After leaving Fraser Island, we were on our way to a farm out in the middle of no where. It is a cattle farm and for extra income, the family invites tourists like us to come and learn more about the agriculture world in Australia. This farm as 3,500 beef cattle amoung other animals. The farm is also 160,000 acres so they use an airplane to get around the farm so time is not wasted. Pretty cool I thought.
We got there and got to have a tractor ride around the farm and learned more about the whole farming process. After this we had a great home cooked meal consisting of roast beef, potatoes and vegetables. What a nice treat and a subtle reminder of home.
After this we all got dressed into our halloween costumes as we were having our party that night since we will be sailing tomorrow, which is halloween. Once we were all ready to go, we were taken outside and were taught how to crack a whip. The guy made it look so easy! I tried it and as a result I have a large welt on my back to go along with my sunburn... my poor back!!!!
Once that was all said and done it was time to party and party we did. There was dancing, the limbo, and best of all, karaoke! We had a blast and I even got up there and rocked it out to some Backstreet Boys. Overall, it was a great night full of fun.
Today we got up early and hopped on the bus to head to Airlie Beach where in just an hour or so we will get on our sailboat where I will be sailing for the next few days through the Whitsunday Islands. I am stoked about this. This will be our first glimpses of the Great Barrier Reef (although not the best part of the reef) and we get to go snorkling as well. It should be a lot of fun.
Well... Im off to pick up a few things before we board our vessel.
It will be a good few days before I have computer access, so if you don't hear from me, thats why!
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hey All!
A quick one today....
We are on Fraser Island and it is beautiful! We just had a great dinner after watching the sun set. Life is rough.
We did a day tour around the island, swimming in Lake Mackenizie which makes your hair silky smooth and drove 100km/hr along 75 Mile Beach. I also had the chance to go one a 7 passenger airplane on a tour of the island. From the air, I got to see a humpback whale and a shark, Lake Mackenzie, 75 Mile Beach... everything!!!
It was so awesome and I recommend it to everyone if you are ever on this part of the world.
Tomorrow we head back to the mainland... for now, I'm off to do some dancing just like last night! What a fun group we have!
Cheers
A quick one today....
We are on Fraser Island and it is beautiful! We just had a great dinner after watching the sun set. Life is rough.
We did a day tour around the island, swimming in Lake Mackenizie which makes your hair silky smooth and drove 100km/hr along 75 Mile Beach. I also had the chance to go one a 7 passenger airplane on a tour of the island. From the air, I got to see a humpback whale and a shark, Lake Mackenzie, 75 Mile Beach... everything!!!
It was so awesome and I recommend it to everyone if you are ever on this part of the world.
Tomorrow we head back to the mainland... for now, I'm off to do some dancing just like last night! What a fun group we have!
Cheers
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Surfers Paradise
Can you say party town? We took the train into Surfers Paradise from Brisbane yesterday morning to go to our hotel to meet our tour group that we will be with for the next 12 days. We got to the hotel and found out that because of the Indy Racing going on, we would not be staying at the hotel. So, we waited around for several hours until we had to meet with our group. It took us some time to find them because all of the major roads were closed down, but we did! I think everyone that we saw on the street (which was thousands) were all drunk which made it akward for us at times. We had our big packs on so we stuck out quite good.
We met our group and they are great! We are on a bus with 22 other young adults, 11 which are from Canada. We have BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontarion, and Newfoundland represented. Pretty good! There is one guy who lives in Surrey too! Small world for sure. In total, we represent 5 different continents which is pretty awesome too. We are diverse, but all get along well. The whole group besides us are at the comedy theatre right now.. not really our thing as there is a lot of crued humour, so we decided to stay back and do some laundry and just chill out.
Today we spent the day at the beach. The weather was hot and beautiful. As a result, thanks do my dutch genes, I burnt real bad. It kind of stings a little but I'll survive. A great day none the less.
Tomorrow we are heading to Brisbane, Noosa, and then Fraser Island where we will be for two nights. Tomorrow we are taking a 4x4 around the sand island to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, or so they tell us. I'm pretty excited about this!
I have tried on every computer that I have gone to, to upload some pictures, but none of them seem to work.. sorry!
Hope and pray all is well at home, wherever your home may be.
Cheers!
