Alright, You've Seen Sydney, Now Move On!

I have been back in Sydney now for almost two weeks, and in two days I will be leaving (for the third and final time). I have had the best time in Sydney, it is a great city. Somehow, once again on this visit, I missed out doing all the tourist stuff that I said I would. The problem is, if you are at the beach, and it is sunny and beautiful and you are able to burry your friends in the sand, you really can't be asked to leave.



So what have I been doing the past two weeks, if I never actually made it into Sydney...a lot of time spent on the beach, hanging out with friends, sitting in the pub, on the patio at the Steyne or the Ivanho, drinking goon, singing such classics as the 'o' and the riree songs along to Alex's master guitar skills, mostly just relaxing with cool people.


We had a few barbq's, thank you to the Norwegian girls for letting us hangout at your places, especially Ingvil (I know that isn't spelt right) for feeding us great food. She let us come over to her place and eat as much as we possibly could. As if that wasn't enough organized us so the next day we all met at Little Manly for a left over party. We watched the sunset, the guys played football, and Chris and Alex hung out on the swing set. Not sure if Chris is still there, stuck in that swing.

I went dancing a few nights, one Friday with George and TJ and some guys that George works with. We went to the Base Bar, and danced for ages. It was really fun, I have tried to go dancing here as much as I can, but it isn't too often. Here is a pic of me and George the night before my birthday. We went to Shark Bar to hear a live band and dance.


On Saturdays, we headed to Shark Bar for free champagne. I only really started drinking wine and champagne in Exmouth, and then moved onto the goon. But it seems that champagne has powers that other alcohol does not, and the first night we went there I couldn't see straight after about half and hour. We must have been pretty drunk, Steve even forgot to throw up his gangster sign. It was fun to hang out up there though, the patio overlooks the ocean and the corso. I don't think the ocean was what Chris was looking at, you can see he looks a bit confused here, sitting between me and the lovely Kaia.

One day Averil took me to the larger beer gardens in the southern
hemisphere, the Arms in Newport. It is impressive, they even have several playgrounds so you can bring your kids and they'll have something to do while mom and dad get pissed all day. It overlooks the water, and on the day we were there we got a pretty cool thunder and lightning show.


One day we went to see Walk the Line at a theater that has a seating area upstairs with normal seats, and a special one downstairs where you have to pay something like $30 and you get these huge comfy recliners to sit it. Although I disagree with this separation of the have and have-nots, I got over it when we snuck downstairs and enjyoed the really comfy seats.

Even though we had such a busy schedule, Alex spent a little time showing me how to play guitar. In Exmouth Linda taught me the beginning of Redemption Song by Bob Marley, and Alex showed me Come As You Are by Nirvana. I'm not sure if my musical career is going to take off when I get home, I'll be impressed if I remember that much. But both of them were really good teachers, and besides, I just think I look good holding a guitar.

It was not just boys that made Manly fun, here are Nicole and Faye, two wikked Scottish girls. And of course, there were all the Norwegian girls, who live in Manly and go to school there. One night they had their beginning of the year ice breaker and we got to go check out their school, which was stunning old building on top of a hill. I think it used to be a monestary, or something related to the church. I only got a photo of it at night.. We went up there and drank outside, went in to play some pool, and then headed down to the bar.

Going out in Sydney was always fun, but when ever I think of Manly, I will think of sitting on the patio at the Steyne. Alex, thanks for always making that fun with your guitar, and that one time with that banjo. I know that some nights you played until your fingers killed and your hair went all crazy, but I will always laugh when I hear 500 miles, and when I think of you guys rhyming dirty lyrics. Ross, you ruled at that game, sorry I always brought it to a screaming halt when it was my turn.

Chris, I hope that your love of plastic will carry you through the tough times. I bet that this look on your face in the picture is the same look of unbridaled extasy that you wear all day at work.

Steve, thanks for helping me when I was homeless. When ever anyone at home throws up the devil horns, I will think of you. You are like, totally the best, and I will be smiling for ever when I think of you guys and Manly.

Well, I guess that I am done with Sydney, and its time to move on. After I left Sydney, I came to Brisbane to stay with Nerida for a week. She was a great hostess, thank you heaps!! She rented a car on the weekend, so we could go to the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. It was a little cloudy, but I laid on the beach anyway, because I have just realized it's going to be a good long while before I can walk out my door and hit sand.

On Friday night we went to Australia's largest electronic music festival, which was a lot of fun. There were so many huge djs there, although a lot of house music that didn't do it for me, there was good breaks. I got to see Ali B, which was the most exciting to me. It was at a pavillion outside, and we danced until 5 in the morning. Everyone was really nice, the vibe reminded me of home.

The next day we went to the Sunshine Coast, which had no sunshine, but the drive was beautiful. It looked like BC to me. We saw the Glass House 'Mountains' and did hang out on Coolum beach for a little while. We stopped at the side of the road to buy some seafood, and the guy said welcome to Australia and gave me a crab. So I did get to eat crab here.

And now I really have to go, cause my flight to Christchurch is in a few hours. Nerida, thanks again for the hospitality, we will party it up when you make it home this summer!

I'm feeling really sad to leave Australia, especially after working on this and thinking of all the phenomenal people that I have met, both on the east and west cost of this country. Goodbye Australia, I love you and I will see you again one day!!

Last Days in Exmouth and Goodbye to the Turtles

I have left Exmouth now and returned to Sydney. I really had such an unbelievable experience up there. I did have a fairly busy last week; I tried to pack in lots of fun stuff before I left.

