The curse of money...

Money...there is never enough of it in my pocket, nor never NOT enough to live comfortably. Perhaps I am going about everything all wrong. Worrying won't help me...what can I do to obtain more money...and no...I am not trying to obtain money in the greedy sense...but in the sense for my future. Suddenly my future seems so expensive! So many things to think about, where to live, where to work...etc. And all I can think right now is..."oh crap..I am broke" I know many of you don't feel bad for me, and in actuality, I don't pity myself either...for I did choose to take time off from the "real word" to travel for about 5 months. But I am laying in bed at night, worrying about money...worrying about getting a job, worrying about being able to pay off my visa, or my other debts to my parents. Then it hits me..."PHEW" thank goodness I live in Calgary...b/c I can get a job easily...so that isn't a concern. But when bills are due and money is lacking at the moment, I get worried. I sit and write out goals, calculating how much money I will need by a certain time of the year to do what is planned, how I will get that, what my budget is etc. I considered forgoing a trip...the Great Ocean Road...but I am still being convinced (especially by my brother Matt and sister in law Katie) that despite my money problems...I should further myself in debt and go and see God's wonders...for this is the only chance I may get...and no one likes to live with regrets...SOO...perhaps I will do that. As for right now...all I can do is pray everything works out and that I find some job to give me some cash here in Aussie land...and to find something quickly when I return home. Money...Worry...what is it all good for...NOTHING! (well the money is always nice ;-) heheh..one has to live right?!)

What was here a month ago...is gone. :-(

Adelaide so far...

Well, here I am in Adelaide...and it has been just over 2 weeks that I have been here. We were able to get to Adelaide just in time for Easter. Uncle Pete and Auntie Anne had Auntie Anne's family over and we ate, told jokes and played an intense game of Cranium...WOW...true Wierenga's are sure competitive (ahem...Phil....Todd.)

We also went and had a picnic and a walk in a park which was really lovely. We went to Todd's for a BBQ and had one at Auntie Anne's and Uncle Pete's as well. A few days after, Lauren (my Aussie cousin) took me to Gorge's wildlife park. I have admittedly been here now 2 times and would still go back...just to hold a Koala once again. We walked around feeding the animals and I held a Koala. At the end we fed the Kangaroos and had many laughs as I was being swarmed as well as watching a huge Albino roo chance around a female with a joey...and trying to "put the moves on her" MEN...doesn't matter what species...they are all the same! :-)

Phil (my cousin) left on the 13th back to Canada and I was left here to hang out with the Australia Wierenga's. FUN! But before Phil left we went around to some wine country and did some wine tasting. YUM! The first day was a lot of fun. Phil was our driver b/c Todd (my Aussie cousin) and I were doing the wine tasting. We were in the Mclaren Valley. The drive up was through the hills and the drive had many curves...none of which my stomach didn't notice. We went around do different wine places and began tasting...and you can guess what happened after a few places...yep, Todd and I began to get tipsy. I just giggled and knew that I should stop...and did. At the end of the day we came back and were all exhausted. (must have been the wine and the sun).

The next day we went to Clare and little towns here and there. We stopped at the whispering wall which is a dam that is curved. One person goes and walks to one end and talks and the person at the other end can hear them as clear as day....it is quite a neat thing really! Since then I have been hanging out with Lauren and some days Todd and Uncle Pete and Auntie Anne.

