the End of an Era...

Its the end of an era. Melbourne is nearing a close. We've had our fill. Sydney is next on the agenda. It will be a five day event. Recently, our days have been filled with sports, art, entertainment, and treats. We've managed to attend an Aussie rules football game, an Australian contemporary art exhibition, a full round of golf, breast strokes at the aquatic centre followed by soaking in the not so hot tub, afternoons of thrift shopping, work shifts of eating delicious chocolate pieces, and viewing the entire city that provided all this from the top of its highest building lookout. That was the last place my camera was witness to. Unfortunately, for my camera it truly is the end of an era. She is officially broken. It happened a week ago. Fortunately, she was looking at this in her last flashes of light.

Its been nearly a month since my last blog, who would've thought we'd have accomplished so much!

We've been witness to the Australian/ New Zealand public holiday, Anzac Day.... similar to our Remembrance Day, however, they celebrate that as well. There's been thunder and lightning storms, homeless men with indescribable stench on the tram and 2 day endeavours of seeing the National Gallery of Victoria. Just down the street from where I've been working they were shooting a Nicholas Cage movie on one of the rooftops. Unfortunately, he did not personally come in for a coffee, but his apparent make-up artist did... she was an unarguably "enhanced" women!

I've learned that Aussie's often say, "Ta!", instead of "thank you" or "goodbye." They don't really celebrate Halloween; it seems the whole idea strikes them as a little odd, "Everyone just dresses up on that day? Hmm?" I have to remind myself not to say "loonie" or "twonie", instead its "one dollar coin" or "two dollar coin." If you don't, you'll receive a confused, blank stare. They don't have drip coffee here... just espresso drinks.... in other words, you couldn't just order "a coffee", thats not specific enough. The television shows are basically American but instead its Australian Idol, Australian Big Brother, Australia's Got Talent, Australian So You Think You Can Dance, and even Australian Gladiator.

These were taken at the Australian art exhibit. They showcase 100 galleries and over 1000 Australian and international artists. A tour of the entire exhibit took about 4 hours. This was the first time Conrad was witness to such a large number of works. He was a good sport... with endurance!!

We're both still a little sore from yesterday. We went to one of the golf courses here and played 18 holes. This time it was a test on my endurance. Its was a full course but casual; 18 holes is a lot! It helped that there was a break between 9 holes... in my mind, that was one of the few things keeping me going! By the time we were out for the second 9 holes the weather turned and it slowly started to DOWN POUR! We got soaked, but ironically, that was when I enjoyed myself the most! Conrad played really well. He was a good teacher and his pupil managed not to get frustrated when he offered advice. Right now, I can't decide whether or not I like the sport...

This is the view from our balcony window. If you look closely... can you see the tallest building?... that's where we took the aerial photos of Melbourne... that's where my poor camera took her last photos.

Its been nice staying in Melbourne. The city has "heaps" to offer [something else I've picked up from the Aussies.] But it will be nice to get back home. Its been fall since we've been in Melbourne. The leaves have all been falling and the wind has a definite chill. Its been a shock to the system next to tropical Queensland. I'm hoping the weather will be a little more summer-like back home. Conrad and I are both getting homesick. We've been reminiscing about some of the first things we will do when we get back... soaking in a HOT tub, eating Acme sushi, drinking ceasar's, cuddling the puffy cat (Boots!!), wearing clothes other than the 10 outfits we've been travelling with, and, of course, reuniting with friends and family. Frankly, we miss you and can't wait to get back!

we've been workin it

Now for a month in Melbourne. We've had a week here already. So far, we've settled into our apartment, found promising jobs, seen some sights and have even squeezed in a few seasons of Conrad's favorite show, Entourage. We're living in St. Kilda, a district southwest of Melbourne central. Its an art precinct! You know what that means, lots of crazy clad people walking down streets that never seize to surprise you.

