Nina and Igor's Oz Adventure

2006-05-24T03:25:00.000-07:00

DAY 30 (See all pics below-at the end of outback trip)

Our trip has come to an end. Today we embark on a 30 hour journey back home to Canada. This has been a fantastic vacation. Australia is a beautiful country and we were lucky enough to see all of the highlights. We’d like to thank my dad, Jasmine and Akhit for taking such good care of us and taking us all over Melbourne. We had a fantastic time and you made us feel very welcome in your home. Jasmine-you went all out with your delicious meals (we miss them very much!). Thank you also to Jelena, Ned and Ivan for taking us around the city. We got to experience the night life in Melbourne and also see some funky areas in town. You guys were awesome tour guides and we enjoyed hanging out with you during our stay. Make a trip down to Toronto!

Until our next trip…BYE!! XOXOXOXOXO Nina & Igor

DAY 29

Ann’s my really good friend who is staying in Victoria while finishing up Teacher’s College at Deacon University in Geelong. I didn’t think I would get a chance to meet her on this trip because my time in Melbourne just flew by. Luckily, she made her way down to Narrewarren and I picked her up from the train station on my last day. We spent the afternoon catching up and then going for Italian food with my Dad’s family. The food was yum but none of us finished it because of the massive portions. That is basically it for today. Amanda stopped by with the cutie pie kids to say goodbye as well.

Igor spent the day with Ivan and was lucky to get a chance to go back to the city and check out Chapel Street which apparently is similar to our Queen Street. He got to each the much talked about Souvlaki down there and purchased 6 boxes of TIM TAMS. If he only knew I did the same. Gosh! We’re bringing home 12 boxes!

DAY 28

Today Igor and I were heading back to Melbourne. Our tour group was heading back to Alice Springs but we stayed back and caught our flight from the Yulara Airport back to Melbourne. The airport was the smallest airport we had ever been to. It had only two gates and one waiting area for all passengers.

We arrived Melbourne 3 hours later and Igor and I went our separate ways for the next two days. Igor went to visit his cousins while I stayed back to spend my last few days with my Dad, Jasmine and Akhit. Tonight we had guests over and just relaxed. The first thing I did was shower. Igor spent the night watching movies with Jelena and Ivan before crashing.

DAY 27

Grrr…another 5am start. After catching the Uluru and The Olga’s sunrise, we quickly made our way to the Olgas/Kata Tjuta-meaning many heads (another sacred rock formation) to do a 3 hour hike. We hiked the Valley of the Winds and saw many more breathtaking views. After lunch we dashed back to Uluru and were recommended the full 9km base walk (self guided). Of major interest are the many sacred sites around the Base, notably the Mala and Matitjulu waterholes- small springs supporting life. We could have climbed Uluru if we choose to but the Anangu traditional owners prefer that we don’t. As a sign of respect our group decided not to climb to the top as we were on their land as visitors. Igor and I completed a total of 18km that afternoon and were only among a group of 5-6 people that completed the whole hike. At the end we weren’t tired at all, but I did have to find a bathroom as I refused to go out into the outback.

We ended off with the Uluru sunset and caught some awesome shots. We headed back to camp where we cooked up spaghetti bolognaise and fruit salad yum!

DAY 26

WOOOHOOO to a 5am wake up in pitch dark and freezing cold temperatures. We woke up with numb toes and chattering teeth and waddled to the bathroom facilities to change. By 6am we were in the van and made our way to King’s Canyon to see the sun rise. From here we started our scary trek up the canyon. We began at “HEART ATTACK HILL” which is known for actually causing heart attacks because of its challenging climb. By the time we reached the top, our group needed a few minutes to catch our breath before admiring the view of the canyon and the dessert from up top. It was absolutely stunning and scary at the same time. We spent the next 4 hour climbing up the rock and slowly creeping down steep slopes. We had to be very careful throughout our climb. There were no ropes, no barriers and fences to protect us the entire trek. People have died. Only a month ago a tour operator was standing on the edge (like we were all doing) and a tourist with a backpack on, turned around and accidentally pushed the tour guide off the cliff. Soooo….we were careful.

Overall we spent the four hours hiking, admiring the sandstone domes of the Lost City, sheer cliff top views along the South and North walls and the tropical Garden of Eden (a beautiful water hole hidden away in the canyon and ideal for a swim…if it was a little warmer).

After a hearty lunch we made our way back into the van and headed off to Uluru through the vibrant red sand dune country. On our way we saw a couple stranded in the middle of no where with their car stuck in a ditch. The 22 of us jumped out of the bus and ran to help the couple. Within minutes of pushing, we had the car out of the ditch. The couple was ecstatic and we felt like superheroes for the rest of the day.

At Yulara we settled into our comfy campsite for the next two nights. Uluru is the main tourist attraction in the Outback (Red Centre). Basically it is in Australia’s Northern Territory and is in the middle of no where. Yulara is a very small town. There is only one resort and it costs a fortune ($300-$800 a night). This resort also has a camp ground which it rents out to many tour companies like the one we went with on this trip. After setting up our tents (and this time everyone copied us), we made our way down to the rock (Uluru) to see the sun set. The view was breathtaking as swirls of red, orange, pink, purple and blue danced in the sky over Uluru (the aboriginal name meaning the meeting place).

After the sun set we headed back to cook up a BBQ. Together as a group we cooked steak, sausages, potatoes and salad and once again ended the night around the camp fire. Tonight we played a name game. It was quite funny and it brought our group a lot closer we felt. We crashed soon after remembering that we had yet another early morning start the next day.