I have been job searching...and it hasn't been fun. I was sick for a while and am still getting over it. I had to go to the dentist yesterday for the toothache that I was trying to deny and ignore was becoming too painful. Yep...I have a wisdom tooth coming in, but it is impacted, so instead it just caused an infection and inflammation of my gums and cheek area. Good thing I have travel insurance to cover that! I am currently on antibiotics and should be ok until I come home...but then out it goes! I finally have a job interview (well 2) one this Monday and one of Friday...so wish me luck! Until then...read my post about money! :-)

Cairns/The Great Barrier Reef/Tsunami Warning

We arrived in Cairns after a longer day and checked into our hostel. We met Ruvini and people from our bus at the Woolshed for dinner and some drinks. We didn't stay long because we were tired and bored. Cairns was very different from the last time I had been there, but I had to tell myself that that was about 15 years ago and so it must have changed a lot...plus I was little! :-)

After dinner, Phil and I made our way back to the hostel. I noticed that in a pub/bar that there was a soccer match on TV. So I decided to watch it since I am trying to learn more about one particular team, Arsenal. I was watching by myself and in front of me at another table were a group of guys. After a while they invited me over to watch the game with them. They were all cheering for the other team, Liverpool,...so it became a fun rivalry. They in fact were a soccer team and had just finished winning a game and were out celebrating. They were quite amusing and needless to say at the end of the night my team lost, but it was fun arguing with these guys about which team was still better.

The next day Phil was off to Cape Tribulation for a few nights. I went and met up with Ruvini and we wandered around and booked a tour together. Ruvini also booked an intro dive with me on Calypso so I was happy to have someone I knew and liked to come with me. The day flew by and before I knew it I was back in my hostel cooking dinner, showering and going to bed to get up early for my dive.

We were picked up by the bus and made our way to Port Douglas (about 45 min north of Cairns) where we would go out to the outer reef. The sky was cloudy, it was windy and it was raining off and on. As we waited on the boat Ruvini looked at me and stated that she could have sworn that she heard our captain say something about a Tsunami warning. I looked at her and said "NO..you are hearing things!" Less than five minutes later our captain turned to us and said "There is a Tsunami warning, there has been an earthquake in New Guinea and we probably have to cancel the dive. It is up to you what you want to do. We can give you a refund right now or you can wait to learn more and we can decide from there...it is suppose to hit at 9:30am" Nervously I giggled and joked my way through the situation and we made our way up to the phone to make some calls to tell people what was going on and that we loved them in case we were to die. We joked about it but didn't know what to think. We went back to the boat to listen to the update. It hadn't hit a place near us which it was suppose to and that was an hour ago. Our captain decided it was ok to go out so we made our way out. As we did, Ruvini began to really question whether we did the right thing or whether we should've gotten to high ground. Guess we did the right thing because nothing happened at all to Australia. THANK GOD!

As we made our way out it was really choppy and rainy. I went to the back of the boat to ease my queasy stomach. We were briefed on our dive and then we went out. At first I think I was a little nervous because I was concentrating on being out in the middle of the ocean, near animals, in choppy water. I had a little trouble maintaining neutral buoyancy but it was due to my weights. I also was concentrating on the camera and figuring that out underwater as well. I still was able to concentrate on what I was experiencing but each dive after was even more amazing. We saw a few reef sharks, some lion fish, an eel, some beautiful coral, huge sea cucumbers, fish galore, sea slugs...you name it. I was disappointed that I didn't see a turtle but I was loving every minute anyway. At one point I lost my buddy who was our instructor...but was able to find her and the group again. :-) Our second dive was great as well and then on our third I went with Ruvini and an instructor...just the 3 of us so me and Ru could dive together. It was a lot of fun and I lost them at one point due to again, getting lost in what I was seeing. The visibility was a little less clear than it would have been due to the weather and winds, but you could still see a long ways down! It was truly amazing and each dive felt as though it was 5 min long when in reality it was 45 min long. I didn't ever get tired of what I was experiencing!

We returned from our dive, me feeling sea sick and then car sick, and walked home in the rain. I showered, ate and did laundry and crashed.

The next day Ru and I went on a tour where we saw a large fig tree in the rain forests, an old volcanic crater that was now a lake due to rainwater, (a python as well near the lake) a bunch of waterfalls that were really lovely, and then went to Paronella Park to view this place a man built that was crazy but really cool. The day was fun but a little rushed and we were tired. Ru and I met up for dinner that night and then I went back and met Phil, heard about his time in Cape Tribulation and learned that he didn't get to dive and felt better that I had made different plans so I could dive. I crashed that night due to exhaustion!

