The East Coast....only an introduction to Oz

After leaving Cairns, I headed south to Mission Beach. In actual fact, I would have bypassed this little section of the coast simply because I hadn't heard anything about it; but as chance would have it, I had met a guy in New Zealand named Dave who had worked at Scotty's Hostel in Mission Beach and he had asked me to stopover there and deliver a message to the girls at reception for him. Well, as silly as it sounds, a promise is a promise. So I pulled into Scotty's for only one night.....and then decided to stay for a few more!! I was immediately enchanted by the hostel: a pool, lush grounds, fun bar next door, incredibly nice staff...and all of this AFTER cyclone YASI had ravaged and raped the coastline of the majority of its natural beauty. I would not have even known that such a disaster had occurred there, until I saw before + after photos as well as talked to some of the melancholy locals who griped about the government not giving them the funds to clear the beach or even prevent the trees from dying. The trees could have just been replanted as the roots don't need to cling deep underground......and I agreed with the locals. This is a serious issue for a small area of coastline that basically makes a living off of tourism and is now struggling to survive. Maybe I wasn't getting all of the facts, but it seemed very irresponsible of the government to simply mow the trees along the beach up into mounds along coast and then not pay any more attention to the situation. Again, maybe I'm getting the wrong idea.

Apart from that devastation, Mission Beach was a great place and I even regrettably resisted the offer to stay on as a cleaner for free accomodation. One night a group of us were in the bar and, seeing as we were almost the only ones there, we asked for 80s music and proceeded to play a game of guessing the artist, title, and YEAR of the song. If you got all three correct, then you won a shot from the bar. It was a jolly good time, and then Adam, the bartender, told us that he only had enough money left for one more round of the game. It was then that we realized that he had been buying the shots with HIS OWN MONEY! This is what I'm talking about: the staff went above and far beyond any expectations. This is also where I had my first GOON experience (what a crap hangover that was! And don't attempt to drink while lying down....you'll just end up wearing your alcohol. :S ), and also where there was a successful trapping of a 4 metre python next door to the hostel (yah...you heard me right....4 METRES!!). Mission Beach was full of surprises....especially the news that heavy rains had cancelled greyhound buses thru to Airlie Beach. But things aren't always as they seem. This unforeseen delay actually allowed me to see Magnetic Island (a stop which wasn't originally scheduled), and meet up with some friends whom I'd met up north: Amy and Robin, Shane and Willy; and make some new friends: Aine and Orla, and JP and Damien.

So, as usual, something that seemed like a frustrating annoyance of travelling was actually a blessing. Amy, Robin, and I shared a small (small!) bungalow in the aptly named Bungalow Bay: a hostel with a koala sanctuary on site and thriving ecosystem of bats, birds, wallabies, and any other creature that you were lucky to see while walking out of your bungalow. The beach had a pathetic area for swimming (within the stinger nets) because it was still jellyfish season, so we opted to stay near the glorious pool, complete with poolside hammocks and a rough pool floor that felt like sand. Our Irish pal Willy had a birthday while we were there and we spent the night at Base Hostel bar playing limbo and drinking champagne. The next day we visited the on site koala sanctuary and were confronted with exotic birds, lizards, echidneas, koalas, snakes and crocodiles. It was also here that I learnt that a wild koala is actually more dangerous than a snake!! Those long nails arent just for looks! Drop bears.....apparently not just a legend ;) After the obligatory picture holding a koala, you notice that they really dont have much goin on in that head of theirs! Eating eucalyptus all day to the sum of 3% sugar intake doesnt allow much in the way of an active lifestyle. In fact, while you are holding the koala, you are told to resist the temptation to bounce them like a cuddly baby, simply because the koala will think that you, the tree, is moving in a strange and uncontrollable way, so the koala will dig its talons in a little deeper into your flesh. Man, the things that you dont know about koalas!!

After a night of coconut bowling in the bar....yes, coconut bowling...we got the go-ahead from greyhound to continue on to Airlie Beach....and into the wettest weather that I had encountered on the trip so far! I had planned to do a Whitsunday trip there on the boat Venus. Strangely, the trip on this boat continued to be cancelled due to bad weather; even as other trips continued to venture out onto the highseas. I was confused about this, until I spoke with one of the salespeople for the Venus trip, and they confided that the Venus boat was actually an old, woooden, London riverboat and couldn;t handle anything stormy whatsoever (I actually found out later from another source that the company was in a law suit for taking people out on the stormy seas and almost capsizing!) After hearing this and waiting for 4 days thinking that the boat would be allowed out, I declined paying an extra fee to be upgraded to an actual yacht, and instead swallowed my pride and decided that one day I would have to come back to Oz to do some sort of life-defining scuba trip: Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, and Whitsundays all in one tidy package. As it was, the weather was horrible in the Whitsundays and this was not how I had envisioned, nor how I had wanted, my Whitsundays trip to be. And so, with the help of Aine, Orla, Fiona, and Vicky, we drowned our sorrows in Jamisons and Jack Daniels at the hostel bar Beaches, amidst an almost steady downpour of rain. After being in a hostel which smelled of alcohol and who knows what else, having to clean up the dirty dishes of roommates I didnt even know, and then seeing a spider the size of the palm of my hand on the wall (and then, to my dismay, I had to sleep in the room the next night by myself....my eyes carefully trained on the hole in the wall where the spider had retired to the previous day), I was quite tickled pink to catch an overnight bus to Agnes Waters with JP and Damien, my Irish lads.

