After Kakadu, we spent a few more days in Darwin (see Darwin post) before getting on another 2 planes and heading to Canberra, the Washington DC of Australia. Every time we meet Aussies, they always ask why in the world we are going to Canberra, but I found it pretty interesting! Originally, when we were in the International Business class, we were supposed to leave Darwin on Thursday, but our new History class was scheduled to leave on Wednesday. Sarah and I attempted to change our flight, but it was going to cost us too much. Kate, one of our program supervisors, told us she would be able to get us on the flight with the rest of the group. We arrived at the airport and were told we couldn’t get on the flight because it was full. Kate started to call Jan, the head program lady, when the ticket lady came slowly up to her, whispered in Kate’s ear, and walked off quickly. Kate smiled really big and informed us that Sarah and I were going to make the flight with the rest of the group! When we boarded the flight and saw that our seats were in the unaccompanied minors section, which the group found quite fitting for Sarah and I. After a long flight (3.5 hours… Australia is huge!!), a short layover, and another flight, we arrived in Canberra. We spent the first night at the hostel pub eating pizza (for the first time since we’ve left—Sarah was dying!) and drinking a little bit. We called it an early night and headed back to our rooms. This was BY FAR the nicest hostel we have stayed in.
We woke up early on Thursday and had a busy day. We started off by driving to the highest point just outside of Canberra to learn about the layout of the town, which is a planned city. We drove back down the “mountain” and headed to the Australian War Memorial. I’ve been to Washington DC a few times, but this War Memorial blew me away. We were able to spend a few hours walking around learning about the wars that Aussies had participated in. One exhibit they had was over different airplanes the Australian Air Force has flown and I took numerous photos for my dad. We left the Memorial and headed down Anzac Parade to the New Parliament House. Canberra is set up in a really cool way. Parliament is on a slight hill and you are able to look straight down a long street (which is lines with more War Memorials and Statues) into the Australian War Memorial’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Our guide at Parliament told us this was designed so that every member of Congress could always look out their office window and remember what war does to Australia and its citizens. Both the Senate (Upper House) and House of Representatives (Lower House) were still in session and we were able to sit in and listen to both houses. Australian politics is really interesting in that they have a “question” session where any Member of Parliament can ask any other member any question they want. There is quite a scandal going on in Australian Politics involving a possible bribe and some false emails. We were able to sit in on question time during this point and it got REALLY interesting. There was a lot of commotion at several points in the House of Representatives!!
After leaving Parliament, we decided to do some shopping at the Target we spied earlier that morning. Someone in our group had the idea to cook dinner at the hostel to save some money. We made a group trip to the market to pick out our dinner, which ended up being a salad, potatoes, and chicken. Everyone pitched in on dinner outside on the balcony. Have I mentioned how COLD Canberra is?! We traded bikinis and tank tops for WINTER COATS!!! After dinner, we decided to take a dip in the pool/hot tub (which was actually hot this time… have I told the story about the “hot” tub trip in Darwin?!) before watching Role Models on my laptop in the common area. It was probably pretty cute to see six of us curled up on a couch watching a movie on my laptop!
Friday topped off our trip in Canberra. We started by taking a trip to the National Museum of Australia. It was neat to explore the museum, learning about Australian history and culture. Naturally, Sarah and I eventually “stumbled” onto the Children’s Section (oh we found it at the War Memorial too…..) and the Museum Store. While in the museum, we saw the bus driver hanging out. Sarah and I talked to him for a bit and informed him that we had yet to see live wild Kangaroos yet. He promised us that he would make sure we would see some before we left for Sydney. At first I thought he was pulling our leg (kind of like when he told us he worked at NASA and just drove tour buses on his days off..?), but we will get back to that thought later! We left the museum, grabbed lunched from a market, and headed to the waterfront to have a picnic. Then came my favorite part of the day: The Australian National Zoo!! We all thought we were just walking around the zoo until we were handed release forms to fill out. Turns out, we had a backstage guided tour to get up close and personal with the animals. The first thing we did was feed a 15 year old tiger raw meat!!! Next, we fed apples to an Eland (google it, I didn’t know what it was either). Ben’s day was made because the Elands lived in the same pen as the Zebras! Next, we met a giraffe and fed her some carrots. Talk about a long slimy tongue!! Next, we walked into this gate and discovered…… drum roll… KANGAROOS!!! If you walked very slowly, they would allow you to approach them and pet them. My day was made!! In this pen, we were also able to fed Emus. Talk about a creepy bird! They walk funny, stare you in the eye, and pluck the food out of your hand!! The Emu was the only animal I was uncomfortable able feeding!
When we left the zoo, the bus driver informed us we were going on a mission to find kangaroos. We stared by driving to the Royal Canberra Golf Course (a members only golf course).. in a giant tour bus. We left the main clubhouse and started down this road. All of a sudden, we took the bus OFF THE ROAD and through the grass looking for Roos. The tour guide didn’t disappoint. At the back of the golf course, just passed a fence, there was a “herd” of kangaroos eating. We got off the bus and crept up on them. They didn’t get us get too close, but we saw wild kangaroos!! We got back to the hostel, did a little more shopping (I wanted Uggs!), and headed to dinner. A few of us made the bad decision to go out Friday night, which I regretted the next morning!!! We left the hostel early (I intelligently didn’t pack the night before either) and headed towards Sydney, which was only a 4 hour (although very painful...)bus ride.
June 30, 2009
Ever Went on a Kangaroo Hunt Off-Road in a Tour Bus?
I Survived Camping in "The Bush"!
To help bond as a group and learn more about the Aboriginals in Australia, we broke out into smaller groups (our included our class and the other small class, Imaging Australia) and went on a three day camping trip in Kakadu National Park, Australia’s largest National Park. Our group left Darwin on Thursday morning and headed straight to the Adelaide River for a Jumping Crocodile Cruise. Before we boarded the cruise, we were able to play with a few large snakes. I think I can still feel them squirming on my shoulders!! Once on the boat, a guide took a large chunk of raw meat and attached it to a stick. We drove the boat down the river and crocs started to follow us. The guide held the stick up and the crocs would rise out of the water and eat the meat. The crocs are not trained and jump because they are used to jumping out of the water to eat birds off the low hanging branches of trees. We were on the water for approximately an hour and saw over 25 crocs swimming in the river or sunbathing on the shore of the river.
The first place we visited once inside the park was Ubirr, in the East Alligator Region. We walked around Ubirr and looked at several Aboriginal rock art sites before climbing to the top. Once at the top of Ubirr, we got a spectacular view of Arnhem Land and the Nadab floodplains. After we hiked down, we found our way back to camp, which had already been set up by a few of our guides. We all showered and settled into our tents while our guides cooked us dinner. That first night, we just sat around the bonfire, talking and playing guitar. The temperature drastically drops in Kakadu at night and so Sarah and I recruited Jo to come sleep in our tent for extra body heat. I’m not the best camp sleeper (I can’t sleep when I think I’m going to FREEZE), so I didn’t get much sleep. Jo, Sarah, and I all randomly busted up laughing at 3 AM cursing the LOUD birds and lack of sunlight (we were praying for the sun to rise so we could warm back up!). After a FREEZING shower and a quick breakfast, we loaded up for another fun-filled, packed day.