DAY 25

We were picked up at 6:30am from Alice Springs and joined 20 other backpackers on the bus for our trek to Kings Creek Station and Kings Canyon. We stopped several times along the way including Jim’s Place and Rainbow Valley. At Jim’s Place (a family run restaurant/camping ground/station) we met a family that own the world famous “Dinky the singing Dingo”. Dinky is known all over and has been on several TV and radio shows for his singing. Basically, when playing the piano, Dinky jumps up on the keys and sings along to the notes played. It was kind of odd and neat at the same time. After this we made our way to Rainbow Valley an hour south, accessed by 20kms of dirt road. We took a quick hike to see the craggy, colourful features of the rock structure and to click a few pics. We then headed back to Jim’s place for lunch and to pet the camels/kangaroos. By mid-afternoon we headed down to King’s Creek Station. We stopped mid way in the middle of the desert to pick up some firewood. We just all hopped off the bus and started dragging broken tree branches onto the hood of the bus and tied it up with rope.

At King’s Creek Station there was plenty to do including camel rides, quad bikes and helicopter rides (none that were in our budget). We capped at King’s Creek Station with a choice of tents or sleeping in swag under the stars. Everyone decided to sleep in swag under the stars. A swag is basically just like a sleeping bag, but a little bit thicker. It was getting chilly and I knew it was going to be freezing at night. Igor and I decided to set up a tent. Inside, we threw in our swags for cushioning and tossed our sleeping bags on top. We then met the group to cook up some grub (rice, chicken and a veggie stir fry). We ended the night around the camp fire, roasting marshmallows and finding the Southern Cross among billions and billions of twinkling stars.

That night everyone froze their butts off and didn’t get any sleep…except for us. Everyone said the tent was a smart idea and there would be no more sleeping under the stars.

DAY 24

We left Cairns this morning to catch our flight to Alice Springs. We arrived in the afternoon and caught the airport shuttle to our hostel. As we drove into the tiny town we passed many aboriginal people on the streets. They walked barefoot and wore very drabby clothes (sort of like cloth wrapped around them). They are very dark (in skin colour) but found it strange that they all had blond hair. Anyway, after unpacking we left the hostel to explore the town. After about an hour of walking through a plaza and a few souvenir shops we were done with looking around the city. There was nothing much to see except for a few shops and restaurants. After looking at prices for food we dashed to the grocery store and decided to cook our own meal for then night. Igor and I whipped up BBQ chicken and corn and spent the rest of the night watching TV with a girl from Switzerland and a guy from Alberta. We crashed early because we had an early start the next day. We were going to the outback!

ALICE SPRINGS-DAY 1

Alice Springs town centre, right in front of our Hostel

KING'S CANYON-DAY 2

Dinky, the singing Dingo

Desert road, 4WD's only

The beautiful Rainbow Valley reserve

Me, Nina and Joe Camel at Stuart's Well.

Middle of nowhere...wooo hooo!

Rock formations at King's Canyon.

The Edge!

Halfway through the King's Canyon hike, 6km.

YULARA-DAY 3

Us just before sunset at Uluru

Sunset at Uluru

Group shot after the sunset.

YULARA-DAY 4

Sunrise at Kata Tjuta (a.k.a "The Olgas") before we haeded off for a hike between the hills. It means "Many Heads" in Aboriginal, representing the 36 huge roundish rock formations.

A lookout point mid-way through the Kata Tjuta Valley of the Winds walk.

Finishing the Valley of the Winds 7.5km hike.

Another lookout point shot.

Our campsite at Ayers Rock Resort

Uluru, Uluru, Uluru!!!

Jumping for joy...literally.

About to start the Uluru base walk, behind us is the side where the climb takes place (We did not climb. Uluru is a sacred place for the Aboriginals and they ask that you dont climb).

Hitching a ride :)

Midway through the walk, baking in the desert sun.

Close to the finish line! (9.4km walk around the base)

Interesting sign on the Uluru base walk

DAY 23

Today we finally had our snorkelling trip in the Great Barrier Reef. We had beautiful weather and calm waters. Even thought Igor and I have been snorkelling in other places, this one was absolutely stunning. This one beats them all-after all it is the best place in the world to go snorkelling. There were tons of colourful reefs-some hundreds of thousands years old. With our package we were given an extra option free of charge to do an introductory dive or guided snorkel tour with a Marine Biologist. We chose the snorkel tour and had all the different species of fish, coral and other sea creatures describes to us as we swam around the reef.

What was neat about this trip is that we didn’t snorkel off a boat. Reef Magic, our tour operator has a pontoon anchored right in the middle of the ocean. It was there where we had a chance to relax on the deck, eat our buffet lunch and then go for a semi-submersible tour. Overall, it was an EXCELLENT trip. We are sad that our Cairns trip has come to an end. This is a beautiful place. Many people only come here to see the rainforests and reefs. Really, there is so much more to see and do.

Now we are off to the outback where we will be camping. We will not be able to update our blog during this trip (unless our tour company provides high-speed internet in the tents). We will update it with our Uluru/Kings Canyon/Alice Springs pics when we get to Melbourne.

Bye!!!!!!

2006-05-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

DAY 22

Rainforests, Jungles and Wild Life…oh my! Today Igor and visited Kuranda taking the scenic railway up through rainforests, tunnels, mountains and water falls. This train was built a little over 100 years ago and takes approximately an hour and fifty minute to get to Kuranda Village through winding tracks and narrow tunnels. The scenic ride is one of the most beautiful (and worlds best) tourist attractions. On our way down, we hoped onto the Skyrail (apparently the longest gondola ride in the world). Skyrail is a cable car ride that allows you to see a birds eye view of the rainforests and the city of Cairns while going to or from the Kuranda Village. This was approx a 45 min ride.

After the Skyrail, our tour guide took us back up into the Kuranda Village and from there we had free time to check out the Kuranda Markets and grab a bite to eat.

Around 2pm we were picked up and taken on a flatlands tour in the Mareeba Township where we stopped to see some wildlife as well as bugs like termites. What we noticed as we drove down the highway into the Great Dividing Range is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of termite mounds. These mounds looked like large brown rock formations. It was fascinating to see how tiny little ant like bugs could construct such a structure (takes them up to 20 years to build one).

