Out in Coffs (pic)
posted by Bex @ 7:39 PM
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Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Random Beach picture
This beach reminded me of family holidays in Wales!!
posted by Bex @ 5:48 PM
4 comments
Monday, November 28, 2005
Horse Riding disaster
Today we decided to go horse riding. I've done this before without incident. The trail leads through the bush to the ocean. Imagine me on the laziest horse ever. I've been kicking him with my heels for about 5 mins to get him to move without any measure of success, and the group are 200m into the distance already. Suddenly he decides to bolt.
This is already embarrassing as I've told the riding stable that I have experience. I've lost the stirrups and the reins, I'm hanging on to the saddle bouncing around like a jack-in-the-box with my legs flailing the complete picture of how not to ride. However I manage a heroic save of the situation. I regain the reins, pull the horse,'Clint', into a sensible pace, locate my stirrups and finally trot up to my waiting group, a vision of control and grace.
They are laughing, it's true, and I grin at them because I can see the funny side, really. It's then that I realize that during the bouncing my boob tube top has been shaken down about my hips and I'm actually riding up to this group of strangers in my underwear. Embarrassing As.
The rest of the ride was uneventful by comparison. We rode the horses down to the beach and then rode them bareback (the horse)into the sea for a swim. All very idyllic apart from my enduring humiliation and the massive bruises on my legs from the adventure.
This is already embarrassing as I've told the riding stable that I have experience. I've lost the stirrups and the reins, I'm hanging on to the saddle bouncing around like a jack-in-the-box with my legs flailing the complete picture of how not to ride. However I manage a heroic save of the situation. I regain the reins, pull the horse,'Clint', into a sensible pace, locate my stirrups and finally trot up to my waiting group, a vision of control and grace.
They are laughing, it's true, and I grin at them because I can see the funny side, really. It's then that I realize that during the bouncing my boob tube top has been shaken down about my hips and I'm actually riding up to this group of strangers in my underwear. Embarrassing As.
The rest of the ride was uneventful by comparison. We rode the horses down to the beach and then rode them bareback (the horse)into the sea for a swim. All very idyllic apart from my enduring humiliation and the massive bruises on my legs from the adventure.
posted by Bex @ 10:20 AM
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Things not to wear when horse riding.(pic)
This was taken shortly after my riding fiasco, it is the very top that let me down.
posted by Bex @ 10:19 AM
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Sunday, November 27, 2005
Sailing on the Habibi
Next day we set off for the whitsundays. (Many of you may receive smug postcards shortly). I was very nervous about the possibility of being seasick for three days and stocked up on cures appropriately. However the sea was so calm that none of us needed to take anything.
We were on board with a group of 28 mostly Germans. The first night we were taught poker by the only other English chap and an English speaking Finnish man called Elmer (I was unaware the name was still in use). I'm very unsure about their version of poker... had we been playing for money our losses would have been heavy.
Our beds were approximately the size of coffins. Laura's was above the engine too so radiated heat in an otherwise already hot climate.
I have to admit we had a fantastic time. We sunbathed on a glorious beach (Whitehaven which can be recognized from the postcards). Spent the afternoon snorkeling along one of the inner reefs in very fetching stinger suits (jelly season although we saw none). The food cooked for us was delicious. At night there were millions of stars reflected in the still water, plus phosphorescent glowing around the boat. There was even a dolphin who came and swam by the boat in the moonlight!! (I regret to say that I missed this magical moment as a day of swimming and a couple of mugs of wine had sent me to sleep).
It was still lovely to get back to dry land and to showers (again) and toilets that don't lurch from side to side. We stayed the next night in a 4bed cabin far superia to the previous one. No lizard or beetles, just a Dutch man who constantly left the toilet seat up.
Spent the day teaching the girls to play speed scrabble! (Thankyou Clairex for travel scrabble). Went out for a drink that evening and we were actually asked for ID and turned away for not looking old enough!! Very funny!
Magnetic island should be our next stop, we plan to go horse riding along the beach!
We were on board with a group of 28 mostly Germans. The first night we were taught poker by the only other English chap and an English speaking Finnish man called Elmer (I was unaware the name was still in use). I'm very unsure about their version of poker... had we been playing for money our losses would have been heavy.
