04.23.11

The rest of our stay at the island was amazing. We spent almost every single day snorkeling, to the point where we had permanent mask lines around our faces, and blisters on our feet from the flippers. Each time we tried to visit a new location, and it only seemed that the coral got better and better. Less touched and explored. We snorkeled several times on the other side of the island where the sharks were, and the minute we dunked our heads in the water, we just as quickly were being approached by curious black and white tip sharks. Some were small, only 2 or 3 feet long, but one day we were greeted by a one that had to have been 5 feet. Still only a baby compared to the masses that full grown reef sharks can reach, but still equally as incredible and scary. I will admit that my heart would pound for a few seconds when the shark would start, head on, towards me, but after a while I realized that they are only just as curious about me as I am them.
The one day we had headed to the other side of the island to snorkel with the sharks again, and while walking on the beach I had stopped because out of the corner of my I saw something moving near my foot. Low, and behold, it was a baby turtle! In complete shock I had turned my head up the sand only to find a parade of baby turtles making their way through the grass, rocks and sand. John had run back to the tent to get the camera, and I examined the path the turtles were coming from to see if I could find their nest. Under a prickly bush there was a hole, and though I couldn’t spot any shells, sure as day, it was filled with anxious baby turtles trying to make their way out of the steep hole and make the journey into the ocean. I had remembered reading that you are not supposed to touch them. Their shells are soft and the oils on your hand can make them more susceptible to prey. They already have incredibly terrible survival rates, but of course, there is nothing you can do to prevent that. I just stood near to make sure that no bird or snake was nearby or had the nerve to come close. A single blade of grass, which to us, is so insignificant, but to these baby turtles, the grasses had become wrapped around their necks and little arms that kept that from moving forward. I have never before seen such an insignificant form of life; become something so trivial to another creature. For the most part, each turtle was able to break away from the grass and had successfully made its way to the sand, but one little guy was so tangled that he eventually gave up. Resting his little body too tired to fight against something so much stronger than he. I just gently broke the grass for him and gave him a small nudge to keep on, which he did. John got back before all the turtles had made it to the water and got some stunning video that I can’t wait to share! It was so amazing to see these flapping, stumbling babies make their way to the ocean. Once the first rush of the water hit them, they just laid there, waiting to be taken out, and swimming so gracefully out to sea, as if they have been swimming for years and years.
Once all the turtles had made their way, John and I continued to the rocks and ventured off more around them to see what lay past them. Admiring the view, I just couldn’t believe our luck at seeing the baby turtles and in mere awe of the experience, got a little teary eyed. I couldn’t have asked for anything more amazing. We jumped off the rocks into the water and snorkeled around for a few more hours before heading back.
Every night, the staff had a show or some special event planned for us to take part in. They would do traditional dances, fire twirling, we would watch movies, or sing all our national anthems. One night we had a cross dressing contest, and John won!
More towards the end of our stay we had taken the kayak out. We kayaked out to the boat channel where we stopped to snorkel. This was my favorite place to snorkel. All the coral was so developed and untouched. The fish were plentiful, more colorful and a much larger array of species. To me, this is exactly what it looks like when you watch underwater shows on Discover Channel or Animal Planet. It was unreal and so beautiful, I didn’t want to leave.
We got back on the kayak and made the hour paddle to Picnic Island. It’s just a small sand dune in the middle of the ocean, not far off the back coast of Mana. We didn’t have the money to spend paying for a boat ride out there, so we put in the muscles to get out there for free. The sand is so soft and white, and the water around the island is, once again, the most amazing light blue I have ever seen. The way the water ripples and curls looks like it is a sea of diamonds, so sparkly and dazzling! It was the most beautiful water we had seen! Around the island was another coral reef, which we snorkeled around after eating our bake bean and chip lunch. It felt so good to be able to reap the benefits of such a beautiful island after all our hard work to get out there.
We continued to kayak around the rest of the island, stopping to snorkel whenever we saw coral. At times, while we were kayaking, the paddles would smack the water and scare the fish so you would see them jump in a frenzy out of the water. A big silver fish, about 2 feet long had jumped out of the water and was so close to us you could see his yellow eyes! The best part was that he kept skidding across the water like a skipping rock, and bounced of the water 3 or 4 times before finally going back into its depths.
When we got back to the hostel, it was just in time for sunset, and we were exceptionally tired. All in all, it was an incredible day!