From there we stopped of at Skybury-The Australian Coffee Centre/Plantation, where they apparently brew some of the best coffee found anywhere in the world (They sell their 20kg bags for the same price as others sell their 50kg bags and still can’t keep up with the demand). Our tour guide Phillip, illustrated to us the process of growing, harvesting and processing coffee. This was a very entertaining (as well educational) tour. The centre is family owned and is a very beautiful place to visit. The new facilities just opened 5 weeks ago. We ended our trip with Cappuccinos on the house (which were still not as good as Igor’s dad’s).

On our way back to Cairns we stopped by the Henry Ross lookout point to see a beautiful view of the city of Cairns.

F.Y.I: It has been raining non-stop for the past three months in Cairns, breaking numerous records. We were very lucky to have had blue skies and sunshine during our entire stay here.

That’s about it for today. We came back to our hostel and cooked a very yummy pasta dish…and then crashed.

2006-05-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

DAY 21

Today was our Daintree River/Mossman Gorge/Cape Tribulation trip. It was absolutely jam-packed and a lot of fun. Our tour guide Sean started our day off with an awesome start. We were initially booked on a cheaper tour, however not many other people booked it, so we were upgraded to the more expensive tour free of charge (which included a rainforest habitat visit and lunch).

We started off with a scenic drive down Cook Highway (named after Captain James Cook who first landed in this part of the country). It was a very scenic route where we passed many historic/interesting sites which include Ellis Beach where John Ellis planted mango seeds from India. Today there are thousands of mangos that border the highway and cause many accidents during their summer time because they fall on the roads and make it slippery.

Our first stop was the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in Port Douglas. This was similar to a zoo, only much more intimate since all of the animals (the non-lethal ones) are free to roam around in their natural wetlands environment. We saw Cuddly Koalas, Wallabies, jumpy kangaroos (which we hand fed), Joeys in their pouches, Salt and Fresh Water Crocodiles, Cassowaries (birds that can kill humans with their three finger claws), we pet a python, various different tropical birds, and much, much more!

Next we made our way to the Mossman National Park to see the Mossman Gorge and do a bushwalk through the rainforest. Sean, our tour guide was almost like a walking encyclopaedia. He knew almost every tree, insect and animal species, where they date back from and how harmful they are. We learned about the most deadliest insects/plants, how to cure their stings and much more. We came across one plant with jagged edges that if brushed on your skin, the needles would dig right in and the burn would be so bad, it would take almost 10 months for the wound to heal. Although he told us about some of the scariest creatures that could be found in Australia, he told us many of them are myths and not as scary as most people make them to believe.

Our next stop was at a beach park where we had a yummy lunch and a great Australian dessert called Lemington (a coconut and chocolate covered light sponge cake).

Up next we headed up to the Daintree National Park where we had a river cruise on the Daintree River. This river is infamous for its crocodiles, snakes, sharks and other wild and deadly creatures. During the cruise we saw four crocodiles-each at different life stages from 6 weeks to fifty years old. We also saw a smaller python curled up and chilling on a tree branch. In addition we saw a cute green tropical froggy and a few kingfisher birds.

After the cruise we took the ferry across the river and made our way to Cape Tribulation (the only place in the world where the rainforest meets the reef). This is also where Captain Cook had to pull in his boat Endeavour for repairs after a near fatal collision with a reef. Hence the name: Cape Tribulation.

We arrived back to our hostel around 8pm, grabbed a bite to eat and are ready to crash for our next big adventure tomorrow.

Cheers until then!

2006-05-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

DAY 20

So Igor and I decided to be smart backpackers. We booked an overnight Greyhound bus ride to Cairns also keeping in mind that we would save on a night’s accommodation. *Ahhh! We arrived in Cairns at 6:30am and walked the streets sleepy eyed and tired from our long journey. Just a five minute walk from the main Cairns Esplanade, we found our Cairns Central YHA and boy were we happy with it. The newly renovated hostel looked almost like a Caribbean resort. With pool tables, a swimming pool and hot tub under tall shady palm trees, this was just the beginning of our exciting trip in Cairns. Unfortunately our check-in time was at 11:30 so we had about 5 hours to kill. We chilled in the TV room and then decided to do laundry. Our clothes smelled pretty bad from our sailing trip so it was about time to wash them.

After checking in we decided to explore the city by walking down the Esplanade, Cairns Lagoon, past the Cairns Central Dome/Casino and other city sights. We were amazed by the greenery this city has. It was almost like walking through mini rainforests…in the city!

Because we were so tired from our journey and our Daintree tour the following day would be starting at 7am, we decided to take the rest of the night off. We stopped by a grocery store and just picked up breakfast items for tomorrow morning. I also picked up some pasta and whipped up a quick dinner for the both of us.

2006-05-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

Day 19

Today Igor was feeling a lot better and was recovering from his cold and cough. We woke up pretty early since we slept early the night before. We made our way down to the kitchen and warmed up our cheese and bacon buns that we bought from Brumby’s a bakery across our hostel. We live near a grocery store so we were able to pick up soup, sugar, tea bags, juice and water. After breakfast we walked to the beach and down the Arlie Beach strip. The city is so small you can walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. Because it was Saturday, we ran into a lively market that was going on near the beach. We found lots of vendors selling fresh fruits and veggies, flowers and homemade items like jewellery and crafts. (I didn’t buy anything…but I was tempted.) As much as I wanted to…we have NO room in our luggage). After the market, we made our way down to a shady area and Igor decided to take a nap under the palm trees. I decided to pop into a bead place nearby. I spent the next hour looking through Australian beads and even making two necklaces and a pair of earrings for myself. It turned out to be cheaper to make my own than to buy them at the market. Now we are just waiting to catch our Greyhound bus to Cairns. Today’s weather was beautiful. It was hot, but not humid. The sun shone all day. I hope Cairns will be like this.

Oh and if you didn’t notice in a picture or two: I chopped my hair. The hairdresser didn’t end up cutting it the way I wanted-but as this point I don’t really care. It was bugging me so I got rid of it. I’ll fix it in Toronto. I better get back to Igor now. I left the poor guy napping at the Hostel. We have to catch our bus in the next 2 hours. We will update this blog and add it the remaining pics in Cairns.

