The End

When we arrived at the airport in Vancouver I was in tears to see my best friends Kathy and Dan and my brother Mark. I couldn't have asked for a better home coming present than to have them there to welcome me with open arms.

Now that I've been home a couple of days, it still feels a little strange, but at the same time almost like I never left. As I sit here in my living room, everything that I've done, everything that I've seen, and everyone that I've met almost seems like a dream. That dream soon turns into the fondest of memories as I go through my photos to remind me of my journey this past year. From L.A. to Australia to New Zealand, Thailand and Fiji... I've added a few of my favourite moments to this final post as they remind me of only a few of the many good times I've had.

When I think back to all the things I've accomplished, I feel so blessed that I was provided with the opportunity to take this year and run with it. I've learned not only how to drive on the wrong side of the road, but how to drive a stick shift (Siobhan, I know you loved that!!!), I've learned how to salsa dance, how to scuba dive, I've learned about patience... and oh how important that is when you're travelling! I've also learned that if you're open to meeting new people, you could find yourself making some really great friends.

So as I close this chapter in my life, I look forward to the next season of adventures. I have many things to look forward to already this next year, including a white Christmas at Big White, friends coming to visit, turning 30, a trip to Ireland next summer, being a bridesmaid for my friend Kathy's wedding, and who knows... maybe even a trip back to Sydney!

I hope you've all enjoyed reading about my adventures, and even though I may not be recording them anymore, they're definitely not over! Maybe I'll even have my own travel show someday! ;) ;)

Fiji

"BULA!" as the Fijians said when mom and I arrived in Nadi on the evening of our first day. We didn't have much time to see or do anything that night other than eat dinner and re-pack our bags for our trip to the islands over the next few days.

A bus arrived to pick us up from our hotel the next morning and took us to the boat where we had a 4 1/2 hour trip out to the first island we were visiting called Nacula Island where we stayed at Oarsmans Bay Lodge.

To get to the island, we had to off-load the big boat onto a little dingy boat that took us right up onto the beach where we were greeted by the staff with a traditional Fijian welcome song. After we were assigned to our Bures it was time to chill out, relax, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

The next day we signed up for one of the daily activities which was to go to the caves. It was pretty cool. We entered the first cave where you have to jump into this big pool of water. The other caves were only accessible by swimming under the rock and through to the next cave. A little scary as it's pitch black in the caves and the guide is the only one with a little flashlight. It was really interesting though to see where the Fijians used to hide when they were being attacked.

That same afternoon we took a trip to the village on Nacula Island. As it wasn't part of the daily activities for that day, we had a private tour by one of the staff members. It was just a tiny little village with one church, one meeting hall (or large Bure), one medical centre, one school, and a bunch of Bures where the people live. After our tour we got to sit down with a couple of the elderly Fijian ladies and purchase some of their handmade jewelery and wood carvings.

Oarsmans Bay Lodge was known for it's spectacular reef which extends right off the beach, so that evening just before dinner I headed out to do some snorkeling and check the reef out for myself. It was pretty amazing how many fish and how much coral I saw only meters away from the shore. Not to mention the crystal clear turquoise water that was so refreshing to swim in after walking around the village all afternoon.

The following day we set out for the next island that we stayed at, Nanuya Balavu Island where we stayed at Manta Ray Island Resort. Well known for it's excellent scuba diving, I decided to put my diving certification to good use and went out for a dive. I have to admit, the first part of the dive was a little scary as the guide took us through a cave that I wasn't too keen on entering as it looked like a big black hole! So the guide had to come and take my hand to bring me through because there was no way I was going through on my own. After that it was sweet as! I got to hold a Seal-Faced Puffer fish and sea cucumber and we even saw a sea turtle, which are my favourite! All in all, it was a fantastic dive and I'm so glad I got to experience the reef in Fiji.

The last couple of days on the island were spent lounging around in the hammocks and on the beach. We took part in the basket weaving activity one afternoon where I made a beautiful basket out of coconut leaves. And for our last night on the island we were lucky enough to see the locals come out and put on a show for us. Little did we know that we would become a part of that show in the end dancing this crazy snake dance. Too much fun!

For our last day of our holiday, we went shopping in the town of Nadi and checked out the temple. We also got some last minute sun-tanning in and a few cocktails before heading to the airport. Note the amount of bags we had to bring back to Canada! I don't know how we didn't get charged for overweight baggage!

And then we were off... on our way back home!

Good Bye Sydney

Well, after an entire year living, working, travelling, and meeting such wonderful people in Sydney, it's time to say good bye. I had a great time at my farewell party on Saturday and thanks to all those who came out.