When we first got to the island, we got asked if we wanted to be a staged couple in a wedding, so that the other people staying at the hostel could experience a traditional wedding, and it also was an easy way for the hostel to make some extra money. Of course we said yes, and Saturday was the big day. During the week the staff helped John and I make rings out of coconut, and other than that, they did everything for us. Anne was the maid of honor, Melanie, a local was the flower girl, and Brian, old man father, was to give me away. On Saturday, Anne made me a frangipani necklace and flower bouquets. She was quite excited to be the maid of honor : ) A girl from Malaysia, Bibi, did my hair and makeup, which turned out beautifully, and John and I used and old dirty sheet to fashion sarongs for wedding apparel. The staff asked that everyone pay 15 dollars so they could prepare a traditional meal, have liquor, and a cake. They made decorations from palm leaves, and hung tapa (it is a traditional fabric out here made out of bark) and strategically placed flowers all over the inside of the hostel where the wedding would take place. For food, the did a lovo, which is where they dig a hole in the sand and burn a bunch of wood until it is down to burning embers. Then they put all the food on top, and cover it with a special sheet and sand for a few hours for it to all cook. It was sooo delicious!
The wedding itself was tons of fun, and for a fake wedding, it was quite nice for the amount of effort everyone put into it. The hostel is excited to use the pictures for promotional purposes on their website, and of course, John and I are happy to do that for them. Thanks Mana Lagoon!
The last day of our stay at Mana, we did the island hopping tour. We got to visit a few other islands, and see some of the more popular beaches. White sandy beach, musket cove, and we snorkeled at Honeymoon Island. It’s a good size island, though it would only take a few minutes to walk its circumference. Uninhabited, it was a mecca for snorkeling, and here we saw a poisonous sea snake, giant gar fish that well exceeded 5 feet and a school of squid. I so loved the squid. I followed them and got rather close. As they swam through the different colors of coral, they changed colors, and their skin was spotted and luminescent; pearly and multi-colored like a powa shell.
One of the best parts of Mana was the village just behind the hostel. Modest, and down to the bare basics, the village people were just about as friendly as friendly can get. The children were all so eager to meet the tourists, and John and I took every opportunity to play with them. They would swarm around us every time we brought the computer out, so we would show them pictures and let them control the mouse and type until the computer went dead. One day, we had visited them at their school. They sang us songs, so in turn we sang one to them. They recognized John and I from the wedding, and knew John was the guy with the computer and camera, so they immediately stick to his side, hoping they will let him play with his electronics.
The electricity is only on from 6pm till 6 am, and during the day, you can never be sure if there will be water or not. Though it will eventually be turned back on, there were times we would have to wait a few hours. We didn’t mind though, and you realized what it was really like to live in a village.
Our stay at Mana was amazing. It was extremely hard for us to say goodbye to all our friends, and even harder to say goodbye to the village children and the staff. We recommend Mana Lagoon to anyone who is planning a visit to Fiji. Though we only got to visit a few other islands, our favorite one was Mana, merely on the fact that the water was so clear and the village was in our back yard. Other people had also mentioned that they preferred Mana Island, and there is not one thing I regret! (Aside from NOT having an underwater camera, though we did get some pictures with Thomas camera). Thank you Mana Lagoon, staff and friends for EVERYTHING! Your amazing… and Ravvi, I love your sausages!
When we got back to the main land on Thursday, we spent the day in town, but since then we have done nothing but relax around Diane and Paul’s again. We are planning to head to another stretch of islands after a few days break, but still are figuring out our expenses. We are only in Fiji for another 10 days and then off to Tahiti!!!

04.13.11


That next week we did nothing but hang around and relax. We made a booking through Diane’s friend, Bosco, to stay at one of the islands for 10 days. You see, Fiji is made up of 330 islands… some are inhabited, others not. There are some islands that take you 18 hours to get to by boat, and others that you could kayak too from the main land. Either way, Fiji is FULL of things to do and places to see. The hardest part is picking out what you want to do. Most of it, you have to have lots of money to do. Of course, the further you go away from the main land, the more expensive. The prices for accommodation and food are very reasonable, especially if you stay at a hostel. (The price of things in Fiji is very similar to America, maybe a little cheaper but not by much. The Fiji dollar is about 1.50 to 1 American.) However, boat transfers from one island to the next are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. John and I spent almost just as much for our round-trip boat ticket as we did for accommodation and food for the both of us for 10 days! Because of this and our strict budget, we found it best to just stay on one island. We figured all of the island will be incredible, and we would be happy with any one of them. Diane suggested we go to Mana Island. It’s a small island that takes about 2 hours to walk around by foot. It is inhabited by a local village, and also has a small 5 star resort and three hostels. The hostel she suggested to us was the Mana Lagoon. We just took her suggestion and the following Monday we were off!
Everything Diane had told us about Mana was true, if not more! The water was the most intense shades of blues, ranging from the lightest most delicate light blue, to bright brilliant turquoise, to a deep navy blue and then your dark purple off in the horizon. Regardless of where you were in the ocean, it was always so clear and surreal. As if you were staring straight into a diamond.
