Beth's Oz Adventure

The End

2007-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

After unexpected developments am now no longer heading back to SE Asia and instead I am sticking around in chilly Britain for the forseeable future. So this is goodbye from the blog!

Below are a few of my final pics from Malaysia..

Penang botanic gardens and resident monkeys

2 very hairy caterpillars

The interval

2006-12-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

My time in Malaysia ended on Saturday as I was London bound for surprise xmas visit. I had been hearing reports of Heathrow chaos and already convinced myself I would be spending xmas at the airport but to my relief there were no reported delays. Anticipating a full to bursting plane had already secured myself an exit row seat (extra leg room) but was not necessary as plane half empty so had pick of the rows! So I settled in and initiated my jet lag prevention strategy & attempted to sleep until morning broke in the UK. After semi dozing for a few hours I awoke & discovered we were 30000 feet above India & got a good view as no clouds, was mostly brown and rugged looking and then turned into the snow covered peaks of Pakistan, then Afghanistan, various middle eastern countries, & green patchwork like fields of Russia and Ukraine. After this the cloud cover thickened and the view of the ground below was lost, but was still bright sunshine above the clouds, which continued all the way over Europe and we began our descent to London. As we got closer to the top of the clouds there was still no view of the ground and as we entered them I felt a mixture of fear (how can the pilots see where they’re going ???!!) and complete admiration at the wonders of the technology that was guiding our descent. Inside the clouds there was still no sign of the ground below then after a couple of minutes we emerged and I caught my first glimpse of UK soil – the M25, which for the first time in my life I was happy to see!

Landed smoothly and was informed it was 5c outside. After my time in Oz my warmest item of clothing was a thin fleece so consequently prepared myself for the UK winter by departing the plane wearing pretty much every top in my possession and my only remaining pair of trousers – a pair of ill fitting jeans that were an emergency purchase after my only other pair died in Oz. I teamed up this bizarre attire with my now paint splattered sandals (I no longer owned any shoes) and my 2 remaining (odd) socks that both had holes in. So you will imagine my surprise when I was greeted not by the fashion editor of Vogue but by the fashion police who promptly arrested me for multiple offences. Luckily they let me off with just a caution this time and I was released. 2 tubes, 3 trains and a taxi later I finally arrived home in Shrewsbury 21 hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur.

My mission for the next morning was to unpack and sort out my stuff. The actual course of events was: 9am, switched on the tv and marvelled at the bbc and people talking in English accents, looked at my bag then flicked over to popworld and marvelled again at hearing NEW music – since 1st Feb my entire musical world had consisted of the 488 songs on my Ipod. 10:30am, went to my bag, opened it and spread the entire contents over the floor then got strangely mesmerised by Hollyoaks and any illusions of maintaining my TV free life slowly evaporated. Midday, moved the contents of my bag from the middle of the floor to small piles around the edge of the room, where they still remain.

In the afternoon I braved the winter and went out to purchase my new bible ‘south east asia on a shoestring’ and became disproportionately excited at visiting such establishments as Boots, Superdrug, Woolies and M&S. And then a productive evening catching up on all the important events happening in Corrie.

So now am fully ensconced in UK Xmas life, watching too much tv, eating too much etc, etc & planning underway for departure back to SE Asia – I leave 16 Jan headed to Bangkok. So until then happy new year and blog will continue late Jan 2007!

2006-12-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was island tour day and first stop was batik factory then en route came across some cocoa, nutmeg and rubber trees. We broke open a cocoa pod & had a taste, alas turned out not to be pure lindt inside, tasted a bit like mango and a bit chocolatey. Then stopped to look at some malaysian houses before heading to the snake temple. Definately a contender in the most commercial temple of the year competition, either side of the entrance temple were no less than 6 gift shops where you could purchase everything snake temple related, then inside after seeing a few snakes we had the opportunity to pay to have our pic taken with a snake, and then was into the attached snake farm, aka snake prison ;-(

Final stop on the tour was a German jewellery facory (?!) where we got to see all stages of jewellery making and an opportunity to purchase some extortionately priced items in the shop.

Today visited the botanic gardens here, where not only do they have an amazing diversity of plant life but they also have monkeys!! Then had a tour of the tropical spice gardens....pics of these to follow...

Xmas is pretty much in full swing here, thought i may escape it this year but no, whereever I go the distant sound of jingle bells is all around....anyway seasons greetings!

Batik making action

2006-12-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Rubber tree
View across the island
Some nice flowers
cocoa tree
inside cocoa pod

2006-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

Some more nice flowers

Outside malaysian house

Snake temple & snake temple retailing opportunities

Close up of a very sad snake

Greetings from Malaysia

2006-12-20T00:55:00.001-08:00

Arrived on Sunday night in Malaysia after 8 hour flight from Melbourne. Stayed first night in the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur where I was met by a wall of humidity. Accommodation was in the city in a HOTEL! Yes when travelling in south east asia no room sharing is required. After all those weeks in oz sharing a room I rejoiced in the luxury of having my own room and bathroom. Next morning I ventured into the restaurant in search of brekkie where I discovered a selection of various noodles, sausages, baked beans and boiled eggs. I went for the beans and egg option which turned out to be cold beans and lukewarm liquid egg. Luckily I then spied the bowl of watermelon shining like a beacon of light on the other side of the room to save me from the salmonella horror in front of me.

I then escaped the city of terrible breakfasts as I was bound for the island of Penang. Food options on the plane were instant noodles or chicken porridge (yes, that's chicken porridge). Arrived safely and am staying just out of Georgetown in a big hotel by the beach. This time not only do I get my own room but I get 2 beds, a bath, a tv, a sea view and a cupboard with a light that switches on when you open the door (yes I am easily amused). Day 1 involved venture to local shopping centre and the hotel restaurant for dinner. I was delighted to find a range of vege options and ordered the ommelette with a little trepidation after my breakfast experience and vowed that day 2 would be the day I sample some traditional malaysian cuisine. Luckily when the food arrived not only was it cooked but cost the equivalent of 1 pound 50p ( if I loved the exchange rate in oz, in Malaysia I want to marry it and have its children).