The next day we checked out, met up with Ru for lunch, wandered around and left Ru in Cairns and came to Adelaide. On our way we had some difficulties before we left Brisbane. Our plane seemed to have something wrong with it so we switched plans quickly and tried to take off so that we could get into Adelaide before the fly-in curfew of 11pm. We just made it and after all the ordeal we had to wait for a lady to take almost 7 min to bring the walkway to the airplane door. We all watched her come close, thinking she had it, then reverse and come in again. It was painful to watch and as Phil put it...it was like watching someone parallel park for the first time."

So here we are in Adelaide...it is definitely cooler here...but so nice to be settling in for a bit and to spend time with family! Now to find a job! :-)

more photos of the reef when I get home

Magnetic Island

After leaving Airlie Beach we made our to Townsville to then jump on the Ferry to Magnetic Island. This is a small Island and doesn't host very much except for some hostels, a few supermarkets and little stores, and some nature walks. It is a nice place to just hang around. This so far has been the one place where we have stayed the longest. The reason for this was because we took a scuba diving course and became certified. I had already taken my PADI course but hadn't done my open water dives to become certified (which Katie and I had tried to do in the Dominican Republic). It turned out that it was cheaper for me to do the package deal 4 nights accommodation, the dive course, and two extra fun dives rather than just my open water dives and my accommodation. So being broke I went with the cheaper deal and am now certified with SSI instead of PADI, which is good enough for me.

We had to do a medical before we could take the course and this is due to Queensland being the strictest state in Australia in regards to diving. It was an easy task but for some reason I found it quite humourous. We did an eye test, hearing test, weight, lung test etc. Then at one point the doctor checked our reflexes and our stomach muscles. During this part I burst out laughing and said "hahah...that tickles!" The doctor was a little taken aback by my outburst and seemed to laugh at my reaction a little. Straight after this he made us stand heel to toe, cross our arms across our chest and close our eyes to check our balance. During this I was still thinking about how awkward it was that I had burst out in laughter and how always in those moments where you shouldn't laugh...it is hard to hold it in. I suddenly burst into the giggles as well and tried to control myself but couldn't. When I opened my eyes the doctor looked at me and asked "what is funny?" I just replied "I have never had a medical like this I guess." He just laughed...

After the medical we began our dive class and it went very smoothly and quickly. A lot faster than my PADI course but it was fine for me since this was like a refresher course anyway. When we finally went out to perform our skills, there wasn't much to see out there in Magnetic Island. This was due to a beach entry, so we were close to land, and that Magnetic Island has a lot of silt around it. The things that were cool to see though were the little blue dotted sting rays. At one point during our skills test while kneeling on the sea bed, i felt something graze my legs, I looked down and saw a sting ray swimming between them and freaked out a little, tapped Phil and made an "AHHH" sound through my regulator. My first thought was "Crikey...Steve Irwin" but then later my instructor assured me that if stung (rather stabbed) by these rays it will just hurt but they aren't deadly. PHEW!

I was fairly disappointed with what we were seeing and knew I had to see the Great Barrier Reef. I canceled my trip with Phil for Cape tribulation (near Cairns) and booked a full dive day with a company called Calyspso, the place that Matt and Katie recommended to me. Phil wasn't so keen on the idea of me switching but after a while we decided that we had different interests. I wanted to dive, dive, dive and Phil wanted to see the rain forest etc and dive. So we planned to do different thing when we arrived in Cairns.

We spent much of our time diving and when we didn't we hung out at the main bar at the hostel. This was a cool hostel right on the beach and there was most likely a party every night. I just hung out with Ruvini and chilled and refused to let the bartender coax me into drinking each night. A few times I caved because the drinks were free but I never wanted to drink, so I didn't. There have been too many people on this trip making fools of themselves...and I refuse to drink GOON...the cheap version of wine that comes in a silver bag and in a box that has fish oil as one of the ingredients. I prefer real wine thank you.