The hostel itself was right on the beach, and I mean, literally, on the beach. The dining area was covered but the ground was sand, and apart from the flooring in the dorms and by the bar, there was nothing but sand. We had opted for the cheaper alternative, and stayed in a tent. At Diane’s we had met a lovely German couple, Anne and Thomas, who we seemed to click with right away. They left for the island a day earlier then us, and also had a tent set up right by ours. Luckily, we managed to get a short mattress in the tent which made it not so uncomfortable.
The island itself is very small. It takes a short 5 minute walk to walk to the other side by just cutting through its center. The first thing we did after the staff sang us a welcome song, was walk to the other side to see Shark Bay. Diane had told us about this, and that day the staff was going to walk everyone over there to sit on the rocks to see if we could spot the baby sharks that turned the rocky shoreline into its nursery. To our dismay, we couldn’t see any, but now that we knew how to get over there, we knew we would have to come back.
Immediately, we were wrangled into activities. I began making coconut jewelry and was engulfed with my craft for quite some time. John found an empty hammock and quickly claimed his territory which I knew he would defend for the rest of our time there.
We didn’t have any trouble making friends. It was as if we had known everyone our entire life, staff included. Jamie, Will, Anne, Thomas, Jen, Martin…. and so many other people whose name I have forgotten!! (Sorry!)
The first two days were overcast, but the second day we rented snorkel gear and got in the water. The coral was just a few strokes off the coast and was just as colorful and incredible as you can imagine. I wish I had a better way of explaining everything that we saw, but you see, how do describe something that doesn’t have words? How can I properly do justice to the shapes, and colors, and structures? I guess, even if I know the scientific names to all the creatures and coral, I would hardly doubt that anyone would know what I was talking about anyways. It was picturesque. Exactly what you think of when you imagine a world under the ocean.
Before we ended the day, I had proceeded to do a sun dance, in hopes that I could urge the hot spot in the sky to open up the clouds and grace us with its warm rays. I had ensured everyone at the hostel not to worry, that tomorrow it would be sunny. What do you know, the next morning, we woke up to such an amazing sun and blue sky, and everyone was eager to give me their thanks ; ) Unfortunately, nothing comes free, and the sun seemed to take Johns right eyeball in exchange for its hard work. John had woken up with pink eye, which means that he officially has had pink eye in every country that we have been too. Ravvi, the manager, got John a bowl of turmeric and told him to mix it in some water and wash his eye out. Of course he did, though we regret to say that it had much effect. We gave some money to Brian, old man father, who goes to the mainland tomorrow, to grab him something from the pharmacy. Until then, I guess he has no other alternative then rinsing his eye with turmeric. Although it doesn’t seem to be helping, the only side effect is that it has turned his hand a curry yellow

04.02.11

Words have escaped me! How do I explain properly, all the incredible things here in Fiji! It has certainly met all our wildest expectations and more!
Our first two nights we couch surfed with a local family… Paul and Diane and their three Dobermans… Findley, Cleopatra and Molly. They have a wonderful home, which is equally comfy and inviting. They immediately made us feel at home, and started to give us all the tips and advice of the things to do in the area and the most popular tourist things to do around the islands. We had gone into Nadi town and were pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and friendly everyone was. The town is small, but it is clean and not nearly as commercialized as Bali. The homes are situated on decent sized lots of land, and for the most part, look like normal homes. The roads are potty, but like everything else, it is basic and there for its bare necessity. There are far less cars on the road and no motorbikes, which mean that it is significantly more quite then Bali was. However, there are tons of dogs running around, which gives it that same feral feeling as Bali did.
That night, Paul and his friend Noah, gave John and I a traditional Kava ceremony. Kava, is a drink they make out of the root from the pepper plant. They pound it into a powder and then mix it with water in a special bowl, which is then served after a special prayer and ritual of clapping hands, in a coconut shell cup that is shared between all people circled around the master bowl. Once mixed with water, Kava looks like muddy water, and has a very distinct earthy smell. It all starts when one of the Fijian runs its hand around the rim of the bowl and says a quick prayer. Then they mix the water by diluting the powder into with which is inside a bag that it will be filtered through. They pull the Kava in a coconut cup and pour it out to help stir it up, and then pass it on to the first recipient… usually the chief, or a man. Males go first and then females. The taste, at first, is exactly what you think dirt would taste like. Before you can decipher what else it tastes like, your entire mouth goes numb. It feels exactly like antiseptic spray that you use in your mouth when you have strep throat. It only stays numb for a few minutes, but by the time you have feeling again, its time for another round. I am not going to lie, I was nervous at first, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined, and in fact, was enjoying myself!