Day 2 involved a lie in (the joys of being a lady of leisure), followed by another trip to shopping centre and a bit of relaxing on the beach (culture shock ruled and hadn't quite plucked up the courage to go into Georgetown).

Today is day 3 and made it to Georgetown, where I succeeded in finding my way around, and at lunchtime I fully immersed myself in traditional malaysian cuisine in the form of a toffee nut frappuccino and salt and vinegar crisps from starbucks. Also succeeded in booking 2 tours, purchased a mobile sim card and got on the correct bus home!

En route to malaysia

Georgetown
Nearly my newest travelling companion, a tiny ginger stray kitten I met this morning

G'bye

2006-12-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well after 317 days my time in Oz ended on Sunday. To mark my departure I retraced my steps back to Philip Island on Thursday to see the little penguins again before I left. As before, at sunset they all paddled in and came onto the beach in groups of 10-20, and after a hesitant start waddled up the sand dunes to their burrows. Boardwalks around the dunes let you get really close to them and within a very short time we were surrounded!

Then on Friday spent a day back in Melbourne for a final shopping frenzy. Then somehow managed to pack everything before leaving Sunday afternoon. Very mixed feelings upon departure as so sad to leave but looking forward to exploring SE Asia.

Final reflections on oz below....

Another reason to love oz - Gisborne Station, 8:30am, rush hour, on Thursday....

Baby penguins in burrow

Possibly the worst picture of penguins ever! was taken undercover as photos not allowed. Is the penguins coming in from the sea.

Bourke St, Melbourne

Things i'll miss (and won't!)
There are many things I will miss about Oz, the unspoiled beauty of the national parks and beaches, swimming in the sea, the sunshine, the best mangoes and avocados i've ever tasted, a feeling of safety (I didn't encounter any crime) but most of all i'll miss the people & the (mostly) friendly and laid back Aussie attitude. I was amazed and delighted time and time again by the generosity of those who included me as part of their family or community. Without a doubt my best experiences in Oz were those when I was wwoofing, spending time in places off the beaten track and sharing experiences with others whilst working towards a common goal.

But it wasn't all a bed of roses. At times I felt my heart was breaking being so far away from family and friends, particularly missing out on seeing my nephews and neice growing up (tho regular home videos helped ensure I did not miss out entirely). There weren't many things in Oz that made me happier than the arrival of a home vid on dvd.

There are also a number of aspects to travelling in oz that I have happily left behind, in particular sharing a room in hostels with multiple strangers who...snore / decide it would definately be appropriate to have an all night rave in the next room / come in drunk at 2am, make loads of noise and switch on all the lights / use alarm clocks with enough decibels to wake the dead, usually at 5am / utilise every inch of floor space leading to a middle of the night trip to the loo turning into an episode of the krypton factor* (*delete as appropriate). Also successfully producing a meal in a kitchen being simultaneously used by 10 other people requires speed, agility and total dedication.

Other things I wont miss are
- tomato picking in the rain (enough said!)
- overnight bus journeys (no you don't get used to them)
- mozzies, leeches and things after your blood in general
- the heat of north west oz
- bank charges (in oz banks charge for everything)

But on the whole the good stuff far outweighed the bad during my trip and am already looking forward to going back someday.

Favourite places
This is a tricky one as there are so many to choose from. I would say the most breathtaking sights I saw are..

1) The great barrier reef (the most amazing thing I have ever seen)
2) Kakadu national park
3) The penguins of Philip island
4) Blue mountains
5) Great ocean road
6) Wollongong buddhist temple
7) The rainforest & beaches of North queensland (in particular seeing the harvest moon rising from the ocean (huge and bright red)
8) The flying foxes of Sydney botanic gardens
9) The abundance of wildlife in Yuragir national park

But when all factors are taken into account (people, location, food etc) these are my all time favourite places in oz...

1) Bundaleer (fantastic on every level, turned out I saved the best til last)
2) Sanctuary, Mission Beach (lovely people, great food, in the rainforest)
3) Kakadu national park (totally breathtaking)
4) Blue mountains, Katoomba (ditto)
5) Philip Island (adorable penguins :-)
6) Margaret river (where the streets are paved with chocolate and cheese)
7) Merimbula (stunning beach, chilled out little town, lots of pelicans!)
8) Magnetic Island (an island paradise, well the bits which weren't a building site anyway)
9) Coral bay (yet another amazing place by the sea)

Stuff I learnt
I learnt many new skills including gardening, painting & decorating, furniture assembly, entertaining small children, dog looking after & how to make a perfect coffee, amongst others. Other lessons learnt...

- There are many things in oz that can kill you, but most wont
- Expectations are a very dangerous thing
- First impressions are almost always decieving
- You most often find the best things when you don't look for them and least expect it.
- Always use the correct pen when writing on a CD and have a backup copy of pictures!
- Always pay full attention when deleting pics from a digital camera (as I learnt to my cost that fateful day in Sydney when trying to delete a pic whilst simultaneously crossing the road and being blinded by the sun. I erased all 250 pics instead ;-(
- Little old ladies with wheeled trolleys may look innocent and harmless but they wield a terrible power against unprotected toes.
- When an Aussie refers to an english person the word pom is always preceded by bloody
- Never discuss cricket, rugby or football with an aussie male (especially the Ashes!)
- Never jump off a step wearing flip flops in an area where building work is taking place (nail thru heel, ooooouuuccchhh!!)

And most importantly...

ALWAYS, always, always have a plan B!

Hope to keep blog going in Asia but not sure how often will update....

Smokin!

2006-12-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Completed 2nd week looking after cafe, all good and busier than last week. My coffee making skills are improving and I also now have another new set of skills...dog bathing! Luckily for me Zack is the kind of dog who doesn't try to jump out mid bath so was a relatively trauma free experience!

Many bush fires are now raging here in Victoria and I was a little alarmed this morning when I went outside to discover that what I thought was fog was actually smoke, tho luckily none of the fires are near enough to here to be too much of a worry at present. V v hot too, today reached 37c, rain on the way soon hopefully, the landscape is getting browner by the day..