Our beds were approximately the size of coffins. Laura's was above the engine too so radiated heat in an otherwise already hot climate.
I have to admit we had a fantastic time. We sunbathed on a glorious beach (Whitehaven which can be recognized from the postcards). Spent the afternoon snorkeling along one of the inner reefs in very fetching stinger suits (jelly season although we saw none). The food cooked for us was delicious. At night there were millions of stars reflected in the still water, plus phosphorescent glowing around the boat. There was even a dolphin who came and swam by the boat in the moonlight!! (I regret to say that I missed this magical moment as a day of swimming and a couple of mugs of wine had sent me to sleep).
It was still lovely to get back to dry land and to showers (again) and toilets that don't lurch from side to side. We stayed the next night in a 4bed cabin far superia to the previous one. No lizard or beetles, just a Dutch man who constantly left the toilet seat up.
Spent the day teaching the girls to play speed scrabble! (Thankyou Clairex for travel scrabble). Went out for a drink that evening and we were actually asked for ID and turned away for not looking old enough!! Very funny!
Magnetic island should be our next stop, we plan to go horse riding along the beach!
posted by Bex @ 3:41 PM
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Whitsunday (pic)
This is the beautiful whitehaven beach
A sunset from the boat
posted by Bex @ 3:40 PM
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Saturday, November 26, 2005
To Arlie beach with Wilson
We spent our last night at Rainbow beach after the Fraser trip and decided to head off to Arlie beach for three days of sailing the Whitsunday islands.
Lucy had the brainwave of traveling overnight since it was a long leg of our journey and would save us paying one nights accommodation. I have doubts about anything which interferes with sleep but they talked me round with the whole 'it will be an experience' and 'we'll reminisce in times to come' angle.
We spent the day waiting for the coach and blowing the money we'd saved on accommodation. We went out for pancakes and iced coffee at breakfast, stopped by the beauty salon to have our legs waxed etc. We are terrible, terrible backpackers. I think it's fair to say we haven't cooked even once...we eat out every single meal. If we feel tired or it's too hot we turn to each other and say,'Let's just get a taxi' and we're home in an air-conditioned jiffy.
Finally our coach came, Laura and Luce will report that the journey was easier and faster being at night. The truth is that it was long and tedious with minimal sleep. In addition the driver inflicted a movie on us: Cody Banks 2.
At some rest stop I stumbled back to the bus as half asleep as I'd left and found a bright yellow pineapple safety belted into my seat! Where does Lucy get both the energy and the props at 3 o'clock in the morning? We called him Wilson (cast away) but feel his life is bound to be short and violent.
Reached our hostel which is actually a little cabin we're sharing with three Essex girls and a lizard who lives under the linoleum. There are also brown beetles (which I'm trying not to think of as cockroaches) that scuttle out from the broken tiles of the shower and try to escape when I turn the water on!
Went out for a slap up dinner and margaritas to celebrate the half way point of our holiday. (Really it was Lucy's third of the way point!) Found a great place that satisfied Lucy's faux-fur fetish with zebra pattern seat covers; pineapple table decorations for me; and an aquarium with plastic fish for Laura.
Hopefully Photos will be added but all computers are not the same and I need one of the girls to come and find where this computer has stashed them.
Lucy had the brainwave of traveling overnight since it was a long leg of our journey and would save us paying one nights accommodation. I have doubts about anything which interferes with sleep but they talked me round with the whole 'it will be an experience' and 'we'll reminisce in times to come' angle.
We spent the day waiting for the coach and blowing the money we'd saved on accommodation. We went out for pancakes and iced coffee at breakfast, stopped by the beauty salon to have our legs waxed etc. We are terrible, terrible backpackers. I think it's fair to say we haven't cooked even once...we eat out every single meal. If we feel tired or it's too hot we turn to each other and say,'Let's just get a taxi' and we're home in an air-conditioned jiffy.
Finally our coach came, Laura and Luce will report that the journey was easier and faster being at night. The truth is that it was long and tedious with minimal sleep. In addition the driver inflicted a movie on us: Cody Banks 2.
