I spend some time walking around. After the ferry docked at the airport (very convenient!), I walked about 10 minutes into town and enjoyed a morning cup of coffee and a danish looking out over the bay. The sun was even attempting to peek through the clouds when I finished my cup and hopped onto the free shuttle around the island.

Hamilton Island is one of the very few Whitsunday islands that’s developed, and everything on the island is owned by the same company. There are quite a few hotels and resorts, along with sailing charter companies, cute (but expensive) shops, and restaurants. The island isn’t terribly big, and the shuttle probably took a total of 20 minutes to drive around the perimeter. Oh – no cars (aside from commercial/construction vehicles and the shuttles) are allowed on the island, so everyone scoots around by golf cart. It was definitely a lot more “up market” than Airlie Beach, and I’ve heard that this is a popular vacation spot for Australians. I could certainly see why – if I owned a multi-million dollar home on the island with views of the Great Barrier Reef, I’d visit there quite often, too.

Shuttle ride around Hamilton Island


My flight turned out to be extremely delayed, during which time I met a young couple from Melbourne. Jemma, a 20-something British girl, was backpacking through Australia four years ago when she met her now-boyfriend (whose name I couldn’t quite catch) in a restaurant in Melbourne. She’s been in Australia ever since. I didn’t get to know them well, but I mention this couple because they were just so very kind to me. They kept me updated on the flight, told me about the free food vouchers available because of the flight delay (sidebar – why does United not do this???), let me borrow Jemma’s gossip magazines, and offered to drop me off at my hostel, which was close to their house. When we parted ways, Jemma even ran after me to give me her number and offered to meet me for coffee over the weekend. The generosity and helpfulness was just another example of how wonderful the Australians that I have met on this trip have been. I just hope to return the favor to some wayward travelers when I return to the U.S.

Because I had already arranged for airport transport, I didn’t take Jemma up on her offer for a lift to the hostel. I took another shuttle from the airport and met Zoe, a Brit who had been living in Queensland for the past four months. Not only were we headed for the same place, but we both had happened to book on the same tour for the following day down the Great Ocean Road. I ended up spending the last couple of days with Zoe and was happy to have some company, although admittedly it was a little difficult to adjust to having a travel companion after so long on my own.

I stayed at Base Backpackers in St. Kilda, Melbourne. The hostel was pretty nice – even a separate area called “The Sanctuary” for women only, complete with hairdryers and free towel use, lots of computers with internet and webcams, and a very lively bar. St. Kilda would be like the Bucktown area of Chicago – great restaurants, bars, and shops, with a little bohemian flair. Zoe and I had a tasty dinner at The Vineyard on Tuesday evening and afterwards made a stop in the pastry shop next door. The window displays of cakes and sweets were just too tempting to pass up.

The next day was a long one, but one of the best in Australia thus far. I had heard about the Great Ocean Road from my parents, who did the trip a couple of years ago, and from my friend Susan F. who visited on her honeymoon last January. The day included the following: a stop at Bell’s Beach, a famous surfing beach in Melbourne that was pictured at the end of Point Break (although rumors of the 50 year swell or storm are false); scenic views from a lighthouse point; a curvy drive along the ocean throughout the day, a short hike in a rainforest, and stops at the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, and Loch Ard Gorge. By far, the views of the Twelve Apostles were my favorite. After having seen so many pictures of the natural rock formations, it was nice to finally see them for myself! Apparently, the Twelve Apostles used to be huge rock arches in the water, until the arches collapsed years ago – so long ago, that no one (including the explorers) had ever seen the arches. When first seen by ships passing through the area, they were called “the Sow and its piglets,” as the first rock looked like a large pig with little piglets following behind. At the time when the Great Ocean Road was further developed in the 1970s for tourism, the rocks were renamed “The Twelve Apostles” because someone thought that more fitting. Interestingly, there aren’t even 12 – only 8 now after 3 collapsed prior to discovery, and 1 crumbled and fell into the sea in the early 1990s. It still doesn’t make sense why they call it the Twelve Apostles, especially given that no one has ever actually seen all 12, but I’ll just accept the name and appreciate the scenery.


Stop at Bell's Beach, famous from its cameo in Point Break

View down the coast of South Australia on the Great Ocean Road (a bit windy!)

