Life is Swell....

Quite literally.  Since our last entry Nick has acquired a surf board.  Whenever the conditions permit, and occasionally when they don’t he has been chasing and catching waves.  He has made it his mission to master the skill before we leave the country.  The surfing days are numbered however once we head north.  Soon we will drift into the no swimming area of OZ.  The waters will begin to get clearer and more beautiful but with the rainy season in full effect, will bring on the jellyfish, crocks, and sharks.
He will often ride a Segway from work to the beach before work, which has often caught a few eyes and brought in more work for the afternoon.  This may seem counter-productive as the more he surfs the less he can surf, but it doesn’t seem to hurt the financial situation.  The van seems to be getting smaller with the influx of souvenirs, and we have taken it upon ourselves to rig up a roof rack and strap the majority of our all-weather items on top.  Too much more and we will have to add a trailer to the mix…

Over the Christmas/school holidays the Segways never seemed to stop rolling.  Towards the end of January the tours became smaller and eventually we saw a few days off.  At this point we welcomed the mandatory holiday.  We took up a new hobby in the form of cable skiing.  This activity is virtually the same as waterskiing or wakeboarding, accept one major aspect: the boat.  Instead you are launched from a dock and sent skimming around a man made lake via a tow rope attached to a series of cables and pullys’.  The whole “getting up” and “riding” bit proved to be easier than its tow-boat counterpart, but there was a new skill required to make it around the lake.  This skill consisted of being able to do a (seemingly instant) 90 degree turn to the left.  Both of us took the majority of the night to master whip #1.  That still left another 3 ½ whips to make it around the whole lake.  Needless to say the majority of the evening was spent walking back the launch pad.  I forgot to mention before but this was all done at night with the help of spotlights.  This was another advantage to the cable ski racquet; you can unwind after a full day of work, and you don’t need to buy (or know someone with) a boat.  It is also worth mentioning that Amanda didn’t face plant while launching for the first time.  We were told by the cable operator that it is rare to see a newcomer stay dry for more than a few seconds.  Amanda avoided that fate…until whip #1 of course.  There were heaps of gear to choose from and Nick made it duty to try everything at least once.  This meant riding wake boards, kite boards (thinner), surf boards and skis.  Once he thought he had conquered them all he found a lonely plywood disc in the corner of the gear room.  He asked if it was an option and the operator laughed and said “yes, but make sure you don’t ride it upside down.”  It turns out there wasn’t a difference between top and bottom and it was meant for more of a gag for birthdays and bachelor parties.


Nick said he wouldn’t have noticed it except his father relayed many a story about the toys they used to ride behind the boat, and one happened to be one of the same.  Nick beat the odds of getting off the dock with it but soon noticed its lack of a steering mechanism and spun himself off and into the drink.  Determined he rode it, again and again.  He skipped down the lake and forced to do his own impression of a flying saucer on the corner as he was whipped to the left, leaving the disc flying straight toward the shore.  After giving it the ol’ college try he decided to put it back in the corner to wait for its next victim.

 In the mix of work and play the Aussies declared a holiday-Australia Day.  Very similar to our Canada Day, people were scurrying about with coolers and grills flocking to the beaches and parks.  Getting up early we were rewarded with a free breakfast at the local beach.  In the spirit of things we gorged ourselves that evening on meat pies, washing it down with OZ made ginger beer, while watching some local music and taking in the fireworks on the beach.  We even interviewed a few locals asking them what the best part of being Australian was, to which one replied “ice cream” which may have been a bias opinion from the ice cream merchant.

Things in this neck of the country have been heating up.  All the recent rainfall has now taken to the air and made this Canadian couple feel much more Canadian.  We have been hiding out in shops and supermarkets mooching A/C like its our job.  The small van we reside in has been getting smaller each night and trips to the beach have become more frequent.  We have equipped small fans to our “bedrooms” in hops of relief.  The only success we have has was to leave the coast for a few days and do a tour of the foothills of Maleny, and Montville.  Here we were reacquainted with our shoes, pants and sweaters.  We also got to know the views of the rolling peaks, freshwater lakes and deep valleys.  In Montville we visited shops of all kinds.  We took time to take a lesson from the custom candy makers, and enjoyed tasting a few fine liqueurs made locally.  After tasting the pride of the shop we couldn’t leave without a small bottle of coffee liqueur that makes Bailies taste like dirty socks.