We started the morning out in the Yellow Water Wetlands. There was a boardwalk that allowed us to actually go out into the wetlands safely. After getting eaten alive (the “mozzies” are HORRIBLE down by the water) and seeing some more crocs, we headed to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center. We were able to explore the center (which is shaped like a giant pig-nosed turtle) and learn more about the Aboriginals in Kakadu. To follow up, we went to Mandy’s, an Aboriginal lady that opens her home up to visitors interested in learning more about the Aboriginal culture. We got a tour of their land (and ate water lily, which tastes like celery) before separating so the guys could do “Men Business” and the girls could do “Women Business”. The girls learned to weave bracelets. We learned how weaving was important in finding a husband. If you couldn’t weave, you weren’t going to find a husband! The guys learned how to paint Aboriginal style (like the rock art) and to play the didgeridoo. They had a contest at the end, which Tommy won and was given a didgeridoo to take home as his prize. We left Mandy’s and headed to Nourlangie to do some more hiking and look at more Aboriginal rock art. I had a hard time making out some of the art at other sites, but I was able to tell what some of the pictures were saying at Nourlangie. The Aboriginals used rock art to share their knowledge and tell stories. There was a boat at Nourlangie that was to tell the story of when White people landed in Australia. We had one other hike (I can’t remember the site) that afternoon that took us to another amazing view. It was nice to reach the top and just sit down to take the view in. You can see for MILES at the top of some of these sites. We arrived back at Yellow Waters in time to watch a sunset (gets me every time!). When we got back to camp, the Tourism class had arrived at Kakadu. The first night, there were only 30 people including students, professors, and guides. The tourism class made our group count rise to 65! Before dinner, one of the guides told us the story of the didgeridoo and then played it for us. That night for dinner we were able to try kangaroo for the first time. Surprisingly, it was pretty good! After dinner, a small group of us from our class (maybe 7?) decided to sneak away from camp. The sky is so clear down here and you are really able to see the stars. We snuck away to lie in the grass outside of camp and look at the stars. We saw the Milky Way and the Southern Cross. I think we were gone for a total of 30 minutes and probably saw over 15 falling stars!! Since we were so cold the first night, we decided to add to our tent once again (please keep in mind this was a 2 person tent now sleeping 4). I don’t know if it was the added body heat or the Tylenol PM I took, but either way I was finally able to get some sleep!
We woke up Saturday morning, packed our bags, ate a quick breakfast and headed to Gunlom Falls. The falls are part of the South Alligator River that partially dries up in the dry season and creates little plunge pools. We had to hike quite a ways up to the falls, but it was totally worth it in the end!! I’ve never swam in such a serene location before. There was probably five little pools to swim in, all separated by rocks. In the wet season, it’s one huge river. You had to be careful in the last pool because it went STRAIGHT down a waterfall. We swam for a few hours before making it back to Darwin in time to watch the Quanta’s Wallabies take on Italy in an International Rugby Game. Oh, I can’t forget to mention the termite hills!! They were GIANT tower looking mounds that took termites hundreds of years to make. On the way out of the park, we stopped at one to take photos and see up close.
The three days we spent in Kakadu were amazing. We really bonded as a group and visited some amazing areas of the park. I love camping anyways and it was neat camping in “The Bush” of Australia. Kakadu was really interesting because there are six very different landscapes apparent in the park. We were in the Savanna woodlands, Monsoon forests, Southern Hills, Stone Country, flatlands, and floodplains.
The first place we visited once inside the park was Ubirr, in the East Alligator Region. We walked around Ubirr and looked at several Aboriginal rock art sites before climbing to the top. Once at the top of Ubirr, we got a spectacular view of Arnhem Land and the Nadab floodplains. After we hiked down, we found our way back to camp, which had already been set up by a few of our guides. We all showered and settled into our tents while our guides cooked us dinner. That first night, we just sat around the bonfire, talking and playing guitar. The temperature drastically drops in Kakadu at night and so Sarah and I recruited Jo to come sleep in our tent for extra body heat. I’m not the best camp sleeper (I can’t sleep when I think I’m going to FREEZE), so I didn’t get much sleep. Jo, Sarah, and I all randomly busted up laughing at 3 AM cursing the LOUD birds and lack of sunlight (we were praying for the sun to rise so we could warm back up!). After a FREEZING shower and a quick breakfast, we loaded up for another fun-filled, packed day.
We started the morning out in the Yellow Water Wetlands. There was a boardwalk that allowed us to actually go out into the wetlands safely. After getting eaten alive (the “mozzies” are HORRIBLE down by the water) and seeing some more crocs, we headed to the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Center. We were able to explore the center (which is shaped like a giant pig-nosed turtle) and learn more about the Aboriginals in Kakadu. To follow up, we went to Mandy’s, an Aboriginal lady that opens her home up to visitors interested in learning more about the Aboriginal culture. We got a tour of their land (and ate water lily, which tastes like celery) before separating so the guys could do “Men Business” and the girls could do “Women Business”. The girls learned to weave bracelets. We learned how weaving was important in finding a husband. If you couldn’t weave, you weren’t going to find a husband! The guys learned how to paint Aboriginal style (like the rock art) and to play the didgeridoo. They had a contest at the end, which Tommy won and was given a didgeridoo to take home as his prize. We left Mandy’s and headed to Nourlangie to do some more hiking and look at more Aboriginal rock art. I had a hard time making out some of the art at other sites, but I was able to tell what some of the pictures were saying at Nourlangie. The Aboriginals used rock art to share their knowledge and tell stories. There was a boat at Nourlangie that was to tell the story of when White people landed in Australia. We had one other hike (I can’t remember the site) that afternoon that took us to another amazing view. It was nice to reach the top and just sit down to take the view in. You can see for MILES at the top of some of these sites. We arrived back at Yellow Waters in time to watch a sunset (gets me every time!). When we got back to camp, the Tourism class had arrived at Kakadu. The first night, there were only 30 people including students, professors, and guides. The tourism class made our group count rise to 65! Before dinner, one of the guides told us the story of the didgeridoo and then played it for us. That night for dinner we were able to try kangaroo for the first time. Surprisingly, it was pretty good! After dinner, a small group of us from our class (maybe 7?) decided to sneak away from camp. The sky is so clear down here and you are really able to see the stars. We snuck away to lie in the grass outside of camp and look at the stars. We saw the Milky Way and the Southern Cross. I think we were gone for a total of 30 minutes and probably saw over 15 falling stars!! Since we were so cold the first night, we decided to add to our tent once again (please keep in mind this was a 2 person tent now sleeping 4). I don’t know if it was the added body heat or the Tylenol PM I took, but either way I was finally able to get some sleep!
We woke up Saturday morning, packed our bags, ate a quick breakfast and headed to Gunlom Falls. The falls are part of the South Alligator River that partially dries up in the dry season and creates little plunge pools. We had to hike quite a ways up to the falls, but it was totally worth it in the end!! I’ve never swam in such a serene location before. There was probably five little pools to swim in, all separated by rocks. In the wet season, it’s one huge river. You had to be careful in the last pool because it went STRAIGHT down a waterfall. We swam for a few hours before making it back to Darwin in time to watch the Quanta’s Wallabies take on Italy in an International Rugby Game. Oh, I can’t forget to mention the termite hills!! They were GIANT tower looking mounds that took termites hundreds of years to make. On the way out of the park, we stopped at one to take photos and see up close.