Good-bye Whitsunday!!!

Arlie Beach strip
Arlie Beach-Nina
Fisherman Igor

Arlie Beach Market

2006-05-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

Day 18 (NEW PICS ADDED!)

Today we were getting ready to end our trip. We once again woke up bright and early and started sailing around 8am. From here we made our way around Hayman Island, past Hook Island again and towards Abel Point Marina where we would end our tour. We had the best sailing weather today. The sun was up, the winds were great and we were able to sail on a tilt the entire way. The waves were amazing and we took some awesome shots along the way. We really apologize but we will post these pics along with the others the next time we are at an Internet Café. We ended our trip around 1pm and made our way to the YHA hostel where we got our new room (which was better than the one before our sailing trip). Igor and I dashed for the showers. He beat me to it so I had to wait until he was done. After we were done we crashed and decided to do nothing but rest for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow we have a full day to explore Arlie Beach before catching our overnight greyhound bus to Cairns. Can’t wait!!

2006-05-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

DAY 17 (New Pics Added)

Today we woke up bright and early to cereal, raisin bread, toast and other breakfast items. We began sailing around 7:30am and everyone made their way upstairs on deck. Today went sailing around Nara Inlet, Macona Inlet, around Border Island and finally to Whitehaven Beach, the whitest sand beach in the world and one of the most beautiful beaches ever.

F.Y.I: The Whitsunday Islands are made up of some 64 islands. This sailing trip, depending on the wind and weather will be taking us to most of these islands to just relax on the beach and do some snorkelling in areas where there are coral reefs. Captain Cook used to sail down the Whitsunday Islands and named it Whitsundays after White Sunday a religious holiday in England after Easter. He and his crew used to enjoy relaxing on these beaches way back in the 1700’s.

When we got to Whitehaven Beach a few clouds came over, so our pictures don’t show the beach how it looks in its most beautiful stages…but we have to admit, it’s one beautiful sight up on the look-out point that we trekked up to. We haven’t uploaded these pictures yet, but will do so in a day or two.

Luckily the tide was low so we were able to see the white swirls of sand around the ocean. The sand was unlike any other. I mean…Igor and I are comparing it to the Caribbean which we both have visited. This sand was WHITE, WHITE WHITE!
We had some play time on the beach and got to take a quick bush walk. One of the German guys on our boat found a huge Australian spider and along the walk I got bitten by these green bugs. Annoying!

We got back on our boat and did some more sailing in the afternoon. Later on we stopped by another reef area where we anchored the boat and did more snorkelling. Igor and I decided to take a break and just lie on the beach. Thankgoodness for this. We spotted a SHARK right by the shore as we were getting ready to hop into the motor boat. Sam, one of the guys we met on the boat, actually snorkled over the shark. If it were me, I would have probably panicked and don't want to even think what I would have done.

The crew and the others later joined us for snacks (fresh fruit and platters of cheese and crackers). Because the water was so calm we decided to park the boat here the night.

Our night time feast included grilled chicken, salad and rice with an interesting sauce. Tonight was a lot better than the night before. We got to chat with a number of people our age from Germany and England. We played cards all night and learned a couple of German tricks/games. Igor and I got GOOOOOOD sleep tonight. Today’s sailing was great. We experiences rough waters, calm waters, rain, sunshine and rainbows. Our captain said that it’s been almost 5 months since he’s experienced such good sailing weather. We were satisfied.

Will add better sailing and Whitehaven Beach pics soon.

On the motor boat going to relax on the Island

Relaxing
& chillaxin
Feasting on the islan with the gang
Boomerang in the distance
SHARK!!

2006-05-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

DAY 16 (More pics to be added)

Welcome to the Whitsunday Islands! We woke up bright and early to check out of our hostel, talk a walk around the town and get ready for our sailing trip for the next three days/two nights around the Whitsundays. It was a warm day today except there was a mix of sun and cloud throughout most of the day. Igor and I strolled along the beach, and then by the Arlie Beach Lagoon. This little town is made up of beautiful palm trees, colourful flowers, beach type resorts and tons of sailboats and yachts bobbing around Shute harbour (where we would board our sailboat).

At noon, we made our way to the Southern Cross office where we made our sailing bookings to pick up our boarding pass as our snorkelling (wet) suits. From there we were picked up by a shuttle bus to take us to Shute Harbour. From there we met up with 26 other backpackers that would be sailing along with us for the next few days. We got on board “Boomerang” a 83foot Maxi Ocean Racing Yacht. This big guy raced under the name Ondine VII, and achieved great success including 1st place in the world Maxi Series Race, plus races in the USA, Japan and New Zealand. In Nov 2001, Southern Cross Sailing Adventures purchased the boat, fitted in new interior and in May 2002, Boomerang started Whitsunday Sailing Tours…and here we are today.

So we hopped on board and made our way downstairs to where our bunks were located. I couldn’t believe how 32 people were going to live in all that space…but we managed. Igor and I were given a double bunk, but wait till you see it. Anyway…it was a good experience. There were three bathrooms in total. There were no showers, however, the sink faucet COULD also be used as a shower, but we didn’t even want to bother with that.

The four-man crew, Jimmy our captain, Sarah (in charge of food), Marty and this other guy greeted us inside along with a platter of fresh cut tropical fruit. From there they gave us a couple of rules to follow and asked us to volunteer throughout the ride to help with the sailing. And from here our adventure began. 8 volunteers were asked to help with the raising of the sails (grinding). Igor helped the second time around and we were off sailing the Whitsundays. The weather was kind of odd. One minute it was sunny, the next it was raining. The waves were huge and I was trying really hard to get “The Perfect Storm” movie out of my head. There were times our boat tipped so deep, I thought we were going to flip…but I guess that is the beauty of sailing. You can literally ride the waves. I didn’t mind the weather. Our captain said that if it were sunny throughout the trip, there would be no wind and we wouldn’t get to experience the sailing. The rain and the sun helped us get wind. It was the perfect weather for sailing.