We met our group and they are great! We are on a bus with 22 other young adults, 11 which are from Canada. We have BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontarion, and Newfoundland represented. Pretty good! There is one guy who lives in Surrey too! Small world for sure. In total, we represent 5 different continents which is pretty awesome too. We are diverse, but all get along well. The whole group besides us are at the comedy theatre right now.. not really our thing as there is a lot of crued humour, so we decided to stay back and do some laundry and just chill out.
Today we spent the day at the beach. The weather was hot and beautiful. As a result, thanks do my dutch genes, I burnt real bad. It kind of stings a little but I'll survive. A great day none the less.
Tomorrow we are heading to Brisbane, Noosa, and then Fraser Island where we will be for two nights. Tomorrow we are taking a 4x4 around the sand island to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, or so they tell us. I'm pretty excited about this!
I have tried on every computer that I have gone to, to upload some pictures, but none of them seem to work.. sorry!
Hope and pray all is well at home, wherever your home may be.
Cheers!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Brisbane
Greetings from Brisbane!
Today was an awesome day... we got an early start and headed to the Australia Zoo, which is owned and operated by the Irwin family. Our bus driver was actually really good friends with Steve Irwin, so we got to hear some neat stories about this life, and watch a bio on him as well.
There was so much to see at the zoo. We started by watching the croc show.... crocs are pretty cool! We got to pet Koalas and Kangaroos, saw tigers, elephants, emus, dingoes, everything you can imagine. It was a lot of fun and made for a great day. The weather was also a comfortable 24 degrees which was the icing on the cake.
I really want to upload some pictures, but every computer that I try doing it on won't work. Oh well.
Tomorrow I am heading to Surfers Paradies where we meet up with a tour group that we will be with for the next 12 days. It will be nice to not have to plan anything anymore and just relax on the beautiful beaches they have down here, something we have yet to do. Tomorrow I am also getting a cell phone (hopefully) so if you want my number, you can just send me and email or facebook message if I have you on there. My email is lagroot@hotmail.com.
That is all for now! Time to go shower and curl up in bed. Another long day of traveling tomorrow. Oh.. have I mentioned how much I am beginning to dislike flying? Way too much in the last two weeks....
Cheers
Today was an awesome day... we got an early start and headed to the Australia Zoo, which is owned and operated by the Irwin family. Our bus driver was actually really good friends with Steve Irwin, so we got to hear some neat stories about this life, and watch a bio on him as well.
There was so much to see at the zoo. We started by watching the croc show.... crocs are pretty cool! We got to pet Koalas and Kangaroos, saw tigers, elephants, emus, dingoes, everything you can imagine. It was a lot of fun and made for a great day. The weather was also a comfortable 24 degrees which was the icing on the cake.
I really want to upload some pictures, but every computer that I try doing it on won't work. Oh well.
Tomorrow I am heading to Surfers Paradies where we meet up with a tour group that we will be with for the next 12 days. It will be nice to not have to plan anything anymore and just relax on the beautiful beaches they have down here, something we have yet to do. Tomorrow I am also getting a cell phone (hopefully) so if you want my number, you can just send me and email or facebook message if I have you on there. My email is lagroot@hotmail.com.
That is all for now! Time to go shower and curl up in bed. Another long day of traveling tomorrow. Oh.. have I mentioned how much I am beginning to dislike flying? Way too much in the last two weeks....
Cheers
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Red Center
Well, I am now in Alice Springs in the middle of no where. Yesterday we flew in from Melbourne and headed into Kings Canyon which was about a 4.5 hour drive. The only change in scenary was the dead animals on the side of the road and the lines in the middle. Yes, it was that boring. We saw many kangaroos, a camel, cows, and other creatures, all of which were dead on the side of the road. We did see one alive Kangaroo as we almost hit it and we saw some emus, although they were behind a fence. Such is life I guess!
We walked part of Kings Canyon last night and watched the sunset over the desert. This morning we got up and back in the car for a 4 hour drive to Ayers Rock. It was beautiful! It is 9km around the base and we drove around it taking pictures where we were allowed to. I picked up some aborignal art work to hang in my room back home :)
From there we made the long trek back to Alice Springs (another 4-5 hours) where we settled into our hotel and here I am! We bought a Bon Jovi cd at a gas station and Im pretty sure it saved us from extreme boredom as there is no radio reception!