The three days we spent in Kakadu were amazing. We really bonded as a group and visited some amazing areas of the park. I love camping anyways and it was neat camping in “The Bush” of Australia. Kakadu was really interesting because there are six very different landscapes apparent in the park. We were in the Savanna woodlands, Monsoon forests, Southern Hills, Stone Country, flatlands, and floodplains.
June 25, 2009
In Great Company
I feel like there are some people I must introduce before I get too far into blogging about this summer. As I've mentioned (I think?), our summer program is offering around 5 classes this summer with a total of around 150 students enrolled. Somehow, we lucked out and are enrolled in the smallest class with only 11 students. I'm slightly in love with our entire class!!!
Our professor, Pete, is from the University of Notre Dame- Sydney. He is one of the funniest, most laid back, and knowledgeable professors I've had!! I'm not a huge fan on history or politics, but I can listen to Pete all day long.
There are 3 students from Georgetown University in our class. Kevin and Tommy are both pre-med students. Johanna is a history major (fitting for our class huh?). Kevin and Tommy are both two of the nicest guys I've met! Sarah and I have really bonded with Jo (Can we talk about the three of us sharing a two person tent at Kakadu to stay warm?!)
It's hard to forget Will Farr.... Ben!! Ben is from the University of California- Davis where he is majoring in something that involves him being a sports broadcaster on the side. Ben is always keeping Sarah on her toes and keeping the entire group laughing (and singing "Blinded by the Light)!!
Ian is from Washington University in St. Louis (the classmate that lives the closest to me) and is always telling us crazy stories about his "friends", but we are starting to think "friend" might be a cover-up for him :)
Oh Allie... where to start on this one (J/K)!! Allie attends the University of Tennessee and she is another one Sarah and I have really bonded with. I love the random song outbursts that she is known to have!
Another University of California - Riverside student is Felicia. She had to live with Sarah and I for the 10 days in Darwin and put up with us nicely :)
The last girl in our class is Mallory and she is from UConn. She isn't allowed to Karaoke with us anymore because this girl shows us all up!!
The last guy in our class is Billy from Hamilton College in New York. He is a little quieter than the other boys in our class, but has his fair share of random outburst that get us all laughing!
There are 5 guys and 6 girls in our class and everyone of them is great!! We have really clicked and bonded right away. I love that we all hang out so much outside of class too. It's normal to find us all going to dinner or exploring the latest town we are in.
We have met many of the other students from other classes as well. Our class spends the entire time travelling with the Imaging class. We have booked a side trip with a few students from that class to Melbourne for a long weekend.
I have to mention Kate in this post as well. I'm not sure of her exact title, but she works as for UNSW and helps coordinate our program. There was this one time that Sarah and I booked our flight from Darwin to Canberra on the wrong day (surely not us!?), but leave it to Kate to manage to get us on the flight. Let's not forget to mention that we were in the unaccompanied minors section, which Kate found very fitting. She told me today in fact that "It's a good thing Sarah and I realize we need handling!". Ohhhh Kate!!!! :)
Our professor, Pete, is from the University of Notre Dame- Sydney. He is one of the funniest, most laid back, and knowledgeable professors I've had!! I'm not a huge fan on history or politics, but I can listen to Pete all day long.
There are 3 students from Georgetown University in our class. Kevin and Tommy are both pre-med students. Johanna is a history major (fitting for our class huh?). Kevin and Tommy are both two of the nicest guys I've met! Sarah and I have really bonded with Jo (Can we talk about the three of us sharing a two person tent at Kakadu to stay warm?!)
It's hard to forget Will Farr.... Ben!! Ben is from the University of California- Davis where he is majoring in something that involves him being a sports broadcaster on the side. Ben is always keeping Sarah on her toes and keeping the entire group laughing (and singing "Blinded by the Light)!!
Ian is from Washington University in St. Louis (the classmate that lives the closest to me) and is always telling us crazy stories about his "friends", but we are starting to think "friend" might be a cover-up for him :)
Oh Allie... where to start on this one (J/K)!! Allie attends the University of Tennessee and she is another one Sarah and I have really bonded with. I love the random song outbursts that she is known to have!
Another University of California - Riverside student is Felicia. She had to live with Sarah and I for the 10 days in Darwin and put up with us nicely :)
The last girl in our class is Mallory and she is from UConn. She isn't allowed to Karaoke with us anymore because this girl shows us all up!!
The last guy in our class is Billy from Hamilton College in New York. He is a little quieter than the other boys in our class, but has his fair share of random outburst that get us all laughing!
There are 5 guys and 6 girls in our class and everyone of them is great!! We have really clicked and bonded right away. I love that we all hang out so much outside of class too. It's normal to find us all going to dinner or exploring the latest town we are in.
We have met many of the other students from other classes as well. Our class spends the entire time travelling with the Imaging class. We have booked a side trip with a few students from that class to Melbourne for a long weekend.
I have to mention Kate in this post as well. I'm not sure of her exact title, but she works as for UNSW and helps coordinate our program. There was this one time that Sarah and I booked our flight from Darwin to Canberra on the wrong day (surely not us!?), but leave it to Kate to manage to get us on the flight. Let's not forget to mention that we were in the unaccompanied minors section, which Kate found very fitting. She told me today in fact that "It's a good thing Sarah and I realize we need handling!". Ohhhh Kate!!!! :)
Yes, I tried Vegemite... I'll stick to Peanut Butter...
G’Day from the top of Australia! I’ve had such a busy 10 days that I’m going to split this between 3 blogs! FYI, I’m sitting on my 5th flight of this adventure and will be on yet another flight later today.