We sailed for a couple of hours making our way past Hook Island and then finally stopping Mantaray Bay were we anchored the boat and stopped for an hour of snorkelling on the coral reefs. This was Igor’s first time snorkelling and my third. It was beautiful. We saw tons of colourful fish, beautiful coral and I was really happy that we had on wet suits because we didn’t need to worry about jelly fish stinging us. I have pics from our snorkel trip, but those were taken on an underwater camera. Those pictures have to get developed so I wont be able to upload them to the blog.

Although the water was shallow in some areas, we couldn’t touch the floor because the coral reef would either cut or burn us so we had to be very careful when swimming.

I swam beside Igor and luckily at one point when I swallowed a bunch of salt water, I lost my balance and he was able to pull me back up to the surface of the water.

After snorkelling we made our way back to the boat. By then we were starving. The crew made us nachos with cheese and salsa while they whipped up dinner.
Igor and I were smelly and full of sand. I was dying to take a shower. 2 more days until I could get a shower!!! It’s ok. This is an experience we all should go through.

For dinner, the crew through on steaks on the BAH-B, what the call Barbeques. Our steaks were served with salad, mash potatoes and gravy and cookies for dessert. This, we were not expecting, but it was great! By 8pm we headed to bed because we were exhausted. Neither of us fell asleep because the water was REALLY choppy this evening. Also, because our cabins were located t the tip of the boat, I couldn’t stop hearing the constant crashing of waves. I was more scared than anything. I think I probably slept an hour in total. Igor caught a cold so he too didn’t sleep very well. People were quite loud (some drunk) and someone also clogged the bathroom beside us. We heard flushing all night. Sailing was great but the weather/water was rough. I don’t usually get sea sick but because of the rough sea my tummy was getting a little rumbly. Hopefully the next day will be a bit better.

*Igor is sleeping as I am writing this. I wasn’t able to access his pictures from the i-pod, but I will put those up the next time I update the blog. We have some REALLY cool sailing pics all on the I-pod. Keep checking for photo updates!

On board Boomerang

Coconut net on the palm trees (smart idea!)

Arlie Beach Lagoon

At the Arlie Beach Lagoon

Whitsunday Airlie Beach-Beach Walk

2006-05-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

DAY 15

Today we had most of our day in Sydney but we decided to make our way to the airport early for our flight to Proserpine. Lucky for us, our first bus forgot to pick us up and the second one just went by without stopping. Finally we got on our shuttle. Thank goodness Igor decided to leave three hours early…or we definitely would have missed our flight.

We arrived Arlie Beach in the Whitsundays around 8:00pm. By then it was too dark to do anything. We checked into our YHA Arlie Beach hostel (which wasn’t AS nice as Sydney) but for a beach town like in the Whitsundays…it was probably one of the nicer ones we could of found. Anyway…we grabbed some grub and went straight to bed to get the next day started bright and early. Sorry. No pictures were taken today. Our camera's needed a day of rest and plenty of charging.

2006-05-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

DAY 14 (*NEW-BONDI BEACH PICS ADDED!)

It's our third day in Sydney and we started it off by visiting the much talked about BONDI BEACH. Igor and I caught the local bus and took it all the way down to Bondi Junction and spend most of the early afternoon watching surfers, strolling along the shore and even dipping our feet in the cool blue ocean. The waves were huge and the air was fresh. The weather wasn't the greatest but it was still a nice day for a walk on the beach. After Bondi we decided to catch the bus back into the city and make our way towards Darling Harbour. Beside the harbour is the Sydney Aquarium, one of the world's best aquariums...so we decided to check it out. Inside, we were surrounded amongst fish tanks and gigantic glass windows that contained some of the world's most beautiful sea creatures...as well as some of the most deadliest. It took us a good two and a half hours to browse through the numerous tanks...hence the many pictures we have posted for you to see. We ended off at the Great Barrier Reef section where we witnessed schools of colourful fish...many seen in "Finding Nemo".

We are looking forward to swimming with them soon when we visit the Reef in Cairns. Now we are getting ready to go out for a nice dinner as it is our last night in this beautiful city. Tomorrow we leave for the Whitsunday Islands and our sailboat cruise begins on the 17th (Igor's B-day...I have to add!).

That's all for today! We miss you all. Ciaos.

@ Darling Harbour

2006-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

DAY 13 (more images added!)

It's day two in Sydney and we are pooped! It's almost 11pm and we are both ready to pass out in this Korean Internet Cafe. It was a challenge just to get the internet working, but we managed to do so after 20 minutes (except everything we view is in Korean characters and we have no Word so excuse our spelling errors if we have any). So today we began the day with yet another walk in the city, but first we stopped by Paddy's Market in China Town. We heard this place is only open on Fri/Sat/Sun and is one of the biggest markets in Syndey so we decided to check it out. After that we made our way towards The Rocks Market and checked out neat crafts made by local Australian artists. We picked up yummy Gelato from a popular Gelato place (Mango and Coffee) and ate that while we browsed the market. We passed several throughout the day and had the opportunity to taste many other flavours for free. HEY! We're on a budget. We're allowed to be cheap.

From there we made our way to Circular Quay and headed to Manley Beach via ferry. Once again we got to watch the sunset over the city and caught some neat shots (the sun sets at 6pm here since it is their Fall season). At Manley Beach we picked up deli sandwiches and strolled down the boardwalk by the beach and the cute little village. We took the ferry back around 7pm and began our four-hour long night photo shoot. We walked all over the city and took breathtaking shots of the waterfront, the bridge and the Opera House. Wait till you see them! Now we're going to head back and crash for the night. Cheerio mates!