Some of my favorite furry friends, as spotted in the wild off of the Great Ocean Road

The newest member of the Koala Cove Surf Team

The Twelve Apostles

London Bridge

The best part of Wednesday was getting to do a webcam chat with Ben!! Since I’ve been traveling, we’ve been exchanging a lot of emails and talking on the phone 1-2 times a week. We had tried a webchat in Stellenbosch but couldn’t get the cameras to work and had to resort to IM’ing. But on Wednesday night, I was actually able to see him for the first time in 2008! As I mentioned in a previous posting, Ben has been working quite a bit – 16-20 hour days, with the occasional all-nighter thrown in. I don’t think he’s had a day off since November 2, and I can only imagine how much it’s wearing on him. He can’t tell me anything about what he’s actually doing or the work that he’s seeing, but I know he’s doing a great job and learning quite a bit. Our webchat was long overdue, and I can’t adequately explain how happy I was to see his handsome, smiling face on my computer screen. I had to fight back some tears of joy and treasured every minute of our 20 minute conversation. I hope to do one again soon – I don’t think I can wait another month and a half for the next opportunity. We wished each other a Happy Valentine’s Day and vowed that next year would be much better when we could celebrate in person.

Ironically, I was really looking forward to the 14th, mostly because a friend from work and his girlfriend were going to be passing through Melbourne on their vacation. I hadn’t seen any one from Chicago since I left home and was really excited about seeing some friendly and familiar faces. I spent the morning wandering about downtown Melbourne, visiting the tallest city building and its observation deck, walking the streets, and strolling through the Queen Victoria Market. En route to meet Zoe at Federation Square, I received a call from Dan – who was waiting with Wendy and Dan’s friend Yanti, at the same spot. I was thrilled to meet them and to catch up a bit on the happenings back at home. Yanti, an Aussie from Melbourne, had met Dan in New Orleans and has been dating a good friend of his for the past couple of years. Ironically, Dan’s friend Otto is from Memphis, and we attempted to play the name game of any mutual friends we knew from his high school that would have attended UT – what a small world! Yanti took us to a rooftop bar in downtown Melbourne for an afternoon drink, and then Zoe and I headed back to St. Kilda’s to get ready for the evening.

View of Melbourne on my city stroll

Skyline view from the city's observation deck

Happy Valentine's Day from me and the Melbourne Lion's Club

Produce stalls at the Queen Victoria Market

That night, we met Otto, Yanti, Dan, and Wendy at an art show, and then we headed for a delicious dinner at a local Greek restaurant. The evening encompassed two cultural sides of Melbourne that I had been unaware of prior to visiting – the vibrant art scene and the large Greek contingent. Not only is Melbourne known for its outstanding galleries, vibrant music, and supportive art culture, it’s also home to the largest population of Greeks living outside of Greece (a fact told to me by Zoe, whose parents were both Greek). The Greek restaurant was BYO, so we stopped to pick up some wine along the way to enjoy with our meal. The best part of the restaurant was that there were absolutely no menus – so we just had to tell the waiter what we wanted, and it would appear – greek salad, fried cheese, lamb kebabs, octopus, calamari, etc. We ended the laughter-filled evening night at a bar called “Bar Open” and with hugs on the street before parting ways. Dan and Wendy, it was so great to see you both – I hope the rest of your trip went well, and thanks for letting me join you on Valentine’s Day. To Otto and Yanti – thanks for your hospitality and for taking around so many of us in your town! It was certainly one of the most fun nights I’ve had on my trip.

With Dan and Wendy at an art show in Melbourne

The end of a fun evening - leaving Bar Open. From left - Otto, Yanti, random Helen that I met in the hostel (she had the bunk above me), Angel (Yanti's friend), Zoe, me, Wendy, and Dan

The late evening out almost caused me to miss my flight the next morning, but fortunately, the flight was significantly delayed. I was on my way to the Red Center, or Yulara, as it’s known to the Aboriginals. I flew northwest from Melbourne about three hours to the Northern Territory and arrived at the Ayers Rock airport. I was staying at the Ayers Rock Resort, which sounds quite fancy, but was frankly the only option. Everything around Ayers Rock is owned by the same company, including the airport, the four hotels, restaurants, shops, and transportation. I had booked at the only budget option I could find – the dorm rooms at the Outback Pioneer Hotel, for around $28/night, considerably cheaper than the other $400+ options available at places called “Sails in the Desert,” “The Lost Camel,” and “Emu Walk Apartments.”