We arrived in Darwin, located on the Top End of Australia in the Northern Territory on Sunday, June 14. We got situated into the hostel (Melaleuca on Mitchell) we would call home for the next 10 days before taking a scenic walk down to the Mindil Markets. Darwin is famous for the Mindil Markets, held every Thursday evening and on Sunday evenings during the dry season. Situated off the beach are booths of crafts, clothes, and food from all over the world. This first Sunday, we just grabbed dinner and headed to the beach to eat, sink our feet in the sand, and watch yet another spectacular sunset. After this summer, I’m going to be spoiled on grabbing dinner, a bottle of wine, and settling in to watch unbelievable sunsets!! This past Sunday, we went back to the markets and did some shopping. Hmmm my bank account could have gone without seeing Mindil Markets again!!! I was able to buy some really neat souvenirs though! We had heard that one really cool way to explore Darwin is on bikes, which our class did together one afternoon. We “loaded up” and headed to the Northern Territory Museum to learn about the Aboriginals in the N.T. Naturally, Sarah and I found the children’s section instead, but much to our disappointment, there was no crafts or things to play with. Upon leaving the museum, we headed down to the Espionage, where we visited a few war memorials. One of them was one of the cannons off a US military ship shot down during WWII by the same Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor. Other activities we did in Darwin consisted of an afternoon at Crocosaurus Cove playing with baby crocodiles. Sarah and I spent a couple afternoons exploring the shops around Darwin. Darwin was a really neat town with that “beachy” town feel. We also spent a whole afternoon at an internet café uploading pictures and updating our blogs. Laundry was another must while in Darwin after being gone for over 2 weeks! One evening, nine of us from our class walked down to Cullen Bay for a sunset cruise aboard the Spirit of Darwin. We were a little out of place on the cruise (the other cruisers were from a senior citizen tour group!), but the sunset was AMAZING!! We saw some orange sunsets in Fiji, but this was purely a deep RED sunset. After we disembarked, we all went out to dinner before heading to our favorite pub to karaoke. This was one of my favorite evenings in Darwin (any night that ends with a shopping cart ride is a great one in my book!!)—Talk about some bonding time!!! On our last night in Darwin, our entire group went to the Deckchair Cinema (yes, you sit in lawn chairs and the “theatre” is outdoors!) to watch Ned Kelly, a movie about an Australian Icon who was a bushranger in the 1800s. After the movie, we grabbed a late dinner before heading to the hostel to pack. I feel like we did everything in Darwin that we had picked out to do after pouring over travel books. So far, Darwin is my favorite Australian city, but we have many more to visit!!
We arrived in Darwin, located on the Top End of Australia in the Northern Territory on Sunday, June 14. We got situated into the hostel (Melaleuca on Mitchell) we would call home for the next 10 days before taking a scenic walk down to the Mindil Markets. Darwin is famous for the Mindil Markets, held every Thursday evening and on Sunday evenings during the dry season. Situated off the beach are booths of crafts, clothes, and food from all over the world. This first Sunday, we just grabbed dinner and headed to the beach to eat, sink our feet in the sand, and watch yet another spectacular sunset. After this summer, I’m going to be spoiled on grabbing dinner, a bottle of wine, and settling in to watch unbelievable sunsets!! This past Sunday, we went back to the markets and did some shopping. Hmmm my bank account could have gone without seeing Mindil Markets again!!! I was able to buy some really neat souvenirs though! We had heard that one really cool way to explore Darwin is on bikes, which our class did together one afternoon. We “loaded up” and headed to the Northern Territory Museum to learn about the Aboriginals in the N.T. Naturally, Sarah and I found the children’s section instead, but much to our disappointment, there was no crafts or things to play with. Upon leaving the museum, we headed down to the Espionage, where we visited a few war memorials. One of them was one of the cannons off a US military ship shot down during WWII by the same Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor. Other activities we did in Darwin consisted of an afternoon at Crocosaurus Cove playing with baby crocodiles. Sarah and I spent a couple afternoons exploring the shops around Darwin. Darwin was a really neat town with that “beachy” town feel. We also spent a whole afternoon at an internet café uploading pictures and updating our blogs. Laundry was another must while in Darwin after being gone for over 2 weeks! One evening, nine of us from our class walked down to Cullen Bay for a sunset cruise aboard the Spirit of Darwin. We were a little out of place on the cruise (the other cruisers were from a senior citizen tour group!), but the sunset was AMAZING!! We saw some orange sunsets in Fiji, but this was purely a deep RED sunset. After we disembarked, we all went out to dinner before heading to our favorite pub to karaoke. This was one of my favorite evenings in Darwin (any night that ends with a shopping cart ride is a great one in my book!!)—Talk about some bonding time!!! On our last night in Darwin, our entire group went to the Deckchair Cinema (yes, you sit in lawn chairs and the “theatre” is outdoors!) to watch Ned Kelly, a movie about an Australian Icon who was a bushranger in the 1800s. After the movie, we grabbed a late dinner before heading to the hostel to pack. I feel like we did everything in Darwin that we had picked out to do after pouring over travel books. So far, Darwin is my favorite Australian city, but we have many more to visit!!
June 16, 2009
It's like Vegas on Crack
I’m officially sitting on flight #4 in a just a over a week. I’m going to get really used to airports and airplanes! Sarah and I have decided we might create another food group: Airplane food! It’s odd, they serve meals on every flight over here. Sarah and I were talking about it and I’m not sure I’ve ever been served a full on, hot meal on a US flight.
We left Octopus Resort on Friday, June 12th. The actual Octopus Boat we took to the island was broken, so we rode in a "water taxi" type boat that stopped at other resorts on the way back to the main island. It was really cool to see the other islands and resorts, but I'm even more confident that we stayed at the best resort Fiji has to offer :) We had heard some good things and some bad things about all of the hostels in Nadi. We said screw it, the exchange rate is AMAZING and booked a room at the Sheraton. It was nice to be able to repack our bags and get organized again... and sleep in a comfortable bed... and take a LOOOOOONG hot shower! I would like to point out that I went 9 days with no blow dryer or hair straightener..... We went back to the Port for a nice dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. The food at Octopus was amazing, but it was great to have a nice dinner and just talk about Fiji. My pictures don’t begin to capture how unspoiled and surreal Waya Island was. The people are some of the nicest, unselfish people I’ve been around. They smile and sing and dance all the time. Sarah and I were talking about it over dinner and the Fijians have found that true happiness that comes straight from the heart. After dinner, we went back to the room to climb in our beds and do something we hadn’t been able to do for a week: internet!! It was nice to update the blog and post some pictures to Facebook. I’m having a hard time getting my pictures to upload to my blog, but I’m going to work on it more when we get to Darwin. We woke up early on Saturday and walked back to the port area. We were able to go shopping and buy all the souvenirs and presents we wanted to buy. In the shopping area was a jewelry store that caught my eye. I’m so my mother and grandmother’s relation… I had to check it out! I knew Fiji was known for their black pearls… and I’m now the proud owner of a Fiji single black pearl necklace. It will be a nice remembrance of Fiji and isn’t a typical souvenir. After shopping, we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and head to the airport. We caught our flight from Nadi to Brisbane, Australia. The flight was a little longer than we thought it would be (4 hours!), but it was great study time (that dreaded GMAT!).
After arriving in Brisbane, we spoke with a couple from our flight and they recommended a few hostels. We ended up booking a room at a hostel they recommended: the Bunk. It was a very urban hostel right in the middle of Brisbane. This was by far our WORST hostel experience!! It was so loud and not really the cleanest one we've stayed in. We went for a nice Thai dinner and went to find a place to go enjoy Brisbane. The first place we went was recommended by our waitress, but we didn’t stay long. It was called Cloud Nine and was a brand new bar. The waitress had told us it cost $20 million to design, build, and open and we quickly saw how! It was immaculate!!! We grabbed a drink there and then decided to head back towards our hostel. There was another bar next to our hostel called Birdie that we decided to stay at for the rest of the night. The culture in Brisbane was really different: there were a lot of metro sexual people and their fashion was really different and urban. I don't even know how to describe this city!! It reminded me of a Vegas on crack... However, we have talked about flying back to Brisbane for a day or two at the very end of our program to do the Koala Experience we originally went to Brisbane to do. Our flight got moved around and so we didn't get to Brisbane in time to go to Lone Pine. We woke up (or didn't go to bed?) EARLY on Sunday and went back to the airport, where we met up with the other students in our program. We had another 3 hour long flight (I've flown so much in the past 2 months!!!), but it was nice to be able to talk to some of the other students and get to know them.