Flying into Melbourne on Friday evening meant we had to spend the night in the airport. We knew it was coming... we were ready for it. We flew for 3hrs, we got free television reception, Conrad got to watch one of the hockey playoff games. When we arrived at the airport we found a cozy spot to unroll our sleeping bags and call it a night. My spot was behind a long bench; a spot just big enough to lie in but discreet enough to be unseen. Unfortunately, Conrad wasn't so lucky. He was sleeping right in front of the bench out in the open. He said that at one time he opened his eyes and looked up to some "big-boned" kid starring down at him! Surprisingly, we both had relatively good sleeps; not surprising, sleeping in a private bed is preferred.

After a day of getting our bearings in our neighborhood, we've ventured out to see some sights. On Sunday, we headed to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for one of the last performances from the Melbourne Comedy festival. We were entertained by a Queen lipsyncing, batton juggling, leather pant wearing man with a fake Italian accent. It may sound cheesy but it was hilarious! The show was held in the theatre of one of the prominent art galleries in Melbourne. After the show we were able to look through one of the other exhibits, photography done by some contemporary Chinese artists. The work was provocative, I'm looking forward to going back and seeing the other exhibits.

The following day was a day for business, so to speak. We got our resume's organized, Conrad got a haircut and we both applied for jobs. Conrad got an offer for a kitchen job that day. Right now, he's juggling the prospect of two jobs. I was offered a barista job at a local cafe. They specialize in French desserts. It feels like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in there; shelves and shelves of chocolate treats. They also serve coffee, which is where I come in. So we've both got the "working in Australia" part on the go. Both our jobs are walking distance from home. At night, strolling along one the residential side streets, you'll see possum's hanging from the branches. The first time I nearly walked face first into one of them. The little guy was hanging from a branch at eye level. Conrad said he was about to warn me but he thought it was a cat.... "Oh, that's much better!"

We also went to the IMAX here. They were showing a U2 concert in 3D. I must admit I'm not a big U2 fan [cringe... I know... no need to yell at the computer screen] BUT after seeing them perform I am more of a fan then before. How could I not, after fashionning such funky glasses!

We've had our share of Melbourne fashion! We've wandered the streets of Chinatown and the downtown shopping centre. While Conrad may not get all the "fashionable" trends, we both get that its big here. We've been through underground shopping centres that span for blocks. First, you find yourself descending down stairs and finally you emerge blocks from where you started! This would be a heavenly place for a shopping spree!!!! [don't worry Ma, it won't happen]

Yesterday, we headed out for the Melbourne Aquarium. It was a lot smaller than we thought it would be but aquariums are always entertaining. Its incredible seeing these GIANT tanks.... it reminds me of my humble 10 gallon tank at home! Lucky for us, we showed up at the exact same time as an elementary field trip. There were munchkins running around everywhere. They sure are excitable little things!!!

Later we also went back to the IMAX to check out the museum side (we purchased the tickets together.) The museum was full of dinosaurs, bugs, rocks, aboriginal artifacts, etc. We both especially enjoyed an exhibit in the Human Anatomy section describing, with life sized models, about the digestive system. We both had a good laugh when it came to the end of the process, where a fake piece of feaces could be found next to a button that made fart noises. There's something for everyone at the Melbourne IMAX Museum!!

We're off again.

Tomorrows the day we head to Melbourne. This week has been full events. Some of us even got older. It was Conrad's birthday on Sunday. We had a day of White Water Rafting on the Tully River. It was amazing! We were rafting on grade four rapids. It was a whole day event; started a 6:30am, ended at 6:30pm. The sun was shining, couldn't have asked for more. The secret that it was Conrad's birthday got out of the bag rather quickly. One of the guides on the bus mentionned he would get sauced... whatever that means. We soon found out. At lunch, Conrad was ambushed by ketchup and BBQ bottles. They covered him. Then just as he was washing off in the river, they threw bread crumbs at the fish, which got them biting. Funny enough, I did not actually witness any of it! I was happily watching the fish while warming myself in the glorious sunshine. I remember seeing Conrad in the water but I figured he was just crazy enough to go for a swim after being soaked all afternoon... turns out, he's not that crazy!
That night we went to a nice Japanese Restaurant. The food was great but the portions were small... expected for such cuisine. It was the first time, in a long time, that my lips got to touch the sweet taste of red wine! Dinner was great, we both realized how long it had been since we'd eaten out!