Agnes Waters is a small township which is virtually connected to the adjacent township of 1770. The latter is the place where Captain James Cook first landed in Australia....in the year 1770 (James Cook is well-known for his completely unimaginative way of naming parcels of land that he came upon!) We stayed at the great little hostel of Cool Bananas ($26 a night, and totally worth it, with its large outdoor area, hammocks, and a feeling of being welcome). The lads and myself opted for a surf lesson on our first day there....and unfortunately, it seemed as though everyone else in the area also had the same idea as there were FORTY people in the lesson! However, the surf instructors took it in stride and created a rotation pattern for us....which got quicker as we went along and were promplty tuckered out by the onslaught of waves and simply trying to keep our boards in the correct position. I had tried surfing a few years back in Costa Rica and had sworn that it would be my last time. This was until someone had keenly observed that I had not had a lesson for my first time on a board and that due to this fact I was actually crazy to think that I would enjoy that first experience AND get up on the board! Hmmmm...okay, so I figured that I had better try it again, and I was pleasantly surprised! I got up, stayed up, and rode into the shore (arms in the air in a show of acheivement!). This happened about 5 times in 2 hours.....it may not seem like a lot but its enough to keep you going out into those waves with a feeling of pride and adventure. The person who had suggested that I take a lesson and try surfing again had been right: the few tips that the instructors gave out had been invaluable. Even just knowing to tuck your toes under the end of the board until you stand up made all the difference. Later on that day I went out with Scooteroo: the most bad-ass bunch of scooters (souped-up to look like motorcycles) that you have ever seen! Everyone in the group (again, about 40 people who decided to get out on the open road) wore leather jackets with flames. Most, including myself, were a bit wobbly at first, but once we got out on the roads around Agnes Waters and opened it up to about 70 kms....spedometer rattling all the while, I realized that ¨hey! Im actually in Australia....and Im on a motorcycle!!¨ The feeling was phenomenal and the rush of the warm air against my cheeks while I sat back and watched the greenery of Oz pass by set my very soul on fire. On the return journey back to the Scooteroo yard, it began to downpour; but, as the Scooteroo staff pointed out, we had now seen what it is really like to ride a motorcycle, rain and all. Upon returning to the hostel, elated and soaking wet, I settled in to watch ¨Into the Wild¨, and once again felt that sharp stab of regret that my loved ones at home werent there to share this feeling with me. As the moral of the movie relates, travelling is one of the best experiences there is to discover yourself, but it loses that little bit of magic when you cant share those moments with the ones you love.

Crocodiles, Venomous Snakes, Jumping Spiders....Why am I going to Australia??