We left Octopus Resort on Friday, June 12th. The actual Octopus Boat we took to the island was broken, so we rode in a "water taxi" type boat that stopped at other resorts on the way back to the main island. It was really cool to see the other islands and resorts, but I'm even more confident that we stayed at the best resort Fiji has to offer :) We had heard some good things and some bad things about all of the hostels in Nadi. We said screw it, the exchange rate is AMAZING and booked a room at the Sheraton. It was nice to be able to repack our bags and get organized again... and sleep in a comfortable bed... and take a LOOOOOONG hot shower! I would like to point out that I went 9 days with no blow dryer or hair straightener..... We went back to the Port for a nice dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. The food at Octopus was amazing, but it was great to have a nice dinner and just talk about Fiji. My pictures don’t begin to capture how unspoiled and surreal Waya Island was. The people are some of the nicest, unselfish people I’ve been around. They smile and sing and dance all the time. Sarah and I were talking about it over dinner and the Fijians have found that true happiness that comes straight from the heart. After dinner, we went back to the room to climb in our beds and do something we hadn’t been able to do for a week: internet!! It was nice to update the blog and post some pictures to Facebook. I’m having a hard time getting my pictures to upload to my blog, but I’m going to work on it more when we get to Darwin. We woke up early on Saturday and walked back to the port area. We were able to go shopping and buy all the souvenirs and presents we wanted to buy. In the shopping area was a jewelry store that caught my eye. I’m so my mother and grandmother’s relation… I had to check it out! I knew Fiji was known for their black pearls… and I’m now the proud owner of a Fiji single black pearl necklace. It will be a nice remembrance of Fiji and isn’t a typical souvenir. After shopping, we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and head to the airport. We caught our flight from Nadi to Brisbane, Australia. The flight was a little longer than we thought it would be (4 hours!), but it was great study time (that dreaded GMAT!).
After arriving in Brisbane, we spoke with a couple from our flight and they recommended a few hostels. We ended up booking a room at a hostel they recommended: the Bunk. It was a very urban hostel right in the middle of Brisbane. This was by far our WORST hostel experience!! It was so loud and not really the cleanest one we've stayed in. We went for a nice Thai dinner and went to find a place to go enjoy Brisbane. The first place we went was recommended by our waitress, but we didn’t stay long. It was called Cloud Nine and was a brand new bar. The waitress had told us it cost $20 million to design, build, and open and we quickly saw how! It was immaculate!!! We grabbed a drink there and then decided to head back towards our hostel. There was another bar next to our hostel called Birdie that we decided to stay at for the rest of the night. The culture in Brisbane was really different: there were a lot of metro sexual people and their fashion was really different and urban. I don't even know how to describe this city!! It reminded me of a Vegas on crack... However, we have talked about flying back to Brisbane for a day or two at the very end of our program to do the Koala Experience we originally went to Brisbane to do. Our flight got moved around and so we didn't get to Brisbane in time to go to Lone Pine. We woke up (or didn't go to bed?) EARLY on Sunday and went back to the airport, where we met up with the other students in our program. We had another 3 hour long flight (I've flown so much in the past 2 months!!!), but it was nice to be able to talk to some of the other students and get to know them.
June 12, 2009
Photos
I'm having a hard time getting photos to attach to my blog. I made 1 full album on Facebook which can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082052&id=62101602&l=cec7252edb
Enjoy!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082052&id=62101602&l=cec7252edb
Enjoy!!
Don't worry dad, We're staying at the Sheraton...
Hostel living: I’ve had many people ask me what a hostel is or if I’ve watched the movie hostel. I’ve decided staying in hostels is my favorite way to travel (well right now while I’m young and single!). It’s basically a huge dorm style room where each person gets a bed, nightstand, fan, and light. The bathrooms are also community, with each shower in a stall like room. My bed is only spaced to the next bed by my nightstand. People are constantly arriving and leaving daily. We’ve stayed at Octopus for 3 nights and I’ve had 2 different people next to me. For a young traveler, it’s a great set up. We are able to come in, throw our stuff down, and hit the beach. The only time we spend in our room is to sleep, so why pay for a full hotel room? It’s also been a great way to meet other young travelers. We are constantly getting an opportunity to go with another traveler to their next destination.
Hostels are seriously great, if you can find the right one.... Sarah and I had been nervous about staying in a hostel on the main island. We had heard some good, but mostly bad things about majority of the hostels around Nadi. We said screw it, we were ready for a hot shower and to be able to wash our faces.... we booked a room at the Sheraton Fiji. Gosh, we are great at this backbacking idea!!!
Hostels are seriously great, if you can find the right one.... Sarah and I had been nervous about staying in a hostel on the main island. We had heard some good, but mostly bad things about majority of the hostels around Nadi. We said screw it, we were ready for a hot shower and to be able to wash our faces.... we booked a room at the Sheraton Fiji. Gosh, we are great at this backbacking idea!!!
I think I want to move to Fiji...
June 9th 5:30 AM: I’m drinking Fiji water…. In Fiji!! Oh wow, what a trip! My sister took Sarah and I to the Tom Bradley International Terminal at the LAX airport around 9:30 Sunday night. After wondering through the maze of ticket counters, we finally found Air Pacific. I never realized there were SO many airlines that flew in and out of LAX. I knew LAX was a huge international terminal, but there had to have been 100 different ticket counters we weaved in and out of! Security was a nightmare! I don’t think I’ve stood in that many zigzagging lines for security in a LONG time (I’m trying to remember if Heathrow in London was that bad or not?)! Sarah and I finally made our way through security and found gate 105, Air Pacific flight 811 with nonstop service to Nadi, Fiji. We only had around 30 minutes to hang out until we were able to board our flight. For anyone that doesn’t know me pretty well, I have an issue with not sleeping. If I get 4 hours of sleep a night, it’s considered a good night! Knowing I had an 11 hour flight ahead of me, I tried to wear myself down as much as possible. I only got 2 hours of sleep on Friday night (ahhh who would have thought to start packing sooner??) and 3 hours on Saturday night. We woke up at 4:45ish on Sunday morning to walk around the beach and boardwalk in Huntington Beach. My tricks worked- I was out before we even took off!! I got about an hour of sleep before the stewardess brought around our first meal and a present. We were served a chicken and cheese sub with lettuce and GRAPE JAM! Once you got past the fact that you were eating a sandwich with grape jam on it, it actually wasn’t too bad. It’s not the worse food I’ve been served on international flights (AKA Air India headed to London). The airlines passed out a “goodie bag” that contained a pair of socks (random?), a sleep mask, and a toothbrush with toothpaste. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, I popped a few Tylenol PM Simply Sleep to assist me. Thank you sleeping pills!!!! I was able to fall back asleep and woke up with only 2 hours left in our flight. We were served breakfast (consisting of a cheese omelet, sausage link, potatoes, fresh fruit, yogurt, and orange juice) and then I forced myself to spend the remaining 2 hours studying for that dreaded GMAT.