Now only 7 days & 21 hours left in oz...the countdown is on!

A soggy zack

My best sophisticated lady impersonation...having afternoon tea in the garden

Smoke from bushfires this morning

Salad days

2006-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Still here at Bundaleer and been looking after the tea room this week as well as Zac. So far all been pretty quiet on the tea room front, baked a few cakes & do lunch every day. I thought my biggest challenge would be looking after zac, but no, making the perfect coffee is both a science and an art. After much practice involving the coating of everything within a 10 metre radius with hot frothy milk I have kind of mastered the coffee machine (emphasis on kind of).

Looking after Zac initially proved problematic, the 1st night comprised much wailing & door scratching from the living room, and I was also the lucky recipient of both solid and liquid messages on the carpet the next morning. Then to my surprise and great joy there was no more wailing or messages (thought sleepless nights would last all week), and am even liking having him around.

Weather warmer now too, yesterday was the first day of summer and also 10 months since I left UK.

I am here for 2 more weeks then the Oz adventure will be coming to an end! To be followed by the Asia adventure....1st stop Malaysia on the 17th Dec (possibly with zac in my rucksac).

Salad & coffee making action

This week's sweet creations

If you wait long enough it is actually possible to grow a dog from seed

Full circle

2006-11-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Left Perth last weekend and returned to Melbourne, my circumnavigation of Oz complete! (missed out South Oz but 5 out of 6 states aint bad!). A chance meeting with a friend on the plane then led me to my current abode, Bundaleer http://www.bundaleerhealing.com.au/. Here I help out as needed, and will provide holiday cover for the tea room next week.

In exchange I get to live in my very own cottage & get fed delicious food all surrounded by rolling countryside with many kangas, parrots & cockatoos. To say the weather is changable would be an understatement, on one day alone last week we had wind, rain, snow, hail (horizontal) & sunshine. Then no sooner had I purchased a winter wardrobe than summer returned! Today is forecast to be 36c and thunderstorm brewing as I write!

Have also had my very own canine companion (Freya) staying with me for the last 24 hours as Barbara, the owner, has been away. After a restless start Freya eventually settled and luckily was an uneventful night, apart from an offering of egg shells from the rubbish and I have never been slobbered quite like that at 6am I can tell you! Now she even does what i tell her to, instead of lying there with a look of 'if you think i'm listening to you you've got another thing coming'. More canine adventures next week i get to look after the other dog Zac.

Entrance & main building
Dunn mansions

Bundaleer from afar

My coldest day in oz!

2006-11-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Freya

Zac has recently learned that its not a good idea to play with the kangaroos

2006-11-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

Left Margaret River on Sunday & spent a day 50k north in Bussleton, home to the longest pier in the southern hemisphere (1800 metres). Did some snorkelling there off the pier & saw some nice coral on the jetty posts (supposed to be one of the best artificial reefs in oz) and also squillions of fish, pic below as well as some pics from Ningaloo reef a few weeks ago.

One of the jetty posts at Bussleton pier

My most 'Steve Irwin' moment at Ningaloo, not too scary as too far below to do any damage!

Eagles & chocolate!

2006-10-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pics from eagle centre - the largest collection of birds of prey in Oz, even got to hold one & survived! And also made a visit to Margaret
River choc co & dairy co for some taste testing...

Owls!
Wedge tailed eagle - the largest in oz

choc making in progress

Me and Mari (other wwoofer) after making a few purchases!

Margaret River

2006-10-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

After leaving Kalbarri last week, travelled 10 hours south to Fremantle, just south of Perth. There I discovered a place to live and work where not only is accommodation free but employment is paid and work is only 6 hours a day. Plus great on site facilities including gym, theatre, meditation & art classes. Also only 2 people per room and room service also included, plus opportunities to purchase a range of herbal teas! Yes this is the Fremantle prison, now closed to prisoners but open to the public since 1991. There I learnt all about convict life and some of the great escapes that took place. And after deciding that spending some time in the slammer might not be so bad after all my next stop was the nearby chocolate factory where I carried out my first heist!

So am now hiding out in Margaret River, right in the Southwest corner of Oz where I have discovered the heist was not necessary as this is chocolate / cheese / wine heaven with tasting opportunities at every turn (literally - on the 50k stretch of road down here there is a sign to a winery at almost every side road!). Am wwoofing here with a family (John & kids - Angelique & Leon) a few k's out of town on a 4 acre property surrounded by forest complete with vege garden, chooks, 2 kangas with Joey's, bunnies, a pool and a trampoline! Beach just down the road too. John is a herbalist so have been doing lots of herb type stuff including pressing / bottling the tinctures and gardening.

The cappuccino strip in Fremantle

Yes in Oz even the Millipedes can read

Pool cleaning action!

Unfortunately one of the previous wwoofers made a terrible error when mixing up the herbs....

2006-10-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

Bottling the tinctures

Nearby vinyard & wine tasting!

Beach & cacti

Monkey Mia

2006-10-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Left Coral Bay on Monday after a couple of days exploring the reef, spotting lots of fish, a turtle & stingray. Next stop was Monkey Mia on Shark Bay, home of friendly dolphins & pelicans! There are around 10 wild dolphins that regularly visit the beach, usually 2-3 times a day. On the day I was there though they weren't as friendly as usual and only 1 paid a visit to the beach, a 30 year old heavily pregnant female. Came right up to the edge of the water so got a good look & was amazing to see up so close. Now in Kalbarri for a couple of days for some snorkelling / beach / parrot based fun!

2006-10-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Shark bay, home of the dolphins

Coral Bay - the dark patches in the water is the coral, top pic is some 2000 year old coral (9 feet wide, 4 feet deep).

Road trip extraordinaire!

2006-10-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Finished working in Kununurra on Monday and spent Tuesday checking out some of the local attractions, including Miramar national park (lots of rock formations & flies!). Also went to the celebrity tree park where my hopes of finding trees planted by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe & Kylie were dashed as most of the trees there were planted by various ozzie celebs unknown to us brits (with the exception of Rolf!) Final place visited in Kunnunura was the zebra rock gallery - zebra rock is approx 600 million year old stripy / patterned rock which is only found in this area of the world, so took the opportunity to purchase a selection, so adding a bag of rocks to my ever expanding collection of luggage (yes the art of travelling light still eludes me!).