After six days we were headed off again to Cairns...

Whitsunday Islands sailing trip

After checking into our sailing trip as well as our hostel for the night, I finally did a little load of laundry. Travellers like us don't really do laundry often so it was a nice thing to do. I have done my undies though many times...don't worry...but other clothes just get sandy and salty and sweaty anyway...so why bother right..especially when it isn't so easy or you don't saty in one place long enough? (hehe)

We headed to pick up some things for sailing like sea sick pills in case we got sick, plastic zip lock bags for our cameras and an underwater camera to take pictures of the coral and fish. We went to bed and got up the next day, ate breakfast, wandered around and made our way to the harbour to catch our boat. We were on the sailboat "Condor" which was a maxi sailboat that had won some races and what not. It wasn't a huge boat like a pirate ship, instead it was a small smooth one that tips a great deal when sailing. We had a group of 27 people and a crew of 3. We shuffled into the cabin down below and set up our sleeping areas. These are tiny and the quarters were very cramped. Most of the beds are like bunks with a hanging cot above them...but only about 12 inches above someone else's head. Phil was beside me on a double bunk and Catherine (a friend) was above us...or rather me. It felt like I was in a little coffin...good thing I am not claustrophobic!

We set off and people helped put the sails up and we all had to sit on the "high side" so that we didn't get swept into the water on the low side. Our first stop was to snorkel. Since it is stinger season still (jelly fish) and they can be deadly, we all wore lovely tight stinger suits which made us feel like superhero's. I had an underwater camera and just took random pictures...many of them didn't turn out so I plan to rent a good one for diving! I saw a bunch of cool fish and coral...but still nothing compared to what I knew was out there on the Great Barrier Reef. We came back to the boat, found a cove to spend the night and ate dinner. We spent time just talking to people and having fun...occasionally hearing large splashes from fish...or something from the water. Seeing the stars from here too was amazing! We all managed to make our way to bed and no one seemed to have a great sleep that night. I kept hearing the waves break against the boat...and a door kept banging as we swayed in the water.

The next morning we were up at 6:30am and ate breakfast and drank some tea. We headed straight to White Haven Beach. We made a trek up on the other side to the look out and what we saw was amazing. So far...I think my favourite thing of the whole trip. The sand is silica sand and the finest sand in the world. It is so white and it goes through a canal through the island. When the tide is out...the water pools in places and doesn't in others leaving beautiful whites, blues and greens in all different shapes. It really is beautiful. We then made our way down the path to the actual beach and spent some time just sitting and relaxing. Then it was off again...lunch and then on our way to another area to snorkel.

This time I saw a little sting ray...so that was cool. Since it was more windy that day I was feeling a little queasy...but i managed fine. We ate dinner and found another spot to stay for the night and did the same thing as the night before...just talked to people and hung out. The next morning we woke up early, ate breakfast and took a quick early morning snorkel. This was cool because I had bread and was feeding the fish...especially these big bat fish that are really beautiful. After this we headed back and returned to Airlie beach for some showers and rest. We met up with the group later that night and then we were ready to leave to Townsville/Magnetic Island the next day...