We've also kept ourselves busy exploring Cape Tribulation. On Tuesday, we went on a day trip up the coast. We stopped at a freshwater gorge called Mossman Gorge. There we got to go for a brisk swim and check out the suspension bridge.


Then we were off to the Daintree Wildlife Centre. We met up with a crazy, barefoot bushman who led us throw the park, while explaining how "special" everything was. He was quite the character! He had nasty long toenails... I'm sorry I noticed! But it was at this wildlife centre that we got to see our first saltwater crocodile up close. Enclosed within a fence was a murky pond. You're standing on a wood-plank walkway suspended a few feet in the air. Then the crazy bushman taps the water with the end of his walking stick and, "SPLASH!! [Chomp! Chomp!]" a giant croc emerges from nowhere. It blows your mind that you were just looking at the calm, motionless, water intently looking for some sign of life, meanwhile he's been sitting there right under your nose.

Our next stop of the day was for a walk through the rainforest to the Mangroves. These rainforests have been around for millions of years. They count for 1% of Australias forests but carries almost 50% of its types of wildlife! Walking through the forest was like walking through time. This one tree is known as a strangler tree. It slowly kills the hosts tree it lives on. This one had long since killed the tree it had engulfed but remained standing.
We drove up to Cape Tribulation for lunch. The beach was nice, but at that point the rain clouds had come in, so it ended up looking like any standard beach. It was interesting to see a stingray station as you enter the beach. There were signs everywhere warning of the risk and a bottle of vinegar to use if a sting occurred. To think, these are the circumstances these people have to deal with every year. "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink." In this area, it is incredibly hot and water surrounds you but you can't swim in it. Because of this paradox almost every accommodation provides you with a swimming pool.

On our way to our next activity we saw a wild Cassowary. They are protected, indiginous wildlife of Australia. They are giant Emu-like birds with colorful heads and black feathers. They have a talon on one of there claws that could easily kill a human, so they are warned to be very dangerous. Driving along the road you see a number signs warning of there prescence. It was during the drive when one stepped out on the road to cross the street.
From there we were on our way to a river cruise down the Daintree River, hoping to spot of few saltwater crocs in the wild. We did! Apparently, in that area there are around 4 males and 6-7 females. Because crocs are very territorial they are usually able to identify each croc spotted. While we journeyed down the river, we also entered a number of their territory. It was a thrilling reminder when they would tell you NOT to lean over the boat! While on the cruise, we saw Scarface, a 3ft male, and 3 females, but sadly I have forgotten there names. It was neat!

Yesterday, we went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. The boat ride was long and it really made me motion sick. Unless we were snorkelling, I was sleeping on one of the benches of the boat. I found this to be the only way to halt the sickness.... damn, that boat was bumpy. We did, however, have a great day on the reef. We spotted a couple of sea turtles that curiously stuck around. They acted like puppies! They were really cute! Because they have to come up for air you could even spot them from the top of the boat. All of a sudden they would emerge for a few good breathes before descending again. Conrad recently bought a water proof case for his camera. He was able to snag a few really good photos which I will try to post later. The trip enables us to snorkel for at least 3hrs on the reef. There are fish everywhere, schooling in funny ways. I've learned that the coral itself is colorless but certain algaes give them color. Also, they grow about 1cm/ year so any damage is quite tragic. It really is a breathtaking environment... this slow-growing reef seems neverending out there.

Cairns...

These are from Fraser Island. This was our trusty 4x4 with our hood ornament Stacey!

These were the football/ soccor teams. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves!

The Maheno Shipwreck... an eerie sight.

What can I say about Cairns?! Hmm,... its incredibly hot and humid up here. The heat messes with my creative ability when writing these posts. We've been staying here since Tuesday morning. After an overnight bus from Airlie Beach, we arrived.