Departed Kununurra Tues eve and took the overnight bus to the next stop of Broome (1000km southwest). Broome is best known as a pearling town and nearby Cable beach (one of the most spectacular in oz). Whilst I was there I did my best Lawrence of Arabia impression and travelled by camel along the beach at sunset ;-)

Left Broome Thurs am for another epic road trip, this time 1350km south west to Coral Bay. It took 18 hours and during that time we only passed through 2 towns - yes there aint much in the way of civilisation in most of western oz! Coral bay is a tiny town (popn 120) on the coast almost as far west as you can get in Oz. Main attraction is the close proximity of Ningaloo reef - found right off the beach within swimming distance so no sea sickness required! Here for a few days so off to explore soon. Seem to have escaped the unrelenting heat of the north too as today experienced a COOL BREEZE and was even able to walk outside during the middle of the day!

Rock face at Miramar national park

2006-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Zebra rock

Boab tree, these are only found in the Kimberley region. One in nearby Derby had a girth so wide it was used as a prison!

Me & Imrahn Khan!

Cable Beach, near Broome

Yee-ha!

2006-10-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

Completed my first week in cafe and now enjoying long weekend courtesy of her majesty - today is queen's birthday holiday (even the bank holidays are topsy turvy down here! If my trip had been timed differently I could even have had this bank holiday 3 times as takes place different times in different states).

This has been a weekend of firsts - on Saturday I went to my first rodeo, which was an experience! Quite entertaining in parts although wasn't exactly promoting animal welfare!

Also this weekend I went on a ROAD TRIP! We travelled a couple of hours through the Kimberley and back over the NT/WA border to the River Keep for a spot of fishing. Caught my first ever fish too - a catfish closely followed by a shark! Both escaped the BBQ though and were returned to the river whilst I cleaned my conscience!

Baby Jabiru spotted at the river

AFL (Australian Football League) fever gripped the nation too this week as the final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday - I knew the Aussies were into sport but this was a whole new level! It was the west coast Eagles versus the Sydney Swans and by Saturday morning excitement had reached fever pitch. The whole town was looking distinctly Ikea-like, awash with the Eagle's yellow and blue colours, and judging by the news coverage of the last week there were no other world events taking place. Stories abounded of west coast fans driving the 3000+ kilometres across Oz to watch the match, you can only imagine the lengths people would have gone to had Oz made it to the world cup final!

Temperatures are now increasing by the day and yesterday this was the hottest place in Oz at 39c! The build up to the wet season in now underway and it will now get more and more humid until December when the rains and lightning storms will kick in. Hopefully I will survive my time here without going troppo - this is when the heat and humidity get too much and send you crazy!

Way out west!

2006-09-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

I departed Darwin at the end of last week and travelled 12 hours south west to the small town of Kununurra. Have changed State and time zone again too and am now in Western Australia (7 hours ahead of UK). The journey also involved a stop at the quarantine checkpoint on the border of WA where all fruit and veg have to be surrendered or a fine of $10,000 applies. And as we discovered, the quarantine inspectors leave no stone unturned in the search for rogue vegies, as apparent by the dismantled truck next to us at the checkpoint. You can only imagine my horror upon arrival in Kununurra when I opened my food bag to discover I had inadvertantly smuggled through a whole bulb of garlic! Luckily I managed to destroy the evidence (in a nice pasta sauce) before the cops caught up with me!

So am still here in Kununurra and on Monday did my first full day's work in over 3 months!! Yes the time has come to replenish the funds and I have got myself A JOB!! Am working in a coffee shop here, although it was not until I began that I discovered the extent of the nutritional horrors that were to unfold - main task is increasing rates of heart disease through selling deep fried everything to obese people and children, low point so far was small toddler given fanta and fried chicken at 7:30am! So have implemented a secret strategy to improve the diets of Kununurrians (code name: operation lettuce). Cannot go into details but involves Derren Brown type subliminal messages and I am closely monitoring sales of chips for improvements...

Paradise

2006-09-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week spent a few days in the spectacular Kakadu and Litchfield national parks. Kakadu is world heritage listed for both cultural and natural heritage and has been home to the aboriginal people for at least 50,000 years. Quite spacious at 20,000 square kilometres too so could only see a tiny fraction of it.

First stop was a boat trip on the Mary river for some croc spotting then was onto Maguk for some monsoon forest type walking followed by a swim in the crystal clear plunge pool at the base of the waterfall (one of the few croc free places to swim in Kakadu and as featured in Crocodile Dundee!) Then went to the yellow water wetlands for sunset.

Croc & Sea eagle spotted on Mary river

Maguk

Sunset at yellow river

2006-09-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Day 2 began at 5am and a bumpy 2 hour drive along dirt tracks and through rivers (I prayed to the god of 4 wheel driving) to the first stop at Twin Falls gorge. Accessible only by boat and a short walk, it is one of the few waterfalls in Kakadu that flows all year round (we are coming to the end of the dry season and the last rain was in April). Was absolutely breathtaking and completely unspoiled, definately a piece of paradise. Was then onto Jim Jim falls for more breathtaking scenery and a swim at the base of the falls (currently down to a trickle - only flows during the wet season).

View from boat on way to twin falls

Twin falls

Jim Jim

Cooling off in pool at base of Jim Jim

Wallaby spotted en route

2006-09-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon at Nourlangie rock, an ancient aboriginal rock art site. The art was produced using ochres and hematite and has definately stood the test of time (some is believed to be 35,000 years old).

Wallaby in x ray style, shows the internal organs and skeleton

Some kind of party!

This is Nabulwinjbulwinj - a dangerous spirit who eats females after striking them with a yam, one not to be messed with!

A ceremony

The mimi spirit is said to have produced this one and others like it which are dotted around, often in unusual and inaccessible places.