 In Maleny we found market after market of fresh produce.  The town brags of no franchises and the book stores outnumber the pubs.  There were also many beautiful walks in the area to which we were obliged to include in our stay as well.  Our trip back to the coast was broken up by a night of flying sod and mud as we drifted off the safety of the ash fault and came to rest at the bottom of a seemingly gradual slope.  This was our own doing as we ventured off the designated rest area parking and to the shelter of a nearby tree.  We never made it to that tree.  Instead we spent the majority of our time trying to get farther from it realizing it requited a lighter vehicle with a bigger footprint than our Sully had.


After exhausting all other options we called a tow truck only to find out it would cost more than a days wage to get us out of this pickle.  We decided to call the only other person we know in the country with a truck (Ray) and see if we could cut a deal.  Luck was on our side as Ray was only 15 min away at the time and could make short work of it and not even miss his supper.  It turns out you pay your mates for towing the same way ya do in Canada…with beer.  So we cut a deal and traded his services for a few goods we picked up at the nearest Bottle shop.

Amongst the Segway tours we were enlisted to assist with a few Corporate events.  One crew found themselves suddenly in a plane wreck situation with only a few items dropped from the plane before its unscheduled decent.  They worked together to find food, build shelter, cross a raging river, hunt their own food build a fire.  They worked in teams and earned points along the way.  The final event was a clay pigeon shoot out, the winner walking away with a free Segway tour of the nearby ranch.  We were located not far west from Brisbane but on our tour we encountered roos, horses, lots of spiders, and even a group of wild camels wandering through.  It was just as much an adventure for us as it was the clients.  Other days had us setting up human-fooseball, lazer-clay and Segway-croquet for clients such and EB Games and a local Engineering firm.  It seemed like we had as much fun watching them as they did playing them.

We are making this entry 4 hours North of our last one, from inside a Don Pancho Resort room.  We are very thankful to Amanda’s mom for the Christmas gift of a weeks stay here on beach in Bargara 10 minutes from Bundaberg.  The A/C is a blessing and it’s a treat to be able to spread our possessions out and regroup for our next leg of the journey.  A kitchen, though small by most standards, seems just big enough to cook some recipes from home. Our newly acquired freezer has found itself full with icy treats.  We are also informed that we have arrived just in time for sea turtle hatching season.  There is a place down the road you can pay to have a guided tour, with chances to see the little guys taking their first steps, but we have been told we have the same chances when we stroll the beach ourselves after dark.  We have a full moon tonight to light the way.  We will head out shortly to try our luck.

We are not completely sure of our next move.  There is talk about saving some more money for the long leg around the top.  We are also considering spending a week at sea sailing the Whitsunday islands.  As soon as we know we promise to let you all know.  We would like to end this entry with a quote from Ray’s website: “Do the best you can, with what you’ve got, right where you are.”

Dread’in the New Year

For all of you that know Nick the term “dread” seldom means gloom or anxiety, but almost always refers to the hairstyle made famous by Bob Marley.  One may ask “how can you “dread” in the new year?” and the answer is simple.  Woodford Folk Fest.  This place could arguably be the dreadlock capitol of Australia.  People of all ages, nationalities, and genders, all rocking dreadlocks, were enjoying music, art, comedy, and stunts performed by other dreadlock rockers.  We both couldn’t help but feel like the minority with our nappy lacking hair.  The hair aside it was nothing but good times with good people.

 The day ticket bought us 15 hours of various acts and displays as well as a cozy camping site to crash for the night.  To get the full picture we must mention that it has been raining every day for the past two weeks.  On our way to a dry camping spot we passed “tent village” which was a collage of bogged cars and campers, clothes lines sagging with dripping attire, and piles of rubber boots outside each humble abode.  You could tell many residents had been there for the full week of festivities and have not let the weather dampen their spirit along with their socks.  I will leave out details of the acts as not to spoil the surprise in case your in the neighbourhood this time next year, but some of the sights and sounds we took in included: a comedic fire fighter duo who could also juggle, mini bike stunt team, big band music, storey teller, graffiti artists, Dj’s as well as some fine food and beverages.  Not included in the itinerary but also entertaining were the mud runs.

 All cars of different sizes had to get through tracked out, greasy stretches of earth that could help the Corb Lund boys write their sequel. This show ran all day because it was the only route to get in or out of the grounds.  Everyone seemed to do their part to push from time to time, because in the back of all our minds was the fact that all of us will need a push eventually, and we did.

