Living the dream

I hear that the UK has been experiencing some pretty heavy snowfall - well, enough to make to kids happy and cause the entire london transport system to break down in utter chaos. So not sure if you want to hear that I've just spent a week in the Whitsundays Islands...a real paradise! I was on a 2 day sailing trip around the islands on an ex maxi racing yacht called Broomstick.

Had a really good crew, and 24 other passengers from all over the world (mostly Germany and Sweden...they can't get enough of Australia apparently)! About half an hour into the trip we hit a mini storm (is squall the right term?) and things got pretty hairy for a few minutes! We thought the crew knew what they were doing so were pretty relaxed about the whole thing, but we later found out that they were absolutely terrified and we nearly capsized! Near death experience over and done with, we carried on to a sheltered section of the Great Barrier Reef and donned our stinger suits for the first time (at this the time of year the water is filled with potentially deadly jellyfish so if you want to get wet you have to wear one. I had heard some horrible stories about bright orange lycra, imagine my relief when mine was black). The fish were amazing, don't ask me names but they were all shapes, sizes and colours. It was really incredible to be so close - they would swim right up to your face as if they were curious!

We also went to a look-out over the number one rated beach in the world - Whitehaven. It's composed of 98% pure silica and is totally unspoilt; as a result they don't take boat loads of tourists there but was beautiful to see from the look-out at Betty's beach. There I saw sandsharks and massive rays about 2 metres from the shore! Later that night we were having a few drinks on the deck when we heard a commotion in the water...there was a reef shark using our boat as a hiding place from which to dart out and catch his dinner - pretty cool to watch.

After getting safely back to shore the next day I caught a flight down to Brisbane. I am now at my friend Yvonne's house just south of the city. She moved over here after high school and after 7 years i've finally made it to see her! It was so nice to see a familiar face after 6 months of making new friends every day (not that i'm complaining - it's just nice to have to have the same conversation - where do you come from, how long have you been traveling, etc..). I'm here for a week so am looking forward to being in one place long enough to catch up on internet, washing, and also just a few days without having to lug my backpack with me everywhere I go!

Well, Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope you have a happy one wherever you may be. If you find the time to post a comment I would love to hear from you x

The land down under

Well...here I am in Australia. I arrived 2 weeks ago and haven't managed to write my blog (thanks mum for reminding me) so have got a lot to tell you! After a good flight from Jo'burg I arrived into Sydney airport and was picked up by my friend and old Henderson colleague Brooke who now lives in Manly. She gave me a proper aussie welcome, not even letting me go home to shower before heading to a bar for a wine tasting! I stayed with Brooke for a week and explored the beautiful city of Sydney.

Then, conscious not to outstay my welcome I decided it was time to move on, so headed up the coast. After a 12 hr bus ride, my first stop was the strange little town of Coff's Harbour. Not much to do there, but luckily for me there was a dolphin park so the day was not wasted! Then I carried on to Byron Bay which is known amongst backpackers as a party town. Met a nice girl from Preston and we went out for a few drinks and dinner but the town was full of kids on schoolies (aussie spring break) so we felt about 90 years old!

From there I went on a day trip to a weird little town called Nimbin. Someone had recommended it to me as a good place to go, but as soon as I got on the bus I knew it was a mistake; Nimbin is famous for holding a hippie festival in the '70s and has clung onto this little bit of fame ever since. It is now full of ageing hippies and basically, somewhere you go to buy marijuana. Not my scene at all! So imagine my (quiet) delight when we arrived to see the town crawling with policemen.. mwah ha ha (thats meant to be an evil laugh)...

From Byron Bay I traveled to Brisbane. My friend Yvonne lives just south of Brisbane and I was hoping to see her on my way through, but she is working until 22nd Dec so I am going to come back down then. I really liked Brisbane, and spent a lovely day at the museum, art gallery and followed it up with an extra dose of culture at the theatre in the evening. Since arriving in Oz I have felt a buit devoid of culture so felt a lot more civilised afterwards! On Sunday I went to Australia Zoo, the home of the (late) Crocodile Hunter himself, Steve Irwin. Although I had seen loads of animals on safari in Africa, I have never before seen a kangaroo, koala, or many other australian animals so was very excited. The crocodile show was really good, and I had a guided tour in the afternoon from a lovely guy called Phil. He had known Steve and so had lots of interesting stories and anecdotes about him and the zoo.

From Brisbane I flew up to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Tomorrow I'm going on a 3 days 2 night sailing trip around the islands, and will get to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef - something I've always wanted to do so very excited about that! Will try to put up a picture of me in a fetching 'stinger suit' to give you a giggle next time...