Wednesday, January 28, 2004
34 hours of flying, 8 airline meals, 14 hours of stopovers later ... i'm back in vancouver. the trip is over, i'm home. The last week I spent in Melbourne was fabulous, I stayed with my friend Josh and his roommate Sam and enjoyed the sunshine, sampled Australian baking such as Lamington Cake (white cake soaked in chocolate then covered with coconut - divine) and Tim Tams (yummy biscuits from the shop).
I spent a day at the Open and watched Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Lindsay Davenport all play. That was very exciting. I was about ten feet from Davenport - man is she big! We also went on Friday night for an Andy Roddick match, that was a bit disappointing as his opponent played terribly and Roddick pasted him. I've also grown to love cricket while staying here. Of course, the last hour is the most exciting so I don't think I could follow an entire day's match, and a five day Test is absolutely out of the question.
Anyway, now I'm home so please give me a call for a visit! Over and out for the last time.
I spent a day at the Open and watched Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Lindsay Davenport all play. That was very exciting. I was about ten feet from Davenport - man is she big! We also went on Friday night for an Andy Roddick match, that was a bit disappointing as his opponent played terribly and Roddick pasted him. I've also grown to love cricket while staying here. Of course, the last hour is the most exciting so I don't think I could follow an entire day's match, and a five day Test is absolutely out of the question.
Anyway, now I'm home so please give me a call for a visit! Over and out for the last time.
Monday, January 19, 2004
Solo
My beloved travelling partner Deanna has departed Australia and moved on to more adventures in Vietnam. Our ten days of camping around Victoria and New South Wales were great, we saw lots of wildlife and lots of beaches, although the weather wasn't great so we couldn't spend a lot of time actually lounging around ON the beaches. The last two days along the Great Ocean Road I think were the most memorable, we stopped at all the limestone formations like the 12 Apostles, the Grotto etc. and took the necessary pictures. The Otway Fly (platform 25 metres in the air) was great, amazing to be up in the middle of all the trees, the Mountain Ash here is amazing, the trunks are absolutely straight and such a beautiful grey colour. The bark get wrinkly around the branches, making them seem like Ents from Lord of the Rings.
Last week we stayed in a great hostel in the St. Kilda area of Melbourne and explored the various museums, parks and other sights of Melbourne. It was a lovely relaxing time. We attempted to go to an astronomy talk last Friday night but when we arrived, it had clouded over completely so there were no stars to be seen. For consolation, we ate cheesecake.
Deanna left on Saturday night and I've been staying at my friend Josh's ever since. I met Josh and his roommate Sam four years while backpacking around Europe. Sunday morning we all had pancakes and then Josh and I headed down to Torquay for a surf. Well, Josh had a surf and I was merely batted about by the waves. I have never been in anything so big! The water was lovely and warm though, and I still had lots of fun even though I didn't catch any waves. Hopefully it will make surfing at Tofino a little easier. Sunday night we went to a barbecue at Josh's brother's place. Lots of beer and grilled meat, some tennis, a pool and exciting cricket suspense at the end of the night made it a perfectly authentic Aussie experience.
Yesterday I lazed about the apartment, enjoyed having some space to myself and baked Josh and Sam some brownies. Today it's supposed to get up to about 37 degrees - perhaps i'll spend the afternoon eating lamington and pavlova while suntanning in my bikini. That should curb the appetite for sweets! The Aus Open is now on and we've got tickets for Friday night but you can also get ground passes during the day to just wander around and check out different courts.
Five days 'till I'm bound for home ...
My beloved travelling partner Deanna has departed Australia and moved on to more adventures in Vietnam. Our ten days of camping around Victoria and New South Wales were great, we saw lots of wildlife and lots of beaches, although the weather wasn't great so we couldn't spend a lot of time actually lounging around ON the beaches. The last two days along the Great Ocean Road I think were the most memorable, we stopped at all the limestone formations like the 12 Apostles, the Grotto etc. and took the necessary pictures. The Otway Fly (platform 25 metres in the air) was great, amazing to be up in the middle of all the trees, the Mountain Ash here is amazing, the trunks are absolutely straight and such a beautiful grey colour. The bark get wrinkly around the branches, making them seem like Ents from Lord of the Rings.
