Last hoorah at Wirrimbirra

DAY 20
Location: Campbelltown/Kirrawamba
Temp: 17 C
Weather: Sunny!
Activities: Family outing to Wirrimbirra Flora and Fauna Sanctuary
Accommodation: Last night at the Selby resort

Yes, yes, I'm guilty! I'm writing this almost two months after this day actually happened, but I'll try to report it as accurately as possible.

I believe this morning was the one I joined Paul and his family to their pregnancy check-up at the local hospital. Cath, who has since had a healthy, beautiful little girl! (Congratulations, sweetheart!), was a bit anxious at the time--even impatient to have her baby which I found understandable. This one was her first and apparently the firsts are the trickiest ones, often going past due dates and whatnot.

This hospital trip was particularly educational to me and my host family were all too happy to illuminate the finer details of child birth which I also hope helped keep their minds a little freer of anxiety. Cath and her bub checked out just fine, if a bit late on the due date. I kept wondering what would happen if Cath gave birth while I was there and how I would just be in the way; never mind if I was mentally able to witness a birth. I could have managed house sitting, I think. It really magnified just how hospitable this family was to me. I love you guys!

After the check-up, we debated on what to do. We all went down to a visitor center (I believe) in Campbelltown to come up with some idea of what to do and Cath or Cath's mother picked up a brochure for Wirrimbirra Flora and Fauna Sanctuary which sounded like a lot of fun! They had emu, wallaby, kangaroo, wombat, and dingo exhibits to explore. That would be next on our itenirary.

First we swung around to what I believe was the Campbelltown Arts Centre which showcased the artwork of mental patients at the time. Some of the pieces inspired real base feelings. One that really stood out to me was an image of a single girl with her back to us, standing alone in this swirling vortex of scratchy lines. It won a prize. I agreed with that.

We also visited a modest Chinese garden on the lee side of the arts building which again, reminded me of home. Clean swept zen gardens, oriental buildings, koi fish. It was a lovely place!

Afterward we ran around to McDonalds for dinner (Paul and his were uber generous and treated! Thank you!!) and piled in the car to hit the Wirrimbirra Sanctuary. It was a fun drive too with Paul's family telling me about the board games they liked to play, games I'd never heard of. I enjoyed watching the scenery roll by in that late afternoon

A pair of emu hanging out by the fence line. I half expected to get pecked at.

A couple of wallabies gorging on good eats.

Most of the wallabies scampered out of reach as we walked by. This one leapt off the trail and turned back to watch us.

On the left is the Australian Grey Kangaroo, and on the right is a wallaby! The kangaroo has bigger ears and a bit more of what I consider a 'horse face.' They're also much larger than wallabies. I was ready to box if it came to that.

Here we have a wombat. Or more precisely a wombat's backside. This fella was big! I thought wombats were the size of guinea pigs, but this one was as big as a medium sized dog! Wow!

No, that isn't a burn, etching, or pen marking, this 'scribble' on the tree bark is actually the larva of the aptly named Scribbly Gum Moth that burrows in these Scribbly Gum trees. 

This is the Australia's flower, the Golden wattle!

I really enjoyed the park which was free. They welcome donations of course and I scrounged up a couple gold coins for my contribution. On our way out we chatted with the lady in charge of the place and she spoke of their plans for Wirrimbirra. It was neat to get the insider dish on the park.

The family headed home and we played Skip-Bo, a card game somewhat similar to Uno, well into the night. The game involves closing out 'decks' of cards while trying to block other players from getting rid of their cards--there is a lot of strategy involved and there's a steep learning curve with this family! We had a lot of fun! I was treated to warm coffee and Tim Tams for dessert, so sorry I was slated to leave the next day already.

Gone chasin' waterfalls

DAY 19
Temp: 18 C
Weather: Partly cloudy
Activities: Mount Keira, Six Daughters of the West Wind, the Abbey, Carrington Falls in Jamberoo National Park, the Yellow Sand Road to Belmore Falls and Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park, Rainforest Loop Walk in Budderoo National Park,
Accommodation: Selby residence 

Contrary to TLC's advice, I did go chasing waterfalls with my host, guide, and cook Paul all over Morton National Park. I think we hit a total of five or six falls by the end of the day in a race against the sun and night chill.

The morning started off leisurely enough with a feast of pancakes, real butter, and sweet maple syrup with homemade ice cream. I thought I could stop at one and ended eating two after all was said and done because it was just that delicious. (Thank you Cath!) Then Paul and I packed up the car for the day's activities including a bodyboard and fins, lunch, water, towels, GPS, and cords, piled in and headed off.

We left around 10:30 a.m. or so and headed down the road toward the national parks, but Paul, being who he is, decided to take a sharp detour to Mount Keira when he pointed it out and I leaned out to see it. We swerved off the main road and drove the winding one up to the peak where I got to take in the sweeping views of Wollongong, its suburbs, and the vast Pacific Ocean. The Wollongong Botanic Garden on the mountain summit was where Paul and his sweet wife had their reception. We did the bush walk to the other lookout and braved the cliffs for another view of Wollongong and its jungles. This spot had several pyramids of sticks in a semi-circle called the "Six Daughters of the West Wind" which was pretty neat. We had a run about race before heading off to the parks.

We rolled along down the highway and off the major road and still in the spirit of that spontaneity we went off to see this quiet little church Abbey. But we stopped on the road when I spoke aloud about the gorgeous trees wearing their fall colors. I haven't seen an autumn in years and Paul pulled off the road right then to let me get some shots and just be out in it. It was lovely! He's very picture happy himself which suits me. We kept on until reaching the Abbey, walked down the colorful path to the craft house and poked around. Lots of religious things around naturally and they did have Paperback products which I love! (But I really have enough notebooks for the moment.)

After the Abbey and its spangled road of color, we continued on to Morton National Park but did yet another spontaneous stop at the Illawarra Tree Top walk--which would have been totally awesome but not for $24. Nah. But the place was very peaceful as it was in the Abbey. So I can claim I've been there but haven't actually gone through it. The pictures of it looked very nice though! We had falls to see anyway.

Having reached the park for Carrington Falls, Paul and I staked camp on a picnic table for a well-deserved lunch around 1:20 p.m. or so. Bringing out the buttered rolls, cheese and assorted vegetables, Paul realized he'd never packed the lunch meat. He tried to palm off the blame on me because I am pretty distracting, but having been blamed for my share of things for simply being a 'Yank,' I finally had my own ammunition. About time. What a ham!

After lunch, we walked along the path to Carrington Falls which was as impressive as it was high--some 98 meters. The falls were full and broad and absolutely  beautiful. Three runners spilling into a single, massive royal. Beautiful. A little chilly with the wind, but Paul and I ran along the path, jumped the fence (Paul had to pull me over, but it worked because he's a giant) and spirited over the rocks above the falls. Paul is crazy--he loves to perch himself over the edge of the rocks, I didn't. Having been silly in the Grand Canyon can humble you. So while he went nuts, I hopped around enjoying the sun and rushing water from a distance.