Not only have I enjoyed my time here, but I have met some truly wonderful people, who I can now call my friends and I feel so blessed for all the amazing friendships I have made here. I expect I'll have some visitors in Vancouver... as early as January! See you then Fi! And now that I know more people in Sydney, it just gives me more reason to come back and visit... and that I will surely do!

Many people have asked if I am sad to be leaving. There are obviously a lot of mixed emotions and feelings I have about going home. I'm sad to be leaving the life I have had here, but am anxious and looking forward to getting home to friends and family. It's never easy to say good bye, so the way I look at it is that I'll be back. So... it's really more like, I'll see you soon.

One week of travelling left to do, and then I will send out my final post!

Ularu (Ayers Rock)

They sure don’t call it the Red Centre for nothing! After waking up from my 3 hour “nap” on the plane, I looked out the window only to see miles and miles of red sand… and a whole lot of nothing!

We arrived in Alice Springs early enough to explore a bit of the town and enjoy the day. Boy, was it hot! To go from cold and wet Tasmania to hot and dry Northern Territory… what a contrast. Kinda cool though to be able to experience such opposite landscape and climate within a few days and within the same country no less! It was so dry in Alice Springs, in fact, that they actually hold a “boat race” every year along the “river” where they have to pull their man-made boats along the river bed to the finish line. Apparently it’s the only place in the world where they’ll actually cancel the boat race if there’s water in the river.

A lot of aboriginals live in Alice Springs as well, which you definitely don’t see in Sydney. Not really sure how safe it is there though, considering we had a huge sign on our balcony door saying “LOCK YOUR DOOR AT NIGHT!”, so I was glad we only had to spend one night there on each end of our tour.

Our 3-day adventure in the outback began at 5am on the first day! Why so freakin’ early you ask? Well, in the outback NOTHING is close to each other and we had to drive 450kms to get to Ularu. Our tour guide, Jason, and hostee, Robert, were prepared enough to provide us with some entertainment on the bus though, so the ride didn’t seem so long.

As we got closer to Ularu, the rock suddenly appeared in the distance and it was pretty magnificent. It really is an amazing landmark that is truly red! We by-passed Ayers Rock and went straight to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), another rock formation not far from Ularu. There, we did a 5+ km walk in through what is called the Valley of the Winds. Beautiful scenery through there with a look-out at the end that was well worth the hike.

After Kata Tjuta, we headed straight back to watch the sunset at Ularu. I think what was almost more amazing was the gathering of people to watch the sunset, than the sunset itself. Almost, but not quite! Jason offered us up some champagne and crackers with cheese to compliment this incredible view. And that pretty much marked the end of day one, aside from a wonderfully cooked dinner and a few jokes by the campfire afterwards.

It was up early again on day 2 so that we could watch the sunrise at Ularu. I didn’t really notice too much of a difference from sunset, but it was still beautiful. Then we were set off to do our 8km walk around the rock. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take many photos around the rock as they are sacred aboriginal sites and they prefer we didn’t take pictures. After our walk it was time for lunch and then we headed out on our next long journey out to Kings Canyon. Along the way we ran into some wild camels crossing the road. Now you know you’re in the desert when come across wild camels! (see video)

We arrived to Kings Canyon just in time to see the sunset there as well. Not as good as Ularu, but still such a beautiful sunset. That night the boys played a little trick on me by putting a fake mouse spider up on the wall where the campfire was. It was all fun and games until one of them took the shovel and tossed it at us! Some of you know how much I hate spiders, so you can just imagine my reaction on that one! (NOT GOOD) Then it was time for bed.

Our last day included a 6km hike through Kings Canyon. It started off with a 20 minute climb up “Heart Attack Hill” where up till now, 4 people have died. Fun stuff, let me tell ya. It was well worth it though once we got to the top. The views were spectacular, and I would do that climb again in a heartbeat if the view would always be that good. After lunch we were back on the road again to go back to Alice Springs. We got to enjoy a bit of 4-wheel driving on the way back as there wasn't a paved road all the way, so it was a bit bumpy, but a whole lot of fun! We even ran into another group of camels which Robert whole heartedly tried to catch, but didn't succeed. It was funny to watch though!

And that marked the end of our tour. It was a fun-filled, adventurous 3 days and unlike anything else I've seen so far in Australia. And I never expected to do so much hiking. Between Tasmania and Ularu, I've hiked over 35 kms in the span of 10 days. I think it's time for some relaxation... which we will definitely do in Fiji this week! 3 days left in Sydney now... the countdown has begun...