Our arrival into Fiji went smooth. The airport had a very interesting setup with outside boardwalks curving around before you enter the main indoor airport. We made it through customs (Yes! Another passport stamp!!) and collected our bags (Thank you for all our bags arriving, let’s hope we have this good of luck the entire trip!). We had to go through another round of customs after collecting our bags, but it went just as fast and smooth. During my indecisive attempt at finding a hostel for us to stay in for Friday before we catch our flight to Brisbane, I had read about Smugglers Cove Backpackers Hostel in Nadi. There was advertising everywhere for Smuggles Cove on the plane and airport, so we ended up calling from the airport and reserving 2 spots in one of their dorm rooms. Our flight to Brisbane got pushed back a few hours so we will have almost a full day to explore Nadi and the surrounding areas. I’m not sure how much there will be to do in Nadi after reading in my travel book that it has a population of only 12,000!
We are currently sitting at the Oasis Bar and Café in the Nadi International Airport waiting on Dan the Man to pick us up and take us to the boat that will take us to Octopus Resort. We have been in Fiji for an hour and still have another 2 hours wait for Dan. The boat ride will take approximately 90 minutes before we are in our paradise! Hmmm… nap time for now? J
June 9th 9:00 pm: I feel like today as been one of the longest days of my life!! After an 11 hour plane ride, sitting in the airport for 3 hours, and a 2.5 hour boat ride (on top of 15 hour time difference and “skipping a day”), Sarah and I found ourselves at the Octopus Resort on the Waya Island in the Yawasa Island group of Fiji. I can’t even begin to describe Fiji! It is absolutely one of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on Earth!! Dan the Man (the resort’s driver) picked us up first from the Nadi International Airport and we drove around Nadi picking up 9 other people that were also coming to Octopus. We then drove to a harbor to catch Octopus’s private boat to the island. The boat ride took a little longer than expected (by about an hour), but we finally made it! They had packed our boat full of supplies from the main land and it really weighing our boat down. They actually drove another boat out from the resort’s island to meet us and take the supplies off our boat so we could go faster. The island is fairly large, but when looking around, you can only see Octopus Resort. It Is the most unspoiled, uncommercialized place I’ve ever stayed. I feel like we are on our own private island! There was no dock, but rather we had to wade in the ocean to the beach in front of the resort. There was a band playing welcoming us to Octopus. Sarah and I booked the dorm style room and we are in a room with 16 total beds. To be able to stay here for only $40 USD a night, I’ll take just a bed, light, and fan!! We dropped off our stuff and went to enjoy lunch. The “dining area” is a large sand pit with 10 tables. Seriously, I can’t begin to describe this place! We came back and took quick showers before throwing on our bathing suits and heading to the beach. We wondered up and down the beach for awhile before heading poolside to make jewelry. Octopus offers daily activities that range from village tours to crab racing, scuba lessons to jewelry making. We then headed to lay out on the beach (I attempted to study GMAT, but took a little power nap instead). We woke up from our naps on the beach in time to enjoy one of the richest sunsets I’ve seen in a long time. After watching the sunset from the beach, we enjoyed a welcome ceremony for the new guests (11 of us total). We were introduced to Kava, a Fijian drink made from grinding up the Kava plant roots and adding water. It tasted like muddy water and makes your mouth and throat go numb!! It’s a ceremonial drink and it’s considered rude if you are offered Kava and don’t drink it. After the welcome ceremony, we enjoyed a fresh fish buffet before heading to our rooms. Only a few hours of sleep this weekend, combined with all our traveling has made us both exhausted!
June 10th: Sarah and I decided to make today our lazy day on the island. We woke up late, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to the beach. Sarah blogged while I studied for my GMAT on the beach. I don’t think we moved from the beach until lunch time! After grabbing lunch (I’m already getting spoiled on the fresh fish!), we decided to walk down both sides of the beach. Octopus is situated on a “private” beach that cuts off after about a mile either way and has forest behind it. We also found a hiking path to climb and that exposed one of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen in Fiji. My pictures don’t do it justice, but it looks like a scene from a postcard. While walking back to the resort, we saw a young Fijian boy from a local village cutting open green coconuts. We asked him if we could try the coconut water inside and he generously gave both of us our own coconut. I could really get used to the lifestyle of walking barefoot on the beach drinking fresh coconuts!! We decided to partake in the sunset cruise tonight. They took us out away from the island and we were able to climb on the roof of the boat. A few resort employees came with us to play guitar while we drank beer and watched the sunset. Every so often, they would move the boat further and further out. While moving the boat one time, we saw a pod of dolphins that actually swam right up next to our boat! We got back from the cruise in time for a curry dinner. I’ve never been a huge fan of curry, but this was amazing! After dinner, we all headed to the beach for a bonfire. It’s been so wonderful meeting the people that we have. I love how small this resort is and how you see everyone numerous times throughout the day. We have become fairly close with a few of the people we rode the boat with on our first day here. Sarah and I’s favorite are the honeymooners from Australia, Ben and Tracy. We’re planning a weekend to come visit them while we are in Australia. Talk about a fairy tale – they got engaged in Paris and married on the beach in Fiji! We also met another couple from England that got engaged, saved money for a year, and decided they didn’t want to spend all that money on one day so they quit their jobs and have been traveling around the world together for a year. We also met an older couple from Wichita, Kansas who were in New Zealand visiting their daughter. They decided to do a stopover in Fiji before heading back to the states. It seems like everyone is so friendly and has a great story to tell. From 6-7 every night is happy hour and its nice to sit by the bar and talk to different people. Lunch and dinner are two of my favorite times. The tables are family style, each seating 8, and I love sitting with different people (we always sit with Ben and Tracy though) and just talking. It’s been a great way to meet people, hear their story, hear where they have traveled, and get tips for our travels. I’ve always felt like I’m a semi-well traveled person for my age until I’ve met some of the people here. It’s normal for people in other countries to pack it up and travel for months or even a year at a time. My dream is to one day be as well traveled and see much more of the world than I have!
June 11th: Sarah and I woke up today in time to go on the guided hike to the local village of Nalauwaki. Majority of the resort staff lives here and the resort has a great working relationship with the village. The hike took us all the way to the other side of the island. We twisted up and down through the forest to get to the village. The first place we went once we arrived was the village school for 2-4 year olds. They were ADORABLE!!! They sang us a few songs before we got to play with them. Sarah and I had planned ahead and took them presents of bubbles, playdough, matchbox cars, and balls. They LOVED the presents!! They were climbing all over us wanting to be held and played with. We took numerous pictures with them and they always wanted to see them after each shot. After visiting the school, we were able to wonder the village and buy some crafts from the local women. Sarah bought a bracelet and a ring and I bought a necklace and a bracelet. We are both in search of a Sulu, but we think we can find them back in Nadi. We got back in time to rent snorkel gear and grab some lunch. We spent all afternoon snorkeling off the beach in front of the resort. I was a little disappointed in the coral because it wasn’t as colorful as I would have imagined, but we did get the chance to see some good fish and wildlife. Snorkeling here makes me itching for snorkeling over the Great Barrier Reef!! I know the snorkeling there will be some of the best I’ll do in my life. We got done snorkeling in time to learn how to weave bandana leaves into bookmarks and bracelets. Dinner tonight was a traditional Fijian Pie. It had fish on the bottom, spinach as the next layer, and mashed potatoes at the top. It was baked together with parmesan cheese on top. To add to the “Fijianess” of tonight, Sarah and I decided to try some Fiji beer. I think this has actually been one of my top 3 meals at Octopus, although nothing has tasted bad! This evening was spent at the annual Octopus Resort International Crab Races. For $3 FJD (approx $1.50), you could purchase a crab to participate. They drew a huge circle in the sand and dumped a bucket of hermit crabs in the middle. The first crab to leave the circle won. Talk about interesting!!!