After Carrington, Paul and I went on through Robertson township hunting for the Fitzroy Falls and ended taking a detour to the Belmore Falls. There were some men putting down some yellow sand to sure up the path, but they were gone when we got back. This place again had the sweeping view but of mountains and country and with the shadows lengthening in the winter sun. We could hear the falls from where we'd entered the walk and went off the track again to enjoy the view before racing off to find the falls. Belmore was not as wide as the Carrington but it tumbled down in two sections--the first dropped into a pool midway down and the second crashed into the beyond because we couldn't see the bottom. Altogether, the falls added up to about 78 meters. Still quite a drop! We literally skipped back to the car. We stopped when we came up to a path of yellow sand and Paul told me to stop. He took a picture and simply said: "Yellow brick road." Indeed, it was my journey through Oz! I asked him if he wanted to be the lion, the tin man or the scarecrow, and I settled on the giant that was also in the story. The big one.

On the way out of Belmore, we crossed a bit of the road where the water spilled over and, feeling a natural high from nature and the power of the waterfalls, I jumped right out of the car and ran down to the water to feel it. To feel that rush the water must feel before taking that plunge. It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. I'd be excited too.

Winding out of Belmore, we finally reached out intended destination at the Fitzroy Falls around 4:10 or so. It cost us a gnarly $3 to park (I really think we could have beat any parking lot police roaming about in our brief tour), and we went through the visitor's center and its restaurant to reach the path--a quick 150 meters later we were standing over the falls on this wooden platform. I'll admit I shrank from the edge because this platform was precariously perched right over the edge. We tossed some eucalyptus leaves over the side to watch them flutter and I lost my nerve and edged back. Respect. But these falls were lovely too! Solid as it crumbled over the edge.

We saw there were a few more falls not too far down the path (about 1200 meters) and beat out way down the well-groomed path. We came across a local and her sister touring the area and I volunteered Paul to take their picture together, which he did, then they offered to get a shot of us. We kept them company all along the way to the Twin Falls, which were separated by some stretch of rock wall, chatted a bit with our new friends, then took off at a run to get back to the car. I took the lead leaving Paul to puff and heave in my wake and slowing only until we reached an upward section of stairs. Stairs. We ran a good distance and took the rest of the walk at a fast step as the sun set.

Settled back in the car, Paul drove us back--stopping only to get gas--and got us home. I had a proper sandwich then as I was very hungry from the lunch we'd had hours ago. This was to tide me over as we waited for the homemade pizza Paul made us. I caught up with Cath and his mother Laurice while we all waited for the grub that was totally worth the wait. Cath popped in a video where we watched Paul and a group of folks under the power of Steven Spellmaster. It was quite funny to say the least. I choked on my pizza at one point. We each got a whole pizza. I got onion, bell pepper, chicken, cheese, and spices and it was absolutely delicious! So delicious that I ate the whole thing but for one slice.

I meant to stay up to watch Ocean's Eleven since I've never seen it, but as midnight rolled around, I was done. Completely done. I went through my night routine and dropped off to bed immediately after a full day of adventure! Whew!    

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney!

DAY 16
Location: Sydney
Temp: 22 C to 16 C
Weather: Glorious sunshiny day
Activities: Paddy's Market, Chinese Garden of Friendship (from the outside), Harbourside, Sydney's Visitor Center, Sydney Opera House for Henry 4 play, Royal Botanical Gardens, Vivid Lights show, long walk home
Accommodation: WakeUp!

It's already been an adventure since I boarded the bus from Newcastle that would take me to Sydney.

The two-and-a-half hour ride was perhaps my shortest drive between cities and my head was twisting left and right for the last half hour as we snaked our way into Sydney. I spied this massive blue bridge that simply could not be any other than Harbour Bridge in the distance, and I hoped beyond hope that we would cross it. We did. And I picked the right seat because I saw the Sydney Opera House there flashing her brilliant Vivid Live show colors before Sydney Harbor. To say my excitement was through the roof would be an understatement. This sprawling city is huge. I tried to remember a store or two that might capture my interest, but quickly lost their location as we dove into the concrete jungle.

But as soon as we crossed the bridge, the rain started. Heavy rain, pouring rain, chilling rain, and I knew I was going to have to walk in yet another 'pissing down' downpour to find my hostel--in the dark--as our bus pulled up to the major transit station in Sydney Central. All I knew was I had to go left once I got off. I proceeded left and hugged the building as long as I could before being forced out into the rain, hunting and hunting for Wakeup! I found the Sydney Central hostel right away, directly across from the transit center and knew my hostel was just up the street...somewhere. It was hard to see through the rain. At nearly midnight. Avoiding being completely soaked by all the traffic.

I reached the end of the street, dripping with cold, and couldn't locate Wakeup! And ultimately decided to go back to the Sydney Central I saw to ask for directions. But as I walked up the street, I saw the Wakeup banners lining the corner building and realized I'd stumbled upon it. I took shelter in one eave next to one girl and asked how to get in. "You want to go in?" She swiped her magnetic card and away I went--grateful to finally be out of the rain.

I got checked in and secured my key, a map, and vouchers for the local Side Bar on the bottom floor, and proceeded up to my 8-bed dorm.

A bunch of noisy kids, was the first thing that popped up into my mind when I entered, which either betrays my age or my exhaustion at this point as these barely out of high school kids watched videos on their devices and pumped music right there in this high-ceiling room. I dropped my stuff and promptly went to shower, planning how I could be just as inconsiderate in the morning as they were being now, but came back to a dark room. Shocked, but not complaining, I went right to sleep!

I set my alarm for 7 a.m. but didn't actually roll out of bed until 8, figuring the free bus around town didn't even pick up folks until 9:30. Besides, I had a few hours before I had to appear at the Opera House to catch my show. The weather showed mercy on me and the sun beat away the clouds. Though it was still a crisp morning, it would eventually be a warm day!

I walked out with my map securely stowed and headed for Chinatown, where I knew I could purchase the things I wanted on the cheap. Paddy's Market was a godsend. I'm so glad I waited until Sydney to buy any souvenirs. I got some clothes, some toys for friends, postcards, etc, and didn't break my wallet doing so--so that was great! I did get suckered into a massage by one of the Chinese guys though and wish I'd been more firm about my position--that cost me a fast $20! I continued on to check out what else was nearby as I headed up Harbour St. (Sydney is very good about having maps of where you are and persuaded me to continue onward) until I came across the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

Turns out you can put a price on friendship. Still stinging from the massage fare, I rejected the garden admission and checked out the Sydney Visitor Information Center and Harbourside instead, where I found out about the Vivid Lights show and fireworks that would be hosted right there at Harbourside this evening. Glad now to see an early show at the opera, I checked the time and had to beat back to the hostel to change into proper opera attendance clothes.

I grabbed McDonalds for lunch (should have been $3 something instead of $5.50! AHH!), ate to the brazen leer of a particularly hungry and large ibis, and hurried back to the hostel to change. It was almost 11:30 a.m. by this time and my show was scheduled for 1 p.m.