At some rest stop I stumbled back to the bus as half asleep as I'd left and found a bright yellow pineapple safety belted into my seat! Where does Lucy get both the energy and the props at 3 o'clock in the morning? We called him Wilson (cast away) but feel his life is bound to be short and violent.
Reached our hostel which is actually a little cabin we're sharing with three Essex girls and a lizard who lives under the linoleum. There are also brown beetles (which I'm trying not to think of as cockroaches) that scuttle out from the broken tiles of the shower and try to escape when I turn the water on!
Went out for a slap up dinner and margaritas to celebrate the half way point of our holiday. (Really it was Lucy's third of the way point!) Found a great place that satisfied Lucy's faux-fur fetish with zebra pattern seat covers; pineapple table decorations for me; and an aquarium with plastic fish for Laura.
Hopefully Photos will be added but all computers are not the same and I need one of the girls to come and find where this computer has stashed them.
posted by Bex @ 2:55 PM
0 comments
Friday, November 25, 2005
Fraser Island Camping
Our next little adventure started further up the coast again where we'd booked ourselves a four wheel drive camping adventure on Fraser Island (a world heritage listed area).
This began with a briefing from 'Shane', a long-haired, high-as-a-kite, hungover Canadian who instructed us on our trip with wild enthusiasm coupled with song and dance. Needless to say we arrived on the actual island somewhat non-plussed together with three glamorous Canadian girls, three German guys (I somehow missed telling them I understood German), an Israeli couple, camping gear, a four wheel drive, food and a map.
We decided to set up camp our first night on the beach and had a makeshift barbecue. It was certainly a beautiful spot. We watched the full moon rise over the Pacific Ocean -breathtaking. Also there is some sort of phosphorescent in the wet sand so that if we disturbed it glowing sparks would appear for a few seconds. The stars were many and bright... I tried to convince the Canadians that the big dipper (constellation) is not to be found in the southern hemisphere but all in vain.
Luce and Laura rose early to watch the sun rise, I trailed rather blearily in their wake and saw it too, briefly, before crawling back into my sleeping bag. Not for long though as camping on the beach is identical to camping in the desert-fiendishly hot. It was our turn to cook so we russelled up a nearly-english breakfast. Tried to convince the Canadians that eggs were perfectly safe to eat after being stored at room temperature, but it was a lost cause.
We had a great time bumping around in the back of the 4X4,visiting beautiful places and listening to David Hasselhoff singing in German (the boys choice). We will now be forced to put the Baywatch theme tune on our 'Ozzie' soundtrack CD.
Our most favorite place was Lake McKenzie, crystal clear water from natural springs. When we swam here our silver jewelry came out sparkling! Something to do with the sand again.
The worst draw back was that the threat of dingo attacks (over exaggerated I'm sure) created the necessity of peeing behind the bushes in groups. An enduring memory for all of us!
After three days our supplies had dwindled to a choice between tinned spaghetti and peanut butter...it was time to go back to the main land.
We returned to Rainbow beach for one night and most importantly for showers and toilets- two things that can never be over rated. Somehow the Canadian girls looked just as glamorous at the end of the trip as the start. How they accomplished this when three days of not showering, hot weather and no running water had reduced the rest of us to smelly yetti's I have no idea.
This began with a briefing from 'Shane', a long-haired, high-as-a-kite, hungover Canadian who instructed us on our trip with wild enthusiasm coupled with song and dance. Needless to say we arrived on the actual island somewhat non-plussed together with three glamorous Canadian girls, three German guys (I somehow missed telling them I understood German), an Israeli couple, camping gear, a four wheel drive, food and a map.
We decided to set up camp our first night on the beach and had a makeshift barbecue. It was certainly a beautiful spot. We watched the full moon rise over the Pacific Ocean -breathtaking. Also there is some sort of phosphorescent in the wet sand so that if we disturbed it glowing sparks would appear for a few seconds. The stars were many and bright... I tried to convince the Canadians that the big dipper (constellation) is not to be found in the southern hemisphere but all in vain.