The next day we had ventured up towards Lautoka to see the garden of the sleeping giant and the mud pools and hot springs. It was maybe 30 minutes away from where we are staying. The bus ride was just delightful too! There are no windows… structures from where windows should have been, which made for a nice breeze. It was full of smiling locals, and the music was full blast reggae mixes. It was bumpy, and felt like at any minute the floor may have rust from underneath us. In fact, near the gear shifter by the driver, there was a rusted hole where you could see the racing roadway. The road up to the sleeping giant is very quiet. Mostly farm land with houses set too far back to even see. There was nothing but gravel and it was quite primitive and rough, but it got us to where we needed to be.
The sleeping giant is actually a range of mountains. The story is believed that a young woman had fallen in love with a young boy and they wanted to marry but because he was of higher wealth then her, their villages would never approve. Heartbroken, they ran off, and laid down together until they turned into stone…. which is now the sleeping giant. When you look at the mountain range at a particular point, you can see a very clear face of a giant, that looks as if he is sleeping. We got some great pictures of it too!
The garden itself is just an orchid garden within its hills. It was very beautiful to see all the different kinds of orchids, but to be honest, I wouldn’t spend 15 dollars to go inside again (15 per person!), nor would I recommend it to other travelers. The hot springs and mud pools were a different story though!
They were just a little bit further up the road past the garden and since there weren’t too many other people around, John and I walked. It took about 20 minutes, and we were hot and tired by the time we got there. There were only 5 other tourists there at the time, which made for a relaxing experience. First, we get into this tiny pond that literally is in the front of some little farm house. You first soak in the water, which was normal temperature, but the mud went up to your knees and really gave you the creeps. Then you get out and slather some mud on you from a bucket they provided. You cover yourself from head to toe, and stand in the sun until the mud dries on your skin. Then you get back in to wash off. It was surprising how clean we felt once we got the mud out from behind our ears. Then the lady walked us into a canopy of trees where there was the hot spring. Again, it just looked like a pond, but was nicely lined with lipstick palms. The water looked muddy and not very welcoming, but it was super warm and relaxing. We sat in the water for as long as our hot bodies would allow, and then made our way to a tarp where a few local ladies sat. They proceeded to give us a 15 minute massage, with the help of a little 3 year old boy, Pieie (Pie-Eee). It was so cute to feel his tiny hands on our calves, and the ladies told us that it was about time one of the men did a little bit of work around here! (In Fiji, traditionally, the females are left to work, though you will see men as police officers, taxi drivers, and such.) We played with Pieie a little once we were done, and hitched a ride with some of the tourists back into town.
The next day we left for Pacific Harbor. Len was generous enough to give John and I another week from his timeshare, so we were eager to get into a comfy bed and to hit the beach! Pacific Harbor is two hours north of Nadi up the coral coast. The ride was pleasant and quick, and Pacific Harbor itself was very small and quite. It’s known for being a tourist town, so other than resorts, there is not much else there. Our resort, the Fiji Palms, was self-accommodating apartment and less of a resort, though the rooms were just as lovely, if not nicer, then a resort. It had two bedrooms, a living and dining room and a full kitchen with washer and dryer. There were maybe only 50 units in total, and the grounds were small and private, with only a small bar and lounge area, a small pool and hot tub and a small garden before touching the beach. The beach is GORGOUS! It must have stretched in total, 4 miles long, and aside from maybe 3 or 4 other people at the time, John and I were the only other people on it. The water was crystal clear and calm, and stretched out was Beqa Island. We couldn’t contain our excitement!
The rest of the week was easy. Every day we would wake up to a stunning blue sky, a white sandy beach, and an ocean that seemed to be calling our name. We would carry out lounge chairs and lay on the beach. I, with a book in my hand, John with his Ipod, and every once in a while we would jump in the water and play with the fish or collect sand dollars.
On Tuesday we took a bus up to Suva which was an hour north and is the capital city of Fiji. It was an industrial town, where there were the main factories and where all importing and exporting were conducting. We weren’t really impressed, and didn’t like the built up feel. Was more like Bali but with less people. We got some fruit, and walked around, but it had started the rain and the gloom of the city mixed with the gray clouds was enough to get us back on the bus to the resort.
Prior to leaving Nadi, we had booked a shark dive that was at Beqa Island, but departed from Pacific Harbor. The dive itself guarantees you to see 7 or more species of sharks, including tiger sharks and bull sharks. Being the shark-fanatics that we are, you can only imagine how excited we were to do this dive. The only apprehension was that it was not clear if we had to be certified divers or not. Seeing as how we did several other dive without being certified, we figured that this would be no different. The person we booked the dive with told us that he had called and they said that we did NOT have to be certified. GREAT!