It was a lot of fun but we are glad to be done all of the driving. Tomorrow we fly to Brisbane where we are for two nights before we head down to Surfers Paradise. It will be nice to get back to the coast! Side note... it was 40 degrees out today! Too hot for sure.
I tried uploading some pictures onto here, but it won't let me. I will try again in Brisbane!
Cheers.
We walked part of Kings Canyon last night and watched the sunset over the desert. This morning we got up and back in the car for a 4 hour drive to Ayers Rock. It was beautiful! It is 9km around the base and we drove around it taking pictures where we were allowed to. I picked up some aborignal art work to hang in my room back home :)
From there we made the long trek back to Alice Springs (another 4-5 hours) where we settled into our hotel and here I am! We bought a Bon Jovi cd at a gas station and Im pretty sure it saved us from extreme boredom as there is no radio reception!
It was a lot of fun but we are glad to be done all of the driving. Tomorrow we fly to Brisbane where we are for two nights before we head down to Surfers Paradise. It will be nice to get back to the coast! Side note... it was 40 degrees out today! Too hot for sure.
I tried uploading some pictures onto here, but it won't let me. I will try again in Brisbane!
Cheers.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Melbourne
Well, it is 6:51am and I am currently sitting in the airport awaiting a flight to Alice Springs.
We arrived in Melbourne on Sunday night, got our rental car, and headed to our hostel. Once settled in we went and found some dinner and resisted all the wonderful shops along the way. We were in bed early as we had a long day ahead of us on Monday.
Monday morning we were out on the open road to Great Ocean Road. About an hour into we both had the feeling that something wasnt right, so we pulled over at a gas station to ask if we were going in the right direction. Needless to say we had gone the wrong way, so we got back on the highway once again.
Great Ocean Road is beautiful!!! We stopped at Bell's Beach, a long stretch of beach completly secluded. After that we had lunch in Apollo Bay before heading back out on the road. We ended up at the 12 Apostles (check it out online, its beautiful) around 5:30pm, which left us to drive the long way back in the dark. It is much like the Sea to Sky highway back home, but the views are ten times better.
I'm hoping to post pictures at our next stop which is Alice Springs. Actually, we are flying into Alice Springs and then renting a car to drive to Kings Canyon where we will spend the night. Tomorrow morning we will make our way to Ayers Rock and back to Alice Springs tomorrow night as we have an early flight on Thursday morning to Brisbane.
We are going through each city so fast, but we don't have another option considering how many different places we want to see. Once Saturday comes along, we will be with a tour group for 12 days which will leave all of the planning out of our hands!!!!
Thats it for now... more from the Red Center later!!
We arrived in Melbourne on Sunday night, got our rental car, and headed to our hostel. Once settled in we went and found some dinner and resisted all the wonderful shops along the way. We were in bed early as we had a long day ahead of us on Monday.
Monday morning we were out on the open road to Great Ocean Road. About an hour into we both had the feeling that something wasnt right, so we pulled over at a gas station to ask if we were going in the right direction. Needless to say we had gone the wrong way, so we got back on the highway once again.
Great Ocean Road is beautiful!!! We stopped at Bell's Beach, a long stretch of beach completly secluded. After that we had lunch in Apollo Bay before heading back out on the road. We ended up at the 12 Apostles (check it out online, its beautiful) around 5:30pm, which left us to drive the long way back in the dark. It is much like the Sea to Sky highway back home, but the views are ten times better.
I'm hoping to post pictures at our next stop which is Alice Springs. Actually, we are flying into Alice Springs and then renting a car to drive to Kings Canyon where we will spend the night. Tomorrow morning we will make our way to Ayers Rock and back to Alice Springs tomorrow night as we have an early flight on Thursday morning to Brisbane.
We are going through each city so fast, but we don't have another option considering how many different places we want to see. Once Saturday comes along, we will be with a tour group for 12 days which will leave all of the planning out of our hands!!!!
Thats it for now... more from the Red Center later!!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Goodbye Sydney, Hello Melbourne
Well, our time in Sydney has come to an end.
Yesterday we spent a great day up in the Blue Mountains where we saw the Three Sisters rock formation and Leura Falls. We decided to hike from one to the other and it ended up being a 2.5 hour hike, but it was well worth it once we arrived at the falls. They were beautiful!
It took 3 hours each way to get there but it was worth it. A great trip for sure! Last night we just layed low and watched a movie. We are having a lazy morning here before we have to head to the airport to head to Melbourne.