Luce and Laura rose early to watch the sun rise, I trailed rather blearily in their wake and saw it too, briefly, before crawling back into my sleeping bag. Not for long though as camping on the beach is identical to camping in the desert-fiendishly hot. It was our turn to cook so we russelled up a nearly-english breakfast. Tried to convince the Canadians that eggs were perfectly safe to eat after being stored at room temperature, but it was a lost cause.
We had a great time bumping around in the back of the 4X4,visiting beautiful places and listening to David Hasselhoff singing in German (the boys choice). We will now be forced to put the Baywatch theme tune on our 'Ozzie' soundtrack CD.
Our most favorite place was Lake McKenzie, crystal clear water from natural springs. When we swam here our silver jewelry came out sparkling! Something to do with the sand again.
The worst draw back was that the threat of dingo attacks (over exaggerated I'm sure) created the necessity of peeing behind the bushes in groups. An enduring memory for all of us!
After three days our supplies had dwindled to a choice between tinned spaghetti and peanut butter...it was time to go back to the main land.
We returned to Rainbow beach for one night and most importantly for showers and toilets- two things that can never be over rated. Somehow the Canadian girls looked just as glamorous at the end of the trip as the start. How they accomplished this when three days of not showering, hot weather and no running water had reduced the rest of us to smelly yetti's I have no idea.
posted by Bex @ 11:19 PM
0 comments
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Australia Zoo and Noosa
We left Brisbane, despite the hotel managers objections, and ventured further into Queensland. Queensland (according to lucys' non-relatives) has the least educated population in Australia, and seems to be the butt of numerous jokes, the subject of dire warnings and the home to many missing persons. Indeed some queenslanders believe that their lost prime minister (who,according to Bill Bryson, went for a swim and has never been heard of since) did not drown but was actually abducted by a Russian submarine and, even as I write, may to this day be languishing in a siberian jail. This said the queenslanders we've met have been very friendly and helpful. On occasion some of them could have come from a "phones-for-you" advert, but on the whole nice.
On the way to Noosa we stopped off at the Australian Zoo and spent the day feeding kangaroos, cuddling koalas and leaning how to avoid being ingested by crocodiles. We also practiced our Steve Irwin impressions:"Crikey, what a beauty!" with Ozzie accents. (And then in Welsh, Somerset, Irish and American accents too).
Sadly we missed viewing the Big Pineapple although we saw many pictures along the way to Noosa. Noosa is another beach town, quite an expensive area, reputedly populated with millionaires. (Who probably made their fortunes selling fridge magnets to us tourists!)
Our hostel here was beautiful, even without the inevitable comparison to the hotel Broadway! Our room opened onto a wide veranda with sofas! We shared our four bedroom dorm with a man - not ideal as there's no getting past the fact men snore, and there are difficulties inherent to waking one you don't know in the middle of the night. He was going to stay in Noosa until February. I say 'was' as Lucy and Laura managed to persuade him to see the error of his dissipated lifestyle and sent him back to his christian grandparents the next day. We also left for Rainbow beach the same day.
On the way to Noosa we stopped off at the Australian Zoo and spent the day feeding kangaroos, cuddling koalas and leaning how to avoid being ingested by crocodiles. We also practiced our Steve Irwin impressions:"Crikey, what a beauty!" with Ozzie accents. (And then in Welsh, Somerset, Irish and American accents too).
Sadly we missed viewing the Big Pineapple although we saw many pictures along the way to Noosa. Noosa is another beach town, quite an expensive area, reputedly populated with millionaires. (Who probably made their fortunes selling fridge magnets to us tourists!)
Our hostel here was beautiful, even without the inevitable comparison to the hotel Broadway! Our room opened onto a wide veranda with sofas! We shared our four bedroom dorm with a man - not ideal as there's no getting past the fact men snore, and there are difficulties inherent to waking one you don't know in the middle of the night. He was going to stay in Noosa until February. I say 'was' as Lucy and Laura managed to persuade him to see the error of his dissipated lifestyle and sent him back to his christian grandparents the next day. We also left for Rainbow beach the same day.
posted by Bex @ 5:49 PM
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Brisbane
We arrived in Brisbane, queensland for a two night stop and surpassed all previous weirdness. We caught a taxi to our hostel (yes, we are rubbish backpackers) and found a purple and blue gothic-come-disney mansion overseen by a slightly unhinged proprietor who told us once we checked in we could never leave. He showed us through a chained gangway up to a turret bedroom with a balcony over the neon 'Hotel Broadway' sign. (Lucy: Nothing like Broadway, nothing like an hotel). Many unhelpful scenarios went through our minds at this point (and possibly yours) but at $10 a night we figured real travelers couldn't be choosy.