That Thursday was our scheduled dive, but when we got to the part where we check in, the lady was rather confused as to how we thought we didn’t need to be certified, when in fact, there was no way we could dive without being so. They also pointed out that the prices that we were charged were wrong, and they felt as if we had been scammed. Of course, at the time of the booking we had to put down half of what we owed as a deposit and a 15% commission rate. Of course, we were heartbroken, just heartbroken, but we were also irate that we had been taken advantage of. We went back to the resort and like little children, sulked around and pouted for the rest of the day. There was nothing we could do, at least not until we got back to Nadi. (We did get our money back… all except for the 15% commission which we figured went straight into the booking agents pocket, never to be seen again.)
The rest of our time there had been amazing though, and we were quite sad to have to leave. On our way back we had made a stop in the middle of the road where there was a long pier that had stretched out into the coral coast. I had seen it on the way to Pacific Harbor, and told John that it looked like a picture for your computer desktop and that we had to stop on the way back. Man, am I glad we did!!! We left our stuff at the end of the pier and made our way. Coral coast is a fitting name because that is exactly what it was. The first half mile of the ocean, from the coast out, was nothing but turquoise and powder blue Ocean with a rainbow of fish and plant life in its interior. It took our breath away! From the pier, you can see right through the water, just as clear as looking through a pair of glasses. We gawked at the brightly colored fish and even spotted an orange octopus, crawling his way through the coral forest. While John was taking pictures, I decided I was going to go in the water and see what else I could see. At this point, I have never witnessed such clear water, or a coral reef that was just right there under your feet.
I had to tread carefully because it was mostly coral. When there was sand, the sand was rough and sharp with broken pieces of coral and rocks. There were bright blue starfish, these strange looking sea slugs, sea cucumbers, and fish that were more colorful then a pantone color chart. At one point, I had noticed a large fish coming towards me, and it took me a second to register that it was a baby black tip reef shark, maybe only 3 feet long. I was so excited, but at the same time in shock, and as it neared me, I couldn’t help but scream “SHARK!!!!!” John had seen him from the pier, and my loudness had caused him to turn around and swim off. I couldn’t believe my eyes!!! A real shark, in its natural environment. How cool is that? John came into the water shortly after, and we just wadded around trying to find other neat creatures. It didn’t take long for our feet to because sore from the rought sand so we made our way back to the shore and with excitement, continued our way back to Nadi.
Our next stop was in Sigatoka. It is known for it’s massive sand dunes, one in which is designated for tourists to sand surf on. The taxi took us to some small road that dead ended just before the dunes at some homestay. The owners of the hostel were kind enough to let us keep our luggage there while we went and ventured off to see the dunes. It was already a blistering hot day, but the sand seemed to make everything else even hotter! Poor John’s sandals had broken back at the pier, so he was shoeless, and even though we were told that the sand would be hot, he went on without shoes anyways. I could barely stand it and I had flip flops on. John had to quickly run across the patches of sand until he found a patch of cooling grass. His knees were up to his chest and his arms were flailing about. We were greeted by horses who grazed the hot dunes with such grace and beauty. At one point, John’s feet burned so bad that he nearly stuck them in a pile of horse poop in desperation to cool them off. The only reason why he didn’t was because right over the dune was the ocean, so he made one last trek through the fiery sand and into the nice ocean.
This part of the ocean was nothing special. Just looked like a regular ocean, but the waves were enormous, and was a popular surfing spot. From here, we got an exceptional view of the other sand dunes, and took a few minutes to play in the rough water and cool off. John had lugged a body board with him in hopes to use it for sand surfing, but after realizing how hot the sand was, we began to doubt that it was going to happen. On our way back, John decided to test out the board on a small dune, just to make sure that we weren’t missing out on something amazing. I don’t think I need to go into too much detail about how it went! Lol… he made the attempt to slide down the dune, but maybe only moved a few inches before lodging. His chest, arms and thighs were covered in stinging sand and the only good thing that came from this experiment is the video I got of it!
We left for Nadi right after and went back to Diane and Pauls. It was a splendid week away in luxury but we were eager to figure out our plans for the upcoming weeks.