Out of order but no less enjoyable was Christmas at Cotton Tree Backpackers.   It was odd to say the least to get up and put on sun screen rather than flannels.  We all received our first present right away, which was sunshine.  It was a treat to be dry for more than an hour.  The night before we all stayed up helping prepare for the afternoon BBQ.  The Hostel had a homey feel to it as many of the residents had been their for months.  There were also a couple of resident dogs (Nelson the lab and friend).  We were welcomed in to the family immediately.  Under the tiny tree (with melting candy cane decorations)on the coffee table in the morning were tiny presents.  French Santa came again at brunch wearing shorts, flip-flops, and carrying a beer. Amanda and I exchanged gifts and watched the others unwrap their Christmas Speedo’s, boxed wine (goon), and water pistols.
We sat on the patio enjoying our complementary champagne and orange juice soaking it in while others threw on their red hats and hit the beach.  We all made phone calls home to tell our families Santa was on his way.  The afternoon was spent playing games such as celebrity heads, Chinese checkers, and pass the parcel.  In the parcel you could get either a present or a dare.  Amanda wound up performing a clever yodel and Nick had to hug a stranger.  Everyone ate until they were stuffed, had a nap and then ate some more.  We traded a few more movies before we left our home away from home.

Nick celebrated his 26th with a steak dinner at a place called Mooo Char.  It was sponsored by Mr. Segway (Ray).  Not only does he get to ride around on Segways all day he also has a Birthday Bonus package.  Not too shabby.  We both have been working steady at the resort and Amanda has also been assisting with tours.  She has an interview 2km down the road for a new dental office.  We are both in “save” mode for the new few weeks, and Nick has been shopping for a surf board.  His first tour is not until 10am which leaves the morning open to take up Australia’s No.1 hobby -surfing.  It will be rough but some how we will get through it ;-)      

STOP, DROP, AND ROCK MELON

Stop, Drop, and Rock Melon: You can do these in any particular order.  We started with the rock melons, then stopped, followed quickly by dropping.  We both agree it was the hardest day of manual labour and mental strength of our lives so far.  I’m sure many of our co-workers, would have agreed but we didn’t get a chance to talk to them, as they decided not to even finish the day.  The idea sounded simple when we started.  “All ya have to do is follow the tractor, twist every melon to see if its ripe, and if it is it will break off, then simply pick it up and put it on the belt.”  They were right.  It wasn’t hard.  Well the first 500 were ok, then the next 500 were little tricky to hold on to, but the last 500 seemed to weigh 100 pounds.  That must have been the wet part of the field.  We were all glad to see the tractor sink into the mud 45 min early to end the day.  Everyone on the bus back to the caravan park decided to try picking onions the next day instead.

The following day rained. So did the day after.  It was at this point we decided to socialize, and trade movies with people to give us all something to entertain ourselves with while we wait on the sunshine.  Speaking to some we find out they had been waiting on weather for over a week so far.  We had a look at the weather forecast.  It called for another 4-5 days of rain and the farmers assured us it would take another 2-4 days of dry weather before they could convince the tractor to take a run through the fields.  With our dwindling bank accounts and increased free time, we turned the wheel to the coast and pushed the right pedal down in search of indoor jobs.

Brisbane was the next major city, and that’s where we began our search.  It reminds me a lot of Calgary.  It is spread out with only a few high rises in the center.  It has a river running through the middle, and all the major roads in or out are under construction!  We treated ourselves to a cabin.  This gave us a great chance to dry out and recover from the melon picking.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to stretch before and after any strenuous activity.  After sitting in the car for two days, following our one full day of picking, we were both walking as if we fell from a two story building.  We made up resumes and scoured the internet for work, in between refilling the hot water bottle and taking in the next episode of “24” which we became addicted to(like the fellows who gave em to us promised).  With both walking, and clutch work low on the priority list we enjoyed our recovery time and hit the airports and temp agencies hard later in the week.  Amanda found work right away temping as a dental assistant which left me with interviews out at the general aviation airport just west of the city.  To my pleasant surprise they have a Canadian on their staff already which they had sponsored from an apprentice and were the local Cirrus service centre.  They were pleased to see I had experience with them as it is uncommon to see in many Australia applicants.  The bad news however was that they would be slow until the new year and would have to check back after the holidays.  That didn’t fit into our financial plans.  The plans being: “we need money A.S.A.P.” Amanda continued to temp and I decided to look into alternative employment.  Through complete fluke I stumbled on a single leaflet left behind at the book trade in, when I was dropping off magazines I borrowed from the last one, and just so happened to be for a segway tour just north of Brisbane.  I decided to give it a ring and tell them about my segway experiences in Canada.