2006-09-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 was spent at Litchfield national park, home to lots of enormous termite mounds - I never thought I would become enthused about termites but these guys are AMAZING!

Each mound is home to tens of thousands of termites, but only one queen, who can live up to 80, yes 80 years old!! The worker termites make up around 85% and around 10% are the soldier termites which engage in chemical warfare with any intruders and repair any holes in the mound within minutes of them appearing. The remaining termites purpose is to procreate and fly off to start new mounds.

The mounds grow approx 1 metre every 10 years and are built to keep the temperature at a constant 30c. They also survive flooding during the wet season and are as hard as cement (in world war 2 they were knocked down and used as airstrips).

These are magnetic termite mounds that look like giant gravestones and all face the same direction so that the least possible surface area is ever exposed to the sun - looked just like a graveyard and a bit eerie as the rest of the landscape was burnt out.

These are cathedral mounds - the shape helps to control the temp again as part is always in the shade.

2006-09-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Litchfield is also home to lots of croc free swimming holes and we sampled a couple at buley rockhole and florence falls, spectacular scenery once again but very crowded.

Florence falls

2006-09-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last stop was the Didgeridoo Hut, home to some aboriginal artists, a few emus, and cuddles the python, who turned herself into some interesting headwear!

The heat is on!

2006-09-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Made it to Darwin! A whole new State and time zone (now 8 and a half hours ahead of UK). Flew here yesterday on the rather bizarre flight path of Cairns - Brisbane - Darwin. Yes only in Oz do you fly 2 hours south east before changing planes and then travelling 4 hours north west to get to your destination.

Today explored the city and went to the amazing Mindil beach sunset market where there are over 200 food stalls, my favourite of which was obviously the Roadkill Cafe, where I was spoilt for choice between camel, buffalow, possum, emu, wallaby, kangaroo and crocodile, or even the all species special! Saw my first west coast sunset too. Weather here is HOT and today reached 33c, praise the lord for air conditioning is all I can say!

En route to Darwin

Mindil beach market

Sunset this evening

2006-09-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well i'm still here in the rainforest, 2 months almost completed! We have now been open for just over a week and we even managed to get everything finished on time, well all the important stuff anyway! Pics below of the place all shiny and new.

A yoga retreat has been taking place all week, and due to the unique acoustics of the yoga house myself and fellow wwoofers have been awoken each day at dawn to what I can only describe as a herd of elephants chanting 'om'. I have been working in the restaurant in the evenings assisting the chef and providing cheesecake quality control (tough job but someone's got to do it ;-)

Sadly my time in the rainforest is almost at an end now and I leave on Wednesday for Darwin, a short trip of approx 1800 miles! Then off to do some croc dodging in Kakadu national park hopefully.

Sunrise this morning

Main entrance

The longhouse - reception and restaurant

Completed hut and cabin

2006-09-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

View up and down the hill

My home for the last 2 months, Sanctuary is nestled on the top of the right hand ridge of the hill.

Monster moth #2! Apparently is a baby hercules moth - when full grown wings can be as big as a4 sheet of paper.

The Final Countdown!

2006-08-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Been in Mission Beach for 7 weeks now and not quite sure where the time has gone! We are now into the final few days before reopening, all the furniture is pretty much in place and there is now a linen distributing / curtain hanging / window cleaning / bathroom tiling type frenzy happening. Will be around 70 guests arriving on saturday, think this will be a bit of a shock to the system after there only being around 10-15 of us for so long!

Getting warmer now too, is hot and sunny almost every day now and this week have had very calm seas perfect for an afternoon swim.

What do you do when the floor is being polished?....have lunch on the driveway of course

A rather large cricket

Monitor lizard spotted in forest

2006-08-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Am now into week 5 in the rainforest and loving it! Just under 3 weeks left until the reopening and the race against time is on to get everything finished. The place consists of 16 basic huts and 7 more luxurious cabins, plus the main building and yoga house. The last couple of weeks I have been busy removing cyclone debris from the huts then cleaning and painting them, leg muscles are now improving as the whole place is built on what feels like the steepest hill known to man (driveway is on a 45 degree incline!). Have also been enjoying looking after Zoe (4) and Evie (6) (children of the owners Paul & Susan) who are always keen to help out with the painting and decorating (with varying degrees of success!).

Last week I also did my bit to help save the cassowaries and spent a morning at the nearby cassowary rehabilitation centre helping to chop fruit to go to the feeding stations in the area. This place also looks after injured and orphaned cassowaries (baby cassowary pic below). Am not cooking so much now as the chef is now back in employment and provides us with delicious lunch and dinner every day, I think I have struck wwoofing gold here!

Baby cassowary, was found starving in a sugar cane field, now on the mend!

Chopping fruit for the cassowaries

A close encounter of the cassowary kind

Huge swarm of bees that arrived last week

2006-08-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

The main building (soon to be restuarant) currently prime location for important activities such as hide & seek and tic!

Hut & Cabins

Yoga house, currently home to the beds which survived the cyclone. Myself and fellow wwoofers (currently 7 of us) live in downstairs rooms with an assorted array of reptiles!

Barrier Reef pics

2006-07-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here are pics from my trip to the barrier reef, some a little blurry but you get the idea! Nearly completed 3 weeks in the rainforest, getting warmer now and have had no rain for a week. Latest creatures spotted have been a monitor lizard and a pademelon (like a very tiny kangaroo) Both camera shy tho so no pics! Also found lots of starfish at the beach yesterday.

This week marks the six month anniversary of the start of my trip too, can hardly believe it!

2006-07-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ribbit ribbit!

2006-07-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my newest friend! Green tree frog rescued this morning trapped inside one of the cabins. Now I just have to wait for him to turn into a prince!

In the jungle!

2006-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Survived my first week in the jungle! Been meeting some of the wierd and wonderful creatures here, lots of giant spiders and a few snakes, although there are a lot less creatures around than before the cyclone, which completely destroyed the rainforest canopy. Is now 4 Months since it happened and lots is starting to regrow now.