P.S: Click on images to see them enlarged

The Rocks Market

Manly Wharf

Chill'n at Manly Beach

Sydney Opera House @ night

The city

Funny pose

Rooftop of Rocks Restaurant overlooking harbour

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Nina & Igor in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

Stairs leading to the Sydney Botanical Gardens

Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

2006-05-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

DAY 12

Greetings from Sydney! Igor and I caught an 8am Qantas flight. It was pretty short (only 45 mins) but they still gave us breakfast on board.Upon arrival we grabbed the Citylink train from the airport straight into the city which was only 8km away. We got off at Central station and our hostel was only a 5 minute walk away. When we got to the YHA Railway Square hostel, we were very impressed by the way it looked. It used to be an old railway station back in the day and was now converted into a backpackers hostel. It's pretty big and includes a cafe, computer area, laundry facilities, swimming pool, rec area and lots of activities each day. Our room was very nice but Igor likes our bathroom the best. Glad we chose this place to stay at. Its right in the heart of the city! So as soon as we unpacked we made our way out. I have to mention that we also changed into shorts because the weather was finally WARM and SUNNY! We walked all over the downtown core right up to the Sydney Harbour and it's two jewels (Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge).

On our way we stopped by St.Mary's, a beautiful church that was bustling with tourists and ringing with wedding bells (because there was indeed a wedding going on). After that we strolled through Hyde Park and then through the Sydney Botanical Garden. From there we got a few great shots of the Sydney Tower and skyscrapers. We walked over to the Opera House first to see if we could get tickets to a show for the evening. Unfortunately everything was sold out until Wednesday except for Gizelle (a ballet) which we didn't want to see. The Opera House was beautiful and we were very suprised to see that the roof is made of tiles similar to the ones in most kitchens.

From there we walked down the harbour and caught a 4pm sunset cruise around the Sydney Harbour. The cruise took us around the harbour for an hour passing several islands and beaches. There are many European style villas that line the harbour that it almost reminded the both of us of Monte Carlo. We were lucky to have such a gorgeous day and caught many beautiful shots of the city during the sunset. After our cruise we hit up The Rocks, an area below the harbour bridge.

The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney and now a tourist spot full of cobbled streets, old buildings and allyways. The weekend markets, craft shops and art galleries are apparently worth the visit. Because we got there at 5ish, we had just missed the Rocks Market. We managed to see a few stalls but are mostly likely going to visit there tomorrow. This market is known mostly for selling hand made items like crafts and jewelry (my favourite! Igor is groaning). After that we walked around the city some more until we decided to head back and crash.

The hostel rooms (in train compartments)

2006-05-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

DAY 11

Today, Igor and I are packing for our trip to Sydney. We leave tomorrow morning and will be staying at Jelena’s house tonight. We’re going to catch the train sometime in the afternoon and make our way into the city. From there we’ll probably stroll down Richmond Street (Shopping district) and hopefully find some good bargains.

We’re getting VERY excited for our Sydney adventure…and for the warmer weather ahead.

Cheers mates! Keep checking for more updates!

2006-05-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

DAY 10

Today we were off to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. This place is an old town/Gold Mine from the 1800’s. It’s very famous for its working machinery. You can watch Carriage Builders and Wheelwrights at work and even meet people dressed in costumes from that specific period. Though this tourist attraction if probably geared towards younger kids…it was still a cool place to visit. We walked down Main Street and stopped by Red Hill Gully diggings to actually dig (panning) for REAL GOLD. We sounds two tiny specks of gold and put it in a bottle they sell for $1.00. From there we went on an underground mine tour. This was kind of neat because they really explained what miners went through back in the day and put us in actual scenarios with drillings and TNT blasts. Being down there really illustrated how dangerous the work was. Can you believe miners started at the age of 13 when they were done school!? Anyway, from there we went to the Gold Museum and made our way back home.

Welcome to Sovereign Hill

Me digging for gold
Igor panning for Gold

Can you find any gold?

GOLD!
In the undergroun gold mine
Overlooking Balarat
Me leaving the mine

2006-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

DAY 9

Day to relax…and SHOP! Igor and I went to DFO (Direct Factory Outlet). This place had hundreds of stores (brand name) for cheap cheap cheap. I think Igor and I walked out with 6 bags of stuff for less than $100. I bought a hat for $4 and then an additional 25% off. We only had a chance to go through half of the mall…so hopefully we can go back to do the other half when we get back. We also went to Caribbean Market today. This place was similar to Vic Market where tons of vendors sell souvenirs and clothes for cheap. We didn’t buy much except for a few magnets and matching Australia jackets. I wish I had a pic of us wearing them. Maybe in another post. Tonight, Amanda’s family stopped by before Igor and I leave for Sydney. She was so sweet. She got Igor and me a couple of Australia souvenirs. We played with the kids again and ended the night with a few more guests coming over to visit us.

2006-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

DAY 8

Today is the day we were looking the most forward to. The Great Ocean Road & the 12 Apostles! I can’t even describe how scenic this road trip was. We made our way down to Geelong and then to Torquay (Surf Capital). From there we got onto the Great Ocean Road-four hours of narrow winding roads on spectacular cliffs overlooking golden beaches and the Pacific Ocean. Throughout our drive we also passed through The Otway Ranges- one of the finest temperate rainforests in Australia, magnificent fern gullies, waterfalls, huge trees some of which are hundreds of years old. We stopped several times to takes some pictures and even to walk on the beach. We also stopped at the famous lighthouse point. The weather was kind of funny today. We had a mix of sunshine, rain, hail, wind and even a rainbow. By the time we got to the 12 Apostles it was absolutely crazy. It took us 6 hours to get there and finally when we saw the sight, we took a few minutes to take a few pictures and we ran back to the car. The wind almost took me away. Hailstones were whipping us in the face and the wind was soooo strong. There’s something about that area that makes it very cold and windy. Anyway…we’ve got videos to show you exactly how bad it was there.