The timing couldn’t have been better.  The tours were expanding and the holiday season has left them all flat out and need someone to take up the slack.  Next thing you know I am doing training for a rainforest/resort tour on a fleet of 15, X2 off road.  I am actually writing this blog from inside a sea can (which we use as an office/storage).  The tours have been great.  They have been mostly family’s and couples.  This is a welcome change from the regular students I have, which include the fresh from the beer gardens, “I’ve seen mall cop I know how to ride it” kinda crews.

Amongst all the new work for the two of us we squeezed in some more play.  We took a weekend trip down to the Gold Coast as well as Byron Bay.  We got up at 5am and were the first in Australia to see the sun rise from its most easterly point.  We watched some kite boarders tearing up the waves in a redbull world event.  Your visit to OZ is never complete without a trip down the narrow switchbacks to Nimbin.  This is a village stuck in the “free love” era and boasts: “home of the hemp Olympics” (complete with bong toss) and also the worlds largest (recorded) joint.  Their claim to fame however is their VW bus museum.  I won’t go into details an spoil the surprise, besides is better you see it for yourself.  Two hours after arriving we feel we have seen it all and head to the information desks favourite hidden gem; Mynion Falls.  The rain comes down in sheets as we dodge the washouts on the single track road up to the falls.  We tough out the rain with the help of the last few episodes of “24”.  The silence is broken in the morning by the sound of a ute and two amped men going on about jumping off the falls.  Thinking it was a dream I considered falling back to sleep, but with all the posters of skydivers, and base jumpers running through my head I decided to toss on a pair of shoes and follow em to the lookout.

“Excuse me guys. Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought you said you were going to jump off the falls??”…….”yep”

And after a few basic stretches they wasted no time climbing over the railing and hurling themselves toward the earth.  I picked em up at the trail head and gave em a lift back to their ute, as one was late for work.  “Beats coffee!” he said as he drove off.

We took the alternative rout to the falls later in the morning.  We scrambled some rocks and found ourselves a pool and hung out in the natural jakoozee made by the boulders.

The remainder of our time has been spent trying to stay dry (as it has rained virtually every day since St. George) and keep enough clothes clean as to keep the van’s FUNK-O-METER below 10.  We also got to test out or roadside repair kit as we blew our first tire.  Both of us are now confident that we could locate and operate anything we need in that case.  This will save us time in the future, because somehow putting the steering wheel on the other side required the manufacturer to hide the jack, wrench, and handle all in different places!

The calendar has been telling us that Christmas will soon be here.  There are even carollers’ on the beaches and Christmas tunes in the shopping centres.  I stumbled upon a small lonely carton of egg nog today at the corner store.  All this doesn’t seem to cover up the fact the there is no chance it will snow.  It’s a stretch but somehow we will be trading our cooked goose dinner for a couple yabby’s on the BBQ.  I suppose some of the beaches are white…..this year Santa rides a jet ski.

The Squizzy Capitol - Nov 16-Dec

After leaving our very kind friends in Lithgow we traveled to Bathurst where we visited the Bathurst airport. Shortly after we arrived we watched an Albatross jet fighter take off for a test flight. You could be in the hot seat at 5 G-force for a small price of $3200 for half an hour. I told Nick he should talk to the pilot, see if we could get a deal. He suggested working for them, but they weren’t looking. Though he did get some good tips on where he might be able to do maintenance. Maybe next time!
So its on to Orange, the unofficial wine capitol of NSW.

We spend the next three nights at the best free campsite we have stayed at yet. 60km outside the city is a well maintained, cut grass 30 acre land with walking trails, ponds and hardly anyone there. Each night when the sun went down, we sat under the trees, a cool breeze on our cheek, tea in hand “no-worries” we thought it cant get any better.

