Brisy
The cool kids call it "Brisy" or even "Bris Vegas", but yous probably know it as Brisbane. I arrived yesterday afternoon, after parting ways with Karana. We flew together from Fiji to Auckland, but then she continued on to Sydney.
Fiji was lovely. I honestly think that I would have gone stir-crazy if we had stayed any longer, because there is only so much lounging around that I can do before I start to go crazy. Or maybe I go less crazy, which is the problem? Whatever.
After two days in Nadi, we were off to one of the Yasawa Islands (where Castaway was filmed), Kuata, for 3 days. Then we returned for one more night in Nadi before we took off again.
Highlights:
- The Bula Dance
The key here, as Moses so clearly informed us, is to "shake it, don't break it". I felt like I was at summer camp again.
- Manly men wearing skirts with flowers tucked behind their ears
Seriously though. If I were a guy, I would probably want to wear a skirt as well.
- Kayaking through crystal clear waters
Except for the part where Jami and I hit coral and I hopped out to push it and cut my feet up.
- Lying in a hammock with a good crime novel for hours
I've always been a fan of hammocks; I have one in my room. Nothing quite compares to watching the sunrise from the beach though, while swinging gently.
- Getting ridiculously sunburned
Wait, that's not a highlight. I still can't sleep properly cuz it hurts so bad. Karana assures me it looks more like a tan than a burn now, but I think my skin is displeased with me.
- Village trip and traditional dinner
Amazing, beautiful, friendly kids who wanted to know everything about us all and demanded we take pictures of them with our digital cameras. Little hams. I can't wait to post pictures of them posing! It was interesting not only because we got to see village life, but also because the guide quite frankly informed us that our tourist dollars had built the entire village. Very interesting indeed.
- The guy in my hostel room who tried to convert me to Christianity
He was listening, but not
really listening, when I told him several times that I had already accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour. I left his pamphlet on the bed next to mine.
- Dinner with my dad's cousin and his wife and her son
Diego might just be the cutest kid in the entire universe. He insisted to Carola, his Mom, that since I was Greg's cousin, I was HIS cousin too. Sounds good to me! Karana and Diego and I spent most of the meal discussing Spongebob.
I could write so much more, I know I could. And I took heaps of pictures. To be honest though, I'm not in the mood. I'm safe and I'm content, and even though it's Friday night in Brisbane, I don't feel like going out. I feel like existing for the evening before getting ready to head out for a few weeks of travelling up the coast.
I hope everyone is well... I am starting to miss home (and by "home" I mean friends and family) more and more.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just got my eyebrows threaded instead of waxed. It hurt about as much / more than my tattoo.
Auckland Part Deux
I wish I could post PICTURES!!!! Oh it's so pretty here. I've taken like.... 650 in the last 4 days. Unlike some people (like Trevor), I believe in QUANTITY rather than QUALITY :D!
Karana and I did the Auckland thing on... oh I don't remember what day it was, but I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEE ITTTTTTTT. Mark my words people: One day I will call Auckland home.
Then we took a giant green bus to Paihaia (The Bay of Islands) for 2 1/2 days of chillout. Oh man. It was wonderful. For the first while I was like, "dammit Sara you need to be doing thing and go go go go go!" But you know what? This is my VA-CA-TION and if I want to take a ferry boat over to Russell Island and sit for an hour just looking at the water, then that's what I'm going to do.
Went on a day trip to Cape Reigna, the toppest toppy tip of New Zealand, and drove on Highway 1A (A beach. I'm not kidding you. We drove on 63 miles of sand in a special bus). People went sand boarding down a sand dune (I couldn't cuz of Mr. Tattoo and his scabby attraction to things that will get stuck in him; i.e., sand). And then there was more sitting. And more looking. And some sleeping. And then more sitting! Pahaia is the chillestest place and I loved it.
And now we're back in Auckland and I'm trying to plan the last bit of my trip.
Things we know:
Tommorrow Karana and I fly to Nadi, Fiji.
Fiji will be wonderful.
November 16 is my Dad's birthday!!!!!!!!! I will think of him from the beach.
November 17 I fly to Auckland and then to Brisbane.
December 12 I fly from Sydney to Honolulu.
As you can see there is a bit of a gap. By the time I get done with the travel agent it should look something like this:
Nov 12-17 - Fiji
Nov 18-21 - Brisbane
Nov 21-25 - OzExperience bus from Brisbane to Cairns
Nov 25 - Cairns to Whitsundays
Nov 26-Dec 4 - Whitsundays to Sydney to Melbourne, stopping at all sorts of razzle dazzle locations
Dec 4-5 - Melbourne
Dec 5-8 - Hayley's house (don't exactly know where she lives but it's "somewhere down the coast")
Dec 9-10 - Wollongong
Dec 11-12 - Sydney
Dec 12-11 (Time change) - Sydney to Honolulu to wherever Karana Lives
Dec 12-16 - Harassing Karana's family
Dec 16 - Honolulu to Maui
Dec 16 - SHRIEK!!!!!!!!!!! MACDONALD FAMILY REUNION IN MAUI!!!!! *imagine Chariots of Fire playing in the background as we all run at each other in slow motion*
Dec 16-31 - Maui with the fam
Dec 31 - Maui to Vancouver (arrive 1:30 am on the 31st)
Dec 31 (2:30 am) - Tim Horton's coffee
And maybe if I'm lucky I will be awake to ring in the new year before passing the heck out.
Will amend this once things have been finalized!
POST
Auckland
In Auckland. No pics because:
a) no way to upload pics
b) haven't taken any
Tee hee. Safe and content, though we haven't done anything yet. Will try to update, but for now I'm booking other things online.
Mwuahahaha.
-Sara
Au Revior, Campus East
It's 4:20 am and I'm a little down in the dumps. Just finished packing up my life into two suitcases (and a backpack and a duffel bag but shhhhh). I'm leaving Campus East in less than three hours. Not sure if I should bother going to sleep but I think I'll try.
I'm sad.
Somehow it's different when you know that you won't see most of these people ever again.
As Promised!
Mary, the official photographer of the event, gave me the disc with the pictures today, so here you go! If you're not into this kind of thing, don't look! Skip over this post and take a peek at the Outback Adventures!
I've been told I have a very expressive face, and this does pretty much sum up how I was feeling at that particular juncture... Hayley is not nice because she is laughing at me (actually Hayley is lovely)-
Some music (courtesy of iTunes; good choice!) to calm the nerves! I remember Blink 182's "Miss You" and after that I passed out. KIDDING!-
Harry kneeling down before me... and putting deodorant on my leg? Nono, he was using a sticky stick to put the transfer on-
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!-
The finished product... I like the contrast of black against that ghost white skin-
The little guy is still scabby, but as soon as it's all healed up, I'll post another picture.