Back in Airlie... we went on the 3 day sailing cruise through the Whitsundays. Its was incredible. We had a free introductory scuba dive included with our sailing trip... Conrad's first scuba experience. He said he loved it. At one point, he was face to face with a giant sting ray. It was covered in sand at the bottom of one of the coral reefs, Conrad was just looking around when our guide came up and signaled for him to back up. Then, with a few flaps of its wings you saw this giant sting ray emerge from the sand. Conrad said he looked him right in the eye!!! Its hard to articulate the feeling as it seemlessly "flew" away!



We were on an 80ft maxi-racing sailboat from the late 80's. Her name was Apollo. Although, she hasn't raced since then she was obviously ahead of her time. On the way back we had good winds and raced another retired maxi. The boat was nearly completely tipped over! For a sail boat we were cruising! As a passenger you are supposed to sit on the side of the boat that is above water [pretty obvious] but this rule alludes that the other side is under water. Apparently, the main sail can go all the way down 110 degrees.... 20degrees below the top of the water... and she'll still sail and stay afloat! And there you are sitting on the upright side... you're legs are dangling as you enjoy the surreal view from the deck of the boat. Conrad and I were sitting right at the front. We got blasted by this really big wave and got soaked! It was great! Unfortunately, we both had our cameras at the time and Conrad's did not go so well. He just picked up a replacement here in Cairns... don't worry his photo's are fine just the camera won't work.



All in all, the sailing trip was great. We got to do a lot of snorkelling and went on 2 dives. We saw tons of fish, coral and other sea life! No sharks though... I'm not sure how I feel about that... At one point, we "threw anchor" in a nice lagoon. It wasn't a moment later that a wild cockatoo landed on the mast [?]... one of the cords that supports the sail... then another one came... and another one. Back home you only see these birds in pet stores. Here you see them flying around wild! Its crazy! Crackers were brought out and they carefully picked them out of your hand. Conrad got to hold one of the crackers out. Everyone got their photo-op in... at first the crew was delighted by the visitors. One guy said he'd been sailing for a year and a half, yet this was news to him. However, once the parrots stuck around to deficate on the deck their demeanour changed.



At the time, the purpose for stopping was to check out aboriginal cave paintings on the adjoining island. After a quick hike we made it to the cave. I remember my first year of art history. Some of the first pieces we learnt about were the cave paintings dating back to 80 000 BC... don't quote me I can't quite remember the dates... anyway the idea of such ancient artworks blew my mind then and it continued to when I saw some with my own eyes. Although these works were not nearly as dated as those studied in history class, it was equivically humbling.

But to every amazing moment there seems to be its opposite. The cave was swarmed with mosquitos which no one realised were eating us alive after we had been standing there for a while. I have never gotten so many bites in such a short period of time. Dinnertime continued as well ventured to a few look out points. We all got some nice shots of Apollo in the calm lagoon... meanwhile, the f*cking mosquitos were at work! I was one of the first to decided they'd had enough and started back. Some of the rocks were slimy and I slipped and bashed my head against the rocks. It sucked. My butt was covered in the slimy mud for the rest of the trip. While waiting for the zodiac to pick us up Conrad slipped and broke his sandal. We were zero for two. Not the greatest of luck. Looking back we both smile. [scratch.scratch]

...more stories to come... I'm out of time.

on the road again...

First off, thanks for the comments on the "piss story"... I had to scramble and finish things up last time because the internet place was closing... otherwise, I would've dragged the story further so that you could relate to the agony and discomfort of the experience... lucky you!