Byron-Airlie Beach

It has been a while since I have had a minute or two just to sit in front of a computer screen for more than 5 minutes...We have been extremely busy with adventure lately. We have been continuing our trek up the east coast of Australia and the more north we travel the more hot and humid it is. We have met many people on our travels and have been able to meet up with them here and there which has been great. We have made some new English friends as well as people from Canada, Finland, Scotland, Ireland etc etc... From Byron Bay we made our way (haha that rhymes) to Surfer's Paradise. We didn't really enjoy our time there. It is a larger city that seems superficial. Everyone seems too vain and into themselves and our hostel was not really nice at all. The kitchen was the size of a small hallway, the fridge had a funky smell to it and Phil had his yogurt stolen. We just wandered around Surfers mainly around the main strip and then hung out at our hostel. We had met up with a 2 Canadians and an English guy we knew. The only fun thing really that we did in Surfers was the water park "Wet and Wild." It was a lot of fun and I felt like a little kid again :-)

We left Surfers Paradise and made our way to Brisbane. The weather in Brisbane was a little rainy when we arrived and we just chilled and relaxed in the hostel. We met a really nice English couple who were ending their trip in Canada...so we gave them some tips on where to go and what to do. Our time in Brisbane wasn't long and we just went to the museum and the modern art gallery. This was cool and fascinating and we spent all day there. We were off again early the next morning.

After leaving Brisbane we made our way up to Noosa which had an amazing old hostel which was an old house from the 1800's. We spent part of a day on the beach and then hanging out at our hostel with friends again that we keep meeting up with. (Ruvini and Catherine). We were off again the next day and we went on a short Koala walk but only saw part of one. I spotted a Kookaburra so that was exciting for me. From there we headed to Hervey Bay which was just a place to sleep because we were going to Fraser Island.

Early in the morning we left for Fraser Island in groups of 11 and went grocery shopping. We were all packed into a 4WD vehicle and took a ferry to Fraser Island. Fraser is an island made up of all sand and has a rain forest growing on it. It is a natural phenomenon really. There are lakes and little rivers on the island that are fresh water as well. We camped for 2 nights and roughed it hard core...i mean no toilets, no showers...dingoes invading our camps...digging a hole to pee, camping on the beach...kind of thing. We had an awesome group and spent time looking for shooting stars on the beach, to playing around in the water. Our first day we spent giggling and getting used to 4WDing. We stopped at Indian Head to take a walk up to see the view. It was spectacular! We didn't have time to do much so we set up camp on the beach. We were only allowed to drive on the beach at certain times due to the tides. We made dinner, watched the boys play soccer and then played some games and watched the stars...I have never seen so many in my life and the milky way is spectacular! On the second day I woke up before 6am to catch the sunrise on the beach. It was amazing! There were so many flies that were gigantic so that was a bummer! We ate breakfast and made our way to a proper campground to clean our dishes. We headed to the shipwreck and then to this little fresh water stream. It was so cool and lovely to walk in! We saw many spiders as well...and some poisonous ones! We then made our way to Lake Wabby...this was my favourite lake. We had to take a hike down and then up a sand doon to get to it. It was really remote and lovely. The pictures don't do it justices. We headed back just as it began to rain for a few minutes. We set up camp again and began to make dinner. Just as we were doing this we spotted some dingoes on the edge of our camp. As we were watching them these 2 girls came back from the camp beside us saying they had been walking and the ranger drove them back to camp telling them to be careful because a pack of dingoes were just attacking some kids down the way. Just then as we were focusing on 2 dingoes, the other one sneaked around and into our camp. It grabbed a hold of our cooler lid which had a beer in the cup holder and tossed it aside, leaving the beer still in it without spilling. We chased it away but from then on were a little nervous about leaving camp to pee! This was our last night so we played concentration and talked. Later that night Rob (a guy from our group) started throwing up at 3am continuously for 20 minutes. Since we were on an island we had to call the mainland to see what to do. We figured that it could have been a bug bite or dehydration. He wasn't really drinking and he was having cramps and chills. Phil, another guy Tiago, Rob and his 2 friends drove back inland to the Ferry Bay where they met a boat that took him to the hospital on the mainland. We didn't want to risk not taking him in case it was something serious. I dreamt that he was ok and that it was something to do with his Urinary tract and told everyone that while there were gone. They came back at 6:30am and said they wouldn't know anything until later that day....so we still assumed that it was a bug bite. We later found out that it was Kidney stones! Me and my crazy dreams! We then went to Lake Mackenzie and just chilled. It is filled with minerals so you feel nice and soft afterwards. We ate lunch and headed back to the mainland on the Ferry. We spent the night eating dinner with our group and then going to sleep. Phil was feeling sick and I was too the next morning.