Last week we stayed in a great hostel in the St. Kilda area of Melbourne and explored the various museums, parks and other sights of Melbourne. It was a lovely relaxing time. We attempted to go to an astronomy talk last Friday night but when we arrived, it had clouded over completely so there were no stars to be seen. For consolation, we ate cheesecake.
Deanna left on Saturday night and I've been staying at my friend Josh's ever since. I met Josh and his roommate Sam four years while backpacking around Europe. Sunday morning we all had pancakes and then Josh and I headed down to Torquay for a surf. Well, Josh had a surf and I was merely batted about by the waves. I have never been in anything so big! The water was lovely and warm though, and I still had lots of fun even though I didn't catch any waves. Hopefully it will make surfing at Tofino a little easier. Sunday night we went to a barbecue at Josh's brother's place. Lots of beer and grilled meat, some tennis, a pool and exciting cricket suspense at the end of the night made it a perfectly authentic Aussie experience.
Yesterday I lazed about the apartment, enjoyed having some space to myself and baked Josh and Sam some brownies. Today it's supposed to get up to about 37 degrees - perhaps i'll spend the afternoon eating lamington and pavlova while suntanning in my bikini. That should curb the appetite for sweets! The Aus Open is now on and we've got tickets for Friday night but you can also get ground passes during the day to just wander around and check out different courts.
Five days 'till I'm bound for home ...
Monday, January 12, 2004
Photos!!
Oh yes, lots of photos are now uploaded if you care to have a peek. The website is
http://groups.msn.com/misschase and then choose pictures on the menu at your left. A photo album called KL and Australia should pop up and away you go.
check them out!
We've arrived back in Melbourne safe and sound and returned the beloved Yoda to the rental place. We'll spend the next few days lounging around Melbourne I think.
Oh yes, lots of photos are now uploaded if you care to have a peek. The website is
http://groups.msn.com/misschase and then choose pictures on the menu at your left. A photo album called KL and Australia should pop up and away you go.
check them out!
We've arrived back in Melbourne safe and sound and returned the beloved Yoda to the rental place. We'll spend the next few days lounging around Melbourne I think.
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Aussie Bitz
This will be really quick - we're halfway along the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne and apparently internet access here is really difficult as this cafe charges practically your first born for 15 minutes. We've got two days left in Yoda and we're spending them driving along the southcoast in search of the elusive perfect beach. Our weather leaves something to be desired, it's cloudy and overcast and a bit cool (about 18 degrees i think). I'm so glad we decided to stay in australia longer, we need some heat to go play in the waves!
The kangaroo count is up to 3 alive, 14 dead. The variety of birds continues to grow, my favourite so far is the lorikeet - bright red and green and yellow i think, kind of looks like a small parrot to my untrained birding eye. the other morning a wee bird with a VERY LOUD singing voice perched itself above Yoda and thought that 6am was a good time to wake me up. I swear i could hear it breathing in before it started each song.
Today we're going to the Otway National Park and walking along a platform 25 metres in the air in a rainforest. Very exciting!
This will be really quick - we're halfway along the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne and apparently internet access here is really difficult as this cafe charges practically your first born for 15 minutes. We've got two days left in Yoda and we're spending them driving along the southcoast in search of the elusive perfect beach. Our weather leaves something to be desired, it's cloudy and overcast and a bit cool (about 18 degrees i think). I'm so glad we decided to stay in australia longer, we need some heat to go play in the waves!
The kangaroo count is up to 3 alive, 14 dead. The variety of birds continues to grow, my favourite so far is the lorikeet - bright red and green and yellow i think, kind of looks like a small parrot to my untrained birding eye. the other morning a wee bird with a VERY LOUD singing voice perched itself above Yoda and thought that 6am was a good time to wake me up. I swear i could hear it breathing in before it started each song.
Today we're going to the Otway National Park and walking along a platform 25 metres in the air in a rainforest. Very exciting!