The weekend before I left I met an Australian guy named Andrew, and we went snorkling at Lakeside and Turqoise Bay, and then went for a short walk at Yarddie Creek and saw a mom and baby blackfooted rock wallabies. I think they are pretty rare to see, but they are so cute and see a little tame, this mom and baby let me walk right up to them.

On Sunday our last social was an op shop party (second hand clothing store, for thoes of you who dont yet speak ozzie, I will show you my newly created Australian Canadian dictionary - thanks for all the help on that!). We all had to wear something that we had bought from the local op shop, which was a tiny shed ran by an adorable little grama, and everything cost one dollar. Or less. We all dressed up in our fancy new clothes, and I mean fancy, some girls found prom dresses from about 19 years ago, and managed to look lovely. Rachel and Naiomi, I`m looking at you here. Katie's animal themed bodysuit kicked ass. Mistral and Beth, both looked great of course., I don't know many people who could wear a yellow and orange tube sweater dress and pull it off. Jess found a full on Bundaberg wifebeater and matching tie were classic, and the tights matched so well. And they were not only fashionable, but functional as a coaster. After we all dressed up, we went down to the beach all decked out, and had a barbq, where I ate of course, kangaroo, and also a ton of fish. That was a perfect last soical.











One day we headed down to the nursery, where you can see tons, or sorry, heaps, of reef sharks from the shore. After we left here, we stopped at the side of the road to take some pics of Naiomi scaling a termite hill in her bikini, which turned out to be a fairly erotic picture. Anyway, while she was trying to figure out how to get down, we were wandering around ignoring her cries for help, we found a shark head sitting there. Linda had a moment with it, then we took it back to the potty. Our plan was to hide it in some bushed until it was fully decomposed, then pull the teeth out to make jewlery or something. I don't know how legal that it, but we figured out it was already dead, so it was ok. But unfortunately, when we went back to the bush, it was gone, so we figure that dingos must have come and eaten it. Or thoes gilrs from 406 took it, they were always so jealous of everything we did, like finding rotting animals at the side of the road.

On Monday before we left, we had a reef retreat day. We went down to South Mandu beach, where there are some cabins set up and a dinning area and people pay hundreds of dollars to stay there for the night, but we got to go hang out and go snorkling and get a nice lunch. I spent most of the time in the shade on the beach because I was feeling slightly hungover and couldnt really move or sit up or think or talk. But I couldnt think of a better place to lay around and be hung over.

Another day we went to Bundegi beach and watched the sunset. I took some great photos, but my favorite is this one of Rachel doing the ultimate chin up pose, and has nothing to do with the sunset, except the sun is shinning on her. We ate our last meals at Planet Burger, which was a small caravan that would appear across the street and produce awesome food. We hung out at the beach, and finally got to hear Linda play the violin. After enjoying her on the guitar, banjo, and glokenshpiel for the past month, I was blown away when I heard her play on the instrument she has grown up playing. Thank you Linda, for your music and sing alongs, that made the nights so much funner. You are a legend, a classic, whatever they call wikked people in Australia. I hung out with Jess in the car, the only place you could have a few feet of personal space, thank you Linda and Jess for that. Jessie, I hope that you come visit me in Canada soon, I miss how you would growl at me everytime I would say 'Good Morning Sunshine!', I also miss that my skin has not been burned in over a month now. You are awesome, come enjoy the snow in my country. Thank you Naiomi for the kangaroo steak, I will think of you every time I eat it. This picture of us enjoying it for the last time tugs at my heart strings. Also thanks to Rachel, you saved my sanity (living with so many people in the tiniest hostel room on record for more than four weeks can be challenging, but we made it through!). And although you may not realize that nothing ryhmes with orange, you are still amazing.

All the other girls, it was a pleasure meeting you. Oh, and Pete, although I consider you one of the girls since I got you in that skirt. I thought it would be really hard living in a small town for so long, but when you are always surrounded by a beautiful crowd of turtle vollies, you can make anything fun (even the bimbo bar!). So I said goodbye to all the great people I met, hoping that some of them make it to Canada one day. I said goodbye to the stunning beaches, the flies, the pool, the supermarket, the bakery, the pub, the turtle bus, to passion pop, to our fabulous kitchen with no knives, cutting boards or utensils, to Club 405, the best place to hang out any day of the week, where everybody knows your name, and eveyone wants to hang out, to the Jurabi Turtle Centre, to waking up at 4:45 in the morning (this picture of Rachel passed out after monitoring in the morning pretty much sums that up), the friendly cleaning staff and receptionists at the Potshot (bwhahaha) and finally goodbye to the turtles! I still never got sick of seeing them, as some people predicted I might. Everytime I saw one heaving herself up the beach, or swimming happily in the water, it reminded me how lucky I am to be doing what I am doing. I am so glad that I did it, and in the process got to explore Western Australia, which I think too many people overlook.

Now I am back in Sydney, staying with one of the turtle volunteers, Averil, in Newport. I have been hanging out with the boys, and for my birthday I got to sit out side on a patio in 28 degree weather (which felt cold after Exmouth!). It was the first time that I really felt lonely for home though. I have missed my friends, but it was more wishing they were here, not that I was at home. I can`t believe that my trip is more than half over though, so I wont spend too much time wishing I was home, I know it will come soon enough.

Oh, and just for fun, here are some more random pics of Rachel on the ground.