We are only in Melbourne for 2 nights and from there we head to Alice Springs/Ayers Rock. Tomorrow we are driving the Great Ocean Road which we are excited about because we have heard it is just beautiful. I'm a little nervous about driving, but it should all work out. I did learn how to drive this way, so I'm hoping it will all come back to me!
Thats all for now. I must finish packing up before we go. I hope to update in Melbourne, but no guarantees!
Cheers.
Yesterday we spent a great day up in the Blue Mountains where we saw the Three Sisters rock formation and Leura Falls. We decided to hike from one to the other and it ended up being a 2.5 hour hike, but it was well worth it once we arrived at the falls. They were beautiful!
It took 3 hours each way to get there but it was worth it. A great trip for sure! Last night we just layed low and watched a movie. We are having a lazy morning here before we have to head to the airport to head to Melbourne.
We are only in Melbourne for 2 nights and from there we head to Alice Springs/Ayers Rock. Tomorrow we are driving the Great Ocean Road which we are excited about because we have heard it is just beautiful. I'm a little nervous about driving, but it should all work out. I did learn how to drive this way, so I'm hoping it will all come back to me!
Thats all for now. I must finish packing up before we go. I hope to update in Melbourne, but no guarantees!
Cheers.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Update from Sydney
Greetings from Sydney!!!
The weather here is beautiful and I am loving it!!!
Kim and I are currently staying with a friend of ours Kira which is great. Wednesday night we went to Kira's young adult service and then headed into town with some of her friends where we got to take our first look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and then the Opera House. They are gorgeous and it was so awesome to see them at night.
Thursday we slept in and then headed back into the same direction as the night before. We sat on the steps of the Opera House and ate our lunch and after lunch we climbed the bridge! I felt like I was on top of the world and I have some sweet pictures from that too. We had to buy them as you are not allowed to take an cameras up there with us. Definitly a day to remember.
Last night Kira had some friends over and we watched a movie and had chocolate fondue. :) It was late to bed, but well worth it.
Today we got started a little earlier and we went up the Sydney Skytower and got a 360 degree view of the city which was beautiful as well. After that we had lunch on the harbour and then headed out of town to Bondai beach. The weather here is great and it was the perfect weather to do some suntanning... and by suntanning, I mean sun burning. Got to love being so white!!
Tomorrow we are off to go see the Blue Mountains which will be a long day trip, but I think it will be well worth it.
The weather here is beautiful and I am loving it!!!
Kim and I are currently staying with a friend of ours Kira which is great. Wednesday night we went to Kira's young adult service and then headed into town with some of her friends where we got to take our first look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and then the Opera House. They are gorgeous and it was so awesome to see them at night.
Thursday we slept in and then headed back into the same direction as the night before. We sat on the steps of the Opera House and ate our lunch and after lunch we climbed the bridge! I felt like I was on top of the world and I have some sweet pictures from that too. We had to buy them as you are not allowed to take an cameras up there with us. Definitly a day to remember.
Last night Kira had some friends over and we watched a movie and had chocolate fondue. :) It was late to bed, but well worth it.
Today we got started a little earlier and we went up the Sydney Skytower and got a 360 degree view of the city which was beautiful as well. After that we had lunch on the harbour and then headed out of town to Bondai beach. The weather here is great and it was the perfect weather to do some suntanning... and by suntanning, I mean sun burning. Got to love being so white!!
Tomorrow we are off to go see the Blue Mountains which will be a long day trip, but I think it will be well worth it.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Safe in Australia
Hey Guys!
So after 24 hours of flying, we have arrived safe and sound in Sydney! The flights were good despite their length. Tomorrow we are going to lay low, meet up with a friend from highschool, and maybe do a little exploring!
Will update soon enough!
So after 24 hours of flying, we have arrived safe and sound in Sydney! The flights were good despite their length. Tomorrow we are going to lay low, meet up with a friend from highschool, and maybe do a little exploring!
Will update soon enough!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Don't know when I'll be back again!!!
Well the time has come for me to pack my bags and get on board a Boeing 777-300. I am in the middle of packing even though I leave for the airport in just 5 hours. Wow... that is a little scary to say!
I don't really know what emotion to feel. It still doesn't feel real, but I know it will hit me once I am on the airplane and that is when I will have a breakdown. Same drill as when I went to Africa.