I noticed two things about the area immediately upon arrival – 1) the weather – it was blazing hot (100+ degrees and sunny) – and was a welcome change from the cooler and rainier weather I had experienced over the past couple of weeks, and 2) the outback – it really looked exactly as I had pictured it, with red sand everywhere, short bushes and vegetation, and desert critters. I had a couple of hours to rest before joining my afternoon tour to the Olgas.

The National Park that is home to both Ayers Rock and the Olgas was established in the mid-1900s, and the land was deemed to be owned by the government. In the mid-1980s, the land was returned to the Aboriginals and then subsequently leased back to the government as a National Park. Shortly after the ruling to return ownership of the land, the names of the two largest attractions within the park reverted to their Aboriginal names – Uluru (for Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (for the Olgas). I still use the old names for easier reference.

The Aboriginal name for the Olgas means “many heads,” basically because it looks like a huge rock formation with many, many domes – I don’t even know if they have all been counted. After stopping at a viewing station, I led the pack on a hike up through the Valley of the Winds, which was followed by champagne and snacks at sunset. I had actually forgotten about the sunset viewing aspect of the tour, given that I booked this over two months ago, but it was a nice way to end my first day in the Northern Territory.

The Olgas

Sunset Viewing and champagne. I loved the hats that these guys wore to fend off the flies!! Not sure they were actually effective.

On Saturday, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a three hour bus ride down to Kings Canyon. Most visitors to the area don’t necessarily take the drive down to the Canyon, but I had decided to make the trip on a suggestion of Faith P. Faith traveled around Australia extensively a few years ago and shared some great pictures and stories with me before she left. Based on her recommendation, I had booked this trip back in December and was so happy that I had done so. The day trip was phenomenal. On the bus ride down, we saw wild kangaroos, camels, and horses crossing the road before stopping for breakfast at King’s Station, two small buildings that served up a mean breakfast and offered more wildlife sightings. We then started on our three hour rim walk around the canyon, which including climbing up 500 steps in the extreme heat and sun. During the hike, I was remembering that it was only a month ago that I was making my way up Kilimanjaro in the exact opposite of extreme weather – wind and snow – and took a minute to say thanks for the opportunity to do both climbs in such a short span of time.

The rim walk provided panoramic views of a rocky canyon, in which you could see the layers and layers of sediment that had built up over thousands of years. Every once in awhile, trees would appear to be growing out of nowhere – it’s unclear where the water came from that fed the vegetation. We made a stop at the Garden of Eden, a pool of water resembling an oasis in the middle of the canyon, which was edged by shady trees and verdant shrubs. I jumped in the pool for a quick swim and a cool-down before we completed our climb out of the canyon and back to the bus. En route to Ayers Rock Resort, we stopped at Curtain Springs Cattle Station, an old cattle farm that has grown into a tourist stop. It felt like a ranch in the middle of nowhere Outback and housed a dive bar and an outhouse with signs that read “Sheilas” and “Blokes” to denote the appropriate restrooms. Even cowboys were lounging in the shade. I loved it and thought of my husband, who enjoys the call of the West. It was funny to find a bit of the western feel in the Outback of Australia and also hear some familiar country music playing on the bus radio station for the last few miles. Some things really must translate across cultures!

Rim walk around King's Canyon

Garden of Eden (I swam in the pool at the end of the walkway)

On the tour, I enjoyed chatting with Deb, an attorney for JP Morgan in London who was traveling around Australia for a few weeks. Deb and I exchanged stories about our experiences in South Africa, and she told me about wanting to become more involved with the game reserves after her stay at a park for five weeks a few years ago. Coincidentally, I also finished the book “The Alchemist” on the way back from Kings Canyon and though it would be a good read for her as well. I’ve always enjoyed passing along my books and hope that she’ll find it as personally challenging of a read as I did.

I ran into an Italian woman from my tour while “in town” (which was literally comprised of three stores and a supermarket on the resort), who asked if I was traveling alone, and upon hearing my answer, immediately invited me to join her, her Australian cousin, and two other Italians from our trip to dinner. I’m always up for dinner companions, so I agreed to meet them at my hotel around 7:30 that night. Not only did I enjoy hearing about their lives in Italy (most of which was translated through the Australian bilingual cousin), but I was extended an offer to visit Calubria, Italy if I ever pass that way. Truly kind, hospitable people out here in the world, which makes me hope that we all extend that same generosity to visitors in the U.S.