Octopus Resort has been GREAT! I can’t even begin to describe the resort or its location. There has been a variety of people we’ve met too, partly due to the different room choices. The resort offers hostel style dorm rooms all the way up to 5 star private bures on the beach. I’ve decided there are only approximately 100-120 guests at a time here. I love how ¼ of the room rate goes to the village as an education fund to send every child to school. That is part of the great working relationship I spoke of earlier. Tonight is our last night on Waya Island and I’ll be sad to leave Octopus and all the friends we’ve already made!
Our arrival into Fiji went smooth. The airport had a very interesting setup with outside boardwalks curving around before you enter the main indoor airport. We made it through customs (Yes! Another passport stamp!!) and collected our bags (Thank you for all our bags arriving, let’s hope we have this good of luck the entire trip!). We had to go through another round of customs after collecting our bags, but it went just as fast and smooth. During my indecisive attempt at finding a hostel for us to stay in for Friday before we catch our flight to Brisbane, I had read about Smugglers Cove Backpackers Hostel in Nadi. There was advertising everywhere for Smuggles Cove on the plane and airport, so we ended up calling from the airport and reserving 2 spots in one of their dorm rooms. Our flight to Brisbane got pushed back a few hours so we will have almost a full day to explore Nadi and the surrounding areas. I’m not sure how much there will be to do in Nadi after reading in my travel book that it has a population of only 12,000!
We are currently sitting at the Oasis Bar and Café in the Nadi International Airport waiting on Dan the Man to pick us up and take us to the boat that will take us to Octopus Resort. We have been in Fiji for an hour and still have another 2 hours wait for Dan. The boat ride will take approximately 90 minutes before we are in our paradise! Hmmm… nap time for now? J
June 9th 9:00 pm: I feel like today as been one of the longest days of my life!! After an 11 hour plane ride, sitting in the airport for 3 hours, and a 2.5 hour boat ride (on top of 15 hour time difference and “skipping a day”), Sarah and I found ourselves at the Octopus Resort on the Waya Island in the Yawasa Island group of Fiji. I can’t even begin to describe Fiji! It is absolutely one of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on Earth!! Dan the Man (the resort’s driver) picked us up first from the Nadi International Airport and we drove around Nadi picking up 9 other people that were also coming to Octopus. We then drove to a harbor to catch Octopus’s private boat to the island. The boat ride took a little longer than expected (by about an hour), but we finally made it! They had packed our boat full of supplies from the main land and it really weighing our boat down. They actually drove another boat out from the resort’s island to meet us and take the supplies off our boat so we could go faster. The island is fairly large, but when looking around, you can only see Octopus Resort. It Is the most unspoiled, uncommercialized place I’ve ever stayed. I feel like we are on our own private island! There was no dock, but rather we had to wade in the ocean to the beach in front of the resort. There was a band playing welcoming us to Octopus. Sarah and I booked the dorm style room and we are in a room with 16 total beds. To be able to stay here for only $40 USD a night, I’ll take just a bed, light, and fan!! We dropped off our stuff and went to enjoy lunch. The “dining area” is a large sand pit with 10 tables. Seriously, I can’t begin to describe this place! We came back and took quick showers before throwing on our bathing suits and heading to the beach. We wondered up and down the beach for awhile before heading poolside to make jewelry. Octopus offers daily activities that range from village tours to crab racing, scuba lessons to jewelry making. We then headed to lay out on the beach (I attempted to study GMAT, but took a little power nap instead). We woke up from our naps on the beach in time to enjoy one of the richest sunsets I’ve seen in a long time. After watching the sunset from the beach, we enjoyed a welcome ceremony for the new guests (11 of us total). We were introduced to Kava, a Fijian drink made from grinding up the Kava plant roots and adding water. It tasted like muddy water and makes your mouth and throat go numb!! It’s a ceremonial drink and it’s considered rude if you are offered Kava and don’t drink it. After the welcome ceremony, we enjoyed a fresh fish buffet before heading to our rooms. Only a few hours of sleep this weekend, combined with all our traveling has made us both exhausted!
June 10th: Sarah and I decided to make today our lazy day on the island. We woke up late, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to the beach. Sarah blogged while I studied for my GMAT on the beach. I don’t think we moved from the beach until lunch time! After grabbing lunch (I’m already getting spoiled on the fresh fish!), we decided to walk down both sides of the beach. Octopus is situated on a “private” beach that cuts off after about a mile either way and has forest behind it. We also found a hiking path to climb and that exposed one of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen in Fiji. My pictures don’t do it justice, but it looks like a scene from a postcard. While walking back to the resort, we saw a young Fijian boy from a local village cutting open green coconuts. We asked him if we could try the coconut water inside and he generously gave both of us our own coconut. I could really get used to the lifestyle of walking barefoot on the beach drinking fresh coconuts!! We decided to partake in the sunset cruise tonight. They took us out away from the island and we were able to climb on the roof of the boat. A few resort employees came with us to play guitar while we drank beer and watched the sunset. Every so often, they would move the boat further and further out. While moving the boat one time, we saw a pod of dolphins that actually swam right up next to our boat! We got back from the cruise in time for a curry dinner. I’ve never been a huge fan of curry, but this was amazing! After dinner, we all headed to the beach for a bonfire. It’s been so wonderful meeting the people that we have. I love how small this resort is and how you see everyone numerous times throughout the day. We have become fairly close with a few of the people we rode the boat with on our first day here. Sarah and I’s favorite are the honeymooners from Australia, Ben and Tracy. We’re planning a weekend to come visit them while we are in Australia. Talk about a fairy tale – they got engaged in Paris and married on the beach in Fiji! We also met another couple from England that got engaged, saved money for a year, and decided they didn’t want to spend all that money on one day so they quit their jobs and have been traveling around the world together for a year. We also met an older couple from Wichita, Kansas who were in New Zealand visiting their daughter. They decided to do a stopover in Fiji before heading back to the states. It seems like everyone is so friendly and has a great story to tell. From 6-7 every night is happy hour and its nice to sit by the bar and talk to different people. Lunch and dinner are two of my favorite times. The tables are family style, each seating 8, and I love sitting with different people (we always sit with Ben and Tracy though) and just talking. It’s been a great way to meet people, hear their story, hear where they have traveled, and get tips for our travels. I’ve always felt like I’m a semi-well traveled person for my age until I’ve met some of the people here. It’s normal for people in other countries to pack it up and travel for months or even a year at a time. My dream is to one day be as well traveled and see much more of the world than I have!