03.23.11

Turned out that John and I spent the entire weekend at Arts place. He had decided to take a vacation far into the middle of nowhere, and he had asked John and I if we would help him paint some walls while he was gone. Of course we didn’t say no. The rain had kept us from being able to do much. We did venture into town one day to take more pictures of the Opera House, and had stopped at the Shark Hotel to eat their cheap buffet for dinner. On Thursday I had a photo shoot not far from Art’s place and on Saturday I had a second shoot. The last shoots I had for Sunday and Monday got cancelled because of the rain. We took the time at Arts to relax and enjoy the modern luxuries of life such as a comfy couch, TV and proper bed. As backpackers, its not very often we get these opportunities! It was wonderful. When Art arrived back on Sunday evening, we enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner, and continued to share stories. That night was our last night at his place. The next day we made our way up to the Northern beaches. On the way, just as we made it to the ocean, John noticed our Rent-A-Bomb was overheating. We couldn’t get too far without the car wanting to burn up, so we called the 24 hour roadside assistance that came with our rental and waited for 5 hours for the tow truck to arrive. By the time we got back into Sydney, it was 12, but we had another rental waiting for us. By the time we arrived at our third couchsurfing home, it was so late that we couldn’t find any parking. As a matter of fact, we weren’t so sure we even found his house, and we were tired. After much debate and an equally long day, we decided to just sleep in the car. When we woke up, we found a nice little restaurant by Coogie beach where we had lunch and got on the internet. We managed to get ahold of our couchsurfer and he told us to come by early that day so that we could find parking. For the rest of the day we relaxed on Coogie beach.
Our final couch surfer was friendly and apologetic for the night before. We stayed up to talk for awhile but I couldn’t help but pass out on the big comfy couch he had in his living room. We had to be up at 6am this morning to catch our plane to Fiji, and here I am at the airport, waiting for our next departure!
Sydney is beautiful, despite all the rain, and we are glad that we had gotten a car so cheaply. We doubly lucked out in having found a couch to surf every night, especially since I wasn’t getting many replies that offered much hope of that happening. It’s time to go though… we’ve got Fiji waiting for us : )

03.17.11

WE ARE IN SYDNEY!!!! Wow, it feels great to be back on the road. Our last week in Melbourne was bitter sweet. We slowly got all our things together and prepared ourselves for the last leg of our trip. The weekend before we left, we celebrated Justines 21st birthday party. That week was unusually sunny and nice, and John and spent a lot of time at Zia’s helping everyone clean up and prepare for the party. I would come by after work, and was especially elated on Friday… my last day : ) By the time Saturday rolled around, we were all ready for the party and to see everyone one last time. It was such a great turn out, and it was nice to see how well everything came together after everyones hard work with cleaning out the garage. There wasn’t a spot of rain the entire day, and everything else had gone off without a hitch.
The next day, all of us kids… with hangover’s the size of Texas, went back to Zia’s to help Jen clean up, though I got most of the garbage picked up on Saturday night once everyone had left, which was a lifesaver, cause gosh knows we were pretty much useless the next day. After, we made one last round to visit the cousins which was also quite hard to do. Everyone had said that we have been with them for so long that they forgot that we had to go home at some point. Our final stop was to visit Zia in respite. This was the hardest part. I couldn’t hold back the tears. Zia first had made a point to tell Justine that she needed to call Rosa or Mary to come pick her up because she was so bored! We all couldn’t help but chuckle at her adamancy to getting out of there… back can you blame her? You could just tell by looking at her eyes that she was contriving some plan of escape; some way that she could bust out of the joint unseen.
Once she turned her attention to John and I, she immediately realized that we were there to say good bye. You could practically hear her heartbreaking when we told her it was time we went back to America. Her eyes glazed over, her mouth was turned in the most devastating frown and she hung her head, almost as if she were a little kid that was being sent off to her room. She kept giving us hugs and kisses, and said “We don’t have to be sad, you can just stay here and be happy! Move to Australia!” It took both John and I a lot of effort to hold back the welting tears, but we said goodbye one last time… gave her one last kiss, and her final thought to us was “Thanks for visiting me before I die”. We gave her a warm smile, walked into the elevator and that’s when I lost it. Justine gave us both a big hug, and I just sobbed. What a pleasure it has been to meet everyone, and to have had the opportunity to spend such a good amount of time getting to know everyone. We so look forward to our return : )
The next morning we were up before the birds. 4am to be exact, and Len was ready as ever to get us to the airport. We said our final exhausted good byes to our family away from home, and with eager optimism, kept using Justine as an excuse to keep from crying, because of course, we will be seeing her in three months! With great success we made it through security, and before you know it, we landed in Sydney (Though for a moment we thought we were landing in water! The runway is literally a small peninsula into the ocean.) John had booked us a car rental prior to our landing, and we made our way to the rental agency right away. On our way there we passed a dingy place called Rent-A-Bomb, and situated in its tiny lot was an array of cars that looked like they had one foot in the scrap yard. Across the tiny shack that we assumed was the office, there was a sign that said ‘Car Rentals for $12 a day’. I snapped my head to John, and he just as quickly acknowledged that he saw the same place. Oh well, next time we will remember such a place.