Yesterday morning, I awoke at 4:30 a.m. for the sunrise viewing of Ayers Rock. After spending the past two days here, I was more than ready for a viewing of the biggest attraction of Yulara. We arrived at the eastern part of the Rock around 6:10 a.m. and commenced a three and a half hour walk around the base, during which time we observed a sunset boasting all colors of the rainbow (purple to blue to red to orange to yellow). The walk around the perimeter included a discussion of the Aboriginal myths and explanations of the rock formation, the history of the rock, and detours into some of the water holes and caves. Interestingly, the Rock as we know it is only the tip of a huge formation, of which an additional 3-6 km lies below the surface. As the earth erodes, more and more of the rock will be visible, although I anticipate this is not for thousands or millions of years to come.

Sunrise at Uluru (Ayers Rock is on the right)

Uluru

While I enjoyed my time in the Outback, I was also ready to move on after the walk yesterday. Aside from viewing Ayers Rock, the Olgas, and King’s Canyon, there really isn’t much to do in the area. It’s extremely hot outside, and the ridiculous amount of damn flies swarming makes it too annoying to venture. Plus, there really aren’t any places to venture to, given that I covered the “town square” in about 4 minutes. Fortunately, my airline ticket allows changes for no charge, so I moved up my flight to yesterday afternoon and headed to Sydney for some more time with my friends. I enjoyed a great meal last night with Tami and Paul Casey while we watched “So You Think You Can Dance – Australia.” I’m hooked on the show now, although I never even watched the American version last summer.

I am enjoying a relaxing day here in Sydney, where I had the chance to catch up on some sleep and laundry. Tomorrow Christopher, Ben’s younger brother, will join me for the next three weeks. I am anxious to see him and looking forward to our travels together...and hopefully I can even convince him to make a guest blogging appearance during our time together.

To everyone at home – please stay warm! I’ve heard that Chicago has received the most snow in years and that negative degree temperatures are forcing everyone inside. I’m thinking of all of you and am reminded how fortunate I am to have escaped this winter. Anyone up for some traveling??

Queensland - Rain or Shine

View of Brisbane from Mt. Coot-tha

Driving down the deserted 75 km beach on Fraser Island

View from Indian Head

Champagne Pools on Fraser Island

Sunset on the ferry ride back to Hervey Bay

Sunrise en route to Airlie Beach

I left Sydney under looming grey clouds and arrived in Brisbane with the same weather conditions. It appeared, based on the weather channel, that the entire east coast of Australia - and Queensland in particular - was receiving more rain than it had in years. The meteorologist event stated, "if you're thinking about heading for the beaches, forget about it..." The problem was that the beaches were exactly where I was intending to visit. After climbing Kili in the rain and dodging a hurricane in Mauritius, it looked like I was to hit the flooding in Queensland head-on. The unpredictable fate of weather had caught up with me.

I was staying in Brisbane with Peter and Michael, whom I had met on the Garden Route in Cape Town. Those two, along with their three other roommates, were fantastic hosts - even providing dinner and drinks for two nights in addition to free accomodations. It was wonderful to see them again after meeting them only a few weeks ago, and I enjoyed catching up on CNN/Super Tuesday results, as well as watching the Australian/Qatar soccer match. (BTW, has anyone ever seen the Australian soccer players??!!).

Brisbane is a nice size metropolis that spans two sides of the winding Brisbane river that runs through town. The downtown was easily manageable, and I was able to walk around during the morning and the afternoon after taking the bus from my friends' house to the city centre. I also took a bus during mid-day (pre-rain) up to Mt. Coot-tha for a birds-eye look at the city and the sea several miles offshore. I had read about a good hike up at the summit that promised waterfalls and Aboriginal Art, but I was sorely disappointed by the lack of both. Well, I suppose the spray-painted rocks were serving as the "art," but I didn't get much out of the walk other than an appreciation for Queensland humidity.

I managed to duck into an internet cafe minutes before an afternoon thunderstorm and finished planning my travels for the next few days. More than anything, I am just happy to be able to move around Australia fairly easily, as the buses, bus stations, and trains are all very safe and well-traveled by fellow backpackers.

I left Brisbane the following day around lunchtime and took a five hour bus ride up the coast to Hervey Bay. I was quite looking forward to the bus ride, as I had grown to love the long drives in Africa - observing the houses, towns, and the multitude of Africans walking around and living their every day lives. I should have realized that Australia would be a bit different - not only were the roads more advanced, which allowed for quicker transport, but most Australians are employed - which means not many out wandering the streets on a Thursday afternoon! Regardless, it was a pleasant ride, and I met an American who serves in our army and was on his two week R&R break from Baghdad. I enjoyed hearing about his experiences in Iraq and seeing his pictures, if for nothing else than to make me understand what Ben is living through every day.