Indeed, why is it that I wanted to send myself willingly to the continent known for having the most venomous snakes, and spiders the size of your hand? Where ancient predators, like sharks and crocodiles, lurk just beneath the glare of the water's surface? I don't know....maybe I wanted to conquer my fears, or perhaps just stare them straight in the face before I turned and ran screaming; but on March 25th I flew from the docile, relaxing cradle of the kava from Fiji, to the harsh, ozone-less, threatening-you-with-every-crack-in-the-wall-that-could-hide-an-insect AUSTRALIA! And after I had spent one day in that country of red-sand, the dreaded taipan, and ockers.....I LOVED IT!!! Okay, sorry for the drastic change in mood, but it's true. Australia is yet one more of those countries which we, over in North America, tend to view in the negative light of the media pigeon-hole; and we eat up every newscast and printed word there is. (Okay so maybe it's just me that focused on the pigeon-hole that declared Australia to be up to its ears in dangerous animals) Sure, there are venomous snakes and creepy crawlies, but they're more scared of me than I am of them! (cliche, but true....wouldn't you attack a foreign species that sneaks up on you unknowingly and then begins to scream?) I think my love for Australia first flourished on my two plane rides to get to Cairns from Fiji when I sat beside, first, Andrea and Tom from Brisbane, and then Matt and Chris (also from Brisbane), all of whom dispelled the myths of Australia's most fearsome creatures (drop bears?) and welcomed me unhesitatingly to call on them at any time, should I need the shirt from their back or the last lolly in the cupboard. "Hmmmm," I thought as I dropped down onto the Cairns runway, "maybe I'm not walking into a death trap." I stayed at Northern Greenhouse ($25 a night...a little expensive by Cairns terms, but a great hostel in my books!) right in the centre of town. For my first Oz excursion, I chose to go up to the hippie markets of Kuranda, high above Cairns. I took the skyrail up, stopping at several landings in the rainforest to take guided tours through the bush flanked by enormous trees whose names eluded me; which added to their glorious sense of intrigue. During these guided tours I saw (in order of 'chances of death if I had touched them'): a tree frog, a golden orb spider, and a red belly black snake (not bad for my first day in Oz, eh?). I continued on to see Barron Falls and finally into Kuranda to roam the sundrenched street (only one) and hippie markets scattered throughout the alleys and surrounding parks. The village was dreamy and full of a "Peace, man" kind of feeling. The frozen yogurt from the Original Rainforest Hippie Market was a fantasy of flavour all on its own. I then hopped on the Kurnada Scenic Railway and coasted down the mountains, through tunnels, and around cliffs for the 2 hour trip back to Cairns. Honorable mention goes to the Earth Hour celebration in Cairns that night, where I saw a harp being played alongside a didgeridoo, and more cracked-out aboriginals than you could shake a fist at! (Think Granville street with a dash of Hastings and you'll get that strange street view which I beheld that night). The following day I set out on Capt. Matty's Waterfall Tour. This was a highlight of my stay in Cairns and Capt. Matty (a barefoot, dreadlocked guide who knew everything and anything there was to know about Oz and wildlife [crocs in particular] and dreamed of owning his own pirate ship hostel within the next ten years) made the day one to remember. We first saw a Cathedral Fig tree (reminiscent of the giant mother tree from the movie Avatar.....I seriously thought I'd get the pleasure of seeing one of those giants emerge from the gaps between the vines!), and then went swimming in Lake Eacham ("What are those bubbles? Turtles?" " Nope, just scuba divers"....bizarre), where pythons had been known to curl up in the rafters of the women's toilet....not sure if that was just a punk aussie story to scare the foreigners, but it worked...I held my bladder til the next stop. We encountered leeches, were warned of causiwaries (the large, flightless birds of australia), and found out that 'Kangaroo' is actually indigenous for "I don't know what you're saying." [Side story: The English blokes who first came to Australia went out in the country and discovered these creatures with giant pouches, hopping on two long feet. The foreigners asked the aboriginals, "Hey, what are those animals called?", and everytime they asked, the aboriginals would say, "Kangaroo" with a strange expression on their face, and oftentimes they would even turn and walk away. So the animals went down in the books as 'Kangaroos', even though it was later discovered that this phrase actually means, "I don't know what you're saying. I can't understand you. Go back to wherever you came from and quit messing with our native species." ....okay so I added that last bit, but good story, eh?] We jumped off rocks in Dinner Falls and sat underneath the pounding waters for an impromptu massage. Next, we stopped at Millaa Millaa pub, in the middle of friggin nowhere, and had the pleasure of dining amongst the most red-neck population of alcohol-consuming individuals that I had ever been around. These blokes were true aussie gents, in their t-shirts, short shorts, socks pulled up, and toothless smiles. The pub was nice enough: clean and friendly, so the experience that we came away with was one of comic relief and awestruck giddiness....and a full tummy of beer and hamburger, mmmmmm. We then went on to Milla Milla Falls where the famous commercial for Herbal Essences had been filmed (yes, we girls attempted the famous hair-flip!) I'd never swam underneath a waterfall to discover that sanctuary of stillness where the water falls just overtop of you....as if the force of the river above pushes it so far out that the droplets have no choice but to follow that gushing force of water. You can actually see them start to fall on top of you, and then get whisked out with the rest of the flow, only to land safely two feet beyond you. The effect was mesmorizing, and I thank Capt. Matty for insisting that I go see it; so much so, in fact, that he slung me over his shoulder, walked out waist deep, and plunked me down in the water. Never again did I tell him that I was too cold to go in. :P The tour rounded out with Zillie Falls, Ellinjaa Falls, Crawford's Lookout, and Josephine Falls; all beautiful and breathtaking. After the final waterfall, we had tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and a plethora of sugary goodies awaiting us. Our group was a fantastic one, and we were all sad to see such a great day come to a close. I thought, "If this is what Australia is all about, then BRING IT ON!!" :D