Here are some pics for now: Funny Sign
Entering the Great Ocean Road
Huge waves on the Pacific
Beaches !
Beautiful Rainbow
The 12 Apostles
Bad weather @ the 12 Apostles

2006-05-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

DAY 7

Today we decided to stay home and RELAX. Jasmine, my dad’s wife has been making us some amazing breakfasts and today the lunch was superb. Igor and I had three helpings of Carbonerra Pasta with jumbo shrimps, a potato bake with shrimps, corn and another Penne pasta. Everyone wants to feed us. Tonight we are invited to Amanda’s house for dinner. Amanda’s dad is my mom’s uncle…so I’m not sure what she is to me. Anyway, she’s a relative of mine. She wants us to come over for dinner but Igor and I really cannot imagine eating any more food…for the next three days! Igor’s in heaven. He’s getting all of his favourite foods.

My dad works for FTA foods, which is one of Australia’s largest food supplying companies. His company supplies all of the ingredients to large corporations such as Nestle, Kraft etc.

Anyway, he gets heaps of goodies from his clients such as boxes of fresh dates, nuts, almonds and so on. Igor and I have been pigging out on these huge, fresh dates. He’s trying to think of ways to bring some back to Toronto (if there are any left over!).

To our mother’s reading this: We’re being well fed. We’re either going to come back really healthy or 20 pounds over weight.

*NEW ADDITION: Tonight we also visited my cousin Amanda's family who also lives in Melbourne. They have a beautiful house on the top of a hill that over looks the city. She has two little boys Noah (1 year) and Adrian (3 years) who kept us entertained all night. Adrian is probably the youngest footy fan we have ever met. He knew everything about the AFL and the names of every team and player. We were very impressed.

Me, Adrian, Noah and Amanda

2006-05-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

DAY 6

This morning I helped Igor make crepes for breakfast. YUM! After breakfast Ivan, Jelena, Ned, Igor and I made our way to St.Kilda’s market. This market is only opened on Sundays and it’s one long street, which has different vendors selling artsy things from handbags to paintings to jewellery. Unfortunately it rained very heavily in he morning so many vendors packed up and left for the day by the time we arrived. We did however have a chance to see a few of them. No purchases were made…yet.

By St.Kilda’s was a carnival and shops that we walked down to. There we stopped off for oven-fired pizza (apparently Melbourne’s BEST pizza). We spent quite some time in this one store that had neat Australian gadgets. I fell in love with this one item. It was an orgasmic head massager. It was made from wires but Igor placed it on my head and I instantly fell into a daze. It was $25 but boy did it feel great! I’m going to have to get one before I leave for Toronto.

From St.Kilda’s we made our way down to Victoria Market where hundreds of vendors sell clothes and tons of souvenirs. Igor and I scooped out the prices and still have Caribbean Garden market to go to on Wednesday before we buy anything.

After Vic Market we headed down to the city and stopped off at KOKO Blacks a popular mocha place.

FYI: Chocolate houses like Max Breners are very popular in Melbourne. Everywhere you go are little chocolate cafes. Aussies enjoy having a warm cup of mocha or chocolate fondue, chocolate martinis or desserts out on the patio.

Jelena kept talking about KoKo Black so we had a round of KoKo black Belgian chocolate mocha. It was heavenly….*drool. I really enjoyed it but halfway through, I felt it was too rich. Igor didn’t mind drinking his and mine.

By 6pm the gang drove us to Flinders Station and Igor and I caught the next train back to my dad’s place in Narre Warren.

By the time we arrived we were met with guests that came over to meet the both of us. We were given lots of wine and chocolates to bring back home. (How are we gonna carry all of this!?? We don’t have Igor’s mom here to pack all our stuff!) The night was enjoyable and we met some old old old family friends that last saw me when I was a baby.

When I went to bed my dad piled stacks and stacks of photo albums of me when I was a baby. Pictures I have NEVER seen. (I have maybe a handful of baby pictures back home in Toronto). I found tons of pics of my mom at my age. Igor couldn’t believe how much I resemble her. Mom…I’m bringing home TONS of pics!

Carnival at St. Kilda

Man that fell asleep in a bus shelter. We saw him on our way to and back from St.Kildas.

He didn't move an inch.

City Tram

Down St.Kildas

Funny store name

Seafood market

Victoria Market

Ivan, Igor, me, Ned and Jelena

Me and Jelena at the Pizza Place

2006-05-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

DAY 5

Today Jelena and Ned (her boyfriend) took Igor and I out on the town. The weather was sunny and we saw all of Melbourne’s highlights. We first began our day by walking on the pier in Williamstown. From there we made our way into the city and walked EVERYWHERE. We parked in the Crown Casino (Australia’s largest casino) lot and walked through slot machines. Ned gave us all $1 and we lost it all. A couple of minutes later Ned won his $5.00 back.

We walked out with our winnings and made our way to Federation Square, cool back alleys, past China Town down the Yarra River and finally ended with warm drinks on the docklands (sort of like our Harbour Front). From there we caught the free city tram to the middle of the city and walked back to our car. We were exhausted! Basically, Jelena got us back for making her walk for hours around Toronto when she came down in February. It was a fun day!

We stopped by blockbuster and picked up Team America and a chick flick. We also went next door to a Turkish bakery and picked up Turkish bread and dips. Igor and I passed out in the middle of Team America…at 9pm! That’s how exhausted we were.

FYI: Because of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne recently, the city had done a real thorough cleanup before the games were held. There are trees everywhere. Large firn tree and palm trees surround the city and even along the freeway. It’s absolutely beautiful here. Australian’s drive on the opposite side of the road so Igor and I always cringe in our seats when sharp turns are made around round-abouts and traffic lights. Toilets DO NOT flush in the opposite direction…I don’t know why I keep hearing that. There are two buttons on each toilet. A half flush and a full flush. I wont explain why…you should know that!

A macro shot of a lemon just after it rained in Jelena's backyard

Hanging by the Yarra River in Melbourne City

The city in the background

Federation Square
Me and Jelena striking a pose
Ned using the automation directory "What's on" in Melbourne
Flinder's Station

Random Artsy Allyways in the city

More shops in the allyways

SMILE!