June 11th: Sarah and I woke up today in time to go on the guided hike to the local village of Nalauwaki. Majority of the resort staff lives here and the resort has a great working relationship with the village. The hike took us all the way to the other side of the island. We twisted up and down through the forest to get to the village. The first place we went once we arrived was the village school for 2-4 year olds. They were ADORABLE!!! They sang us a few songs before we got to play with them. Sarah and I had planned ahead and took them presents of bubbles, playdough, matchbox cars, and balls. They LOVED the presents!! They were climbing all over us wanting to be held and played with. We took numerous pictures with them and they always wanted to see them after each shot. After visiting the school, we were able to wonder the village and buy some crafts from the local women. Sarah bought a bracelet and a ring and I bought a necklace and a bracelet. We are both in search of a Sulu, but we think we can find them back in Nadi. We got back in time to rent snorkel gear and grab some lunch. We spent all afternoon snorkeling off the beach in front of the resort. I was a little disappointed in the coral because it wasn’t as colorful as I would have imagined, but we did get the chance to see some good fish and wildlife. Snorkeling here makes me itching for snorkeling over the Great Barrier Reef!! I know the snorkeling there will be some of the best I’ll do in my life. We got done snorkeling in time to learn how to weave bandana leaves into bookmarks and bracelets. Dinner tonight was a traditional Fijian Pie. It had fish on the bottom, spinach as the next layer, and mashed potatoes at the top. It was baked together with parmesan cheese on top. To add to the “Fijianess” of tonight, Sarah and I decided to try some Fiji beer. I think this has actually been one of my top 3 meals at Octopus, although nothing has tasted bad! This evening was spent at the annual Octopus Resort International Crab Races. For $3 FJD (approx $1.50), you could purchase a crab to participate. They drew a huge circle in the sand and dumped a bucket of hermit crabs in the middle. The first crab to leave the circle won. Talk about interesting!!!
Octopus Resort has been GREAT! I can’t even begin to describe the resort or its location. There has been a variety of people we’ve met too, partly due to the different room choices. The resort offers hostel style dorm rooms all the way up to 5 star private bures on the beach. I’ve decided there are only approximately 100-120 guests at a time here. I love how ¼ of the room rate goes to the village as an education fund to send every child to school. That is part of the great working relationship I spoke of earlier. Tonight is our last night on Waya Island and I’ll be sad to leave Octopus and all the friends we’ve already made!
June 7, 2009
4 Cameras, 3 Cell Phones, 2 Laptops, 2 Flip Video Recorders, and an iPod later...
I’ve spent the past week running around getting ready for our trip. I feel like time sort of just snuck up on me! Sarah arrived to Kansas City bright and early on Thursday morning. I picked her up from the airport and we grabbed a quick breakfast before heading to my apartment to drop off her stuff. We then, naturally, headed out to do some shopping. I feel like we ran ALL over the city! We went from my apartment to the Plaza to Zona Rosa to Liberty. We took a shopping break to meet one of my good friends from high school, Lacey, for lunch. I felt like our list of places to go and things to get just kept getting longer and longer! I hadn’t even thought of half the things we started to remember! We spent all day running around buying things like bug spray, sleeping bags, backpacks, flashlights, walkie talkies, batteries, sunscreen, and a light, waterproof jacket. We decided the walkie talkies were a necessary after losing each other in Dick's Sporting Goods!!
We finished our busy day just in time for me to take Sarah for some good ol’ Kansas City original barbecue: Gate’s! MMMMM nothing like KC BBQ!! We met up with some friends and headed to Power and Light to enjoy a free Craig Morgan concert. I haven’t seen P&L that packed since the NCAA tournament was in town! I had a hard time describing P&L to Sarah, but I think she had a pretty good time!
Craig Morgan Concert presented by KC Live.
Power and Light district in downtown Kansas City
The view of P&L from upstairs
Sarah and I enjoying the evening Even after running around all day on Thursday, I felt like our list of things to do on Friday was longer than it was on Thursday! We got a late start after sleeping in until 10:30 (that is highly unusual for me, I'm an early riser). We spent Friday running to the post office, the bank, paying all my bills, drawing up a Power of Attorney for my dad in case my house sells, and going to North Face to look at backpacks (yes, we bought some on Thursday and returned them!). While back down on the Plaza, Sarah wanted to walk around and see some of KC. I was telling her how Kansas City is known for its fountains (all 250+ of them) and it is rumored to have more than Rome!
Sarah and I in front of the JC Nichols Fountain
A perfect day in Kansas City
I've been trying to convince Sarah she would love living in Kansas City and should consider coming here for grad school (UMKC, Masters of Accountancy... sound familiar??). I told her I knew just the thing to spark her interest.....
I took Sarah to the Nelson Adkins Museum of Art to show her the shuttlecocks!! She fell in LOVE with them!
It was too heavy! :)
Sarah couldn't lift it either!After tearing Sarah away from the Shuttlecocks (I'm hoping they did the trick), we headed to Liberty to meet my dad at Olive Garden. It was much easier to say good-bye this summer than it was last summer for some reason. I think it helps knowing what to expect a little bit with international travel. I was a MESS when I left for London last summer!! We ran to Target to return my broken camera (I have no clue...) and ended up at Best Buy so I could purchase another one. After much debate, I left with a FujiFilm Finepix. (I will admit how much of a blonde I can be... I was determined it was broken because it wouldn't come on. I brought it to a Best Buy in CA for the geek squad to look at. They told me it was no good and I could switch it out. Thank you customer service man for pointing out I had the battery in backwards!! At least the famous "geek squad" couldn't figure it out too!!!) I have my big Sony camera, but I wanted some smaller and compact to travel with too. I love that this is a WATERPROOF digital camera!! I thought that feature might come in handy this summer!!
We FINALLY made it back to my apartment t 9:30 Friday evening. Guess who hadn't STARTED packing yet?? Ahhh yes, yours truly!! I finally finished packing at 2:30 AM, fell asleep for 2 hours, and got back up to get ready to head to the airport! I was so proud of myself for fitting everything I wanted into 1 suitcase and 1 backpack.... So proud until I got to the airport and realized my bag weighted 70 pounds!! I paid the $25 fine and didn't stress about it. I knew I could purchase a smaller suitcase when I got to my sister's house (imagine that, I'm back in Huntington Beach!) and do some rearranging. Mind you, between Sarah and I, we have 4 digital cameras, 2 laptops, 2 Flip video recorders, 3 cell phones (both of our US phones and our shared Australian phone) and an iPod..... cut off huh? :)
We enjoyed an evening hanging out at my sister's and grilling out before heading to downtown HB. We then woke up at 4:45 to head to the beach this morning to watch the sunrise (yes, I knew it wouldn't rise over the ocean!!). I love the smell of the ocean first thing in the morning. We drank Starbucks and enjoyed a nearly empty boardwalk and beach.
Almost empty Huntington Beach Boardwalk
There were quite a few surfers we watched for awhile
Lifeguard tower
Huntington Beach Boardwalk and an empty beach... rare!
I love the reflection the water made!
Downtown Huntington
Fred's (best margaritas!!) and HSS on the corner of downtown
I'M READY TO TRAVEL!!
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