I took advantage of Luce and laura's accommodation shock to drag them to the botanical gardens. Some of you who have endured garden centers for me will sympathize, but I genuinely believe they enjoyed it!
Our second day we were taken out by lucys' great-grandmothers' sisters' grandsons' ?wife/ex-wife (no-one knows and it's awkward to ask) and her son. Whether Luce is actually related to them is a mystery. They were very kind all the same. Quite political, they're entirely responsible for any understanding I have of Australia's political climate.(And for that of New Zealand, Indonesia, and the USA too). They terrified me by asking us if sociology in England was as influenced by post-modernistic philosophy as in Australia. Is this a normal question to ask people you've just met? I just blinked a few times hoping my brain would translate, then Laura and I turned to Lucy who can talk herself in or out of any circumstance and she answered extensively.
Lucy is the absolute queen of blag as illustrated by her attempt to get the three of us scruffy-jean-and-flipflop-backpackers in into the penthouse bar of the Shangri La Hotel in Sydney for cocktails over looking the harbour, eventually (and unsurprisingly) they turned us away on the 36th floor for wearing thongs. (Taking the dress code a step too far you may think but 'thong' is Australian for flip-flops).
That was all our time in Brisbane, next stop Noosa.
I took advantage of Luce and laura's accommodation shock to drag them to the botanical gardens. Some of you who have endured garden centers for me will sympathize, but I genuinely believe they enjoyed it!
Our second day we were taken out by lucys' great-grandmothers' sisters' grandsons' ?wife/ex-wife (no-one knows and it's awkward to ask) and her son. Whether Luce is actually related to them is a mystery. They were very kind all the same. Quite political, they're entirely responsible for any understanding I have of Australia's political climate.(And for that of New Zealand, Indonesia, and the USA too). They terrified me by asking us if sociology in England was as influenced by post-modernistic philosophy as in Australia. Is this a normal question to ask people you've just met? I just blinked a few times hoping my brain would translate, then Laura and I turned to Lucy who can talk herself in or out of any circumstance and she answered extensively.
Lucy is the absolute queen of blag as illustrated by her attempt to get the three of us scruffy-jean-and-flipflop-backpackers in into the penthouse bar of the Shangri La Hotel in Sydney for cocktails over looking the harbour, eventually (and unsurprisingly) they turned us away on the 36th floor for wearing thongs. (Taking the dress code a step too far you may think but 'thong' is Australian for flip-flops).
That was all our time in Brisbane, next stop Noosa.
posted by Bex @ 4:34 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Byron Bay
Our next stop was byron Bay so we said our farewells to the 'Big Banana' (one of Australia's inexplicable giant kitsch Fiberglas structures), passed Russell Crowes home, Stopped briefly at the 'Big Prawn' and arrived many hours later at our hostel. I say hostel but New Age commune is more accurate. They certainly had a fair proportion of the continents crystals, buddas,chanting and yoga teachers. Fortunately they sold very good cheese cake and this went surprisingly far in compensating for un-necessary weirdness.
We explored the area in tiny Noddy type cars. A local shop rented them to us free to ride around advertising them. They certainly drew attention and at times undisguised laughter. Still we beetled around happily visiting the beach and light house, trying not to hit stoned hippies. Only spent two nights and it was time to move on again!