We are now in Noosa Heads. We've back tracked a little on our journey north. We bought this travel package that included a 2 day canoe trip through the Noosa Everglades. We were told horror stories on numerous occasions, after signing up for it. The good thing was that it turned out to be a blast. We were a group of 11 on a self guided tour. Everyone was positive and enthusiastic. It seemed that they had all heard the same reviews as well. There were a couple of Irish, 3 English, and 2 Aussie's... again, one of the Irish had never camped before but he survived with more grace than the Londoners did on Fraser. We camped for 2 nights, canoed for a total of 24km and hiked for 12km. It was a physical challenge indeed... (Mark, it kept reminding me of you in the Death Race. I can't believe you sign up for that kind of thing... for those of you that don't know... look up 'Death Race Marathon'... its insane.) Although, I won't be doing any death races, Conrad and I were coined with the nickname, "Team Canada" because we were always sailing past everyone during the canoeing. It was funny turning back and seeing everyone zig-zag across the river, they hadn't figured out the "technique". On the last night we all joined in a little mischief. That day it seemed that one of our canoes had been switched the night before in exchange for a crappy, slow, cracked "vessel". The next day we had set off to see this sand blow which was a 6km paddle each way and a 12km hike round trip. The Aussie got the crap canoe but didn't mention is until after the massive day trip. That night at the campsite, one had mentionned that he saw someone messing with our canoes that night prior. He said he noticed one of them was missing, but he figured they just grabbed one for an evening canoe. He later speculated that they had switched canoes, taking our good one and leaving there crap one.... the weasels. You see, this trip that we were on leaves everyday. So there is always another group doing the same thing, just a day ahead. You have to canoe 6km from the drop off to get to this campground. Once we realized that the canoes had been switched and that we still had a 6km trip to get back to our pick up point we decided to switch the crap canoe with the "new" group. The night was alive with the full moon. Four of us ventured quietly to make the switch. The scene was scoped out. We knew which canoes were to be switched. Two people were to grab the bad one while another two would be grabbing the good one. The scheme was in action. Conrad was in the group that had the bad vessel. I was in the group that had the good one. Conrad's party executed the plan with ease. My group was a little different. I was with a slender, Irishman (the first time camper.) We started by sliding the canoe off the storage shelf. Everything seemed fine..... until the canoe actually left the shelf, then THUNK!!! It was way heavier than we both thought. The canoe went down and we all started snickering. Everyone was trying to remain quiet. Our token photographer, a British girl, started snapping photos, flash after flash. Once we regained what little composure we had left, we finished the task. The mission was a success, despite being a little rocky. Later, we saw the group that we swapped with checking out the canoes but they were none the wiser. In the end, we got back with good canoes and that crap one remained at the campsite. We all figure that its a cycle that goes on with every group. I don't think that canoe has ever actually made it back to the pick up point.

After getting back to Noosa, safe and sound, with only a few new bug bites, we've had the last couple of days to check out the town. Its an incredibly rich town, a playland for the wealthy. Its kind of like a Miami version of Whistler. We haven't done much. We went and saw a really bad movie for $14 AUD a couple of nights ago... a word of advice, 10 000 BC is really cheesy. I fear that Conrad will forever hold it against me that I chose that movie after vetoing Vantage Point. [whoops... my bad]

Today we're off on a 16 hour, overnight bus ride to Airlie Beach. There we will be going on a 3 day sailing trip through the Whitsundays.... can't wait!!!! The trip includes all food (which apparently is amazing) and a half hour introduction scuba dive!!! You can snorkel all you want and there will be plenty of beaches to check out! This is what I've been most looking forward to... not quite as rustic as the camping trips... me likes!

Conrad and I have just spent the day booking the rest of our trip. We'll be in Cairns for 10days after the Whitsundays. From there we will fly to Melbourne and stay for a month. Then we'll fly to Sydney for the last 5days of our trip... then, the inevitable.... we'll be flying home. In the meantime, we're still here basking in the glories of Oz. Until that flight home, we're still living the experience!!!

Life at the end of the Rainbow

Dreamland amusement park back in Surfer's Paradise...

...petting a baby crocodile...
...we came across this little giril behind one of the gift shops. She was sitting alone on this bench, eating a bag of dry noodles. Meanwhile, the crumbs that were falling became food for the scavenging ducks, birds and lizards. She seemed oblivious to the oddity of the situation. We were worried that she had been lost, it turned out her parents were just inside looking around. The situation was all around very odd and unexpected.