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Super Swell Sydney
Well, we made it all the way to Sydney in Yoda The Wonder Campervan. The drive was great, the roads here are in perfect condition and the traffic wasn't very bad at all. Unfortunately our weather for the drive was overcast and slightly drizzly so we didn't get to do any lounging on the beautiful beaches we drove past. We still visited some interesting sites though, a Koala Conservation Centre on Philip Island (they're not bears, but rather marsupials i learned), hmm and some othes but i can't seem to think of them.
we arrived in sydney two days ago after hurtling through the streets during rush hour traffic. now that i've pulled three u-turns in Yoda in the middle of Sydney, i feel like i can drive anything, anywhere. big talk, i know, for girl who drives a car the size of a jellybean in Canada. Now I know what it's like to get some respect on the road! Either that or instill fear in the hearts of other drivers, heh heh. just kidding dad ;-)
anyway, sydney has been grand. we're staying with a wonderful family on the north shore with whom deanna has a somewhat tenuous connection. her parents' friends' friends' father. or something like that. Anyway, Mr. Wiggins has kindly taken us in, fed us, and even took us on a lovely tour of the beaches around sydney this morning. A very very lovely fellow, as are the others in his hous - his daughter MaryAnne and grandchildren Nathan and Sam. Our first night there we sat around the table telling stories and drinking wine, feeling right at home. it was grand.
Yesterday we explored the city of Sydney itself, visiting the Opera House, Aquarium, an Aborigine Cultural Centre (which was fabulous), the Hyde Park and Botanical Gardens and various other buildings. Unfortunately due to bad luck and timing, it took us three hours to get back to the Wiggins' abode, but it was a lovely night and a nice walk.
Tomorrow morning we're leaving bright and early to drive south. We're hoping to do the Great Ocean Road on Sunday and Monday before returning Yoda on Monday at 4:30. We've also changed our plane tickets (again!) and I'm staying in Melbourne until the 24th and Deanna's off to Vietnam on the 18th I think. I really want to do some surfing and swimming and we just haven't had a chance yet.
Stay tuned for further changes .... :-)
Well, we made it all the way to Sydney in Yoda The Wonder Campervan. The drive was great, the roads here are in perfect condition and the traffic wasn't very bad at all. Unfortunately our weather for the drive was overcast and slightly drizzly so we didn't get to do any lounging on the beautiful beaches we drove past. We still visited some interesting sites though, a Koala Conservation Centre on Philip Island (they're not bears, but rather marsupials i learned), hmm and some othes but i can't seem to think of them.
we arrived in sydney two days ago after hurtling through the streets during rush hour traffic. now that i've pulled three u-turns in Yoda in the middle of Sydney, i feel like i can drive anything, anywhere. big talk, i know, for girl who drives a car the size of a jellybean in Canada. Now I know what it's like to get some respect on the road! Either that or instill fear in the hearts of other drivers, heh heh. just kidding dad ;-)
anyway, sydney has been grand. we're staying with a wonderful family on the north shore with whom deanna has a somewhat tenuous connection. her parents' friends' friends' father. or something like that. Anyway, Mr. Wiggins has kindly taken us in, fed us, and even took us on a lovely tour of the beaches around sydney this morning. A very very lovely fellow, as are the others in his hous - his daughter MaryAnne and grandchildren Nathan and Sam. Our first night there we sat around the table telling stories and drinking wine, feeling right at home. it was grand.
Yesterday we explored the city of Sydney itself, visiting the Opera House, Aquarium, an Aborigine Cultural Centre (which was fabulous), the Hyde Park and Botanical Gardens and various other buildings. Unfortunately due to bad luck and timing, it took us three hours to get back to the Wiggins' abode, but it was a lovely night and a nice walk.
Tomorrow morning we're leaving bright and early to drive south. We're hoping to do the Great Ocean Road on Sunday and Monday before returning Yoda on Monday at 4:30. We've also changed our plane tickets (again!) and I'm staying in Melbourne until the 24th and Deanna's off to Vietnam on the 18th I think. I really want to do some surfing and swimming and we just haven't had a chance yet.
Stay tuned for further changes .... :-)
Friday, January 02, 2004
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!