Our original car rental we booked for $270 for 7 days. We were in Sydney for 10, but the other 3 days we would sleep in our tent somewhere, or hope that we got a response for couch surfing. We got to the agency, filled out the paperwork and the lady gave us our final total. With insurance (which we got the higher premium because we didn’t pay with a credit card), and taxes and a bunch of other crapola, the end result was $400, and that is not partially returned to us! We just put on our puss-face and told the lady there was no way we could do that, and we politely let her known how inconvenient this was for us, and that this was something that should have been made clear at the time of booking. We grabbed our bags and began walking towards Rent-A-Bomb. What a success it had been too! Granted, we got ourselves something that looked like it was owned by a bunch of pot heads in the 80’s but it was a trooper, this little car, and it ran us a whomping $170 for the full ten days! We couldn’t believe it. We had to put down a $300 dollar insurance deposit, but it will be returned to us if the car comes back unscathed. The man gave me a thick map book and had us on our way. Let the journey begin!
We just started driving. We really had no intention of going anywhere specific, just started to meander through the roads. We somehow found ourselves downtown Sydney and crossed the Harbor Bridge. We then decided we would make our way to Manly beach so that we could try to sleep for a bit. (Mind you, its only 8am at this point!) We accidentally found a gorgeous park that overlooked the water and across to downtown Sydney. When we finally found the beach, we decided to take our sleeping bag to the sand. It only lasted for about 2 hours before it started to rain, but we just as quickly fell asleep in the front two seats. We were woken a few hours later by a meter fairy who was checking everyone parking tickets. Of course, ours was long expired, so we quickly made our way.
Our next stop was to our first couch surfing host in Pyrmont. We were lucky to have gotten a positive response. He wouldn’t be ready to have us till 8pm, but we found the Stardust casino on the way and decided to stop and look around. We ate some deserts, walked through the depressing and less then impressive casino, and then went to great our host, Anthony.
He had a wonderful bed for us, a nice clean shower, and made us feel right at home! That night we went to bed early, and in the morning, took Anthonys advice and walked to the CBD (central business district, or ‘downtown’). We walked through Darling Harbour, through the main vein of downtown Sydney, and to the Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge, the botanical gardens and the Opera House. You can only imagine the many photos we took.
As you may or may not know, Sydney and Melbourne are at constant battle for which one is the greater city. We are sorry to say to all our Melbournian friends and family that John and I must side with Sydney. We really liked how the city was built on a modge-podge of inlets, peninsulas and juts of land and water, making it such a nautical city. There was also much more greenery… more trees and grass. The houses arnt built up on top of one another and actually have yards. Though we loved the tram system in Melbourne, I greatly disliked all the trams electrical cords and wires that littered the sky like scars. It’s nothing personal Melbourne, we loved you all the same, its just that we are nature people by heart, and though cement and glass are wonderful to look at, John and I personally love the earthy surroundings that Sydney has to offer.
Our second night was spent at Anthony’s but would also be our last night. The next day we left in the morning to begin the 45 minute drive to the Blue Mountains which lay North West of Sydney. The drive was relaxing, and enjoyable. When stopped at an information center and they gave us a map of all the must-see stops for our one day tour of the mountains.
Let me just say that it was breathtaking. The hiking paths took us through winding paths that lead us to massive drops and lookout points as far as the eye could see. Nothing but a thick coat of trees lay for miles ahead, occasionally littered with jutting cliffs and waterfalls. We stopped at several lookout points, until our final destination which is the three sisters. Its what the Blue Mountains are known for; three large free standing rock structures, similar to the 12 Apostles, but not in water. Unfortunately, being in such high altitudes, the clouds had quickly taken their resting spot for the evening among the mountains, shrouding us in absolute white. At one of the first lookouts, we had seen the three sisters from across the way, but when we had gotten to the path that would lead us directly to them, the clouds were far to dense for us to see past the first one. Though slightly disappointed that the white masses obstructed our view, we were also quite mesmerized by the fact that we were quite literally inside a cloud! It something that few get to experience and it was beautiful in its own manner. As we made the hike back to the car, it started to thunder. Being that we were inside the cloud, you can only imagine how deep and intense the sound was. It was if we were in the belly of giant who was aching from hunger. We couldn’t help but stop and listen to the occasional rumbling and marveled as the ground shook from underneath us. As is its natural progression; it started to rain. I ran ahead, hoping to make it to shelter before it started to get heavy. It only seemed that the harder I ran, the harder it rained. Since we were inside the cloud, the rain had very little to fall, and was in thick globs as it hit you. It was cold and extremely wet! It just kept thundering and raining, and I just surrender and started to walk. I could help but be amazed by the sheer intensity of it all, and was laughing until John caught up with me. Drenched, all the same, he too was in complete awe. We were trapped in a cloud.
Once we got to the parking lot, the cold heavy rain had turned into marble size hail. Hail and snow is rains original form, and as it makes it way to the earth, the warm air melts it into rain. Seeing as though we were now in the clouds center, the rain was in its first form of hail, and MAN did it hurt! We laughed in pain as we ran to the car. Once we made our way down through the mountains, the sky was clear and the roads were dry. What a great day!