I arrived in Hervey Bay and took a cab to Enzo's Cafe on the Beach. As I previously mentioned, Shelley (my friend in Sydney) had called her friends who live in Hervey Bay to assist with my travels. Enzo used to be a tour guide with the Fraser Island Company before opening his own cafe right on the beach; his wife Danielle continues to work for the company and helped to coordinate my trip. I met Enzo as he was closing his cafe - he offered me a beer while he finished closing up, during which time I was able to sit and enjoy the view of Hervey Bay. We ate that evening on their outside covered porch, as we listened to the heavy storm move through the area.

The next morning, the Fraser Island Company picked me up in a large green bus that was to be our tour vehicle for the two day trip. We headed out of the Hervey Bay Marina on the car ferry and landed at Fraser Island about an hour later. Fraser Island is an extremely large sand bar - about 120 km in length and over 15 km wide. However, the island isn't all barren with just sand - it is home to lush rainforests, swamp land, sand blows, and breath-takingly white beaches. The island has no paved roads; rather, all of the roads are just deep trails in the sand and only allow access to limited parts of the island. On day 1, we stopped in the rainforest for a walk, let the current carry us down Eli Creek to its meeting point with the ocean, took snapshots of a WWII-era shipwreck, climbed Indian Head for panoramic views of the beaches, and swam in the Champagne Pools. By far, the Champagne Pools were my favorite. They were rock formations that formed small pools, which were filled when the ocean crashed on the outside rock wall. The ocean foam would bubble over - like champagne - creating an ideal swimming area. Given the fireweed, extreme currents, and presence of sharks, we couldn't swim in the ocean on any other part of the island, so we certainly appreciated the opportunity to enjoy the salt water and the sun at the last stop of the day.

We slept in tents that evening and had a hearty meal of grilled fish, potatoes, kangaroo, salad, and ice cream. Our group was small - around 15 - and a good mix of young and old. I enjoyed spending time the most with the Alexander family from Canada, the daughter of which was getting a masters in Brisbane in teaching and was also my tentmate. We also had an entertaining British couple and a pair of young girls from Germany who were spending six months in Australia.

The next day, we weren't as lucky with good weather and had to forego seeing one of the 50+ lakes on the island due to the high tide. We spent the day at two other lakes and climbing through a sand blow - a large sand dune on the inside of the island that is constantly changing form under the wind. We finished the day with some time on the beach at one of the lakes and a peaceful ride back to Hervey Bay under a blanket of blue clouds interspersed with a setting sun.

Prior to traveling to Hervey Bay, I had heard that I also had to visit Airlie Beach, the jumping off point for the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. From other travelers and my friend Peter in Brisbane, I had been told that I absolutely had to make a stop there. I just wasn't sure how I was going to fit it in. After chatting with some of my travel mates yesterday afternoon, I made the last minute decision to hop on a 12 hour bus from Hervey Bay to Airlie. I rushed back to Danielle and Enzo's apartment, took a quick shower, and repacked my bag to make the 8:25 p.m. bus. Of course, by the time I had concluded that I was going to take the trip, the Greyhound office was closed and I couldn't purchase a ticket. I was assured that I could buy one on board, but when I reached the station, it was clear that there was little chance of me making the bus. There were tons of fellow backpackers, all who had tickets, waiting to get on. Thanks again to my little angels and to a Ms. Heather Smith who failed to show up for the bus, I managed to take one last seat. The bus ride was pretty brutal, but I arrived here in Airlie this morning around 9:00 a.m. without having to waste a day of travel.

Unfortunately, it's been a dreary day here in Airlie. I've seen pictures of what it's like on nice days, and it's the picture of perfect beaches and islands - crystal blue water, white sand, and blue skies. Given my luck with the weather, I only escaped the rain this morning but have now retreated to an internet cafe due to the rain that's been falling all afternoon. Ugh. I was hoping the effort to get here would be worth it, but it looks like tomorrow will have to make up for the trouble. The place is more grey than blue at this point, and no one seems to know what to do. The town is comprised of basically one street that is lined with tourist shops, travel companies, and souvenir curious, but you can only see so many stuffed koalas and key chains. I'm spending tomorrow on a tour of the Great Barrier Reef and just really hopeful we have at least a few hours of nice weather.