2006-05-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

DAY 4

Today, Igor and I headed up to Arthur’s Seat Scenic Park on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Basically, this was a chairlift ride that took us on a 300 metre summit through treetops, the bush and finally to breathtaking views of Port Phillip Bay. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the top it started pouring so we didn’t get a chance to ride it back down which would have allowed us to see a better view of the bay. Luckily Igor snapped a few pics on our ride up. The weather was pretty crappy for most of the day. We decided to stop by the mall on our way back home and picked up a few postcards. I also browsed though some clothing stores and saw that the prices were very similar to Canadian prices. I didn’t pick up anything because we are getting into summer and Australia is heading into winter. They had all their winter clothes out and Igor and I don’t need any winter gear. We’re sick of WINTER!

Tonight, Igor and I packed up our weekend gear and headed into the city to meet with Jelena (Igor’s cousin). Jelena picked us up from Flinder’s Station, (similar to our Union Station) to stay over at her place the weekend. Because the traffic was pretty hectic, we decided to walk around the city until the traffic died down. Jelena took us through the city’s underground to look at shops and the bustling streets of downtown Melbourne. It was soooo much cooler than Toronto’s underground PATH system. Once the traffic died down, we made our way to Taylor’s Lake, which is where Jelena’s family lives. There we met her brother Ivan and her dad. Tonight, we headed back into the city and went to a lounge/bar called Bamboo. Igor and I really enjoyed ourselves because it was our first night with people our own age. We also had a chance to Parteeeeeeey in Australia and pick up some Aussie lingo. Goodtimes Mate!
Some lingo we learned:

When saying cheers, clink your glass and say: "Cheers Big Ears!" The other person will reply "Same goes big nose!" and then the next person wil say "Well said F*** head!"

Flip-flops -> Thongs
Car trunk -> Boot
Line -> Que
Highway -> Freeway
Downtown -> The City
Australian football -> Footy
How's it going? -> How you going?
Bell Peppers -> Capsicum
Cotton Candy -> Fairy Floss

FYI: People our age dress real trendy in clubs/bars/lounges. Most of the guys are “Metro-sexuals” and there are no thugs and baggy pants around here. Thank goodness.

A breaktaking view of Port Harbour Bay
Aboard Arthurs Seat
Igor and I @ BAMBOO

Jelena and Igor

@ BAMBOO

Igor, me and Ivan

Canadian eh?

2006-05-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

DAY 3

Today, Igor and I went aboard the Puffing Billy, an old steam train that took us into some of Australia’s beautiful rainforests and through the scenic Dandenong ranges. FYI: The original Puffing Billy railway was one of four low-cost narrow gauge lines constructed in Victoria at the beginning o the last century to open up remote areas for settlement. We also saw some breathtaking views of the city and countryside. It was a two-hour journey through Belgrave, Menzies Creek, Emerald and finally to Lakeside where we got off and had an hour to walk around and have some hot chocolate. The trip was absolutely spectacular. After our ride we made our way into Dandenong Ranges National Park to see birds. But not just ANY birds. Hundreds and hundreds of colourful parrots and stunning white cockatoos with large yellow crowns flocked over to us to nibble on seeds we held in our hands. Some enjoyed sitting on Igor’s head for some reason. I have a funny video of this. I have to figure out how to post videos. Stay tuned.

FYI: This park contains the tallest flowering plant in the world: The Mountain Ash. Thousands of gigantic fern trees and lush forests surround this beautiful area and are home to tons of Australian wildlife.

Around a bend aboard the Puffing Billy, among a lush rain forest setting.

Our train conductor tossing in some more coal.
Igor taking some random artsy pics...as usual.
Igor being attacked by Cockatoos.

More Cockatoos
Beautiful tall trees
Evening sunset
Me and Igor on the platform of Menzies Creek
Place your rubbish here

2006-05-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

DAY 2

Igor and I are staying at my dad’s house in Melbourne. On our second day he and his family took Igor and I to see the Kangaroos at the Melbourne reservoir. We drove all around Narre Warren, which is where we are staying and then also went down to Port-Sea to see the beaches and the Pacific Ocean. The weather has been pretty cool and rainy, especially by the water. We spent our time walking around, throwing around a footy-ball and watching the sunset. (Igor obviously spent most of his time taking photos!) Here are some from today:

Kangaroos!

The babies in the kangaroo pouches are called "Joey"

Akhit, Igor and I in front of the sunset in Portsea.

Driving down Portsea
Sunset
Huge waves on the Pacific Ocean and fishermen in the background

2006-05-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

DAY 1

Our journey to Australia began on May 01, 2006 at 10:17am with a long flight…or should I say four long flights! Toronto->Chicago (1 hour flight, 1 hour stop-over)->L.A (6 hour flight and 6 hour stop-over)->New Zealand (14 hours and 1 hour stop-over)-> Melbourne (3 ½ hours).

We travelled with American Airlines from Toronto to L.A and were given a complimentary drink. WOW! The rest of the journey was on board a 747 Qantas jumbo jet, which treated us like royalty. They really pampered us the entire way with complimentary travel packs (tooth brushes, socks etc), two big breakfasts, a big dinner snacks and fresh fruit throughout the flight. Each seat had its own TV screen, remote and selection of movies, TV sitcoms and video games.

On top of that, the flight was half empty so everyone had a chance to take up entire rows to themselves to stretch out and have a nice long nap. I spent most of my time watching Everybody Loves Raymond and Igor was listening to the audio version of the DaVinci Code on his i-POD. On May 03, 2006 at 8:53am we arrived Melbourne, Australia. This is where our OZ adventure began.

Igor and I have TONS of pictures and videos that we will share when we get back, but we just thought we would post a *few pictures throughout our journey for you all to look at until we get back. Enjoy! We miss you all (especially our family!)

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Spending our 6 hour stopover in L.A staring at planes.

Entering Australia. You can see the coastline in the distance.

The sun setting on the runway in New Zealand

Sitting, waiting, wishing in L.A

Welcome to L.A!

Flying over the Grand Canyon, Arizona