We took the OZ bus and since it was a long leg to Airlie beach, we stopped at a cattle ranch in Krombit. We weren't feeling well so we just slept basically the whole time. We headed to Airlie beach and got there later at night because it was a long trip as well. We checked into our sailing trip for the next day....

The snoring...naked Swedish man and Byron Bay

So here we are in Byron Bay. We made our way from Surfers Camp to here. It is a small Hippie town near another town called Nimbin...a place where weed is sold in cafes and is baked in cookies etc. The cops tend to look the other way and so many people walk around in Nimbin and Byron with bare feet, nappy hair, long skirts and look nice and hippieish. Phil and I didn't go to Nimbin but we heard many stories!

We arrived at our Hostel which was really nice...one of my favourites so far. We are in a 4 share room. Me, Phil, a 50 yr old, and a 30ish Swedish man...so last night I was tired and didn't go out. Had to recover from all the activities that we have been doing. So I was second to go to bed after the 50 yr old, then about 1am the Swedish guy came in kinda drunk but went straight to bed. Phil came in later and I woke up due to incessant snoring that could wake the dead. I was already wearing ear plugs too! But seeing as I am a very light sleeper I guess that didn't help me in this situation. So anyway, it wasn't only me who was annoyed. Phil too was peeved. We both tried to sleep but it was too loud, I threw some stuff at him but that didn't work...I then told Phil to shine his flashlight in the guys face to make him turn over. Phil explained that he didn't want to b/c the guy was naked. "WHAT?" i exclaimed..."HOW...WHY?" to which Phil explained that when he came in the guy seemed as though he was turning over (and at this point the light was still on when Phil came home) and instead the guy took his boxers off and was laying on his back without anything covering him. I was completely disgusted...and did not look that way all night! Needless to say I didn't sleep well...even with my iPod blaring in my ears...I dreamt of spitting spit balls at the guy..and am really going to put that by my pillow tonight to shut him up! (haha) I woke up this morning...opening my eyes and saw his bare a** and wanted to puke! It is either spit balls...sleeping pills or something tonight to make us sleep through this snoring naked Swede!

Life is funny...and later I guess I will laugh more about it...

We spent most of our time in Byron just relaxing, sitting by the hostel's pool and walking around. Phil and I hired some bicycles and took a trek half way up to the lighthouse. We then walked from there b/c the road was steep and didn't have a wide shoulder. The walk was really beautiful but it was incredibly hot and humid that I was all red in the face! Near the top we reached Australia's Most Eastern point. There we looked into the ocean and saw some turtle's surfing and some giant manta rays. We finished the trek to the lighthouse, ate some ice cream and headed back down again and sat on the beach for a bit.We later met up with some friends and went out for a bit. Byron was one of my favourites because it was small and had a lot of personality.

On our way...

Well this is just a short blog really...I will try to write more to it later...so you will have to look for the new version later. We have left Sydney...but our last night in Sydney was spent at an OZ Experience...tour assistants place..the place we are travelling with. It was a small little place with basically a table, a mattress on the floor (which Phil and I shared) and a dodgy cot that he slept on. We had hooked up with the guy when we went to check out and book most of our trip up the coast. It is a bus thing that you hop on hop off whenever you want kind of thing. Along the way they have some kind of activities that we participate in etc. It is fun and a lot of young people take this instead of the Greyhound. We had to leave early in the morning so the reason we stayed there was b/c we had to be in Sydney to catch our OZ bus by 6:30 am...and Terrey Hills is too far (where my cousin Sandra lives).