Back out the door, I made my way to the free shuttle stop, the green 555 bus, and struck up conversation with my fellow passengers while we waited. A pair of ladies were headed to this conservation type of event and I shared I was going to the opera house for a show. They were as excited as I was! They hopped off the bus which granted me some time to make certain of where I was and get off at the right place, but I didn't need to really study my map as half the bus passengers got up at the Circular Quay.

I headed directly for the Sydney Opera House and had to swallow a squeal when the pretty little thing came into view. I took my pictures and made for the box office only to be told I had to go downstairs to the playhouse. I wanted so vainly to have attended an opera while I was here. "Carmen" was on last month and a rendition of Beethoven's symphony was last week. I tore my hair for missing both. But hey, a modernized version of Shakespeare's beloved work isn't too shabby either! I got downstairs and secured my ticket then went to sit and use the opera house's convenient free WiFi to boast precisely where I was and what I had planned on Facebook, before the theater opened.

I got in somewhat early and found my seat with no problems--looking out on a stage set with a jukebox, double car seat bench, cheap plastic furniture, and a giant Union Jack made of colored plastic crates--until I watched in dumbfounded awe as the theater filled. Who says theater is dead? I think only the last two rows had a few seats left open, otherwise the theater was full! Full!

Henry 4 was a bit surprising because while it's set in a modern time, the language was still Shakespeare. I really had to buckle down and listen in the first ten minutes to get fluent in that old dialect again, but I was rolling with the audience in no time; at once funny and profound, as with most works from the immortal bard. It was a three-and-a-half hour show with a 20 minute intermission, and the time just flew by. The actors did a wonderful job in their roles , though one of the characters was so "British" in her speech, I didn't catch a meaning in any of her garbled speak. "The rascal blurdy blur twixt a cockney gurdy goo" and so on. But yes, it was a nice show and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!

By the time the show ended around 4:50 p.m. the sun was already on its way down and I still wanted a picture of the opera house and the Harbour Bridge together, so I practically ran around the Royal Botanical Gardens to get the shot, ducking and shooting between pedestrians to beat the shadows as I watched the horizon line climb the skyscrapers. It's a bit dark, but I did get my picture and made a more leisurely way back the way I'd come. I veered off the path to get a few photos of the gardens and was forced to boomerang my way back to the opera house--which I have been unable to leave since I arrived. In encroaching darkness, I saw the full moon rise off the opposite horizon of the sunset and felt a real sense of completeness at so simple a phenomenon. I arrived at the new moon now here at the end of my journey was the full. Never mind that solar eclipse right at the start. I accept your blessings heavens!

I started to make my way back to the bus stop to get back to Harbourside for the show, only to see a mass of people lined up against the railing along the harbor. Now what could they possibly all be here for? Oooh, the Vivid Lights of Sydney! And I paused. Pictures of the harbor and opera house would look way cooler than anything Harbourside would have to offer. And, accepting I would miss the last free bus at 6 p.m., I turned back to find a space along the rapidly filling rail.

I stood around a good half hour until 6 p.m. and watched the light show consume the city skyscrapers, the P&O Cruise ship and the Opera House and I knew I'd made the right decision. I watched the opera house loop (about 10 or 15 minutes) and went inside to locate the Bistro Mozart I'd read about for dinner. Going for the gusto, I ordered lamb rump (which I never eat) and happily had vegetables for a side, and a glass of cabernet sauvignon for a treat. I seriously have dropped more money in Sydney in one day than I have in the last week. I can calm down tomorrow though at the Sydney's Writer's Festival since all of those events are free. The bus is free! I just need to eat eventually.

But wow. One day in SYDNEY and the world's your oyster!

Nuances of Newcastle

DAY 15
Location: Newcastle
Temp: 15 C--Feels like 8 C with wind chill
Weather: Partially cloudy, raining, windy as all get out!
Activities: Newcastle ocean baths, Hunter Street Mall, West Newcastle, Civic Park, Queen's Warf Tower
Accomodation: WakeUp!

I actually did get the 4-bed dorm to myself last night! And, since it was a quiet, restful night, I didn't feel all that rushed to hurry out of the room. Having paid for some net access, I updated a few things before leisurely eating breakfast (back to my meager fruit bar ration), getting ready, packing up, and checking out. I dumped my bag in the day storage and finally walked about this unorthodox YHA. It really is like an old English school, complete with dorms, communal bathrooms and showers, fireplace commons, huge common area with pool table, computer lab, kitchen. All it needs are the classrooms. Even the furniture here screams Ye Olde English pub.

Having my fill, I walked out of the YHA and into the wind. The kind of wind that you can lean into with some force and not fall flat on your face. Mean wind.  Vengeful blustering gales. Good morning to you too, Newcastle!

I made my way to the beach and the ocean was all whitewater; just rabid with froth as the wind whipped the seas to the shore. The cloud I saw roiling in was actually saltspray. But with the sun on my back I pressed on past the empty skate park, the crumbling cliffside, and down to the ocean baths carved especially for this navy rear admiral. I didn't even know they were there and stumbled upon them while watching the furious sea pound its breakers on the rocks below. I was at least twenty feet up from the rocks, but the waves exploded up to where I was standing. I got wet. It was amazing!

My eye on the threatening rainclouds out to sea, I beat a retreat back up the coast and wandered into to town for lunch. I went up and down Hunter Street Mall in search of a bite and passed a place called One Penny Black; this coffee shop with a lot of character. I passed it twice and found I kept coming back to it. Before I could walk in though, the petite woman ahead of me commented about the clothes on the street and I remarked I couldn't afford them and she knew instantly I was foreign and extended a formal greeting. Nice lady, but she made me think of a witch. A nice witch! Is that awful? She was very kind though and we parted on good terms as I doubled back to the One Penny Black for an apple-soaked-in-blueberry danish and a moccha: $10. INSANE!

The nice thing about Hunter Street is the city provides two hours of free WiFi! So I posted several backlogged pictures of my journey to Facebook, checked mail, etc. All the my heart's content, before moving on to find the local Woolworth's for a cheap lunch and to pick up some incidentals that I'd run out of. (Floss and shampoo among them.)

It was a good twenty minute walk to West Newcastle but I walked past Civic Park, the Newcastle Council building, and a bunch of other shops. Hunting for some travel-sized goods (and finding none) I ran into the witch lady again! It's a small Australia indeed. We chatted about sports awhile, surprisingly she's a fan of some American tennis players, before parting again and I walked back to Civic Park to eat yet another bag of Caesar. A sharp whistle on my left announced  the intentions of a hungry local bird as it eyed me and my lunch. It pecked around my feet for some old chips and I watched in a removed bemusement as it hopped beneath my legs and back again. Fearless.