The Magic of Fiji

As I was saying, I awoke the next morning to a lush, tropical paradise, an enormous pool, freshly prepared food, and a multi-blue expanse of ocean! I was immediately inspired to practice some yoga by the water's edge and was delighted that the sound of the water lapping against the sand was more similar to a lake than an ocean! Voli Voli Beach Resort was a fabulous way to unwind and deeply relax. It wasn't their busy season so there were times when I was the only person in the pool (and the surrounding pool deck, for that matter). In spite of the isolated setting, I made some great friends: Gijs from Netherlands, Rosie from England, Siobhan from Ireland, and Radik from Czech Republic. The staff were excellent and knew you by name. Sasha was a treat as he danced around and made exotic cocktails (he used to do a drag show at the resort, but then it was considered too risque....pity). The kava ritual was the most interesting cultural aspect I came across......again and again and again! Kava is a root found in Fiji which is chopped up so that it looks like tea, is then soaked like tea to create a 'muddy' water, and then drank. You find out later, as your tongue numbs and your brain slows, that Kava actually has a slight narcotic effect and is virtually drank in every resort and social gathering in Fiji! And you should see the looks on their faces when you try to refuse! Good lord! The ritual is an experience in itself as you sit on a giant woven mat on the sand and take the kava from a special, carved coconut bowl. After you choose your size (low tide, high tide, or tsunami) you cup-clap your hands once, say "BULA!", drink the coconut bowl full of kava water, return it, say MOTHA (meaning 'empty'), and cup-clap three times. This ceremony has been happening nightly for as long as the Fijian history can remember and it continues to happen today until the wee hours of the morning. After VoliVoli, I had an uneventful journey back to Nadi (other than a thunderstorm, which are frequent; and a stay in a 40 bed dorm....yes FORTY!! It's actually amazing that this stay was uneventful). The next day I was off to Blue Lagoon resort on the island of Nacula, the island furthest north in the Yasawa chain to the west of the big island. This resort was PARADISE! For a meticulously clean dorm and three 5 star meals a day, it was $110 FJD a day (or $65 canadian). Look at it this way: I would pay at least $40 a meal for these same dinners at home, and THEN we got breakfast, lunch, and accomodation. The lagoon sparkled 7 colours of blue and lapped softly against the blindingly white sand beach. At this resort, the love was in the details, such as the old sailing lanterns lit nightly along the pathways. I would lounge and nap most of the day, in a hammock or lawnchair, and it was here that I actually reached my life's pinnacle of relaxation! I felt it, and it was oh so nice. As for some activities, there was a giant sandbar at low tide located a half hour's walk from the resort which was stunning and we attended a church service in the local Fijian village (where the majority of the resort's staff come from) which had an angelic choir, and adorable, curious children in the front pews. We also went caving in the same cave which is featured in the movie 'Blue Lagoon', made bracelots from plant leaves, visited a small (very small) bakery on another island to have cake and tea, got a $20 cnd massage for an hour (i felt like I was lathered in a vat of coconut oil!), and it was a ritual for Kathrin (my 'sweat sister') and I to have pina coladas on the beach or in the ocean while watching the sunset dance upon the ripples of the ocean.....I can still taste the coconut. I also met some fabulous families, such as the Italian family who is actually living on Vancouver Island, or the Norwegian family of four kids under 12 years old and is travelling for six months around the world! (absolute respect for that one!) After Blue Lagoon, Kathrin and I headed to Octopus Resort, the sister hostel to Blue Lagoon, and again lived in lavish luxury for two nights. We had an interesting game of 'shot for shot' volleyball with the staff.....Fiji vs. Foreigners and you get a shot of alcohol for every good shot....and well, every bad shot for that matter. As you can imagine, it was quite a good time! Coincidentally, I met up with some friends whom I met on the Kiwi Experience bus in New Zealand! (amazing how small the world is....especially when you're all travelling on the same route!) At Octopus Resort, I enjoyed open-air showers under the stars and my first experience with a mosquito net (I strangely felt like a princess....not sure why! :P ), and an extremely large cockroach which had us on edge for the rest of the night. But all in all, we were sad to leave such a haven of relaxation. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was without my camera for this last week in Fiji; but fortunately, I've had several people promise to send me pictures of our time at the resorts, namely, Kathrin, Voltaire, and Kate :) This circumstance of being unable to take pictures made me realize the importance of actually LIVING in the moment instead of experiencing it through a 2 inch x 2 inch screen (sounds silly when you think of it that way, eh?). As a result, I can actually remember the experiences during this week better than any on my trip!! Nevertheless, I did give in at the Fiji Airport and bought a Sony camera for $160 cnd (woot woot! what a price!) It's not waterproof.....but it's a 2 inch x 2 inch screen .....and isn't that what we all want in life? ;) And so the plane lifted off of Fiji territory and landed in a place which has always been shrouded in danger and adventure (well, at least for me): the land of OZ!! (or australia, for those of you who are big Wizard of Oz fans and were feeling a bit confused). WHat was in store next?: a crocodile, a bungy jump, snakes slithering every which way!? Find out in the next installment of this travellin' blog :)