We explored the area in tiny Noddy type cars. A local shop rented them to us free to ride around advertising them. They certainly drew attention and at times undisguised laughter. Still we beetled around happily visiting the beach and light house, trying not to hit stoned hippies. Only spent two nights and it was time to move on again!
posted by Bex @ 10:34 PM
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Monday, November 21, 2005
Lucy's Temptation (pic)
These are the pancakes lucy tried to temp us away from diving with.
posted by Bex @ 1:49 PM
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Scuba Mike (pic)
The scuba instructor and I after my sucessful dive.
posted by Bex @ 1:49 PM
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Perils of Scuba
Hello guys,
So... scuba diving. Laura and I enrolled on a four day certified course in coffs harbour. This consisted of intense boot camp style training in a swimming pool, endurance testing, medical examination and written exam (well multiple choice). It was hard work and once I was in the middle of it all I had my reservations as to whether clown fish were really worth seeing in their natural environment. Also there was Luce who, instead of diving and being cold, wet & exhausted, slept late and went out for extravagant breakfasts which she photographed to seduce us from our purpose.
We overcame all these obstacles and set out for our first dives none the less. On a boat. In the open ocean. Laura who is travel sick on every form of public and private transport was not ill at all. And I, who am never seasick, was desperately ill. Then we put all our extensive epuipment on which is constrictive and so heavy we were hanging on to the boat sides to keep upright! Finally we hurled ourselves into the big, wide sea!! It's cold and choppy. At this point I wanted to get out, what sort of idiots do this for fun?? I perservered however and decended to 8 metres below the surface. Visibility was about 3 metres because the weather had been bad. And then my mask began to fill with water. In getting the water out I managed to inhale water through my nose and proceeded to start choking under water- very unpleasant as you can all appreciate. The instructor grabbed my arms in case I should go shooting to the surface (thereby exploding my lungs and dying) and I sustained what Luce calls "domestic violence bruising" on my arms. Once I was breathing again and initial panic over I had a long sign-language arguement with the instructor who wanted me to continue. No power on earth would keep me down there and I finally found myself crawling onto and across the boat on my hands and knees since I was too water logged to stand. I spent the next 2 hours hanging over the side vomiting for England. Not my finest hour by a long way.
I intended that to be the end of scuba for ever. It was going to be one of those things you keep a wise and healthy distance from, like crocodiles, jelly fish, brussel sprouts etc.
Then I started feeling disappointed in myself- I don't usually panic or quit (feel free to disagree if you know better). Then Laura (modern sage) told me that "fear is the thief of dreams." And I realised that though the clown fish weren't worth it I did want to see them. So back I went.
I fortified myself against seasickness thus: 2 quells seasickness tablets, 2 herbal remedy tablets, 2 magnetic accupressure bracelets (new age mumbo-jumbo), and ginger (old wives tale).
Something worked as I wasn't ill untill the return journey! And I managed to do two 35min dives! Admittedly my instructor, Mike, held my hand almost the whole time ( calm down girls he's in his 50's) and I was terrified, but I did it! And it was worth it. I saw both nemos and dorries, 2 turtles and some bull rays, even a carpet shark! Plus other things I can't name.I don't imagine that I will ever like diving or even repeat it but I'm so pleased I did it.
So... scuba diving. Laura and I enrolled on a four day certified course in coffs harbour. This consisted of intense boot camp style training in a swimming pool, endurance testing, medical examination and written exam (well multiple choice). It was hard work and once I was in the middle of it all I had my reservations as to whether clown fish were really worth seeing in their natural environment. Also there was Luce who, instead of diving and being cold, wet & exhausted, slept late and went out for extravagant breakfasts which she photographed to seduce us from our purpose.
We overcame all these obstacles and set out for our first dives none the less. On a boat. In the open ocean. Laura who is travel sick on every form of public and private transport was not ill at all. And I, who am never seasick, was desperately ill. Then we put all our extensive epuipment on which is constrictive and so heavy we were hanging on to the boat sides to keep upright! Finally we hurled ourselves into the big, wide sea!! It's cold and choppy. At this point I wanted to get out, what sort of idiots do this for fun?? I perservered however and decended to 8 metres below the surface. Visibility was about 3 metres because the weather had been bad. And then my mask began to fill with water. In getting the water out I managed to inhale water through my nose and proceeded to start choking under water- very unpleasant as you can all appreciate. The instructor grabbed my arms in case I should go shooting to the surface (thereby exploding my lungs and dying) and I sustained what Luce calls "domestic violence bruising" on my arms. Once I was breathing again and initial panic over I had a long sign-language arguement with the instructor who wanted me to continue. No power on earth would keep me down there and I finally found myself crawling onto and across the boat on my hands and knees since I was too water logged to stand. I spent the next 2 hours hanging over the side vomiting for England. Not my finest hour by a long way.