After lunch, I returned to Hunter Street to eat up my free WiFi minutes and this homeless guy came to sit next to me on the bench. He carried a smoke, a guitar and a drink--which I thought was illegal in Australia--drinking in public like that. And it seemed he was already drunk. He played me a song when I asked him about the guitar, something by Neil Diamond, and I played an Irish song for him and then he begged me to give him a kiss. Really? He hadn't kissed a girl in six months. Can't help you there, partner. He was extremely insistent and I took that as my sign to leave--which I promptly did. All righty then, Newcastle, what else you got for me?

I went up and over the street to the Queen's Warf Tower, found it open, and climbed up the 30 meters to get a panoramic bird's eye view of the city. It also took me out of the beating, relentless wind and I had the tower to myself for the entire time I was up there. The whole thing swayed because of the wind though, which was a bit unnerving--and probably the reason why I was the only one there! It served as my refuge for a good long while before the setting sun prompted me to come back down and start walking back to the YHA. The wind swept me right back into a chill as I walked along the harbor and finally back to the YHA.

It was a full day of walking and sights and tonight I catch the late bus to Sydney. The last!

Wandering Coffs bluffs and the road to Newcastle

DAY 14
Location: Coffs Harbour/Newcastle
Temp: 20 C
Weather: Beautiful clear morning, to rainy afternoon.
Activities: Walk to Muttonbird Island, and another long bus ride
Accommodation: YHA Newcastle

I got up late in attempt to recover from the evening prior but remembered I still needed to check out. It was 8:30 a.m. and I woke my roommates, my two new French friends, just before 9 to give them a running start as well. I packed up and went to the kitchens to eat where I ran into my Japanese friend and we ate breakfast together. I now had toast and he shared his butter and milk. These guys, they were just so great!! I gave them some momentos from Hawaii and they loved them.

I gave my friends hugs and said I hoped to see them in the islands someday before going to check out.

Thank God I had the milk because I went on quite a walk to Muttonbird Island on the far end of Coffs Harbour. The morning was beautiful and I wasn't about to waste this little blessing after the inclement weather yesterday. So I took off down the road around 9:30 a.m. or so, walked through the park, over the Coffs Stream, through the south part of the park and through the boating harbor to the island. The ascent was pretty verticle but manageable and I walked over this narrow brick trail hunting for Shearwater birds, only to learn they'd all gone for the year. But the whales would be here instead. I followed the path until it ended on the very eastern end of the island in an overlook. I watched the waves crash on the rocks awhile before going to sit on the bench and debate whether to buy lunch here or get it somewhere during the bus ride at 2:00 p.m.

I spotted a puff white over the sea in the distance and there were whales breaching out there! They were breaching like crazy! Every few seconds I'd see a body and a splash of white. It was neat to watch even though it was a little hard to see since they were so far out. I frowned on a fishing boat spying the commotion and arcing toward the gentle giants. I headed up and out of the island then and back on the far side I saw the boat had reached the spot the whales were playing, but the whales were no longer breaching. So fishing boat, take a cue and leave the whales alone--you ruined their fun with your noisy dingy.

I wandered back and at around 1:20 p.m. I popped into the reception to see if the man in charge was ready to take me back to the bus station. He told me to come back in 15 minutes and I went to the restaurant in the corner where I asked the girl at the counter if she could have a meal out in short order. When did I have to leave? I had 10 minutes to eat lunch. Yeah, I knew it was impossible, but she stopped me and pulled a chicken parmigini off the line and pushed it into my hands where I thanked her profusely for allowing me to cut ahead of the waiting lunch pack like that.

I tucked in to my meal, grateful to eat something instead of hoping for the best and cleaned my plate. Then I headed back to reception where Frank was ready and out we went to the stop. I inquired a bit about the money woes he seemed to be having and he told me about his grand designs for the Howie Mowie. I'm not normally all that interested in business, but his ideas were fascinating.

I thanked Frank for the ride because it was pretty far from the hostel and lugged my things down the walk to drop them next to the other backpacker waiting for the bus. It had been late yesterday, it certainly would be again today. And it was by 45 minutes. But I was fed and made a friend, so I'm not complaining.

The bus was supposed to show at 2, it came at 2:45 p.m. and we piled in for the long haul to Newcastle due to arrive at 9:10 p.m. We stopped at a BP for a dinner break and I got a burger. I just wanted some meat to tide me over to tomorrow, and I sat down with my friend from the bus stop to eat where a new girl joined us and I discovered we were both going to the same hostel. Sweet! I didn't have to walk Newcastle alone at night!

Despite the delay, we actually reached Newcastle on time and didn't quite know which way to go. I went over to some backpackers down the way to ask directions and they pointed us down one street. My Netherland friend and I went that way and could not find the street, but some guy walking up the street asked us if we were lost and led us to a hostel on Pacific St, where I knew the hostel was located. But we went in and the guy at the counter said this was not the YHA and directed us a little further up the street. We finally found it, yay! Normally I would have been agitated by the whole thing, but I just rolled with it, surprised and happy to have received so much willing help.

This YHA is cool! It's like this old English style school building! I was supposed to be in a 6-share, but got upgraded to a 4--and there's NO one here but me! I might actually have the place to myself tonight. Yeah! I'm really excited to check out Newcastle tomorrow. I'm glad I cleared up some time in my schedule to get a rough n' tough idea of the place before hitting Sydney.

Coffs Harbour harboring my friends

DAY 13
Location: Byron Bay/Coffs Harbour
Temp: 10 C
Weather: Rainy
Activities: Making new friends
Accommodation: Howie Mowie

A bitter cold morning in Byron Bay made for a slow checkout, but I got up early enough to catch the first morning shuttle to town at 8:30 a.m. so I could visit the Travel Bugs conveniently located across from the bus stop!

Happily chewing up the hour or so wait for the bus online, I skipped right back out again to make the 10:40 a.m. bus to Coffs Harbour which would arrive at 2 p.m.

The nasty weather chased us all the way down the coast and it was rainy and cold in Coffs too which didn't bode well for much exploration. Our bus was also late, dumping us off at 2:30, so none of the shuttles were around to get us. And since we were behind schedule, we never stopped for a break to grab lunch or anything, so I was absolutely starving by this point. I went up to the information station on the corner and got bounced by this old Aussie codger who more or less told me to shut up, sit down and wait, the shuttles would be there. Sheesh, easy guy! Too much to ask for a ring just to be sure?

But the shuttles did appear and the guy actually in charge of the hostel was the one who picked me up, drove me to see the local sites, checked me in, and showed me to my room. Talk about service. I dropped my things and teetered over whether to walk the 10 minutes to the Woolworth for food or just eat now because I'd suffered on the bus ride there, my stomach was very unhappy. I snagged the last of my emergency noodle stash and went to the kitchens to prepare a late lunch.

My decision was instantly rewarded. Check this out.

A small group of folks sat jamming around one computer in the kitchen and I announced myself by asking if this was indeed the kitchen. They all replied in the affirmative and I went about cooking up my last saimin. My first snag struck when the stove didn't light--but one of the girls lent me her lighter and I got a fire going! It was apparently her birthday and she wanted to do something exciting, but the weather was misbehaving. The boys suggested she skinny dip in the ocean and she refused as it was cold. I laughed along over my cooking and the group took notice as I brought my bowl over to eat.