After some sight seeing, a few laps in the swimming pool at the Ex-Services club, and a afternoon skyping we decided to keep going onto Canberra, the capital, and try and get educated about the history of Australia and its parliament. After a tour of the second floor we watched as people were going through a metal detector, proceeded by a long corridor.  Asking the guard what this was all about she replied “The senates are in parliament, you can ask them questions and have a squizzy”. A squizzy? Nick and I looked at each other after she had left. A whaaat?? We laughed as we asked another guard at another station. He smiled, it means “a look around”.

From there we set off to the Australian Museum.  There we learned about the discovery of Australia and rich history of building the country and industry.  Nick admired a truck with a giant hook on the front used to catch buffalo. But the highlight of the day was learning our new slang Ozzy word, squizzy-and coming from such a important landmark. HA!

Also visited the Zoo in Canberra. We got to see the locals: Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koalas, little penguins, snakes, chameleons, as well as visitors from Asia: Red Pandas, India, Africa; meer cats and giraffes. Nicks favourite was the curious otters.
The next day we visited a 1915 power house-run by coal.  In the past decade it has been turned into a glass blowing studio and gallery. We spent 4 hours in the afternoon watching a group of 3 create a large round vase sculpture for a hotel in Japan, just one of 50 that take 5 hours to make each. What an interesting process. Wouldn’t that be fun as your career?

After getting a good feel for Canberra, it was off to the coast again.  We have missed the ocean. We find ourselves at Shell Harbour not far from Sydney. This is where we found a lot of beaches have showers. J

2500km after leaving Sydney we find ourselves right back where we started.  We made it a loop so we could make it back to catch Stereo Sonic (a full day electronic music festival). Thousands of people danced the day away for the outdoor music show. There we tried a deep fried potato ring on a stick, which we thought should definitely be added to the “a-la-stick” menu at the Calgary Stampede.
One short stop in Blacksmiths along the coast and we have decide its time to start our fruit picking career in St. George…………..

Suit, Tie, and Pea Topped Pie: Oct 26th-November 16th

Nick:  Well, well, well, “Hello Blog; my old friend.  I think its time we pour a cider and catch up.  Whatcha say?”

Just outside of Sydney 

Perhaps I should start by saying “all work and no play makes for a dull blog.”  The fact that I’m back at the keyboard shows you that I either am sneaking time from work or I have quit my job.  Well I’m here to say it is in fact the ladder.  I did it.  I quit, and I did it all for you!  Well, a generous portion did it for you, the majority did it for myself and Amanda.  We all knew that it wasn’t permanent, and with a bit of coin in our pockets it time to move on.  Since the last entry we have been staying at various hostels around Bondi Beach as well as sleeping on side streets in the van.  I know what your thinking: “what about a shower?” well we have been getting up rather early and going back to places we have paid to be at previously and walking in like we belong to be there and going about our morning routine and then back to the van.  It has allowed us to save that money which would otherwise go to the hostel tab and put it into renovating the van.  In this three week work span it is worth mentioning that I was sent away on a work trip for a week.  My time was spent in Parks and Forbs (Proud home of the “dish” from the movie…you guessed it “The Dish”).  I was lucky to have the company of a mixed team of individuals that couldn’t have been more pleasant and enthusiastic if it rained skittles every day.  There should be a whole other entry about them but I will leave you with the idea of the shanagans that could come about from a team as such: Mark the surfer from Melbourne, Alex the Musician from Scotland, Ollie the air-drummer from Suffick, England and his always smiling girlfriend (Charley) who danced at doorsteps.

Both Amanda and I put in our hours and put away our money and hit the road.  New additions to the van included GPS, overall checkup, oil change, muffler, and 125 mm custom cut foam bedding.

Back door kitchen

            The first day on the road already had the GPS paid for.  It got us out of Sydney, found us a pit-stop called Canada Bay, got us to Wentworth Falls, and even searched for caravan parks near us and got us their details.  The first night was spent on a side hill in a caravan park.  We hung our laundry on a gum tree at our site. Showers and bathrooms were 
a treat in the morning unlike some of our mornings from the bus trip.  We found ourselves winding down a single lane cliff road that afternoon.

View from look out-Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls 

It took us down into the Jenolan Caves and through their infamous Grand Arch.  We were greeted with wildlife of all kinds, including a wedding party climbing into one of the grand chambers for a reception.  With our tickets came coupons for a free self guided tour which we thought we might take in the next day
.