We've been in Rainbow Beach for a little while now. After Surfer's Paradise we came here and spent a week at a little motel. Everything here is so local; everyone knows eachother; everything is just a walk down the quaint main street. We spent a week at the motel, formally known as Debbie's Place, lovingly called, "Oh Deb's place, right!" In such a small town we've kept ourselves busy with a bit of hiking. There's this one place called Carlo Sand Blow. Its only a 15min hike and you find yourself in this giant half pipe of sand. On either side of the vast surface of sand you find ocean or forest. The sand is constantly blown by the breeze. At the end of the huge mound you see that the sand is slowly engulfing the forest below. Its like your on the moon. The view was amazing. One morning we got up for a 6am seakayaking trip. The trip ended up getting cancelled due to strong wind warnings. Conrad and I took advantage of the early start and again hiked up to the sandblow. It looked completely different in the morn. We both took a lot of pictures and thoroughly explored the surreal space.

Indeed, we've been quite the explorers. We took the advice of a travel agent here and decided to hike out to Lake Poona. However, if we had known that the hike was 8km long, and perhaps started it before 1:30pm we might have been able to reach the lake. Instead, we hiked for 3hrs through dense forest and jungle. You see, the trail was decieving. What started out like a nice little walk through the trees ended in a flooded path through the dense jungle, getting bit by ants because we were both wearing sandals. At times we started to doubt that we were even on the trail. Thankfully, we did end up staying on the right track. We reached a fork in the road. It was 4pm and dusk was already approaching. We had a choice. We could walk the remaining 1.8km to the lake which we'd been in pursuit the entire afternoon or we could go to the nearest picnic area, only 600m, where we had hopes of hitching a ride back to town. From the wise words of our mothers, we chose, "Safety first." We gave up on the lake quest and sought civilization. We began walking, along the dirt road, on our way back to Rainbow Beach. There was no way I was going BACK on the damn trail with darkness falling... NO WAY! We were prepared to walk the distance back to town along the road but the second passing car responded to our hitching. The drive back was a long 12km, and with every passing bend in the road we were glad that we had been saved.

After vowing never to venture like that again, we had a restful few days. We arranged a Fraser Island trip, planned a Whitsunday's sailing trip, as well as a canoe trip through the Noosa everglades. We just got back from the Fraser Island self-guided tour. Basically, a hostel sends you and 10 others off for 2 nights on camping and 3 days of Fraser Island exploring. They lend you camping equipment and the 4X4. They give you a recommended itinerary and send you on our way. We were a group with two Toyota Landrover 4x4's, carrying 22 people. Despite my secret hesitations, regarding the camping with complete strangers for 3 whole days the trip was a complete blast. Each group has designated drivers that navigate through the sand roads on Fraser. Its was inevitable that you'd be bogged at some point but its all part of the fun. Our group was a mixture of Germans, Isrealis, and British. There were 3 guys from London that had NEVER been camping before. Everyone was mutually in shock when we'd heard this.... before the trip began we knew we were in for an adventure. According to the recollection of these guys the first night, they had opened their tent "windows" for ventilation, they said they couldn't breathe or see. They kept hearing strange noises, which they responded by asking, "Hello, who's there?" Because of the open vents and pitch black the first night's downpour did not end graciously. They couldn't see, couldn't breathe, whilst getting soaked. The second night, while the guys were playing soccer on the beach, one of them dislocated there shoulder. Fraser Island is very secluded and you have to dial a satellite in order to recieve the faintest of reception. After failed attempts at relocating the shoulder we were able to get an ambulance to our secluded beach campsite. Bare in mind, this campsite was so secluded that a shovel got you your own make-shift, well-ventilated toilet. The Londoner was taken in the ambulance, he was helicoptered to the nearest hospital where they relocated his shoulder. Meanwhile, the next morning, one of the two remaining Brits awoke with bites all over the patchwork of his sunburnt lower legs. These bites were huge and one would suspect that he had a mystery sleeping bag mate. By the end of the trip, they all said at the time it seemed like the worst thing but it did supply a good laugh. They all walked away from the experience, however, I think they are more keen on the camper van idea.