"You hungry?" The big New Zealander said. Yes, I was! And he left and came back with sausages, bread, and package of noodles. "I'm leaving tomorrow and it'll all just go to waste. You eat it." I was so touched! I tore into the already cooked sausages until I was full, thanked my benefactor profusely,  and we all got to talking the usual hostel exchange. I now had four new friends--one from New Zealand, one from Japan, and two from France. When I belted out some simple conversational French, they both got so excited!

I suggested we go to the mall for something to do and the idea floated. So not long afterward, we wandered the mall I'd intended to run to right away, but I went in a car with four new friends. We spent about an hour there before returning to play several rounds of card games with a five liter box of wine. I'm happy to report I learned a fun new card game gambling on ace "horses." It was so much fun. We ate carrots, again because our Kiwi was leaving, ordered a pizza, and just had good times all around!

We debated on all going to a club, but the group dispersed somewhat and I hung back to shower and get some sleep.

It proved to be quite a night!

Brisbane, Day 2

The plates on the gates to one of the entrances to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

DAY 11
Location: Brisbane
Temp: 17 C
Weather: Sunny, but brisk
Activities: City Botanic Gardens, Queen Street Mall
Accommodation: Backpackers Inn (Byron Bay)

To recap last night, Tinbilly didn't actually have any pasta and rice--apparently all the backpackers had the same idea and gorged on the lot while I was away. Somehow, I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. So I ended up going back across the street to Subway and ate the same thing I did for lunch yesterday. Lame. But I didn't feel the most comfortable wandering the city alone at night, so I opted for what was nearby.

Despite being in a 10-bed dorm, I slept relatively well. The bad thing about sharing a dorm with guys is they snore. Seriously. I've never had any girls snore in any of the dorms I've stayed in. But I dropped off to sleep around 8 p.m. really for lack of anything better to do. No free WiFi, no one really to talk to, no food. Meh. I swear, I feel the most alone in the biggest groups. So I prepped what I could last night to check out early today and conked out. I would rather sleep the night away and get up early the next anyway.

I got up around 6, but slept in 'til 7 a.m. because it was cold! I swear it must have been below 10 C (50 F), hey that's cold to me, folks. And besides, most stores are closed until 9 a.m. I didn't have any eats for breakfast, but I hit the street around 8 anyway and secured a liquid protein breakfast before heading for Brisbane's City Botanic Gardens.

I remember walking up to this building and spying the statue from a distance and thinking to myself: "...That looks like Queen Victoria." BAM. It was. She stands tall and proud outside of the Conrad Hotel--what used to be the Lands Administration building off George Street.

Farther down George Street, I spied this statue in profile and though to myself: "...And that looks like Queen Elizabeth II." BAM! It was.

A narrow shot of the impressive Parliament House directly across from the City Botanic Gardens. They had tours, but I hadn't planned for them and I was trapped in my rigid bus schedule.

It was chilly and I walked with the working crowd all the way down George Street until I came up to Queensland's Parliament house and the gardens across the street. I wandered up and down the familiar tropical flora and saw some new ones (Turkish Pine among them) until I stumbled across the Queensland University of Technology and this place just looked like a science school. Clean, new, unusual architecture--Can I enrol?

Maps. Take pictures of maps in case you get lost!  I did get turned around once or twice in this garden--mostly when I walked out of it and back in another way.

This was the Formal Flower Garden and central feature of the park. The park, according to a plaque in the gazebo I took this picture from, was declared a Sri Chinmoy Peace Garden in March, 31, 1993. 

Having walked about the school and back into the gardens, I found the City Council actually hosts free WiFi! Three-hundred minutes worth! I thought that was pretty neat.

A live snapshot of the Queen Street Mall. I shot Lush in particular because my mom is a big fan of their products and I was surprised to find one here in Oz myself.

Afterward, I made my way to Queen Street Mall and entered several of the touristy shops looking for gifts and postcards and collective bric-a-brac for friends and balked at the prices. Sheesh, why does 'Straya have to be so expensive? It may be a mistake to wait until Sydney to make my buys, but at least then I can say these items came from Sydney--I just hope the prices don't gut me or my shrinking wallet.

A couple more shots from the gardens! There were some awfully noisy birds here. The ibis were unassuming, it was some other species that shrieked something fowl (haha). Otherwise it was peaceful.

There was this odd warped square structure on the northern end of the gardens. Some brazen tourists were actually climbing on it while I just snapped a quick one directly into a hard angle of the structure.

I found the local Woolworth's and shopped a bit for my next week's worth of breakfasts, a prepared bag of Caesar salad and baguette for lunch. I took my purchases up to the food court and ignored the wayward stares as I put together my salad, tossed, and ate straight out of the bag. It works AND saves on dishes! I polished off half of the baguette and continued my stroll around the mall, though it was starting to get pretty busy at this point--foot traffic pulsing in the hundreds.

I moved off the main drag and back onto George Street toward TravelBugs where I am again writing this blog post from! I also booked my last few days in Australia down the coast with them--so there's some piece of mind. The YHA (Youth Hostel Association) I wanted to stay at was overbooked, so I had to look elsewhere. But the one I have booked now is still pretty centrally located. I'll be in Sydney in no time flat!

I remember being startled when locals told me not to stay in Brisbane too long--three days was too much, two days was pushing it. But having been here, I can sort of understand that notion. I saw the arts and cultural quarter yesterday and city central and its gardens today. I think I'm good here. But everyone swears by Byron Bay, so I'm pretty excited to see what all the fuss is about there and return to the quieter streets of the coast. Don't get me wrong--Brisbane was neat and worth seeing, but I'm good!

I think I'll post this blog early while I still have free internet; the remainder of my day is mostly getting ready for the bus and then the four-hour bus ride down the coast. And I have to research the places I'm staying so I know where to go once I hop off the 'hound.

I hope to post again soon!  

All's well in Airlie

DAY 6
Location: Townsville/Airlie Beach
Temp: 26 C
Activities: Return ferry from Magnetic Island, Townsville proper, killing time, bus ride to Airlie, Airlie welcome drink at Down Under Bar!
Accommodation: XBase Airlie Beach Resort

I've fallen into this up-before-everyone-else trend. The nice bit is I usually have whatever place I'm at to myself in the early morning. I walked into Thomas as I went to get my breakfast purchased yesterday alongside the milk I needed for my pasta lunch, and we double-checked where our parties would be in the coming days. Thomas promised me his famous 'Australian Care Package' in exchange for doing some 'cheaper' shopping back in the states. Because seriously, things here are wicked expensive. My six-inch sub lunch at Subway cost $10! But I digress, we again agreed to meet at Noosa and I went to check on my clothes still hanging up on the line. Nothing stolen. That's nice. They were still a bit damp, and I went back to the bungalow to catch up on blog entries before my alarm went off and I had to pack up to check out. My clothes were still a bit damp when I yanked them from the line, but I got everything tucked away and was sorry to check out--this place was really neat!