Kanangra Walls

 We backtracked up the winding hill to a rest area we passed earlier and hunkered down.  We are getting the morning routine down pat and it shows as we get back to the caves before nine.  With (Sully-pronounced ‘Su-lie‘ after a friend of the French couple who we bought t
he van from) the van revving high in second we pass the caves and make it up an even steeper switchback.  This road of doom takes us out to Kanangra Walls.  There are many trails and views to take in and we start with one that leads down a stone staircase to a waterfall.

Kanangra Falls up the mountain

from the Jenolan Caves

 The sun is fierce and we decide the pool at the base of the falls needs a bit of stirring.  We hop in to the shockingly cold water and keep the swim brief.  Refreshed we make our way back up the stairs and along the walls.  It doesn’t take long before we are craving another dip.  Without a schedule we decided its perfectly o.k. to backtrack and take another swim.

The Temple of Baal, Jenolan
Caves

 The Jenolan Caves were known to the local Aboriginal population for many thousands of years as Binoomea, "Dark places". European involvement in the area began in 1838 with the first recorded discovery by a local pastoralist James Whalan. According to legend however, Whalan was not the first European to set eyes on the caves, with that honour going to James McKeown, an ex-convict and possibly an outlaw, reputed to have been using the caves as a hideout.gend however, Whalan was not the first European to set eyes on the caves, with that honour going to James McKeown, an ex-convict and possibly an outlaw, reputed to have been using the caves as a hideout. The caves are thought to be 34 million years old.



Getting Back to the car we quickly discover that though we haven’t traveled far, we have done most of it in second gear and used all but a ¼ tank.  That means that unless we take an alternate route we will probably run out of gas.  The alternate route seems like an easy fix, but proved difficult from a dead end road.  We try our hand and asking the 4x4 crews back at the caves but none have any extra gas on board.  To make matters more interesting our brakes were smoking by the time reached the bottom of the first hill, and climbing the second we find that our right ball joint is starting to loosen up.  With lots of tension and a little luck we make it to a small town by the name of Lithgow.  It is Saturday night at this point.  Sully and the crew hobble into the nearest Caravan park.  With a whole Sunday to kill we decide to take in a bit of church.  It turns out that Aussie church goers like their services a bit earlier than one would think, with most starting at 9am.  Needless to say we missed those ones, but found a Salvation Army starting their service for eleven.

Brian, our new friend in Lithgow NSW

We were greeted with tea and smiling faces.  Come the end of the service we asked about a repair shop and if there were any chance of them being open on a Sunday.  As we assumed nobody would look at it until Monday, however a nice couple by the names of Brian and Carol offered us a place to stay in the mean time.  We parked in their drive overnight and enjoyed the first home cooked meal since mom’s early thanksgiving.  Brian showed me to his local auto shop.  They had a look and fit me right in.  Through the day Brian and Carol showed us around Lithgow, taking us to a (known mostly to locals) lookout over the valley.  They also took us to a suburb where local roos like to dine.  We must have caught a crew of 30 or so, some with joeys riding along.  The van needed parts sent away for and took an extra day in the shop.  In the mean time Brian showed us a sample of his British comedy library-Fawlty Towers, Brittas Empire, Darling Buds of May and others. Brian made us copies of the Wayfarers, Australian folk music. We ate our first Vegemite which you eat with butter on crackers with cheese. Carol taught us a bit about local Aussie Flowers, showing Amanda around her beautiful garden. We all enjoyed you-tubing the afternoon away.  That seems to be a great pass time no matter where in the world you are.

This is where I must leave you for now Blog.  Our stay in Lithgow is over and we best make up time on our loop back to the city, we are headed there for a concert on the 27th.

 We want to give a shout out to Brian and Carol if your reading and say thanks again for the hospitality. Its not everyday that people welcome you into their home and treat you like you are one of the family. We really appreciate the kindness you showed us. We will never forget it.

  Also to everyone else considering driving through Lithgow, consider a stopover, there is more there than the info centers know.  You may have to ask a few locals about some hidden gems but so far its been the highlight of the Blue Mountains for the both of us Canadians.      

Blue Mountains

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains, Katoomba

Macquire Woods camping site, Orange NSW

Week two:  

Nick: I wish I could write about all the new adventures in the outback we had this week, but I’m sure you can do most of them at home.  This week consisted mostly of adventures in overseas banking and job hunting.  There was a lot of tension in the air as both Amanda and I pushed out sleep deprived minds to the brink of insanity.  No need to worry, after the dust settles I’m sure we will be no crazier than when you last saw us.