While on Fraser we saw a few breathe taking fresh water lakes and saw some amazing look outs. Our first stop was, Lake Mackenzie, where we saw quite a few dingos. They run around freely like dogs. You have to remind yourself that they are wild animals and you are not to encourage them with human contact. We had lunch there, enjoyed a nice swim in the crystal clear water, dodged the sudden downpour under information stands, and then some played a game of soccer on the beach. The Isrealis initiated the game. They were a wild and entertaining bunch. If anything was to happen they were not too far behind. At Lake Mackenzie we found a discarded blow up doll (who would carry a blow up doll all the way to Fraser is beyond me.) They were quick to jump at the photo opportunity. Fraser Island is a world heritage site. One of the member's of our group decided that he could not leave the garbage, aka. blow up doll/ Stacey, on the pristine beach. He carried it back to our truck and "Stacey" became the centre of attention as our front fender ornament for the rest of the trip. We had a lot of looks on Fraser... some with shaking heads; some with thumbs up!

The next day we quickly stopped at another fresh water lake, Lake Wabby. Access to this lake was after crossing a kilometer wide sandblow. We took a quick dip and then drove north to a look out called Indian Head. From the top you can see all the way down the beach in both directions. The view from the cliff edge to the water was enough to make me a little weak at the knees, needless to say, I kept a safe distance. That night we were camping on the beach. There are designated camping sites all along the coastline. As soon as we made it to our selected campsite, the rain started to come down. Beforehand, there was just enough time to set up a tarp, our sanctuary. That day, we had lunch at 5pm and dinner at 10pm. It was Saint Patrick's Day and we had a couple of crazy Irish. They made sure the evening was not a bust... this was the night of the soccer game that ended with an ambulance ride for some.

The following day we were off to see the shipwreck called the Maheno. Its incredible that a ship this large sits and rusts here. Its quite an unsettling tourist stop. A skeleton of rust and water. Everyone got there fill of photos. We had our only group photo taken in front on the Maheno. This was our last day on Fraser Island. We were on a tight schedule. After a brief period of admiration we were off to a fresh water creek called Eli Creek. There was a walkway built running down to one end of the creek. There you find steps that descend into the shallow creek. There you are to return back to the starting point, wading in the knee deep creek. A freshwater snake scurried past my ankle. I shrieked in shock. It was weird. The water was cold like the Nanaimo River. I got a good photo of Conrad just as he's at the peak of dipping in. Unfortunately, I am unable to upload more photos. It seems that these computers only enable me to upload a certain amount. I will try again next time.

We had time for one more stop before leaving Fraser Island. We stopped at Rainbow Gorge. It was another sandblow. The full circuit through it was an hour walk... we've done a lot of walking lately. Finally, we were driving back to catch the barge back to Rainbow Beach. The ride was bumpy, especially when the driver did not see the upcoming obstacles three times. We went flying! Somehow, amidst the rough ride I still managed to get lulled to sleep. Conrad found this entertaining; one of the Londoners found it incredible.

Last night, when we got back we stayed at the hostel we arranged the tour through. We watched a couple of movies and had one last night bonding with the people we'd experienced Fraser Island with. Unfortunatly, the night could not end entirely perfect. We awoke to find one of our dorm roommates pissing on the floor. He actually climbed down from the top bunk, pissed and then climbed back up. Conrad heard it first. We started flipping out but these two guys were heavily out. We were actually screaming at them to wake up as there bags began to soak in this one guys piss. We were helplessly trying to wake them from the barricade of piss that separated up. Conrad yelled, I hit them with one of there towels. Finally, we they awoke. They were groggy and they did nothing. The one guy denied doing it. The other guy just sat there. I still can't believe the whole thing. They were definately on something. They said they had been drinking but it seemed like more. I went and woke one of the managers up. Conrad stayed and made sure our stuff did not get piss on it. Luckily, the guy had done it a fair distance away but it was trickling closer. These guys were both out of it. One guy left and spent the rest of the night walking up and down the fence puking. The other guy went back to bed and slept in his piss filled room. Conrad and I grabbed our stuff and moved to another room. We have the room to ourselves to compensate for the "disturbance". The guys were charged with cleaning fees, but they're still here. The whole thing is weird. Tomorrow we're off to Noosa to canoe the everglades for 2 days. We'll be camping again and I'm sure the saga of this adventure will continue.