I snuck aboard the top deck on the return trip from Magnetic Island to Townsville on the SeaLink ferry. This is us waiting in Nelly Bay.

Shuttle to ferry to Townsville took about forty minutes all together and I was starving when I got back to town, so I hauled my heavy backpack down mainstreet and pondered whether to shore up the cash for another Marlin Tavern repeat when I espied a Subway down Falinger St. As you've read, lunch was outrageous, but I exchanged banter with the girl working the counter as she apologized for not having the fixings for whatever a "Philly Cheesesteak" was. She asked me how Subway was different in the States and I told her more cheese selection, more toppings, and cheaper by far! She laughed about that.

Townsville's prominent face: Castle Hill as pictured from the SeaLink ferry. I regret not having the time to climb the beast.

Townsville's Great Barrier Reef Aquarium. I didn't feel inclined to see it after having dived the actual reef, but there it is!

This terrifying superstructure of a spider stretched its metal-work web above the street. Seriously, that thing was as big as the cars directly below it. 

I sat down to eat and glowered at majestic Castle Hill, the facing monolith rock of Townsville, and how I didn't have the time to hike it with my heavy load and get back to the bus stop in time. I headed back down the main drag and stopped in Anzac Memorial Park to swing for a bit, then continued on to the ferry station which also ports the Greyhound.

I wandered around Townsville's Anzac Memorial Park to kill some time waiting for the bus.

 I made friends with a Japanese girl who looked tired standing with all her things and scooted over for her to sit. When I tell folks out here I'm from Hawaii they freak out. "You're from...huh? ...HAWAII!?" Half don't believe me, and the other half ask what they should do for their vacation there. A handful have already been and they dish about their conquests which is always fun.

It was a long bus ride from Townsville to Airlie Beach and I almost tried to board a northbound bus. The driver took it in stride though, he must get that a lot. (In my own defense, our bus was late.) From 3:15, sunset chased us until 7 when we arrived. The bus roared past the XBase hostel and went on and on and I was like "Stop please, please stop! I already forget where it was..." but thankfully I wasn't the only one disoriented. A couple of riders were going to the same place and we banded together after getting directions from someone who overheard our directional troubles. Again the whole "WHERE are we going now that we're here?!" Thing. Plus it was dark! But man, even in the dark my first impression of this place is backpacker party central. Bars and al fresco eats were packed, disco lights flashing, pounding music, and somehow it only seemed to be getting started. If I was with a group of friends, I would be out in it, schedule be damned.

Despite being the very last hostel on the strip and farthest from the bus stop, this place is all right. It's a hostel that tries to act like a hotel, which suits me fine. I got soap! I was happy to be told I'd been upgraded to a 4-bed female dorm free of charge, and feeling glad for that, purchased a WiFi allowance to post since I've been disconnected for more than 48 hours; 47 hours too long. I also received a free drink voucher from the local bar, so after showering, posting catalogued blog posts, and checking mail, I went out to collect my free cocktail--a Sprite mixer with something blue and something purple--the bartender called it a "blue tingly" I believe. It was very good! I still have yet to try a XXXX, but I did have a can of Toohey which was actually quite good! I might become a beer drinker yet. I watched a pair of guys play a game of pool before taking my leave. The music was a bit too loud to start any conversations and I would have preferred having a wingman (lady?) to watch my back out there.

It's just as well, I have a date ripping around the Whitsundays tomorrow morning.

Running down the coast

DAY 4
Location: Wongaling/Townsville
Temp: 20 C or so?
Weather: Sunny, humid
Activities: Finally moving down the coast from Cairns, beach exploration, Travel Bugs impromptu planning, Navigating Townsville at night
Accommodation: Reef Lodge

Let me state straight off this post was accidentally deleted well over two months ago while I was trying to edit another post. Oops! So yes, I'll be reconstructing this one from memory, but I remember this day well as my "What the hell am I doing?" day.

I got up before dawn at Tropic Days, quietly trying to make myself breakfast in a pitch kitchen. I decided against packing up in the hot room and waking my neighbors and hauled everything out to one of the empty tables to pack.

The second the reception opened, I returned my key, threw my backpack over my shoulders, and lugged my belongings for the 20-minute walk to Cairns proper. I had to make the early bus and I wanted to be sure I had enough time to make the walk with elbowroom if I got lost. I didn't with the map Tropic Days provided for the bus stop. I distinctly remember my backpack being unmanageable until I released the shoulder straps to let the majority of the weight rest on my hips. Either way, I was sweating by the time I reached the stop where a small hoard of other backpackers were waiting.

Maybe it's just procedure in Cairns, but the Greyhound here was strict. There was careful ticket scrutiny, checklists, and assigned seating and this framed what I thought to be the whole trip down the coast--but it was just for Cairns. The seats were a bit narrow and packed close together, but I had the bench to myself and a foot rest to prop my feet on.

It was about five hours to Mission Beach but the stop was actually south of town in a place called Wongaling Beach. I remember getting off the bus and wondering what obscure place I'd decided to pause for lunch as I gawked at a giant cassowary statue. At this point I was playing my trip by ear; very much a game of location and opportunity in my lodging and activities--a stressful way to go in hindsight. And it was here, in Wongaling Beach, my first stop on the sprint down from Cairns, that I was already starting to second guess myself, my actions, my motives for this trip.

Looking to stave off the uncertainty, I meandered into the Adventure Travel Bugs agency with a mind to ask where Mission Beach was and ended up getting a personal tourism and booking guide to layout my entire trip. For free. Maybe I came in looking exactly the part of Lost American and she took pity on me. She asked me where I was from, where I heading, what my plans were and I stumbled on delivering the execution of my haphazard itinerary so she got me a bottle of water, sat me down, and plotted point by point every aspect of the following weeks. She printed a calender and spent a solid hour with me recommending activities to do including Magnetic Island, the Whitsundays, and Fraser Island and got me some great deals, looking up hostels that catered to my needs (free WiFi and food where applicable) on the cheap, calling agents and receptions to make bookings, then aligning my bus schedule to fit it all.

Her name was Carolyn and I really have her to thank for making my trip down to Sydney as action-packed an adventure as possible. Thank you, Carolyn!

With my affairs in order, bookings in hand, and some of my stress alleviated, I asked for a place to eat and Carolyn told me there was a Wooly's right around the corner. She told me I could leave my backpack with her and off I went in search of food. I wandered Woolworth's a bit and quailed again at the cost of Aussie groceries but eventually settled on a warm box of a dozen mini-wings for $2. That was my lunch.

I took this shot to remind myself where I was and just how to spell the place. I stumbled over a lot of the Australian names.

After lunch, I headed for the beach and tried to see if I could make the walk to Mission Beach. The tropical foliage, sunny skies, and warm weather reminded me of home and I had to remind myself that no, I'm still in Australia. I walked along the beach until I came to an inlet that I deemed impassable because this was where I would habit if I was a crocodile. I tried to peer into the rusty water to spot some and grew more unwary when I didn't. I gave the water's edge a respectable berth and went back the way I came.