There are also a couple of cassowaries here - giant birds a bit like emus which are as tall as a grown man! They are endangered and there are only around 1000 left in Oz so is v cool get so close. Not too close though - they can be aggressive so don't take kindly to being stroked! The ones here are used to people though & we have a feeding station set up here as the cyclone destroyed their food sources so get to see them strolling around every day.

The repairs continue and this week have been doing some decking painting and lots of cooking too. Six weeks until the reopening so the countdown is on!

a very green grasshopper

a monster moth!

The cassowary

mission beach

2006-07-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

4 Months after cyclone - the rainforest canopy starting to regrow

In the jungle!

View over the rainforest to the sea

Decking painting action

Magnetic Island to Mission Beach

2006-07-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

After leaving Mackay spent a week on beautiful Magnetic Island, about 10k off the coast from Townsville. Much of the island is national park so did lots of bushwalking as well as swimming in the crystal clear tropical waters (it's a hard life out here ;-) The highlight though was definately my trip out to the Barrier Reef, which was absoulutely incredible, like being in another world. We went to Wheeler Reef, which is still in pretty good condition (much of the reef elsewhere has been damaged). Was a 50 mile journey out there when I discovered I definately do not have sea legs (i won't go into the details!. All the queasyness was worth it when I got out there though, there was an amazing diversity of fish and even saw a shark (the non man eating variety!). Hopefully underwater pics to follow!

Now in Mission Beach doing some wwoofing at The Sanctuary - an eco lodge in the rainforest (http://www.sanctuaryretreat.com.au/). The place was badly affected by cyclone Larry earlier in the year so helping out with the repairs and planting lots of trees. Has rained pretty much the whole time so far, yep it's not called the rainforest for nothing! Pics to follow...

Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island

View of the island from Hawkings point

Alma Bay

A lone skink

Wheeler reef

Beware of the guinea fowl!

2006-07-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Still in Mackay and this week have been potting lots of plants and also enjoying abundance of chocolate pudding fruit (aka black sapoty) :-) Have also been trying to avoid the attention of the resident guinea fowls who seem to be stalking me! They are there at every turn, am starting to get suspicious now, I think they may be plotting something..

Am here for a few more days and then am heading a few hours north to magnetic island, just off the Barrier Reef.

Plants in nursery

The chocolate pudding fruit in all its glory!

Resident guinea fowl

Mackay beaches

2006-06-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

Been out and about this weekend exploring the area around Mackay, visited some of the surrounding beaches and got my first view of some of the south Whitsunday Islands. Also check out my new room mate!

Eimio Beach

Island off Blacks Beach

My new room-mate!

Mackay

2006-06-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Survived 2 weeks tomato picking & on Wednesday travelled 10 hours north to Mackay, just south of the Whitsunday islands. Doing more wwoofing here at a small property just outside the town which is being developed as a permaculture demo site & organic nursery. So far been doing lots of picking and juicing mandarins & will also be helping maintain community gardens. Hope to visit nearby Eungella national park too for some good platypus spotting opportunities!

The time has come....

2006-06-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

After leaving Brisbane last weekend I spent a couple of days in Hervey Bay and am now a couple of hours further north in Bundaberg where this week I became the most recent addition to the tomato picking workforce. Yes the time has come for fruit picking! Have now completed four days, was a killer at first (moving on the morning of day two proved problematic!), but luckily the initial pain has now subsided. We work from 6:30am to 4 or 5pm so days are long (and lately in torrential rain) but as fruit picking goes the work itself is not too strenuous so planning on sticking around for a few weeks to accumulate some dollars. Then its up to the barrier reef for some coral based adventures!

tomato rows

yes I am enjoying it, honest!!!

The enthusiasm was almost overwhelming.....

Brisbane

2006-06-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Spent the last week in Brisbane though not much to report as have been out of action with a cold. However all was not lost as I have been discovering the delights of Oz daytime tv where I have learnt many useful life skills such as how to make the perfect crumpet and also a useful comparison of fortune telling methods. Not to mention the home shopping opportunities for quality tupperware! Luckily I did not lose the will to live completely and am now recovered and ready to resume the adventure tomorrow when me and my tupperware collection will head 5 hours north to Hervey Bay...

Time warp

2006-05-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Now in Nimbin and still not entirely convinced I haven't been transported back in time to the 1970's! The town was formed in 1973 when all the hippies in the land came here for the Aquarius Festival, then many of them then stayed on to create Nimbin as it is today. Am doing some wwoofing at Jarlanbah permaculture community, staying with one of the original Nimbin-ites on a half acre block.

Been doing lots of gardening and discovering some wierd and wonderful new plants, including the peanut butter tree (the fruit tastes like peanut butter) and my personal favourite - The Chocolate Pudding tree!! Yes there is actually a fruit that tastes like chocolate pudding. Am going to collect lots of seeds and start a plantation in the Shropshire hills when I get back to England ;-)

Yesterday the great earring sale unfortunately turned out to be less great than hoped for as the rain came and the people didn't, so off to try my luck in Brisbane later this week..

Nimbin main street

Shovelling action

Peanut butter fruit tree

Chocolate pudding fruit tree - the fruits turn dark brown when ready

2006-05-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Wallaby & joey spotted in garden

The (not) great earring sale!

Permaculture Paradise

2006-05-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

For the last week have been staying at Jasper Hall - a large permaculture farm located in the Upper Coopers Creek valley in the foothils of the Nightcap National Park. Is a community set up and very eco friendly, we have solar power and all the water used is rainwater, also compost toilets which are better than expected!

Great food here too with lots of avocado, banana, citrus and macadamia trees amongst others. Lots of wildlife as well, yesterday I met my first leech attached to my foot and today found my first venomous snake (not attached to me!). The main activity is currently focused on 2 new buildings which I've been helping paint. Have also been doing lots of cooking and helping look after 10 month old twins Amazon and Phoenix.

Am here until Sunday then am off to the ultra hippy town of Nimbin where the great earring sale will be taking place at the market there on Sunday!