For this entry I will focus on all the positives.  I will start with the fact that we have found a fully equip campervan to tour the coast with.  It is even in our budget, that is to say it would be if we could access any of our money.  That’s where the majority of our stress has come from.(Amanda writes.... Dealing with TD Canada Trust was not easy. Advice: if you want to be able to transfer money from your Canadian accounts to your new overseas account, before you travel find out if it is something that can be done fairly easily. In my case transferring money took 2-4 business days and cannot be done on internet banking, I had to fax all the information to a branch, after I spoke to someone. And when you are a day ahead it can be a little hard. Also dont get a bank draft from TD mine looked like a photo copy, so they held it for 2 weeks.
  We were lucky in that we have found a nice French couple that is willing to hold it for us until it goes through.  When we met them we sat for hours at a nearby coffee shop discussing their trip for the past year and the one we hope to do.  The second big thing to happen is that Amanda has found work in her field of dental assisting here in the city and has started right away.  It is through a temp agency, and her location of employment will change day to day but there seems to already be plenty of work for her to do.  I myself was getting anxious to do something that will bring money in rather than the follow the trend of passing it out.  I handed out many online resumes and got a hit from a marketing company not far from where we are.  I was hesitant to even take the interview as I have no formal attire and very little experience in that sort of thing.  I decided to take a shot as it was the only bite I got so far.  I went it and gave it my best shot.  Lucky for me the mate doin’ the interview was a fellow Canadian and we hit it off.  I was invited back later in the day for a second interview with three others.  Another Canadian, and Gal from Norway and myself met over coffee with the same fellow from before.  We chatted about what the company does and a lot about what he misses about Canada (his number one was Wendy’s).  This brought us into the mid afternoon and were brought in one by one for the final verdict.  I was second in line but I can tell from the way he spoke that everyone from the second meeting got a position, including myself.  So on the way home today I stopped off for some business attire and a haircut for my new job that starts Monday.  Wish me luck for I have a new suit to pay off.

We did get one afternoon off this week (seems like we haven’t had much time to be tourists yet) for which we spent at the beach.  The sun was hot and the water was clear and refreshing.  I rented a surf board for another try at it.  I got up only half dozen times or so, and only rode one wave full to the end,  but was lucky to see a school of dolphins chasing a boarder down the wave.  It was something out of a video and I am sure will be a highlight of my stay.

Though we have been working hard we did have some fun too.........

Australian Museum-they are clear
and really tiny-great 

$40 gets you unlimited bus/train/ferry
 for one week

As we were walking by.....

Great views from Sydney harbour

Wonderful lunch-Four Olives-Manly

I new there was a statue
somewhere
 in the world doing this

What we learned in Australia this week:
Cheers means thank you
A pension is called your Super account
Stand on the left side of the escalator if you want to ride, people on the right want to walk up
French couple taught us how to show waitresses you arnt pleased with your meal-using your utensils
Australian people think I am American
Gas tanks are not that easy to find on an older model
Really beautiful sea shells can kill you

Also dealing with TD Canada Trust for purchase of the van was not easy. Advice: if you want to be able to transfer money from your Canadian accounts to your new overseas account, before you travel find out if it is something that can be done fairly easily. In my case transferring money took 2-4 business days and cannot be done on internet banking, I had to fax all the information to a branch, after I spoke to someone. And when you are a day ahead it can be a little hard. Also dont get a bank draft from TD apparently mine looked like a photo copy, so they held it for 2 weeks. Everything has now worked out but only because Nick got pooped on by a bird, which here, means good luck!!!

Saturday Oct 2nd 6am:

Amanda writes…. Agnes (Nick‘s mum), Nick and I rise to get ready for a very important day. Australia bound. This is the first day of our 3 day journey, or is it only 2 days. Loosing or it is gaining times zones is a little confusing. So we are off, its now 7:30am and we head to Halifax, NS. We say our goodbyes to Agnes and we wish each other Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
We boarded Air Canada(all flights with Air Canada)  to Toronto at 4:20 pm. A smaller plane, it take takes us only an hour and a half. From Toronto after a 3 hour wait, some food and some hot sauce packets for the road we are off on our 2nd flight, to Vancouver. A huge plane with probably we calculated 160 people. Sections of 3 seats, 3 rows down the plane. They even had those new executive class seats where you can spread your legs out in front, like a bed, though your back is still upright. Though I don’t know looking at them that someone taller than 6 feet could lay their legs out. Needless to say we didn’t get to try.
So this plane we will stay on, there is no getting off till Sydney, so we thought……Fortunately 6 hours later when we arrive in Vancouver we are surprised to learn we have to get off the plane for about 45 minutes. Yes! We get to walk and stretch our legs. Nick and I felt like we could barely walk after sitting so long, your legs cramp so much.  What where we going to do for 15 hours. At this point we couldn’t really think about that, considering it was already around 4:30 am NB time, we where pretty tired.