Wongaling Beach was picturesque. I would have been tempted to swim if not for the threat of crocodiles and box jellyfish.

I was treated to a sight of skydivers ripping over the water to land on the beach. I was certain a few would crash into the sea but they skimmed right over it like pros. I spoke with a few that walked back to their skydiving building and they were all smiles coming down from that high.

I returned to Travel Bugs to take advantage of their free internet and kill time waiting for the bus. i thanked Carolyn again for her help before going on my way. 

I was back on the Greyhound around 3 p.m. and on my way to Townsville. It was dark by the time we arrived and before I could panic on where I was supposed to go, I saw the Reef Lodge go past and tried to memorize the roads I would have to walk to return. I hit the ground running, so to speak, eager to get off the street as soon as possible in this big town and successfully found my street and the hostel.

But my time at Reef Lodge was immediately tainted when I came upon a locked door to reception. I rang once, waited what I felt was a reasonable amount of time before ringing again, and was greeted by a surly receptionist who said: "You only have to ring once." No, pleasant evening greeting or welcome, just a terse gibe. And he was snide for the whole check-in process. I got the feel that this place was skeptical and suspicious of its patrons and eager to punish. If you didn't check out a certain way--you would be fined. Didn't do your dishes? Fined. Didn't go to sleep at curfew? Fined. Wow, really? What are we, teenagers?

Walking into my room confirmed that.

I got stuck with the top bunk at the Reef Lodge hostel. There's all my things!

This was my view from the room. We were literally right off the street.

I was bunked with a couple young German girls who had their things strewn everywhere. I mean everywhere. I had to pick my way over the floor. And, having arrived so late, I was stuck with a top bunk. 

Tired and hungry, I made my way to the kitchens to whip up some Ramen and the other hostel guests were so unfriendly. It seemed like there was a tacit fight for space, cutlery, utensils; nothing polite about elbowing their way to the oven if I was standing in the way. I sat alone, ate alone, washed alone, and I got tired of that atmosphere. 

The communal bathrooms were a bit of a shock too. I fretted the boys would try to peek at me over the walls while I showered, so I was in and out rather quickly. When I got back to the room I collapsed into the bed and surprised the German girls took the hint to turn out the lights.

I remember why I wasn't in a rush to repost this entry. Overall, the day seemed like a test of my fortitude and endurance; my ability to flex and adapt and strangely enough it set my teeth. This day made me more determined to be active in my endeavors and get out of it what I put in. Which is precisely the tack I took the following day.

Diving Down Under

DAY 3
Location: Great Barrier Reef
Temp: Surface 28 C, Bottom 26 C
Activities: Cruise, diving, snorkeling, general mayhem
Accommodations: Tropic Days

I booked the Down Under Dive Cruise and Dive for a full day of the Great Barrier Reef, and despite paying a little extra while on board, I got it back in drink.

To start, it was another early wake up call, but a Scottish lass "taught" me how to make toast and peanut butter which I tried and actually kept me full most of the morning. I didn't have as much time this morning as I ate and got dressed, got into the shuttle and checked in at Cairns northeastern Reef Terminal. The rep there told me to walk down the wharf (there were a gazillion and of course I picked the wrong one) and I eventually made my way down to the cruise ship, fearful they would leave without me. I asked directions from some local Aussies who pointed me in the right direction and I boarded the boat. They had tea and cookies and I happily consumed each before reporting to the diving room upstairs for a debrief.

The intimate debriefing room on the upper deck of our vessel. My English friend Steve and I were debriefed here on weather, sea forecast, safety, SCUBA review and so on. I was happy for a biscuit and some warm tea while racking my brain on the finer points of diving once more.

 There I met Steve from England who was the only other certified diver on the boat. Our dive master reviewed some basics and boat safety and I elected to have him guide Steve and I through the reef because, knowing me, I would end up on the bottom of the Continental Divide, pop up, and the boat nowhere in sight. It cost an extra $10 on top of the $189, but I figured it was just safer to have him show us around. I originally had one dive scheduled, but decided to go for two, because we were going to hit two locations on the Great Barrier Reef.

The abandoned stern gave me a nice opportunity to take a few shots of a glorious morning in Oz as we departed the mainland. 

After debriefing, I snuck out to the abandoned bow and loved having the rushing sea to myself a bit before returning to get suited up for the dive. I was a smidge nervous because it's been years since I've dived, but it did come back to me more or less as I got under. "How do we--oh yeah, ok." Of course, everything was in meters, but our dive master kept an eye on all the logistics--depth, location, bottom time, decompression--all the fun stuff. I just got to explore.

A shot to starboard of the mainland as we raced by.

The first area we dove was Saxon Reef, where we reached a depth of 14 meters, bottom time 40 min., and we had to safety stop after having gone so deep. True to form, I still have issues equalizing my left ear and struggled at the deeper areas, but we did see a couple turtles, trigger fish, sea cucumbers, clown fish and so on. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed with the first dive. I've seen it all before, right down to the fish and turtles.

We did a decompression stop towards the end of the first dive and I snorkeled a bit, but struggled in the chop. The waves don't bother me, but it makes it awful difficult to breathe with them crashing over your snorkel.

The crew broke for lunch and again, I ate almost everything I possibly could including macaroni salad, potato salad, and prawns. I also snagged another refill of tea to warm up on the bow as I was cold outside of my wetsuit. Some folks were seasick and I felt bad for them. Some were even airlifted off the boat, it was that bad, while meanwhile I rode the waves like a roller coaster. I and the rest aboard, however, had to endure some violent heaving. So violent I crashed into a big guy and struggled to stand again stammering apologies, and some gal crashed into me. Also, it is very hard to pee in zero G.

My dive master advised I do some snorkeling over the North Hastings reef before my second dive as the crew tossed in some leftover lunch to attract the fish. I saw this freakin' huge barracuda as long a I was as I floated on the surface. The bugger eyeballed me as it glided toward me and I was like "I'm cool, you're cool, we're cool, man," as it swam right under me. The teeth on that thing. But I didn't panic, if it bit me there was nothing I could do. I did keep my hands over my back though to protect my fingers. Big ass fish and mean as Tuesday.

I ventured out a little ways and came back in time for my second dive which I enjoyed a little more because the reef was more colorful and schools of fish followed us hoping for a handout.  The current through the coral heads was a little nuts, I would kick and kick and make no headway and I didn't want to damage the coral with my fins. We got to a depth of 9 meters for 45 minutes, no decompression this time, obviously, and headed back up to the surface. Turns out that barracuda bit someone and most of the snorkelers were scrambling in. I'm sad to report I didn't get to see any sharks on my dive. That's 10 now and no sharks--but other swimmers got to see some. I was so sad. That would have really cinched the day.