Jasper Hall

It's all peace and flowers man

2006-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Am now in Byron Bay and fully embracing the hippy spirit, yes my hair is in plaits, I have purchased a floaty skirt and have decided to change my name to Rainbow ;-)
First nights accommodaion was in YHA with no hot water and a room with a nice cockroach infestation, yes we were especially overjoyed to find them in our beds. Today went to Cape Byron which is the most easterly point in Oz then spent a strenuous afternoon on the beach. Tomorrow I head an hour west of Byron for more permaculture wwoofing.

Byron Bay

Sunrise seen from Cape Byron - the most easterly point in Oz

Arakoon to Ballina

2006-05-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

First stop after Arakoon National Park was banana crazy Coffs Harbour where the main attraction was 'The Big Banana', complete with banana cafe & shop. Then camped at Yuragir National Park where there was an amazing array of wildlife - lots of birds (inc Rainbow Lorikeets and Kookaburras) as well as goanna's, possums & kangaroos around the campsite. Next stop was Bundjalung National Park where we spent a couple of days bushwalking & enjoying the beach. Now in Ballina for a day before heading to Byron Bay tomorrow.

The big banana

The pelicans of Bundjalung doing some morning preening

Goanna

Goanna & kanga at campsite

Sydney to Port Macquarie

2006-05-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Currently working my way up the coast from Sydney, travelling by car and camping along the way. First stop was Port Stephens about 3 hours north of Sydney where we had some dolphin fun and also did sandboarding on giant sand dunes. Also camped for the first time (in the rain!). From Port Stephens moved onto Seal Rocks a couple of hours north & camped in Treachery camp (better than it sounds!). Then yesterday went to Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie & stayed in v picturesque Arakoon national park.

The dolphins of Port Stephens
Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!

Booti Booti national park

2006-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Koala Hospital & patients

2006-04-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

Enjoying my final week in the Blue Mountains, this week have retraced the steps of Charles Darwin at nearby Wentworth Falls. V spectacular, although the steps back up were a killer!

Have still been wwoofing too (http://www.theflyingfox.com.au/), this week was even entrusted with AN AXE as well as a hoover! Earring enterprise also progressing nicely and have sold my first 3 pairs!

Well my time here is sadly nearly at an end and am leaving tomorrow to start heading north up the coast to Byron Bay. First stop Port Stephens and hopefully some dolphin spotting...

Wentworth Falls

Wood chopper extrordinaire

2006-04-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Still here in Katoomba and loving it! Been exploring the area a bit more now and done a few walks though think the rest of Oz has visited here over easter as has been v v busy. Also went on the steepest railway in the world up the cliffs, is almost vertical with no seatbelts and only a chain to stop you falling out! Luckily survived my journey and was very relieved that no infants were lost or damaged either!

Visits to the amazing chocolate shop are now daily and am working my way through the menu - they have choc cheesecake to die for and I think the hot chocolate should be a controlled substance! In the absence of any jobs there have volunteered my services and am going there this week to watch the master chocolatier at work!

Have also been getting creative and have been making earrings from shells I found in Merimbula. Hoping to sell them to rich tourists up in Byron Bay to fund the next leg of my trip, wish me luck!

2006-04-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

2006-04-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Blue Mountains

2006-04-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Am now in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains wwoofing in a hostel here. I work for a few hours in the mornings doing a bit of cleaning, washing, and even lizard catching today! Yesterday went to Echo point and saw the 3 sisters rock formation & v spectacular views. Was followed by a visit to the amazing Blue Mountains Chocolate Company where of course I did not sample any of the products, and definately not the chocolate brownies ;-)

Much chillier up here than on the coast, we even have a log fire in the evenings. Nights are drawing in too & is dark at 6pm, winter is definately on its way!

2006-04-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Gone batty

2006-04-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Been in Sydney for the last few days seeing all the sights, Bondi beach, harbour bridge, opera house etc, and even spotted a very aged looking Clive James by the harbour. Also went to the Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney where the Europeans first settled & now has a fab market. Favourite bit by far had to be the botanical gardens complete with huge colony of flying foxes (fruit bats), very spectacular to see and v noisy!

Now off for adventures of the more rocky variety in the Blue Mountains a couple of hours west of Sydney...

2006-04-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

2006-04-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

New month, new State

2006-04-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings from New South Wales! Have spent the last week making my way up the coast from Melbourne. Spent a few days in Lakes Entrance and Merimbula, both nice little coastal towns with amazing beaches and lots of pelicans!

Now in Wollongong, a couple of hours south of Sydney. Here I visited the Nan Tien Temple - the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere and home to no less than 10,000 buddhas. Lots of them were stone statues around the temple doing everything from gardening to building a snowman! My favourite though had to be the one I can only describe as reinacting Saturday Night Fever!

Tommorrow I travel to Sydney then it's Bondi Beach here I come!

2006-04-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

Merimbula beach..

2006-04-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

2006-04-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Nan Tien Temple

The Fish

2006-03-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

These were 'the fish' a series of 72 big metal fish sculptures that went up the Yarra River in Melbourne, one for each commonwealth country. Looked quite spectacular at night when all lit up - pics are a bit blurry but you get the idea!

That's about it from Melbourne. I leave tomorrow, heading up the coast towards Sydney....

Ultimate sandcastles!

2006-03-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

How about these for the ultimate sandcastles! Came across them on St Kilda beach.

Prince Edward!

2006-03-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Prince Edward just walked through my office! Complete with film crew so look out for me on the news!!

One more day to go!

Healesville Sanctuary

2006-03-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

2006-03-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

Celebrated my birthday with a visit to Healesville Sanctuary, one of the best wildlife parks in Oz. All Oz wildlife was there including platypus, tazmanian devils, wombats, dingoes, emus, and my favourite - the pelicans! Was obviously gutted to discover when I got there that I was not allowed to take my bugle in!! yes only in Oz would bugles be specifically excluded from entering a wildlife park!

One of the highlights was the birds of prey show and they've got a new animal hospital centre where you can see operations, post mortems & intensive care unit where they had 2 orphaned baby possums, v v cute!!

Melbourne 2006, how can I help?......