That night we were lucky enough to stay with our next couch surfing host… Art. He resides in the cutest town of West Pymble just 30 minutes out of the mountains. He gave us a beautiful room to sleep in, and was eager to have us relax and make ourselves at home.
Today, we drove back into Sydney and visited Kings Cross. It’s a famous area for its crime and back alley tough guys. During the day it seemed harmless, but at night, the neon signs light up inviting you to see the dancing girls, and indulge in the expensive liquors.
We also went to Bondi beach, where we were lucky enough to get a break from the clouds and enjoyed a few hours of sunshine. We splurged on some gelati… lemon and sugarless dark chocolate was my choice and John got Tiramisu and bubblegum. YUM. Best gelati EVER!
Its been a fantastic few days in Sydney, and it has been great to have a car. Cant wait to see what the rest of the week has in store for us!

03.07.11

A week from today John and I will be in Sydney. So far our plan is to rent a car for the week instead of paying for a hostel and we will just sleep in the car like we did in Port Douglas for our last few nights. Unfortunately, couch surfing is next to nearly impossible in such a busy city where backpackers are popular. We had to of emailed at least 20 people and only one person responded that we would be able to stay with them for our first three nights. Our only other option is to pitch our tiny two man and sleep in there, or to sleep in the car. As uncomfortable as the car will be, it will still be a zillion times more comfortable then the tent! The car will also give us the freedom to go wherever we like, and will help us get to places that may be hard to access by public transport. We have not yet figured out the whole shower thing yet. It will be interesting especially when I have to wake up and be at a shoot. Oh, what an experience it will be!
This past weekend, I had a shoot at a hotel, and John and I were lucky enough to spend the night. It was SO nice to have some quality time by ourselves and to just act as silly as we wanted without worrying about who we may bother. On Sunday we woke up early and went downtown one last time. We visited the Victoria Markets and bought ourselves a didgeridoo, boomerang and an aboriginal decorated wine holder thing. John will have to lug the didgeridoo around with us until we go home, but that gives him time to practice so when we do get home, we can show our friends and family what it sounds like. Its not an easy thing to play, let alone actually sound good! The weather was nice and sunny, and when we got home, we relaxed a bit and then watched a movie with Len and Jen. I was so excited about it being the last week that I had a hard time sleeping.
We are most excited to just get back on the road. This next week we are wrapping up some things that we are helping the Devlins get done around the house, and helping prepare for Justines birthday this weekend. So far things are all in place for Sydney and its just a matter of getting there and making it all happen.
I cant believe that the count down has finally begun about us coming home. We are finally on our last leg of our year adventure, and we only have 3 more months until we are back in the states. What we will do from there is so up in the air at the moment that we arnt sure what we are going to do. We wont be able to decide until we get home and feel things out. The one thing that is for sure, is that we will be in the states until at least the new year. Lucky for us that we will still be doing lots of travelling within the states and be busy as ever with modelling, friends and family. Cant wait : )

02.24.11

I cant believe how fast time has gone. Ever since I started working this Admin. job, the weeks just come and go. What is even harder to believe is that in 2 weeks, John and I will be moving on once again! I think the best part about that is that I only have two weeks left of work and though I have not minded it too much, Im starting to take on the usual office drama and I cant stand that! Oh that and the hour train/bus/tram ride to get to work every morning. What an awful way to start your day, but I do a pretty good job of keeping myself happy.
Justine is having her 21st birthday party the Saturday before we leave, which will also be a nice way for John and I to say goodbye to everyone one last time. We have lived with the Devlins for so long, and we have spent so much time with rest of the family that we actually believed for a second that we were locals. It will be super hard to say goodbye to everyone, especially since we dont know the next time we might see them. Except for Justine she is planning on visiting us in Ohio for 5 weeks in June. John and I are both looking forward to showing her our part of the world, from our perspective and to offer some sort of gratuity to her parents who have looked after John and I so well these past two months.
Before you know it, June will be here and we will be on our way home! I hate thinking about it because I want to enjoy our last few months overseas and our big adventure. It seems like when I anticipate things, it makes the time go by so much more quickly. Dont get me wrong, we will only be home for a year before we take off again, its just we will only be gone for 3 months (or less) at a time versus estranging ourselves from our lives back home for a whole year. I dont think I could be away from family that long ever again!
Well, after Melbourne we will be heading to Sydney for a week and three days. From there we go straight to Fiji where we hope to spend a few weeks, and from there will decide if we want to jet to Tahiti or to a nearby country like New Caldonia or Vanuatu. I guess it just depends on how much plane tickets are.
For the time being its time to soak up our last two weeks in Melbourne!