Up top, I sunned again to warm up with another cup of tea and got another debrief shortly after to officially record the dives and get them signed off by our dive master, Kelvin Law. He was cool, I liked him. I knew they had a free wine and cheese thing for the return trip and I literally sat at the bar, striking up a conversation with these cute guys, while the crew offered top up after top up of wine and muffins. I chatted with Jordan the Canadian and Dan from Boston for most of the trip as we all steadily got happier and more fearless. I got teased/complimented time after time for my "Danger" swimsuit by everyone aboard. Easy conversation starter.

When the boat got to port at 5 p.m., I teetered off with my possessions and managed to get the crew together for a fun group shot before catching up to the boys who I walked with until my shuttle point, still getting teased all the while for my misinterpretation of a high five and forever dubbed a 'Russian spy.' Yeah, yeah.

Last off the boat, the crew eagerly offered to take a photo with me and, having commandeered their bar for the return trip and getting to know each of them, I was all too happy to pose and shaka brah.

So yes, another full day! Most of the buddies I made in the Tropic Days hostel have already left and I'm leaving tomorrow. I have no idea whether I will have Internet connection in the coming days--so don't be surprised if I don't write. I'll try to of course, but I can't promise anything--which is a shame because I still have a lot planned. Wish me luck, ay?

Cairns it!

DAY 1
Location: Cairns
Temp: 28 C
Activities: Cairns shopping mall, Esplande, lagoon, Solar freakin' eclipse

Accommodations: Tropic Days

Sit down.

I flew out of Honolulu International Airport at 2:20 p.m. on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, landed in Guam at 6:15 p.m. in time to see the blood-red sun set on Thursday, and ran to catch my next leg out of Guam to Cairns where this adventure just takes off.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I had to check in to get my passport verified in Honolulu and my boarding pass at the front, only to have the reps tell me the flight might already be closed. But she checked me in and told me to hurry to the gate which, of course, was at the second to last gate at the terminal. So I ran only to find I still had plenty of time. Well, not plenty but enough to take a seat and debate weather or not to purchase a water bottle. I somehow snagged a seat in first and merrily boarded the plane and had trouble finding an open bin to deposit my backpack. When I mentioned this to my seatmate, he told me he knew where an open bin was and got up to stow it. I was touched. We settled in and I snapped up the newspapers the flight attendants offered, reading articles on Guam and doing puzzles to pass the time until our captain announced we would land in Guam at 6:30 p.m. Uh oh. My connecting flight leaves at 6:50. The next flight from Guam to Cairns was in three days.

I mentioned my plight to my seatmate and after already having discovered he was from there, I inquired after his knowledge of the area. "What do I do if I'm held over for three days, Riz?" And he filled me in. It's a lot like Hawaii, he told me, and offered what beaches to hit, what sorts of food to eat, and so on. Surprisingly it didn't really bother me if I did get held over in Guam.  This was all part of the adventure. After the dinner rush, Riz and I talked for hours about traveling, family, crazy anecdotes, even erring on the side of philosophy a bit. It suited me just fine to chat to pass the time, particularly with such an interesting seatmate! Riz and I exchanged contact, his number for my blog, for whatever happened at this airport.

We landed at 6:15 p.m., thank goodness, and I located the departure board and gate number and ran for it. Guam has a small airport. Lucky lucky me. I got seated in the row with the stiff armrests and didn't get to sleep like I'd hoped, but I did snatch some minutes where I found my jaw hanging open. And I was fed and fed on the first flight and fed again on the second! Wow! I saw Papa Guinea pass below and groaned when I saw the pouring rain over Cairns, but hoped for the best. By this point I regretted not buying a bottle of water.

Landing, I disembarked and wound my way to customs where they checked my passport against my visa, stamped my incoming passenger card, questioned my light load "22 days all in that backpack?", and asked after food and agriculture. I went through each check point smiling like an idiot because I couldn't get enough of the Aussie accent. I barely remembered to exchange my petty cash for AUD to pay my shuttle fare and my driver came up to me immediately afterward "Are you Rochelle? Yeah, get in that bus now."

I did as ordered and piled onto the shuttle, paid my way with my colorful foreign notes, and went on the hairiest ride in my life.

Our driver was supposed to be off work at midnight. When I sat down it was 12:18 a.m. And he knew it. We went ripping around Cairns like we were in some soapbox derby, whipping corners and shifting gears hard enough to throw me into the seat in front, while I freaked at each passing car about to "hit" us before it oh so casually passed on the right. Of course, I was the last to get off and I thanked the driver profusely for waiting past his work hours and fumbled with the gate keycode to get in. I walked forward looking for the safe that held my keys, completely missed it, and asked a hosteler where to find the safe. He guided me to the safe and used his phone as a flashlight while I stumbled over another keycode lock and got my key. This nice young man also guided me to my room where I inadvertently woke all my roommates closing the door. I stuffed everything under my bed and went to sleep right then, in my dress clothes, no brushed teeth or anything and dreamt about a begging humpback whale eyeing my sandwich at the pier.

I got up early and booked passage to the Daintree forest and a Great Barrier Reef dive and passed by a man I'd said good morning to and he stopped me. He and his assistant are journalists and we grilled each other on our plans. He told me to get changed and join them to the city to which I readily agreed. I got scolded for wearing tennis shoes, which labeled me as a Yank, and switched to my slippers so I could fit right in. I toured Cairns proper with Thomas and Sarah and snapped some pictures of the lagoon. 

My new friends Thomas and Sarah hard at work around the lagoon in Cairns proper. Thomas set my Australian trip straight right off from dress to debit and this greenhorn is grateful.

As we walked along the pier we paused at a video camera and asked what was up. "You don't know what's going on? It's a solar eclipse!" And this videographer handed us pairs of solar viewing glasses and lo' and behold, between the perfectly positioned gap of morning rain showers, was this gorgeous solar eclipse. I was blown away. And then the videographer turned his camera on us.

The May 10, 2013 solar eclipse in Cairns! We were lucky enough to see it through the shifting cloud cover. I shot this through my sunglasses. Experience a better rendition here!  

Hardly eight hours into my trip and I'm already making the Australian news. Crikey! Is this really how this whole thing is going to fly? 

We headed back toward the shops and Sarah helped me buy some cheap grocery goods  and sun tan lotion which I hope will save me some cash over the next few days as my daytrips cost me a pretty penny. We came back for lunch, I ate, checked my mail on the hostel's free WiFi, and got invited to join Thomas, Sarah and one of my roommates, Toma, nice girl on working holiday from Germany, to the lagoon for a swim. 

Fish fountains at the lagoon in Cairns. The water was a bit chilly, but not enough to keep me out of it.

Which again, I readily agreed to. I spoke with Sarah in the lagoon until it got to cold to stand, went up to dry, and Thomas and Sarah left and I stayed back with Toma until late afternoon. Toma who had explored the city yesterday, knew the shuttle pickup that brought us back to the hostel just in time to escape the encroaching weather, of which I hope will behave the next few days.

But I sincerely wonder how I can top today. Already. First day in Australia has been an absolute adventure!