I intended that to be the end of scuba for ever. It was going to be one of those things you keep a wise and healthy distance from, like crocodiles, jelly fish, brussel sprouts etc.
Then I started feeling disappointed in myself- I don't usually panic or quit (feel free to disagree if you know better). Then Laura (modern sage) told me that "fear is the thief of dreams." And I realised that though the clown fish weren't worth it I did want to see them. So back I went.
I fortified myself against seasickness thus: 2 quells seasickness tablets, 2 herbal remedy tablets, 2 magnetic accupressure bracelets (new age mumbo-jumbo), and ginger (old wives tale).
Something worked as I wasn't ill untill the return journey! And I managed to do two 35min dives! Admittedly my instructor, Mike, held my hand almost the whole time ( calm down girls he's in his 50's) and I was terrified, but I did it! And it was worth it. I saw both nemos and dorries, 2 turtles and some bull rays, even a carpet shark! Plus other things I can't name.I don't imagine that I will ever like diving or even repeat it but I'm so pleased I did it.
posted by Bex @ 1:37 PM
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Sunday, November 20, 2005
Koala and I (pic)
This is me (obviously) at the zoo trying to stroke a koala. For all his cuteness he was very smelly!
posted by Bex @ 10:37 PM
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Laura feeding kangaroos (pic)
This was taken at the Australia zoo.
posted by Bex @ 10:20 PM
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Monday, November 14, 2005
BekOz
Hello all,
I've decided to Blogg my travels from now on to keep you all up to speed on life the other side of the world! I love being a day ahead of almost everyone I know! For thoes of you still in the dark I'm backpacking around Australia with friends Lucy(aka Dottie) and Laura(aka luggins).
The last group email I sent we were about to depart our luxuary life style in Sydney and become real slumming-it-backpackers. With heavey hearts we left Daniel (our concierge) and the last Krispy kream shop in Australia and set off on the greyhound up the coast headed for Coffs Harbour.
At Coffs we entered what Luce calls a byker-grove-style hostel called Aussitel. We pretty well had our own room for the whole stay. There's really not too much going on in Coffs but it's a lovely laid back little town full of very friendly people.
It was here that laura and I decided to embark on an open water scuba diving course. Thoes of you who have known me long will not be surprised to hear that I had no clear idea what this would entail. I have very firmly and (I've come to believe) sensibly held prejudices against having water in my nose,ears or eyes. It certainly is NOT natural to breath under water, and shall not be attempted in the future.
I'll update my disasterous encounters with scuba next time- my time's up and I'm off to bed!
I've decided to Blogg my travels from now on to keep you all up to speed on life the other side of the world! I love being a day ahead of almost everyone I know! For thoes of you still in the dark I'm backpacking around Australia with friends Lucy(aka Dottie) and Laura(aka luggins).
The last group email I sent we were about to depart our luxuary life style in Sydney and become real slumming-it-backpackers. With heavey hearts we left Daniel (our concierge) and the last Krispy kream shop in Australia and set off on the greyhound up the coast headed for Coffs Harbour.
At Coffs we entered what Luce calls a byker-grove-style hostel called Aussitel. We pretty well had our own room for the whole stay. There's really not too much going on in Coffs but it's a lovely laid back little town full of very friendly people.
It was here that laura and I decided to embark on an open water scuba diving course. Thoes of you who have known me long will not be surprised to hear that I had no clear idea what this would entail. I have very firmly and (I've come to believe) sensibly held prejudices against having water in my nose,ears or eyes. It certainly is NOT natural to breath under water, and shall not be attempted in the future.
I'll update my disasterous encounters with scuba next time- my time's up and I'm off to bed!
posted by Bex @ 2:22 AM
0 comments