Phil and I spent some time looking around the Sydney University looking at old buildings and then ate some dinner while our new friend Josh attended a Jehovah witness meeting. It was quite hilarious because he said he had to go out and left us his key to his apartment and said "I have to go to a meeting...I am sort of getting involved in this new thing lately, Jehovah's Witness...have you heard of it?" Phil and I laughed a little because he laughed when he said it, but he was serious and we just tried hard not to laugh and talk about something else.

In the morning we woke up early and he brought us to the bus station (rather walked us to it) and paid for my bus fair to the OZ meeting place. We began our journey in the OZ bus, having to hand a mic around and say something about ourselves and so on.

We stopped for breakfast and lunch and finally arrived in the late afternoon to Arrawarra, Surfers camp. We planted our gear in our dorms with 8 other people and got into our swimmers and set off to surf. It is fun...hard work, but fun. The hardest part is getting out there past all the massive waves. Afterwards my throat and eyes were burning from the salt water.

We stayed in a massive camp and I saw a giant grasshopper while on the phone to Jude and screamed. I am not so good with the massive bugs here. I also freaked out b/c on my way back I was opening a gate and realized I had a creatures eyes on me...and that creature was less than a foot away from my face. I jumped back in fear and realized it was a possum. I don't know why...but they freak me out b/c they are creatures of the night and I can't see them as well...The next day we were off again to another adventure...

More adventures in Sydney

I doubt that I am actually resting my feet and legs and much as I should while I am here in Sydney...and resting my bank account for that matter as well. Sydney is a very posh, hip happening place and it costs an arm and a leg for most things. A coke will cost anywhere from $2.80 up..can you believe that? So you can imagine what the bus or train costs which we take everyday. I pray that my money doesn't deplete before I get to Adelaide to work for a few months!

In these last few days my cousin Phil and I have been trekking around as usual. We went to the Sydney zoo with my cousin Sandra and her 2 kids. We ended up staying the whole day while they left just after lunch time. It is an enormous zoo with a great view of the Sydney skyline, bridge and Opera House. I seem to be fascinated lately with taking up close and personal pictures of spiders and their webs. Thankfully with my camera and the lens, I don't have to get that close in real life...because I really don't like spiders at all!

Today we went into town and booked our stops all the way up the east coast of Australia. We will take some surfing lessons on our way up so who knows how that will go! The further North we go, the hotter the weather. Australia is heading into Fall as it just finished Summer...or was it Spring. Who knows..everything seems to be backwards here!

We also went to the Chinese Gardens and spent a great deal of time there. I find that I am alone with my thoughts a lot of the time because Phil and I walk and different paces and wander off a little on our own. This is fine with both of us as long as we know we where the other one is...we don't go far though! He keeps laughing at me and seemingly doesn't understand why I can't keep up with him on our long treks. I kept telling him that he has to remember that I have short legs and therefore I take more steps and I am walking as quick as I can. I think in an average day we walk probably close to 10km or more! Good thing I brought my walking shoes!

Tomorrow we head to the beach to relax, Monday to the Blue Mountains for a day trip, Tuesday something...and leave Wednesday early morning up the coast...

Until then...I sign off!

Touring Sydney

Today and yesterday were spent walking around the city centre of Sydney. It is a large city...but really nice. It reminds me of a mix between Chicago and New York....but with more parks and really great scenery. The Opera House is really amazing and the bridge as well. I think I have taken a million pictures of the two! Today we went to the aquarium and had a great time! Luckily we were inside when it started to rain really hard.

We also took the monorail around town today, went to China town and saw some historic sights as well. Yesterday we walked around the Opera House and through the Botanical gardens. There were bats hanging from trees and huge spiders sitting in enormous webs. I am definitely going to lose weight on this trip due to the amount of walking we do each day...but I am still eating a lot to keep my energy up. I seemingly have gotten used to the time change and am walking up at a normal time now.

Tomorrow we may hit up the museum or a beach as well as some more of downtown...definitely more walking...