G'day from Down Under. We made it to Melbourne on the morning of the 30th and were met with 38 degree heat and lots of flies. It's since cooled down and the flies have abated somewhat so we're much more comfortable now ;-) We spent the 30th wandering the streets of Melbourne, drinking lots of iced coffee and seeking shelter from the heat in a dark, cool church. Not your typical tourist day, but a group of crazy Czechs on our red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur decided sleeping wasn't for them, and therefore not for the rest of us either. We were all kept up thanks to their carousing. Grrrrr.....
And we almost didn't make it through the airport as I had forgotten about two HobNob biscuits in my backpack from Malaysia. Everywhere in the Melbourne airport were signs about throwing out your food, quarantines etc. and we were even all sniffed by dogs before getting to the immigration desk. somehow the dog missed my hobnobs (which makes me suspicious as to the dog's qualifications - you'd think biscuits would be especially good-smelling) and i thought i was safe until we came to the x-ray machines just before the exit. Nervously i fished out the hobnobs and handed them to the official, my heart pounding. Gushing apologetically, I turned bright-red. However, it was all a waste of energy as he just looked at them, looked at me, exclaimed "biscuits!" and handed them back. Evidently hobnobs aren't really their concern. and we made it out into the heat.
once in melbourne i called up my friend andrew, whom i had met four years ago while backpacking in prague. he invited us to stay with him at his parent's place as they were away at their beachhouse for the week. we stayed there, in the lap of luxury, for the past three nights and it was grand. the bathroom deanna and i shared was twice the size of my bedroom in limerick. it was quite the introduction to backpacking in australia!
we went out with andrew and another friend, josh, that i had also met in prague, for New Year's along with a bunch of their friends. It was a grand time, although the cover charge for the bar we went to was $100 and I attempted to get the value of my money back in gin and tonics. Not a good idea. I didn't move until 5pm the next day and have never been so sick in my life. No more G&T for me!! But it was a great time, we met lots of really fun people and in hindsight, vomiting is a good ab workout.
Today Deanna and I spent our time getting the rest of our trip organized. Australia is far more expensive than we imagined, so we're flying out on the 13th and heading to Thailand. I'll be returning to KL on the 24th and flying home then. In the meantime, we've rented a campervan for the next ten days and will be driving along the coast to Sydney and back through the interior. Our weather has been incredible and so we hope to do lots of swimming and surfing in the South Pacific along with some old fashioned lying around on the beach. So warn all your friends that may be driving our way - two canadian girls in a motorhome on the left hand side of the road!!
G'day from Down Under. We made it to Melbourne on the morning of the 30th and were met with 38 degree heat and lots of flies. It's since cooled down and the flies have abated somewhat so we're much more comfortable now ;-) We spent the 30th wandering the streets of Melbourne, drinking lots of iced coffee and seeking shelter from the heat in a dark, cool church. Not your typical tourist day, but a group of crazy Czechs on our red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur decided sleeping wasn't for them, and therefore not for the rest of us either. We were all kept up thanks to their carousing. Grrrrr.....
And we almost didn't make it through the airport as I had forgotten about two HobNob biscuits in my backpack from Malaysia. Everywhere in the Melbourne airport were signs about throwing out your food, quarantines etc. and we were even all sniffed by dogs before getting to the immigration desk. somehow the dog missed my hobnobs (which makes me suspicious as to the dog's qualifications - you'd think biscuits would be especially good-smelling) and i thought i was safe until we came to the x-ray machines just before the exit. Nervously i fished out the hobnobs and handed them to the official, my heart pounding. Gushing apologetically, I turned bright-red. However, it was all a waste of energy as he just looked at them, looked at me, exclaimed "biscuits!" and handed them back. Evidently hobnobs aren't really their concern. and we made it out into the heat.
once in melbourne i called up my friend andrew, whom i had met four years ago while backpacking in prague. he invited us to stay with him at his parent's place as they were away at their beachhouse for the week. we stayed there, in the lap of luxury, for the past three nights and it was grand. the bathroom deanna and i shared was twice the size of my bedroom in limerick. it was quite the introduction to backpacking in australia!
we went out with andrew and another friend, josh, that i had also met in prague, for New Year's along with a bunch of their friends. It was a grand time, although the cover charge for the bar we went to was $100 and I attempted to get the value of my money back in gin and tonics. Not a good idea. I didn't move until 5pm the next day and have never been so sick in my life. No more G&T for me!! But it was a great time, we met lots of really fun people and in hindsight, vomiting is a good ab workout.