Yesterday was Matthew and Chantelle's wedding and it was beautiful! The weather was awesome and I think everyone really had a good time.
Time to sign off... I hope to update if I have time in Honk Kong during our lay over!
Well the time has come for me to pack my bags and get on board a Boeing 777-300. I am in the middle of packing even though I leave for the airport in just 5 hours. Wow... that is a little scary to say!
I don't really know what emotion to feel. It still doesn't feel real, but I know it will hit me once I am on the airplane and that is when I will have a breakdown. Same drill as when I went to Africa.
Yesterday was Matthew and Chantelle's wedding and it was beautiful! The weather was awesome and I think everyone really had a good time.
Time to sign off... I hope to update if I have time in Honk Kong during our lay over!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Saying Goodbye
It's hard to believe that Kim and I started planning our trip well over 7 months ago and after cutting the corners of my day planner week after week, I am down to one last week before I go to Australia.
Someone asked me when it would hit me that I am moving away for a year. I honestly don't know when it will happen, but when I went to Africa, it was about an hour into my flight. That's when the tears came.
I have started to say my goodbyes and I think it is going only get harder. Last week I said goodbye to everyone at BC Place that I work with. Yesterday afternoon Elly and I went out for lunch to say goodbye. Today I said goodbye to Kim's dad and brother Kirk. This evening I said goodbye to my old neighbors. The goodbyes are only going to get more frequent as the week progresses on.
I was standing at work last night when it was slow and it hit me that I am really going to miss my work place. My job isn't glamorous and it is filled with so much drama you would think we were on the set of Days of Our Lives, but I still love it and everyone I work with. Luckily, my last night on Wednesday is a busy one, so most of my coworkers should be there. There will be lots of hugs and hopefully not too many tears.
The last of the goodbyes will come on Saturday and Sunday from close family and friends and ultimately at the airport before I head through the gates, not too look back. I have a return flight and good intentions of coming home. Will it happen when planned? Maybe not.
I know Australia is where God wants me to be in this chapter of my life. I know that He has something amazing planned for me and I am excited to slowly unwrap this gift He has given me.
I am blessed.
Someone asked me when it would hit me that I am moving away for a year. I honestly don't know when it will happen, but when I went to Africa, it was about an hour into my flight. That's when the tears came.
I have started to say my goodbyes and I think it is going only get harder. Last week I said goodbye to everyone at BC Place that I work with. Yesterday afternoon Elly and I went out for lunch to say goodbye. Today I said goodbye to Kim's dad and brother Kirk. This evening I said goodbye to my old neighbors. The goodbyes are only going to get more frequent as the week progresses on.
I was standing at work last night when it was slow and it hit me that I am really going to miss my work place. My job isn't glamorous and it is filled with so much drama you would think we were on the set of Days of Our Lives, but I still love it and everyone I work with. Luckily, my last night on Wednesday is a busy one, so most of my coworkers should be there. There will be lots of hugs and hopefully not too many tears.
The last of the goodbyes will come on Saturday and Sunday from close family and friends and ultimately at the airport before I head through the gates, not too look back. I have a return flight and good intentions of coming home. Will it happen when planned? Maybe not.
I know Australia is where God wants me to be in this chapter of my life. I know that He has something amazing planned for me and I am excited to slowly unwrap this gift He has given me.
I am blessed.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Quick Post
I am currently at the library since our computer crashed at home. Makes you really appreciate what you have at your convenience!
So I leave for Australia next weekend. Time has just flown by and it still really hasnt hit me that I am moving away for about a year. I have started to slowly pack as I want to have it mostly done before my brothers wedding next weekend. Needless to say, between working lots, trying to get things organized for my trip, and my brothers wedding, things are busy!
Sorry for the quick update... I will try to do my best a little later and hopefully our computer gets fixed sooner than later. Thats all for now.. off to work the night shift!!
So I leave for Australia next weekend. Time has just flown by and it still really hasnt hit me that I am moving away for about a year. I have started to slowly pack as I want to have it mostly done before my brothers wedding next weekend. Needless to say, between working lots, trying to get things organized for my trip, and my brothers wedding, things are busy!
Sorry for the quick update... I will try to do my best a little later and hopefully our computer gets fixed sooner than later. Thats all for now.. off to work the night shift!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)