2006-03-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

Have survived my first week at the Commonwealth Games a.k.a Melbourne psychiatric hotline... yes we get a range of enquiries including one from someone claiming to be catering for one of the teams wanting to find out where they could purchase some bulls testicles!! So get to speak to some interesting characters to say the least! One week down, one week to go!

Brighton Beach

2006-03-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Finally made it to the beach! Pics are of Brighton Beach just south of Melbourne.

Return to the rat race!

2006-03-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yes have rejoined the rat race and am now working for the Commonwealth Games! Am based at the hub of the action in the HQ and I get to answer telephone enquiries from the lovely general public. With only 4 days to go until the start of the games I would definately describe it as a calm and unpressured working environment, obviously made even easier by my extensive knowledge of Melbourne's road network!!

Yesterday I also got to see the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony at Melbourne Cricket Ground! Was pretty spectacular to watch and involved a flying tram, a giant inflatable koala and lots of flags!! Don't tell anyone though as it's top secret!!....

Back to the city

2006-02-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

Am back in Melbourne now and job hunting. Not much excitement there yet, although I have succeeded in finding accommodation and mastering the public transport system. Am living in Mitcham about 30 mins by train from the city, not far from the Yarra Valley. My journey on Connex trains takes me through Surrey, Chatham, Canterbury, Camberwell and Richmond, in fact the only major difference is that i'm not allowed to take my surfboard during peak hours!! oh yes they seem to run on time too!

In the last few days have also met lots more Australian wildlife of the 8 legged variety - i met my first few hunstman spiders (think big and hairy) and 2 white tail spiders which give you a nice flesh eating disease if you're really lucky. Didn't hang around long enough to get any pics tho!

it's jam-tastic

2006-02-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Still in Hepburn Springs, now wwoofing on permaculture farm, feet are now permanently soil coated! Been doing a bit of harvesting furit and veg and now hold the title of supreme carrot picker! And then sold them at sunday market. Also lots of making jams and chutneys and cakes! Location is v idylic, trees as far as you can see and fab weather mostly. Next to a golf course too so lots of kanga sightings too!

Life's a peach!

2006-02-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

Departed Melbourne on Sunday and now in Hepburn Springs for some wwoofing. Is the spa centre of Victoria with spring water on tap & surrounded by eucalyptus trees (but no koalas here!). Not staying on a farm this time but helping with an organic garden and a few things around the house. Is only 4 hours of work a day and in return we get free accommodation, food and yoga classes every evening, so no complaints here! The people are lovely too and is v relaxed. So far have been doing a bit of weeding, planting fruit trees, painting and cleaning in between eating peaches & nectarines off the trees in the garden! Here til Thursday then off to learn all about permaculture at a farm nearby. pic is of the house i'm staying at.

Great Ocean Road

2006-02-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

Spent the weekend seeing the Great Ocean Road - approx 100 miles of amazing coastal scenery along the south coast of Victoria. Hired a car too so had my first Oz driving experience! Unfortunately resulted in one fatality - a misplaced snake on the road that I thought was a stick until it was too late! Saw lots of wildlife too inclulding multiple kangaroos and parrots on golf course (apparently kangaroos love golf courses!) and wild koalas too. The pic is of a lone koala we saw at the side of the road munching on some eucalyptus. Lots of little seaside towns & ice creams later we got to the 12 apostles (rock formations in the sea) for sunset - v picturesque. Then did it all in reverse the next day!

Phillip Island

2006-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Visited Philip Island just south of Melbourne and most famously home to the little penguins! The tour started with a quick visit to a vinyard and some wine tasting. Then onto wildlife park where we saw lots of native animals, including wombats, tasmanian devils, wallabies, koalas (the largest in Oz apparently), emus, and the best bit got to hand feed the kangaroos! Did get ambushed a bit but they were friendly so was ok! One even had a joey in its pouch which was v cute! Also saw some talking cockatoos which were highly amusing.

Next stop was Point Grant where we got our first view of the penguins (though was v windy so they all stayed near their burrows and didn't want to play!). From here we also saw the seal rocks where the largest colony of fur seals live (could only see the seals with binoculars though as was quite a distance).

Then on to the main event - the penguin parade! At sunset all the little penguins came out from the sea in groups of up to about 10 and waddled up the beach to their nests. They were pretty hesitant and did a lot of diving back into the sea but then finally plucked up the courage to make the walk up the sand dunes, pretty amazing to watch tho sadly no pics allowed because of the camera flashes. Finally a visit to the gift shop where luckily I managed to restrain myself from spending all my money on penguin merchandise!

Overall today was the highlight of my trip so far! (sorry Harold!)

Off to the Great Ocean Road tomorrow for 2 days and then am going to Hepburn Springs (spa town about 2 hours north of Melbourne) on Sunday to do some wwoofing!

Behind bars!

2006-02-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

Yes today spent most of the morning behind bars, but don't worry I was not arrested for stalking the Neighbours cast or any seed related offences! It was the old mebourne gaol, most famous for the hanging of Ned Kelly. Lots of realistic (!) looking prisoners (more london dungeons than madame tussauds!) and stories about those who resided there etc, quite interesting. Pics have come out sideways but you get the idea! the one with the door in is where Ned himself was hanged.

V hot today too - 33c and not a cloud in the sky!

The cheesiest day of my life!

2006-02-06T02:49:00.000-08:00

Well have just about recovered from jet lag and have been fully immersing myself in Aussie culture - yes yesterday I took part in the official neighbours tour, including visit to
Ramsay St itself, accompanied by viewings of classic episodes such as Scott and Charlene's wedding, as well as music from neighbours actors turned pop stars. It was indeed an experience not to be forgotten.

And as if the tour itself was not enough excitement for one day, it was followed by the neighbours trivia evening where I got to meet the stars of the show, including none other than Harold Bishop!!! Luckily I did not explode with excitement although I fear that the rest of my life may now be an anticlimax...

Made it!

2006-02-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Well made it safely to Oz! Have nearly completed my first 24 hours and loving it! Journey pretty good although my sunflower seeds were seized at customs which was very distressing. Today I slept til mid afternoon, followed by a stroll in the 25c sunshine and then feasted on watermelon. So very taxing so far as you can see!!