Today Deanna and I spent our time getting the rest of our trip organized. Australia is far more expensive than we imagined, so we're flying out on the 13th and heading to Thailand. I'll be returning to KL on the 24th and flying home then. In the meantime, we've rented a campervan for the next ten days and will be driving along the coast to Sydney and back through the interior. Our weather has been incredible and so we hope to do lots of swimming and surfing in the South Pacific along with some old fashioned lying around on the beach. So warn all your friends that may be driving our way - two canadian girls in a motorhome on the left hand side of the road!!
Friday, December 26, 2003
merry christmas ... i think
Ahhh, Christmas Day in Malaysia. It was so ... interesting. After Deanna woke me up around 8am (jet lag is such a drag!) we cracked our christmas crackers and christmas had begun. The breakfast buffet served up such christmas-y treats as fried noodles, samosas, buns with bean curd, baked beans and chicken sausage. i stuck to the orange and watermelon slices. we then headed out onto the pool deck and lounged on deck chairs for the morning. the entertainment was provided by the games organized on the beach. we watched grown, headscarved muslim women limbo to 'lady marmalade' and 'i will survive', among other great western hit christmas songs. they also took part in a potato sack race, an egg and miso soup spoon race, and a tug-of-war. all very entertaining and they had such enthusiasm! of course, all of the kids (and there are a LOT of them) were in the pool with deanna and i. one little boy was so enthralled with our white skin that he kept coming up and touching us. a few glares from me put him off. heh heh.
we ate lunch at the hotel and were forced to listen to the staff singing christmas carols very badly. or we thought it was the staff ... turns out it was the charges from the Penang Centre for the Simple (not my words) that were singing and well, all things considered, i guess they weren't that bad after all. For the afternoon we embarked on a tour of the island with a very annoying woman for our guide and we were very glad to get back to our room around 6:30pm. Dinner was had at the same hawker food court (nothing says christmas like gyoza!) and then we walked to 7-11 for water and treats.
and that was christmas day. not so bad, but we both missed our families i think. we've got only a few days left here, i imagine we'll be squeezing in lots of suntanning and pool lounging. on the 29th we fly to melbourne and it's back to living in hostels.
Ahhh, Christmas Day in Malaysia. It was so ... interesting. After Deanna woke me up around 8am (jet lag is such a drag!) we cracked our christmas crackers and christmas had begun. The breakfast buffet served up such christmas-y treats as fried noodles, samosas, buns with bean curd, baked beans and chicken sausage. i stuck to the orange and watermelon slices. we then headed out onto the pool deck and lounged on deck chairs for the morning. the entertainment was provided by the games organized on the beach. we watched grown, headscarved muslim women limbo to 'lady marmalade' and 'i will survive', among other great western hit christmas songs. they also took part in a potato sack race, an egg and miso soup spoon race, and a tug-of-war. all very entertaining and they had such enthusiasm! of course, all of the kids (and there are a LOT of them) were in the pool with deanna and i. one little boy was so enthralled with our white skin that he kept coming up and touching us. a few glares from me put him off. heh heh.
we ate lunch at the hotel and were forced to listen to the staff singing christmas carols very badly. or we thought it was the staff ... turns out it was the charges from the Penang Centre for the Simple (not my words) that were singing and well, all things considered, i guess they weren't that bad after all. For the afternoon we embarked on a tour of the island with a very annoying woman for our guide and we were very glad to get back to our room around 6:30pm. Dinner was had at the same hawker food court (nothing says christmas like gyoza!) and then we walked to 7-11 for water and treats.
and that was christmas day. not so bad, but we both missed our families i think. we've got only a few days left here, i imagine we'll be squeezing in lots of suntanning and pool lounging. on the 29th we fly to melbourne and it's back to living in hostels.