We're still here...

We've been in Surfers Paradise for a couple of nights now.

The last few days in Byron were bittersweet. We really liked it there. The vibe was chill, our place was our own, the beach was big and clean. Whats not to love? On the last few days we rented a couple of surf boards. We surfed in the sun; we surfed in the rain. The rain surfing was a thrill... you don't have to worry about "getting out of the rain"! At times, because the water was so clear you could see schools of fish riding the wave as it approached you for a ride of your own.

[Note for ma and Reiko: Sometimes there was seaweed drifting around. It slightly wrapped around my ankles but I didn't run, or shriek, or jump on Conrad's back. I took it like a champ and "calmly" walked away.... maybe the phobia is fading.... mmm, no... the more I think about it, the more my heart starts racing!!!!!]

Surfers Paradise.... What to say? Its definately been a shock to the system. Its a large city with a beach right downtown. The vibe is a lot more high paced than Byron. The first night was bad. We stayed at this disgusting hostel. We had a dirty ensuite bathroom that wreaked of mildew as soon as the shower steam began to rise. This was enclosed by a plastic, accordian-like door that was broken and remained in place with an overdue piece of packing tape. We were sharing the small room with another Canadian fellow (from Edmonton... what! what!) and a Korean guy that spoke very little English. The main entrance, aka. the lounge for drunken hostel dwellers, was an interesting way to come and go. The kitchen stunk and although we tried to make the most of it, it seemed that a rat and another backpacker did as well. Our bread had been nibbled and Conrad's deli chicken was stolen out of our fridge bag! Who does that! That same night we checked in to Ghettoville, we promptly started looking for different accommodation. We've lucked out and have since been staying at a clean, quiet, Irish motel. There is no kitchenette, but we have a toaster and a mini-fridge. Living on toasted veggie sandwiches is luxury!!

In spite of the rocky start, we've spent the last couple of days at one of the amusement parks... Dreamland. We purchased a 2-day visit ticket, so yesterday and today we frequented the rides, waterslides and wildlife exhibits. They have 6 big thrill rides... one of which was called The Giant Drop. Conrad felt this name did not do the ride justice. "It should be 'The Drop of Death' or something," he said. Indeed, it was near death. We fell 39 storeys (119m) for 5 seconds. This may not sound very long but it feels like forever when your body is experiencing a gravitational force of 4G's from the tallest free fall ride in the world! Insane! I screamed murder; Conrad just slightly flinched. We were going to buy the photo but Conrad's face was blocked out by someone's hand. My face looked like a horror movie... sorry, no evidence... you'll have to imagine it for yourselves... or I'm sure Conrad would be glad to show you when we get back, he loves doing that!

Dreamland was quite entertaining. Its a big, outdoor amusement park with a conjoining waterpark. They have an area called Tiger Island, where you can watch Bengal tigers act like big, house cats. There was also a Wildlife Experience area where Conrad and I got to pet kangaroos and baby crocodiles. We even got pictures holding Koalas! It was kind of like a mini zoo. There were Tazmanian Devils, Wombats, snakes, dingos, and a lot more! I really liked this area...

The waterpark area was alright. Pretty typical, I guess. I think Dreamland is more about the rides and wildlife. Either way, Conrad was guaranteed an impressive shreik from myself on almost everything. I don't know whats happened to me... all this screaming must be related to my ageing.

Tomorrow, is our last day in Surfer's because on Sunday we will be on our way to Rainbow Beach. It seems like a smaller town, right across from Frasier Island. We're planning on staying for a week or so. I think we're both looking forward to living in a low key place again...

Sorry about not posting any pictures. This computer is not very fast and will not upload any photos from my camera. I will try to show you a glimpse ASAP! Until then... just imagine...