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Nick writes....  All in all if it wasn’t for having to sit in one place for 15 hours the ride wasn’t so bad.  You are fed every 4 hours or so and you don’t have to leave your seat.  You have almost an endless supply of new releases to entertain you.  With a few movies, and nap, a couple decent meals, broken up with the occasional  cocktail on the house I can honestly say it wasn’t half bad.  Our customs’ visit went better than we thought with them pushing us right through (it may have had something to do with the agents love for peanut butter).  With our minds in a fog, and little information on how to get to our hostel we pondered different strategies at the information board.  While standing there with no signs of brain activity a man approaches us with an offer to drive us there for 12 dollars.  In most cases this would send up a red flag to say this is too good to be true, but there are a few other backpackers waiting with him already and we roll the dice.  Turns out he is a hired shuttle for many hostels in the area and when we arrive he checks us in and find that we are there for 7 nights which entitles us to a free ride.  With a smile he waves and we are left to settle in.

Our first impressions are anything but excitement.  We enter a room with a sink on one wall and a double bunk bed on the other.  The floor is littered with cigarette butts and it has a funk about it.  Every color is dulled with a grime.  We are told to settle in while they clean it.  Unhopeful we set our things down and attempt to take in our “free breakfast”.  I guess there was a bit of a misassumption with the definition of breakfast, because we were welcomed to a bag of white bread and a bucket of jam, as well as a box of cornflakes and a jug of milk.  It technically is close to what I would normally have to eat but I guess I had my heart set on the Best Western style buffet…

After the room is cleaned we enter to find the grime, and fewer cigarettes.  We tidy up a bit ourselves and settle in to our new home for the next week.   We made it our goal to stay up until it gets dark.  It wasn’t hard once we started our tour of the city.  “Can’t fall asleep with your feet moving” we decided.  The weather was great all day.  We left wearing sweaters and pants and could walk around town in a t-shirt and shorts without worry.  The first thing we noticed was the wildlife in the city.  There were tropical birds of all kinds making  noises neither of us had heard before.  The trees were interesting and some even cartoon like in the park.  The trail we were on took us right to the Sydney Opera House.  It is a must see.  I can say it makes a nice postcard but in the end its just that.  Moving on…We find that MacDonald’s is the hot spot for free wireless.  At the nearest location they have fashioned a long table just for that where people wander in and mooch all they want.  We make it to nightfall and greet the pillows with two hard wallops.

The next day is spent getting our bearing around the city and finding the essential stores and setting up banking and tax information.

Bondi Beach

We reward ourselves the next day with a trip to Bondi beach which is a short ride on the train.  The weather starts out with mist then the sun comes out with full force.  The ocean is cool and refreshing.  The surfers are wearing wetsuits but only to fend off the Bluebottles (jellyfish).  We have a Oceanside picnic and I hire a board and wetsuit to try my hand at catching a wave.  It turns out very few of the techniques from snowboarding are transferable.  I will have to learn this one from scratch.  Despite the SPF 30 we still find ourselves scorched when we return

The remaindered of the week seemed to blur together.  We wandered around the city a bit more taking in Paddy’s Market and China town, the Australian Museum, and a couple other neighbourhoods in our area.  It turns out there are more hostels in that area than we could count, and the backpackers on the str
eet outnumbered what seemed to be the locals.  We bummed around the hostel making résumés and searching for a campervan to buy.  We ran into a couple fellow Canadians.  Two from Winnipeg, one from Quebec, and another from London Ontario.  The rest consisted of a littler of French, German, English, Brazilian, and Hollandish.  There were even a couple local boys who were students and one that was just hiding out while his and his lady were on the mend.

Nearing the end of our stay we took down mobile numbers and played a few games of cards.  Today we are hopping on the train, and the city bus and are relocating to Noah’s Hostel at Bondi Beach. …